GREGOR

Real Name: Gregor (full name unrevealed) (see comments)

Identity/Class: Genetically modified human

Occupation: Mercenary;
   formerly agent of Parnival Plunder;
   formerly advisor and servant of the Kravinoff family

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Amy (last name unrevealed), Parnival Plunder (The Plunderer), Sergei Kravinoff (Kraven the Hunter), Vladimir Kravinoff (Grim Hunter), unidentified agents and servants of Vladimir Kravinoff, unidentified doctors;
   formerly Hobgoblin (Macendale), the N'Galan tribe (several unidentified members)

Enemies: Bhadwuans (Zira, others), Ka-Zar (Plunder), Adam Kyle Matthew Plunder, Shanna O'Hara-Plunder, Spider-Man (Parker), Zabu, Zira, unidentified agents of Parnival Plunder

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: "Fool", Lord Gregor, "Stranger", "Teacher"

Base of Operations: A series of bases in the Savage Land, Antarctica
   formerly the Kravinoff estate in Upstate New York
   formerly the Kravinoff ancestral home, Russia, in the Ural Mountains

First Appearance: Spider-Man I#47 (June, 1994)

Powers/Abilities: Gregor acted as both teacher and servant to two generations of Kravinoffs, passing along his formidable hunting and wilderness survival skills. Well-versed in hand-to-hand combat, Gregor occasionally uses firearms but generally relies on knives as weaponry. He has used a potion of power to enhance his abilities, and donned insulated hunting garb, elements of which are possibly of a ceremonial nature. Gregor has also used an airskimmer, a hovering motorcycle-like vehicle, and is fluent in numerous languages including English, Russian, and N'Galan.

History: (Spider-Man I#48/Web of Spider-Man I#121/Ka-Zar III#1 (fb) - BTS) - A servant of the aristocratic Kravinoff family, Gregor trained and became a close friend to Sergei Kravinoff, who eventually became a world-renown game hunter.

(Spider-Man I#48/Spider-Man I#50/Spider-Man I#54/Web of Spider-Man I#121/Ka-Zar III#18 (fb) - BTS) - Gregor was tasked with raising and training Sergei's son Vladimir. Over time he grew to think of Vladimir as his own son.

(Spider-Man I#54 (fb) - BTS) - Gregor believed Vladimir was the only son of Sergei Kravinoff. (see comments)

(Spider-Man I#50 (fb) - BTS) - Gregor told a young Vladimir tales of the "Grim Hunter", a fierce warrior feared by the Gods themselves.

(Spider-Man I#50 (fb)) - Flying with an eager and boastful Vladimir over Northern Maine, Gregor told the boy not to underestimate his prey. Booting Vladimir from their helicopter after telling him that his weapon for the night's hunt would be his mind -- his deadliest weapon -- Gregor left Vladimir to fend off an attack from a masked assailant who eventually revealed himself to be Vladimir's estranged father Sergei.

(Web of Spider-Man I#121 (fb) - BTS) - Following Sergei's suicide, a culmination of his last hunt for Spider-Man, Gregor easily filled Sergei's role as friend, teacher, and confidante to Vladimir.

(Spider-Man I#47) - Meeting a trespassing Jason Macendale (the Hobgoblin) outside of the Kravinoff ancestral home in Russia, Gregor allowed him to enter to speak with Vladimir when told Macendale had one of Sergei's journals. Preparing a room for Macendale and Vladimir to discuss the transfer of the journal, Gregor was forced to calm Vladimir down after Macendale insulted him and demanded a dose of Sergei's elixir of power and strength. Convincing Vladimir that Macendale wouldn't survive a dose of the current permutation of the elixir, Gregor reassured his master that if Macendale did survive the transfusion he'd kill him with a bullet to the head anyway. As the experiment began, Gregor looked on as Macendale's body began to transform.

(Spider-Man I#48) - Telling Vladimir to get to safety as an empowered Macendale broke free of the transfusion apparatus, Gregor surmised that an anomaly in Macendale's bloodstream caused the unpredictable result. Following Macendale's departure, Gregor begged Vladimir to refrain from using the serum on himself, but was ordered to begin preparations.

(Spider-Man I#49) - Trying a final time to persuade Vladimir to hold off on using the serum, Gregor was shouted down, and reluctantly told Vladimir's doctors to begin the procedure. With the experiment a success, Gregor was instructed to bring Vladimir his Sergei's journals and prepare the servants to travel to the United States.

