Man Mountain Marko (Michael Marko) is a fictional supervillain appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. 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, Caesar Cicero, Eel I, and

Nightshade Solanaceae (), commonly known as the nightshades, is a family of flowering plants in the order Solanales. It contains approximately 2,700 species, several of which are used as agricultural crops, medicinal plants, and ornamental plants. Many me ...

. His most frequent enemies are

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...

Power Man Power Man may refer to: * Luke Cage, a Marvel Comics superhero, originally called Power Man * Erik Josten, a Marvel supervillain later known as Smuggler, Goliath and Atlas * Victor Alvarez, the current Power Man introduced in the mini-series ''Sh ...

, Iron Fist, Thunderbolt, and

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool typically constructed with airfoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight, designed to return to the thrower. The origin of the word is from Australian Aborigin ...

. 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 originates in the mid-nineteenth century. ''Juggernaut'' is the early rendering in English ...

, 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 superhero American comic book, comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its title character and main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of t ...

'' #73 and created by

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...

and John Romita Sr.

Fictional character biography

Marko is first seen as Silvermane'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. 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 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 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, professionally known as Jessica Jones, 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 appea ...

. This was part of a conspiracy by a powerful business magnate who wished to use Jones and

Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...

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. During the "

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, 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.J ...

" 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. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...

and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. During the "

Manifest Destiny Manifest destiny was the belief in the 19th century in the United States, 19th-century United States that American pioneer, American settlers were destined to expand westward across North America, and that this belief was both obvious ("''m ...

" 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 Virgil Osborn is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, he first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #14 (July 1964) as the first and best-known incarnation of th ...

as part of a fact finding mission to an 'Atlas' facility run by a younger Jimmy Woo. 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 recommendations 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

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 horr ...

. Marko is revealed to have somehow survived when he is hired onto the Sinister Sixteen by

and Owl. 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 ant ...

, Shriek, and

Kangaroo Kangaroos are 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 Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

, Speed Demon, and Overdrive. As part of the " All-New, All-Different Marvel", Marko is hired by Lorraine Monroe to stand guard over Tempest Monroe, the comatose fiancé of

Spider-Man 2099 Spider-Man 2099 is a superhero 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 he is a futuristic re-imagining of the origin ...

. Upon discovering Tempest's whereabouts, Spider-Man 2099 distracts Marko long enough for Parker Industries 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#Characteristics, koala (which has two thumb#O ...

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" storyline, Man Mountain Marko worked with Kingpin's former minion Janus Jardeesh in the human trafficking business until they encounter Kingpin and Turk Barrett. 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.

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" storyline, Man Mountain Marko appears as an inmate of the Myrmidon.

Moon Knight Moon Knight is a superhero 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 rabbi, Marc S ...

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

. 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

, 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

MC2

The Marvel Comics 2 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 appears in the ''

'' episode "Wrath of the Sub-Mariner". voiced by Jack Angel. This version is Silvermane's henchman.

References

External links

Man Mountain Marko
at Marvelwikia.com
Man Mountain Marko of Earth-982
at Marvelwikia.com
Man Mountain Marko
at 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