El Águila (Alejandro Montoya) is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...

appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

. El Águila is patterned after the literary hero

Zorro Zorro (Spanish language, Spanish for 'fox') is a fictional character created in 1919 by American pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo of Los Angeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed a ...

. His name is

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

for "the

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

". The character made its live-action debut in the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...

television series '' She-Hulk: Attorney at Law'', played by Joseph Castillo-Midyett.

Publication history

El Águila was introduced as a recurring adversary of Power Man and Iron Fist. ''

Power Man and Iron Fist ''Power Man and Iron Fist'' (originally ''Luke Cage, Hero for Hire'' then ''Luke Cage, Power Man'') was an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the superheroes Power Man and Iron Fist. Publication history ''He ...

'' writer Mary Jo Duffy recounted his creation: El Águila made his first appearance in ''Power Man and Iron Fist'' #58 (August 1979). The character made several subsequent appearances in the title, including issues #58 (Aug. 1979), 65 (October 1980), 78 (February 1982), and 99-100 (February–March 1982). He appeared in ''

Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions ''Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions'' is a three-issue comic book limited series published from June to August 1982 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Mark Gruenwald, with art by John Romita Jr. and Bob Layton. This series was si ...

'' #1-3 (June–August 1982) and ''

Marvel Fanfare ''Marvel Fanfare'' was an anthology comic book series published by American company Marvel Comics. It was a showcase title featuring a variety of characters from the Marvel universe. Volume one ''Marvel Fanfare'' featured characters and settings ...

'' #3 (July 1982), and after an appearance in '' Marvel Comics Presents'' #9 (December 1988) a few years later he was not seen for some time. He finally made a return with a cameo appearance in '' G.L.A.'' #2 (July 2005), as well as ''Marvel Westerns: Outlaw Files'' (2006) and '' The New Avengers'' #18 (June 2006). El Águila received an entry in the original ''The

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe The ''Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe'' is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications. The original 15-volume series was published in comic book format in 1982, followed by sporadic u ...

'' #1, in The ''Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition'' #1, and in the ''Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition'' #12.

Fictional character biography

Alejandro Montoya was born in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, and later moved to America. Upon discovering his

mutant In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...

powers, Alejandro decided to use his unique abilities as a swashbuckler and costumed crime fighter, taking up the mantle of El Águila (Spanish for "The Eagle"), an identity passed down by his ancestors. As El Águila, he preys upon drug dealers and criminals that take advantage of the poor and needy. He is not a certified law authority and is wanted by authorities. Soon after launching his crime-fighting campaign against drug dealers, slumlords, brutal police, and other wrongdoers, Águila encountered Iron Fist, Power Man, and

Misty Knight Mercedes "Misty" Knight is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Tony Isabella and Arvell Jones, Knight was first mentioned (by name) in ''Marvel Premiere'' #20 (Jan. 1975) and appeared in ...

. Águila aided Power Man and Iron Fist against female assassins out to kill Jeryn Hogarth. He also battled Hawkeye while investigating

Cross Technological Enterprises Cross Technological Enterprises (often referred to as Cross Tech or C.T.E.) is a fictional corporation appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. First appearing in ''Marvel Premiere'' #47, it is portrayed as being one of the le ...

when Hawkeye was serving as their head of security. Águila teamed up with Power Man and Iron Fist to capture the Slasher, and fought the Constrictor. Alongside

Colleen Wing Colleen Wing is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Descended from a family of samurai, Wing is a Japanese martial artist who avenged her grandfather's death with the help of the superhero Iron Fis ...

and Misty Knight, he battled mercenaries working for Ward Meachum and fought Fera. He aided Power Man, Iron Fist, Colleen Wing, Bob Diamond, and

Rafael Scarfe Sabra Sabreclaw Sabreclaw is a character in the MC2 universe who first appeared in '' J2'' #8 (May 1999). He is the half-brother of Wild Thing and the son of Wolverine. The character has claws (similar to Sabretooth), a healing factor, enh ...

in an attempt to rescue Misty Knight and

D.W. Griffith David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the na ...

from captivity by Ward Meachum's mercenaries. Águila returned to Spain briefly on a request of his cousin Migdalia to save her village from the mutant

Conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, O ...

. Águila was confirmed to have been depowered following the events of " M-Day". Though Alejandro now has no powers, he was still considered a "potential recruit" for the

Initiative In political science, an initiative (also known as a popular initiative or citizens' initiative) is a means by which a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters can force a government to choose either to enact a law or hold a pu ...

program because of his expertise in sword fighting and hand-to-hand combat.

Powers and abilities

Águila had the

power to generate electrostatic charges within his own body, and is able to discharge up to 100,000 volts through conductive metal. He most often uses his double-edged steel sword for this purpose, emulating his idol, Zorro. He is a skilled fencer with extraordinary swordsmanship skills, and an excellent hand-to-hand combatant and acrobat.

In other media

El Águila appears in the '' She-Hulk: Attorney at Law'' episode "The Retreat", portrayed by Joseph Castillo-Midyett. This version is part of a spiritual retreat run by Emil Blonsky called Summer Twilight.

References

External links

* * *
Aguila on Marvel Directory
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aguila Characters created by Dave Cockrum Comics characters introduced in 1979 Fictional Spanish people Fictional swordfighters in comics Marvel Comics male superheroes Marvel Comics martial artists Marvel Comics mutants Marvel Comics superheroes Vigilante characters in comics