AGUILA of the Old West

Real Name: Paco Montoya

Identity/Class: Human (Old West era);
    Spanish citizen (see comments)

Occupation: Defender of the people

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Raoul Hernandez (later Highnote), Phantom Rider (Carter Slade)

Enemies: El Ojo and his bandits, Christobal Santiago, el Tarantula

Known Relatives: Enriqué Montoya (cousin), unidentified father;
    David Montoya (descendent), Rosario Montoya (David's wife), Alejandro (el Aguila), Pedro, Conchita, and Rosita Montoya (children of David and Rosario), Diego (Alejandro's cousin)

Aliases: Defender of Justice, the Flashing Sword of Justice, the Swift Sword of Justice;
    the Eagle (English translation of el Aguila)

Base of Operations: Spain (see comments);
  briefly active in Boca del Dios, Mexico;
    apparently formerly active in other parts of Mexico

First Appearance: Original Ghost Rider#15/2 (September, 1993)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Powers/Abilities: Aguila was a brave and capable warrior, skilled in hand-to-hand combat, as well as the use of a sword and pistol.

 

 

 

History:
(Original Ghost Rider#15/2 (fb) - BTS) - Becoming the Spanish hero el Aguila, Paco posed as a lazy, unfocused man to prevent others from suspecting his dual identity.

(Original Ghost Rider#18/2 (fb) - BTS) - From "the wandering Chinaman" (see comments), el Aguila learned a blow to the back of the head that could subdue someone without injuring them.

(Original Ghost Rider#18/2 (fb) - BTS) - El Aguila tracked down army payroll thief Christobal Santiago--sent as a test of courage by his brother, the experienced criminal el Ojo--and brought him back to the authorities, where he was killed before a firing squad.

(Original Ghost Rider#15/2 (fb) - BTS) - Paco's father instructed him to accompany his cousin, Enriqué, to Boca del Dios on a mission to explore the lost Temple of Quetzalcoatl in the hopes that some hard work might cure Paco of his "lazy, good-for-nothing ways."

(Original Ghost Rider#15/2 (fb) - BTS) - As the natives were afraid to come to la Boca for fear of Quetzalcoatl's curse, Enriqué was forced to hire a group of desperados--including el Ojo, who secretly plotted to steal Quetzalcoatl 's treasure and then kill the explorers--to help out with the excavating.

(Original Ghost Rider#15/2) - As el Aguila, Paco observed the Phantom Rider's encounter with a group of banditos. Paco was about to step in and lend a hand, but the Phantom Rider frightened off the banditos on his own.
    The following morning, back at Enriqué's base camp, Paco pretended to get up late in the day as Carter Slade arrived to join the expedition.

(Original Ghost Rider#16/2) - Paco was part of the expedition approaching the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, and Carter had Enriqué stop him from blundering into the traps set near the Temple. Everyone followed Enriqué's lead, but they set off some of the traps anyway. As the walls began to close in--along with various other threats--el Ojo commanded his men to kill the explorers, take whatever treasure they could, and get out with their lives. Paco, Enriqué, and Carter fought back, but Carter fell though a trap door into a spiked pit.

(Original Ghost Rider#17/2) - Carter narrowly evaded the trap, while Paco and Enriqué ended up at el Ojo's gunpoint. When the Phantom Rider confronted the banditos, Paco and Enriqué escaped--with Paco intending to return as el Aguila, after which the Phantom Rider was captured by the banditos.

(Original Ghost Rider#18/2 (fb) - BTS) - From a hiding place up on the hill, Paco and Enriqué watched as the banditos drank heavily and celebrated for hours their victory over their attacker, whom they wrongly believed to have been el Aguila.

(Original Ghost Rider#18/2) - When Enriqué considered rushing down to stop the banditos, Paco knocked him out with a blow to the back of his neck and then headed off to change into el Aguila and stop the criminals himself. He arrived just as the severely weakened Phantom Rider escaped his would-be killers (who believed him to have been killed). Unaware of el Aguila's presence, the discouraged Phantom Rider wondered aloud how he could stop the criminals when they knew he wasn't a ghost. El Aguila responded, "You must make them fear the man!"

