ZODIAC

Membership: Aquarius, Aries, Cancer, Capricorn, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Pisces, Sagittarius, Scorpio, Taurus, Virgo

Purpose: Terrorist activity against government and society of the United States

Affiliations: Maggia, Quicksilver

Enemies: Avengers (Black Knight (Dane Whitman), Black Panther, Black Widow, Captain America, Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau), Falcon, Hawkeye, Hercules, Iron Man (Tony Stark), Iron Man (James Rhodes), Mockingbird, Moon Knight, Henry Pym, Thor, Tigra, Wasp, Wonder Man), Defenders (Hellcat, Hulk, Nighthawk, Valkyrie), Morbius, Jack Norriss, She-Hulk, S.H.I.E.L.D., Zodiac Cartel

Base of Operations: The Ankh Dimension
the Theater of Genetics, Belleville, New Jersey

First Appearance: Defenders I#49 (July, 1977)

History: (Defenders I#48 - BTS) - The original 11 android Zodiac were created by Jake Fury of the human Zodiac Cartel, using the Zodiac Key to create companions for himself, intending to become friends with them, and use them to aid him in fixing the world. Scorpio spent several years designing them in his "Theater of Genetics," and finally displayed their gestation chambers to his prisoner Jack Norriss as he prepared to awaken them.

(Defenders I#49) - Scorpio was forced to awaken his Zodiac prematurely when the Theater of Genetics was invaded by the Defenders.

(Defenders I#50) - Scorpio suddenly realized that his Capricorn, Pisces and Virgo were not among the Zodiac who appeared ready for battle. He abandoned the Zodiac to check on the others, and the Defenders quickly trounced the LMDs, aided by Gemini, who switched sides. Libra, Leo, Taurus and Sagittarius managed to escape from the battle. Scorpio discovered that Pisces and Capricorn had died only moments after awakening, and Virgo never came to life. Despondent, he shot himself in the head.

(Defenders I#51) - S.H.I.E.L.D. came to clean up the Theater of Genetics, and Gemini stood by to check on Hellcat while S.H.I.E.L.D.'s medics treated her. Scorpio's body was taken away, along with the LMDs of Gemini, Aries, Aquarius and Cancer, who were placed into custody.

(Defenders I#63-64) - Sagittarius and Libra led armies of super-villains claiming to be the Defenders on a crime spree in New York, taking advantage of the group's non-team status to confuse the public. They were opposed by the real Defenders, who put up a mostly ineffective fight due to their own swelled ranks.

(Savage She-Hulk#12) - The Gemini LMD was hired to kill Morbius while he was being defended by Jennifer Walters, She-Hulk, and Gemini managed to overcome She-Hulk in battle, but his employer ultimately decided to let Morbius live.

(Iron Man I#183) - The Taurus LMD came to be hired by the Maggia, and sent to kill Cornelius Van Lunt, the human Taurus. However, it was opposed by Iron Man and destroyed.

(West Coast Avengers II#26 (fb) - BTS) - After the Zodiac Key created an LMD of Jake Fury which possessed his consciousness, he used the Key to create new LMDs to replace the Zodiac members who had been lost, and freed the others from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s custody.

(West Coast Avengers Annual#1) - The now-reteamed LMDs were brought together by Quicksilver to aid him in gaining revenge upon the Avengers, and fought the Avengers at Avengers Mansion, Keibler Circus, and the "Anthill," only to be defeated by the Avengers at every turn.

(West Coast Avengers II#26 (fb) - BTS) - Scorpio created a new Pisces and Cancer to replace those lost against the Avengers, and redesigned some of the members into female bodies. Scorpio also killed Jacques LaPoint, his successor in the human Zodiac, to prepare for his own Zodiac's attempt at replacing the Zodiac Cartel.

(West Coast Avengers II#26) - Scorpio infiltrated a meeting of the Zodiac Cartel as Jacques La Point, and unmasked before the astonished cartel, just as he let in the LMDs. The LMDs quickly slaughtered the cartel members, killing everyone except for Cornelius Van Lunt, who fled.

As their first function as the new cartel, the LMDs invaded a cattle auction in Wichita to rob the assembled businessmen, but the West Coast Avengers were set on the LMDs' trail with the help of Van Lunt. While battling the Avengers, Sagittarius was killed by Hawkeye, and the others began to panic, forcing Scorpio to teleport them away. He created an LMD of Hawkeye to serve as their new Sagittarius and infiltrate the Avengers.

(West Coast Avengers II#27) - The LMDs ambushed Hawkeye and had the new Sagittarius defeat him in combat. They sent him to the Avengers Compound to begin his deception, while the real Hawkeye was sent to the Ankh Dimension.

(West Coast Avengers II#27 - BTS) - Distrusting his Leo, Scorpio captured Tigra and sent her to the Ankh Dimension, then created a new Leo in the form of Tigra to eventually replace the current Leo, but to spy upon the Avengers in case Sagittarius failed.

(West Coast Avengers II#27) - When Mockingbird discovered that "Hawkeye" was an LMD, she turned on him, and the new Leo helped her destroy Sagittarius. Leo then reported Sagittarius' failure to Scorpio.

(West Coast Avengers II#28) - The LMDs went after the Denver Mint, but were found again by the Avengers, and forced to flee to Death Valley. When the Avengers followed them there, they engaged in a battle royale, during which the existence of the new Leo was revealed to the other LMDs. Leo turned on Scorpio and destroyed him, but Scorpio and the other damaged LMDs were all rebuilt by the Zodiac Key. Scorpio then forced the Key to teleport all of them to the Ankh Dimension to battle the Avengers there, but shortly after their arrival, they were shut down, unable to operate within the alien dimension.

(JLA/Avengers#4) - Aries, Cancer, Leo and Taurus were among the villains pulled forth from time and space by Krona to guard his stronghold from an onslaught by the Avengers and the JLA.

Comments: Created by David Kraft, Keith Giffen, Mike Royer, John Tartaglione and Dave Cockrum.

by Prime Eternal

CLARIFICATIONS:
The LMD Zodiac should not be confused with:

• Mr. Zodiac, Spider-Man foe, @ Spider-Man Zaps Mr. Zodiac
• The One-Man Zodiac, formerly Aquarius, @ Ghost Rider II#7
• The Zodiac Cartel, their human counterparts, @ Avengers I#72
• The Zodiac of "First Sign", @ Captain America I#449
• The Zodiac gathered by Ecliptic, @ Alpha Flight II#1
• The Zodiac of which only Scorpio has been revealed, @ Avengers III#60
• The Zodiac Key, used to create the LMDs, @ Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I#1
• The Zodiac key used by the most recent Scorpio, @ Avengers III#58
• Zodiak, Norman Harrison, Ghost Rider foe, @ Ghost Rider III#10

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™  and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

Back to Groups