Man Mountain Marko (Michael Marko) is a fictional supervillain 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 ...
. Marko was and remains an affiliate of numerous
organized-crime entities in the
Marvel
Marvel may refer to:
Business
* Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company
** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment
** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe
** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics
...
universe, including the
Maggia.
He was allied with
Silvermane
Silvermane (Silvio Manfredi) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A notorious crime boss and prominent figure in the Maggia, a fictional organized crime syndicate, he is usually depicted as an adversary ...
, Caesar Cicero,
Eel
Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...
I, and
Nightshade
The Solanaceae , or nightshades, are a family of flowering plants that ranges from annual and perennial herbs to vines, lianas, epiphytes, shrubs, and trees, and includes a number of agricultural crops, medicinal plants, spices, weeds, and orna ...
. His most frequent enemies are
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...
,
Power Man,
Iron Fist,
Thunderbolt
A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hell ...
, and
Boomerang
A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning b ...
. He appears to have no relation to Cain Marko, seen in various Marvel titles as the
Juggernaut
A juggernaut (), in current English usage, is a literal or metaphorical force regarded as merciless, destructive, and unstoppable. This English usage originated in the mid-nineteenth century and was adapted from the Sanskrit word Jagannath.
...
, despite similarities in surname, physique and superpowers.
Publication history
Man Mountain Marko first appeared in ''
The Amazing Spider-Man
''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bim ...
'' #73 and created by
Stan Lee
Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...
and
John Romita Sr.
John V. Romita (; born January 24, 1930) is an American comic book artist best known for his work on Marvel Comics' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and for co-creating characters including the Punisher and Wolverine. He was inducted into the Will Eis ...
Fictional character biography
Marko is first seen as
Silvermane
Silvermane (Silvio Manfredi) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A notorious crime boss and prominent figure in the Maggia, a fictional organized crime syndicate, he is usually depicted as an adversary ...
's loyal lieutenant in an incident dealing with an ancient tablet which he steals. He attacks
Curtis Connors when he thinks the formula he created has killed Silvermane. Marko is quickly defeated by Spider-Man.
Marko and some of his colleagues rob the Debutante Ball of Millie Hogarth. Unfortunately, for them, Millie's father is the agent for
Power Man and
Iron Fist, who were called in to defeat the villains. Man Mountain Marko later assisted Caesar Cicero's men into attacking Luke Cage and
Big Ben Donovan
Big Ben Donovan is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Donovan was portrayed by Danny Johnson in the Marvel Television series '' Daredevil'' and ''Luke Cage'', set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe ...
.
During a trip to gather protection money, Marko has some sort of breakdown and trashes an entire bar, with Spider-Man inside of it. Investigative reporter
Ben Urich
Benjamin "Ben" Urich is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character usually appears in comic books featuring Daredevil and Spider-Man.
Urich is a chain-smoking, tough-as-nails investigative jo ...
tells Spider-Man that Marko has apparently also kidnapped a child. Ben knows of a facility where Marko is known to work out. Spider-Man finds steroids in Marko's locker. The owner of the gym tells him that the Maggia genetically altered Marko in order to make him stronger. Spider-Man steals information from the Maggia and confronts Marko at his home. Eventually Marko is subdued and it turns out the kid he 'kidnapped' simply had a twisted sense of hero worship, admiring Marko's size and strength.
Man Mountain Marko is later seen as a sexually threatening hitman sent after private investigator
Jessica Jones
Jessica Campbell Jones Cage is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Gaydos and first appeared in ''Alias'' #1 (November 2001) ...
. This was part of a conspiracy by a powerful business magnate who wished to use Jones and
Captain America
Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...
as a way to humiliate the current President of the United States. Jones severely beats Marko, then literally throws him at the businessman's feet. Marko and his bosses are soon arrested by
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in ''Strange Tales'' #135 (August 1965), it often deals ...
During the ''
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
'' storyline, Man Mountain Marko was visible among an army of super-villains organized by
Hammerhead that was captured by
Iron Man
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charact ...
and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
During the ''
Manifest Destiny
Manifest destiny was a cultural belief in the 19th century in the United States, 19th-century United States that American settlers were destined to expand across North America.
There were three basic tenets to the concept:
* The special vir ...
'' storyline, Marko develops a singing career focusing on the concept of violence against female super-heroes. While on a plane with the super-hero
Dazzler he becomes enraged over the perceived lack of alcohol. He injures passengers and takes a hostage, he breaks the hostage's wrist to prove he is serious. Dazzler, at low power, manages to subdue him.