(Original Ghost Rider#19/2 (fb) - BTS) - El Aguila helped the Phantom Rider prepare an assault on the banditos.

(Original Ghost Rider#19/2) - While the Phantom Rider used a spectral image to frighten and draw the attention of the banditos, el Aguila stole el Ojo's blasting supplies and used a series of explosions to stun and disorient them. The remaining banditos--drunk on tequila--quickly fell victim to the Phantom Riders' fists and tricks, and to el Aguila's slashing sword (as well as the occasional double-eye gouge). El Aguila and the Phantom Rider pursued el Ojo as he fled into the Temple--as the nearby volcano began to rumble.

(Original Ghost Rider#20/2) - El Aguila confronted el Ojo, denying his accusations of his blame for Christobal's death and instead blaming el Ojo. El Aguila dodged el Ojo's swordthrust and then disarmed him, but the volcanic eruption caused an idol to collapse atop el Aguila, stunning him. The Phantom Rider then arrived, distracting el Ojo from killing el Aguila, and the Phantom Rider made el Ojo believe that the collapsing temple was a result of his power. Believing the Phantom Rider's powers, the terrified el Ojo listened to his statement that the afterlife demanded punishment for el Ojo's crimes, and el Ojo shot himself in the head.

    Afterwards, Paco and Carter returned to the la Boca, meeting the recovered Enriqué and feigning ignorance of the banditos' defeat. Carter then bade them both farewell.

(Marvel Westerns: Outlaw Files) - In Colombia on family business Paco befriend dancer Raoul Hernandez. He investigated futilely when Hernandez vanished after being approached by a mysterious woman (possibly Ixchel of the Ahau (Mayan gods), Mama Cocha of the Apu (Inca gods), or Chalchiuhtlique of the Teteoh (Aztec gods); Hernandez went on to become Highnote of the Young Gods.

(Marvel Westerns: Outlaw Files) - Later during a Boca del Dios/Delvadia border war, an aging el Aguila struggled against the younger Delvadian agent el Tarantula. Both eventually went missing and were presumed dead.

Comments: Created by Dan Slott, and Dick Ayers.

    Boca del Dios is translated to "The Mouth of God" or something like that. El Ojo is literally translated as "The Eye," and Dan Slott confirms that to have been his name.

    The modern day el Aguila was from Madrid, Spain, but I don't think Paco's home was named. However, Dan Slott confirms that both Paco & Enriqué were from Spain.

    Dan Slott further confirms the date of this adventure as 1872, as well as the fact that Paco is the ancestor of Alejandro. I might guess 4-6 generations between Paco and Alejando, but the sliding time scale keeps on a-rollin'. Nearly sixteen years have passed since the story was printed, adding nearly an additional generation in there...

    As pointed out by our own Loki, the "wandering Chinaman" is likely Kwai Chang Caine from the Kung Fu series.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Paco Montoya should be distinguished from his predecessors and successors:

But he has no known connections to:

images: (without ads)
Original Ghost Rider#15, second story, p3, panel 3-4 (rear and front views of el Aguila)
            p5, panel 1 (Paco)

Appearances:
Original Ghost Rider#15-16 (September-October, 1993) - by Dan Slot (writer), Dick & Rich Ayers (artists), Evan Skolnick (editor)
Original Ghost Rider#17-18 (November-December, 1993) - by Tom Brevoort and Mike Kanterovich (plot/script), Dan Slot (plot assist), Dick & Rich Ayers (artists), Evan Skolnick (editor)
Original Ghost Rider#19-20 (January-February, 1994) - by Tom Brevoort and Mike Kanterovich (plot/script), Dan Slot (plot assist), Dick & Rich Ayers (artists), Evan Skolnick (editor)
Marvel Westerns: Outlaw Files (2006) - Michael Hoskin & others (writers), Jeff Youngquist (editor)

First posted: 02/16/2006
Last updated: 02/12/2022

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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

Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!

Back to Characters