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Gargoyle (comics)

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Gargoyle
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearance
Created by
In-story information
Alter egoYuri Topolov
Isaac Christians
Species
Team affiliations
Abilities(Topolov)
  • High intelligence

(Christians)

Gargoyle is a name shared by two characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first Gargoyle, Yuri Topolov, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, is a supervillain and the first enemy of the Hulk, who first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962). The second Gargoyle, Isaac Christians, created by J. M. DeMatteis and Don Perlin, is a human/demon hybrid superhero and a member of the Defenders, who first appeared in The Defenders #94 (April 1981).

Publication history

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The first Gargoyle, Yuri Topolov, appears in The Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962), and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.[1]

The appearance of Gargoyle in Rampaging Hulk #1 is merely part of one of Bereet's fictional techno-art films.[citation needed] The first Gargoyle received an entry in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #17, where his real name was revealed.

The second Gargoyle, Isaac Christians, is a human/demon hybrid and a member of the Defenders. He was created by writer J. M. DeMatteis and artist Don Perlin. Perlin's design was inspired by a sequence in Prince Valiant in which the titular hero disguises himself as a gargoyle.[2] During his long run on The Defenders, Gargoyle also was the co-star of Marvel Team-Up #119, written by his co-creator DeMatteis, who later described the issue as "one of my favorite favorite stories".[3]

In 1985 Marvel published a four-issue Gargoyle limited series, written by DeMatteis and drawn by Mark Badger. DeMatteis said of the series, "It was a psychological fantasy. You take the interior life and make it concrete... give it substance... and play with it".[4] Explaining why he decided to do a limited series starring Gargoyle, he said,

I'd always wanted to do that character the right way. We'd had him in Defenders for years and Don Perlin and I were... We came to like him so much, as a person... this was a classic case of the character coming alive for us. We came to like Isaac Christians, this little old man inside the Gargoyle's body, so much that it began to mellow out the way we portrayed the outer shell, the gargoyle aspect. And, before you know it, he's this cute little funny animal. Which he was never intended to be.[3]

In a 2013 interview DeMatteis said that Gargoyle "is a character I still have tremendous fondness for".[2]

Fictional character biography

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Gargoyle (Yuri Topolov)

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Yuri Topolov is a Soviet scientist and the Hulk's first foe. An atomic accident caused from working with radiation mutated him into a large-headed dwarf. The Gargoyle was informed about the Hulk by an imprisoned spy using a miniature transmitter. By firing a gun with will-weakening pellets, he succeeded in capturing both him and Rick Jones. Bruce Banner cures Topolov of his mutation via gamma rays. In gratitude, Topolov allows Banner and Rick to use his rocket to return to the United States. Topolov then sets off an explosion that kills himself and several Soviet generals.[5][6]

Topolov later turns up alive, having faked his death. He is frozen by the USSR in a cryogenic sleep near the Cold War's end, along with several other agents. They are accidentally awakened in the modern day and battle the Order.[7]

Powers, abilities, and equipment

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Yuri Topolov is a superhuman genius. Either human or mutate, he knows numerous sciences and is well-versed in mechanical theory.[8] He utilizes a pellet gun with will-sapping effects.

Gargoyle (Isaac Christians)

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Isaac Christians is an elderly man who sells his soul to the Six-Fingered Hand, a group of minor demons, in exchange for prosperity for the dying hometown that his ancestors had founded (the fictional town of Christiansboro, Virginia). Christians makes a pact with the demon Avarrish to inhabit the body of a legendary gargoyle and act as an agent of the Six-Fingered Hand. The demons of the Six-Fingered Hand transfer Christians' life force into the Gargoyle body and send him to capture Patsy Walker, at that time operating as Defenders member Hellcat. Christians battles the Defenders, but joins them and rebels against the Six-Fingered Hand.[9][10]

Christians returns to Christiansboro and is released from the Gargoyle body. However, a demon takes control of the Gargoyle body. Christians retakes control of the Gargoyle and kills his original human body to prevent the demon from returning. After Christians's Gargoyle body is destroyed, Cloud creates a new body for him, allowing him to switch between his gargoyle and human forms at will.[9] He becomes an instructor at Camp Hammond, the training grounds of the Initiative.[11]

Powers and abilities

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Isaac Christians possesses supernatural strength and durability, as well as a thick leathery hide. He has the ability to manipulate "biomystical" energy for numerous effects, such as shapeshifting, concussive blasts, and fear inducement. He can siphon life-forces from other people, causing temporary debilitating weakness onto them. Surrounding himself in a mystical field grants Gargoyle immunity to certain spells. Gargoyle is able to fly via levitation. His wings are incapable of producing sufficient lift to fly on their own, but aid him in navigation. Gargoyle can regrow lost or damaged limbs, though they may differ wildly in appearance from the original. Gargoyle is a student in the occult with minor mystic capabilities. He has considerable knowledge of magic, including rudimentary spellcasting and summoning demons.[12]

In other media

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Television

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Video games

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The Yuri Topolov incarnation of Gargoyle appears in Lego Marvel's Avengers.[14]

Collected editions

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Title Material collected Published date ISBN
Defenders Epic Collection: The End of All Songs Gargoyle #1-4 and Defenders #138-152 January 2020 978-1302920708

References

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  1. ↑ DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 145. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
  2. 1 2 DeAngelo, Daniel (July 2013). "The Not-Ready-For-Super-Team Players: A History of the Defenders". Back Issue! (#65). TwoMorrows Publishing: 12.
  3. 1 2 Salicrup, Jim; Higgins, Mike (October 1986). "J. Marc DeMatteis (part 2)". Comics Interview. No. #39. Fictioneer Books. pp. 7–19.
  4. ↑ Salicrup, Jim; Higgins, Mike (September 1986). "J. Marc DeMatteis (part 1)". Comics Interview. No. #38. Fictioneer Books. pp. 20–35.
  5. ↑ Darowski, Joseph J. (July 11, 2015). The Ages of Iron Man: Essays on the Armored Avenger in Changing Times. McFarland. p. 73. ISBN 978-1-4766-2074-9.
  6. ↑ Smith, Scott T.; Alaniz, José (January 17, 2020). Uncanny Bodies: Superhero Comics and Disability. Penn State Press. ISBN 978-0-271-08632-3.
  7. ↑ The Order (vol. 2) #1-2 (September–October 2007)
  8. ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #5 (November 2008)
  9. 1 2 Weinstock, Jeffrey Andrew (April 1, 2016). The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters. Routledge. p. 249. ISBN 978-1-317-04426-0.
  10. ↑ Plowright, Frank (2003). The Slings & Arrows Comic Guide. Slings & Arrows. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-9544589-0-4.
  11. ↑ The Last Defenders #1 (May 2008)
  12. ↑ The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (vol. 2) #5 (April 1986)
  13. ↑ "Gargoyle Voice - The Incredible Hulk (1996) (TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved August 23, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  14. ↑ "Lego Marvel's Avengers Characters Unlock Guide - How to Unlock All Characters". 13 May 2023.
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