During the ''
Dark Reign'' storyline, Marko is later sent by
Norman Osborn
Norman Osborn is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character, created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #14 (July 1964) as the first ...
as part of a fact finding mission to an 'Atlas' facility run by a younger
Jimmy Woo
James "Jimmy" Woo (Woo Yen Jet) is a fictional secret agent appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by EC Comics writer Al Feldstein and artist Joe Maneely, the Chinese-American character first appeared in '' Yel ...
. Atlas is an international crime organization that is working against the government's interests. Marko is working as the head of a squad of
B.A.T.F.E. government agents. Marko's forces including a seeming snitch that had been advising the government on the activities of Atlas. Marko, against the recommendation Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosivess of his guides, rushes off the recommended path to follow the snitch. The man is really Jimmy Woo. Before Marko can do anything about the situation, he is eaten by a sentient dragon named Lao. This was against Woo's wishes. Marko is replaced by another super-powered strongman, the
Grizzly
The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America.
In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horri ...
.
Marko is revealed to have somehow survived when he is hired onto the
Sinister Six
Sinister commonly refers to:
* Evil
* Ominous
Sinister may also refer to:
Left side
* Sinister, Latin for the direction "left"
* Sinister, in heraldry, is the bearer's true left side (viewers' right side) of an escutcheon or coat of arms; see de ...
teen by
Boomerang
A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning b ...
and
Owl
Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...
. After being manipulated and abandoned by Boomerang, Marko seeks revenge on him with the help
Cyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an anti ...
,
Shriek, and
Kangaroo
Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...
, but the quartet are defeated by Boomerang and his allies
Beetle
Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...
,
Speed Demon, and
Overdrive
Overdrive may refer to:
Organizations
* OverDrive, Inc., a digital distributor of entertainment media
** OverDrive Media Console, a media player developed by OverDrive, Inc.
* Overdrive PC, a subsidiary of Velocity Micro
Technology
* Overdrive ...
.
As part of the ''
All-New, All-Different Marvel
All-New, All-Different Marvel (ANADM) is a 2015–2019 branding for Marvel Comics' entire main line of comics. Taking place after the crossover storyline "Secret Wars", it details the new Marvel Universe, with nearly 60–65 titles relaunched w ...
'', Marko is hired by Lorraine Monroe to stand guard over Tempest Monroe, the comatose fiancé of
Spider-Man 2099
Spider-Man 2099 is a Character (arts), fictional superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Peter David and Rick Leonardi in 1992 for the Marvel 2099 comic book line, and is a fut ...
. Upon discovering Tempest's whereabouts, Spider-Man 2099 distracts Marko long enough for
Parker Industries
Parker Industries (also known as Parker Tech) was a former fictional multibillion-dollar conglomerate appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history
It first appeared in ''The Superior Spider-Man'' #20 and was c ...
to covertly relocate Tempest. Spider-Man 2099 subsequently tracks the escaped Man Mountain Marko down and beats him to near-death while demanding to know where to find Lorraine. Marko is recovered by the Fist, an offshoot of the
Hand
A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each "h ...
which heals him and further augments his strength and durability using technology provided by
Tyler Stone. Tyler Stone later has Marko ambush Spider-Man 2099 while he absconds with the recovered Tempest.
During the ''
Civil War II
"Civil War II" is a 2016 comic book crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in June of that year, it is the sequel to 2006's "Civil War" and consists of a nine-issue eponymous core limited series, by writer Brian Michael Bendis ...
'' storyline, Man Mountain Marko worked with
Kingpin's former minion Janus Jardeesh in the human trafficking business until they encounter Kingpin and
Turk Barrett
Turk Barrett is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted in stories featuring Daredevil, in which his inept schemes are played as comic relief.
Barrett was a recurring ...
.
Marko later appears with Speed Demon robbing a pawn shop until they were caught by
Rage. After a brief fight, they escape while Rage gets arrested by the
Americops
The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several fictional teams and organizations and this page lists them.
0–9 198
A A-Force
A-Next
A.I. Army
Because of his revelation that he is now a simulated A ...
.
Captain America
Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...
later caught Speed Demon where he confessed to his and Man Mountain Marko's robbery of the pawn shop.
Marko and
Ringer attack a book fair to rob it only to be defeated by Spider-Man.
During the ''
Devil's Reign
"Devil's Reign" is an American comic book event written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Marco Checchetto, published from 2021 to 2022 by Marvel Comics.
Premise
In a ploy to increase his power, Mayor Wilson Fisk has outlawed superheroes in New York C ...
