THE TARGOTH
Membership: None named
Purpose: Servants of the Slorenians
Affiliations: AIM, Doomsday Man (Kerwin Korman), The Program, Volkhvy
Enemies: AIM, Arana (Anya Corazon), Dudaks, Ember, Force Works, Locomotive Breath, Ms. Marvel (Danvers), Ultron, War Machine
Aliases: "Brutal Ones"
Base of Operations: Slorenia
First Appearance: War Machine#14 (May, 1995)
Powers/Abilities: The Targoth were near-mindless zombie warriors, but possessed enhanced strength, stamina and durability. The fingernails on their hands appeared to be particularly sharp, and
were occasionally employed for claw-like attacks.
The Targoth found in AIM Sub Base #94 were highly contagious. Their touch turned their victims within seconds into Targoth. Super-powered beings like Ms. Marvel weren't immune against this effect, but it took longer to transform such beings into Targoth.
It is unknown if the Program's Targoth were contagious as well.
History: Their name meaning "brutal ones", the Targoth were men turned into
‘genetic monsters’ by the power of Volkhvy and used as
shock troops by the Slorenes. Being savage man-monsters, they were created to destroy the ethnic group, the Dudak.
(War Machine#14) - Targoth troops were turned loose on defenseless Dudak peasants. Force
Works were rounding them up to be taken to prison camps, until
War Machine and Locomotive Breath defeated them and the Slorene soldiers supporting them. (Force Works#11) - The Targoth attacked and
rounded up more Dudaks. US Agent and Scarlet Witch, working
undercover, allowed themselves to be captured, as well. (Force Works#12) - As Ember attacked the
Slorene prison trucks, the Targoth defended them, only to be cut down by the Dudak champion. More Targoth were working in The Program chamber and were defeated by Ember, US Agent, and Scarlet Witch
as they attacked. These Targoth were presumably killed in the destruction of The Program. (Ms. Marvel II#11 (fb) - BTS) - AIM recreated the Program's process (and seemingly improved it) to manufacture Targoth warriors for the new Slorenian government. After AIM had finished the job they kept a few dozen Targoth for themselves and kept them in containment units in one of their bases. (Avengers III#20 (fb)) - Despite the new Slorenian
government’s promise to cease the creation of the Targoth
(and an inability to create them without Volkhvy and The
Program; see above), Targoth troops were deployed against Ultron’s
forces, with little effect, and were massacred along with the rest of Slorenia's population. (Ms. Marvel II#11) - Two AIM scientists passed in AIM Sub Base #94 containment units with Targoth inside. Soon afterwards Doomsday Man took over the base and shut off the containment units to awaken a few dozen Targoth. Ms. Marvel was surrounded by them and Doomsday Man when she broke into the base. (Ms. Marvel II#12) - Ms. Marvel fought the Targoth and Doomsday Man, but the Targoth's touch infected her like many others before. They followed her after Doomsday Man drove her through the ground to the next level. The Targoth infection began to affect Ms. Marvel and the continuing attacks by Doomsday Man and the Targoth didn't help. A Targoth fled the base and attacked an escaping AIM agent on the street. Arana watched the short fight and saw how the agent became within seconds a Targoth himself. More former agents arrived on the street and Arana fought them. Meanwhile Ms. Marvel was healed from the infection by some unrevealed helper. After Arana (who was protected from Targoth's touch by her armor) had destroyed all the Targoth she joined Ms. Marvel in her fight against Doomsday Man. Comments: Created by Dan Abnett and Dave Chlystek.
It is unlikely that AIM was involved in the creation of the original Targoth because they were created by the Program, which was built by Locomotive Breath, but the Masters of the Obscure wondered for years how the Targoth seen Avengers III#20 could've been created without the involvement of Volkhvy and the Program. We got an answer in Brian Reed's Ms. Marvel title. In Ms. Marvel II#17 two AIM scientists, who had worked on the Targoth turned recently deceased AIM sctientist Madigan (son of MODOK) into Head Case. It is possible that they used methods they learned while working on the Targoth to accomplish this. by CLARIFICATIONS: image: (without ads) Appearances: Last updated: 07/12/03
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
--Markus Raymond
--Markus Raymond
The Targoth should not be confused with:
Force Works#11, p14, pan1 (Targoth main image)
Ms. Marvel II#12, p3 (VS Ms. Marvel)
War Machine#14 (May, 1995) - Dan Abnett (writer), Dave Chlystek (pencils), Tim Dzon (inks), Nel Yomtov (editor)
Force Works#11-12 (May-June, 1995) - Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (writers), Jim Calafiore (pencils), Rey Garcia (inks), Nel Yomtov (editor)
Avengers III#20 (September, 1999) - Kurt Busiek (writer), George Perez (pencils), Al Vey (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Ms. Marvel II#11-12 (March-April, 2007) - Brian Reed (writer), Roberto de la Torre & Patrick Zircher (#12) (pencils), Jon Sibal (inks), Bill Rosemann (editor)
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