'' storyline, Man Mountain Marko appears as an inmate of the Myrmidon.
Moon Knight
Moon Knight is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Doug Moench and artist Don Perlin, the character first appeared in ''Werewolf by Night'' #32 (August 1975).
The son of a rabb ...
is informed by 8-Ball that Man Mountain Marko is the "king of the cage". Moon Knight had to fight his way to earn the fight against Man Mountain Marko. When Man-Mountain Marko asks if Moon Knight is ready to die, Moon Knight stated that
Raoul Bushman did that first. Man Mountain Marko gives Moon Knight a hard time as Moon Knight recalls his Mr. Knight alias meeting Man Mountain Marko's ex-wife Judith Cort and how their daughter has started taking after her father powers and all. After that flashback while not wanting Man Mountain Marko to go after his daughter, Moon Knight beats Man Mountain Marko into surrender as he advises him not to go after his ex-wife or his daughter if he gets out as he won't see them again. Moon Knight proceeds to induce blindness on Man Mountain Marko as the Thunderbolts agents come in.
Powers and abilities
Man Mountain Marko has been shown to have superhuman strength, stamina and sturdiness roughly comparable to, if not slightly exceeding, those of
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...
. It has been said that this is a result of steroids and genetic manipulation. He received a power upgrade from Tyler Stone after getting a vicious beating from Spider-Man 2099. Though Spider-Man had previously broken many of Marko's bones, afterward Spider-Man was unable to do any damage to Marko.
Relatives
During the ''
Fear Itself'' storyline, it is revealed that Man Mountain Marko had a cousin named Man Mountain Mario who was an inmate at the Raft. After the destruction of the Raft prison by
Juggernaut
A juggernaut (), in current English usage, is a literal or metaphorical force regarded as merciless, destructive, and unstoppable. This English usage originated in the mid-nineteenth century and was adapted from the Sanskrit word Jagannath.
...
, Man Mountain Mario helps defend Crossbones from thugs. While the two of them were trying to escape, Mario told Crossbones about his grandma, who helps criminals leave the border. Crossbones manages to escape from the Raft and returns the favor for Mario helping him by killing Mario to help with his escape.
Other versions
Marvel MAX
A Mick "Mountain" Marko appears in ''Cage
MAX'' as a thug
Tombstone hires to assault Luke Cage. After recovering from the attack, Cage pummels Mick and chains him to a street corner where he is shot to death by one of Tombstone's rivals.
MC2
The
Marvel Comics 2
Marvel Comics 2 is an imprint (trade name), imprint from Marvel Comics whose comic books depict an alternative future timeline for the Marvel Universe. The imprint was spun off from the events of ''What If (comics), What If?'' #105 (February 1998), ...
universe shows that Marko is still active in the
MC2 universe, and is in charge of the Maggia of New York. He later appears in the new ''Spectacular Spider-Girl'' series as the underling for the new Maggia Crime boss of New York.
[''The Spectacular Spider-Girl'' #2]
In other media
Man Mountain Marko appeared in the 1981 ''
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...
'' animated television series episode "Wrath of the Sub-Mariner" voiced by
Jack Angel
Jack Angel (October 24, 1930 – October 18, 2021) was an American voice actor, comedian, and radio personality. He provided voice-overs for animation and video games. Angel had voiced characters in shows by Hasbro and Hanna-Barbera such as ''Su ...
. This version is
Silvermane
Silvermane (Silvio Manfredi) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A notorious crime boss and prominent figure in the Maggia, a fictional organized crime syndicate, he is usually depicted as an adversary ...
's henchman and was with him when Spider-Man stopped Silvermane's limo, resulting in a brief fight between Spider-Man and Marko. While attending a meeting involving Silvermane, the
Kingpin,
Hammerhead, and Caesar Cicero on a yacht, Marko fights and is defeated by
Namor
Namor (), also known as the Sub-Mariner, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in early 1939, the character was created by writer-artist Bill Everett for comic book packager Funnies Inc. ...
before he is subdued by Spider-Man.
References
External links
Man Mountain Markoat Marvelwikia.com
Man Mountain Marko of Earth-982at Marvelwikia.com
Man Mountain Markoat Comic Vine
at the Appendix to the Marvel Handbook
{{Stan Lee
Comics characters introduced in 1969
Characters created by John Romita Sr.
Characters created by Stan Lee
Fictional henchmen
Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength
Marvel Comics mutates
Marvel Comics supervillains
Marvel Comics male supervillains
Spider-Man characters