(Spider-Man I#50) - Arriving at the Kravinoff estate in Upstate New York, Gregor looked on with dismay as Vladimir descended into madness, seeking to avenge his father's suicide following his last hunt for Spider-Man. Learning that Spider-Man was sighted, Gregor brought Vladimir the hunting attire and equipment for his grim hunt.
   Travelling with Vladimir via helicopter, Gregor offered to stay close in case he needed assistance, but was told Vladimir's pursuit to restore his family's honor was to be his alone. Remaining in radio contact, Gregor caught up to Vladimir, now calling himself the Grim Hunter, to stop Spider-Man from savagely beating him. Torn from the helicopter, Gregor saw to the wounded Grim Hunter, telling Spider-Man he'd protect him to his last breath but wouldn't fight back since Vladimir's fight was his legacy. Snared with webbing, Gregor and Vladimir were captured by Spider-Man and taken into police custody.

(Spider-Man I#53 (fb) - BTS) - Vladimir bribed his and Gregor's way out of custody.

(Spider-Man I#54) - Watching the Grim Hunter speak to a painting of his father while proclaiming his lust to avenge his family's honor, Gregor lamented the fact he'd lost Vladimir to the Kravinoff family curse.

(Web of Spider-Man I#121) - The Grim Hunter's intense preparation for his hunt against Spider-Man continued to give Gregor pause. Silently questioning his role in Vladimir's plans, Gregor felt tormented by his surrogate son's descent into insanity, knowing that death he hoped to avenge was suicide.

(Spider-Man I#55) - Contacted by the Grim Hunter for aid while he hunted the mysterious Kaine in Central Park, Gregor arrived just as Kaine struck the killing blow with his "mark", mortally wounding Vladimir. Rushing to his side, Gregor held Vladimir's lifeless body, overcome with grief and desiring retribution. (see comments)

(Ka-Zar III#1 (fb)) - Contacted by Parnival Plunder, Gregor met with him in his New York skyscraper headquarters, disgusted with it's sterility. Attacked by Plunder's men to test his skills, Gregor defeated them with ease, prompting Plunder to offer him significant payment to kill his brother, Ka-Zar, Lord of the Savage Land.

(Ka-Zar III#2 (fb) - BTS) - Gregor travelled to the Savage Land via an airskimmer, a flying, motor-cycle-like vehicle.

(Ka-Zar III#1) - Arriving in the Savage Land, Gregor took control the N'Gala tribe, convincing them that taking their picture stole their souls. Providing them with armaments, Gregor watched their failed attempt to kill Ka-Zar.

(Ka-Zar III#2 (fb)) - Ka-Zar spotted Gregor observing the aftermath of the attack.

(Ka-Zar III#2) - While discussing his superiority over Ka-Zar, Gregor bemoaned the fact that for all of the technology he brought into the Savage Land he'd failed to consider bringing communication devices. Presented with "magic voice boxes" (walkie-talkies) forcibly wrested from the King of the T'okchi tribe, Gregor sent his forces off with instructions to expect orders. After ingesting a potion, Gregor made his way to a hidden "airskimmer" vehicle to depart, regretting that he'd not encountered Ka-Zar during his activities in the Savage Land, noting a part of him that lusted for a final battle between himself and the "Lord of the Savage Land". Meeting Gregor's desire, Ka-Zar attacked, taking his foe down into a nearby body of water. Using his knowledge of the Savage Land to his advantage, Ka-Zar lured Gregor into the path of a geyser, momentarily fazing him. Recovering, Gregor drew his firearm on Ka-Zar who was saved by the timely arrival of his wife, Shanna, and ally Zabu. Using a distraction from a bursting geyser to flee to his airskimmer, Gregor was stopped by Ka-Zar, whose tenacity impressed him; Gregor noted that were they not enemies he'd have enjoyed teaching Ka-Zar the same things he taught Kraven. Making a swift exit on his airskimmer with Ka-Zar's son Adam Kyle Matthew (addressed primarily as Matthew) in hand thanks to a N'Galan abductor, Gregor dragged a trailing Ka-Zar who ultimately disabled the airskimmer's to steer. Plummeting into the nearby arctic snow, the airskimmer went down in a fiery explosion, seemingly taking Gregor and Matthew with it.

(Ka-Zar III#3 (fb) - BTS) - Surviving the crash, Gregor took Matthew deep into the Antarctic, using him to ensnare Ka-Zar.

(Ka-Zar III#3) - Believing he had an advantage over Ka-Zar by taking him out of a familiar environment, Gregor instead found himself facing Ka-Zar's rage over the abduction of his son. Defeated, Gragor was dragged back to Ka-Zar and Shanna's home, disarmed, and strung up. Interrogated by Ka-Zar's ally Zira, a bruised and bloodied Gregor gave up Parnival as his employer.

(Ka-Zar III#18 (fb) - BTS) - Gregor eventually escaped from Ka-Zar's home.

(Ka-Zar III#18 (fb) - BTS) - For several months, Gregor observed Ka-Zar and Shanna, learning their habits and patterns.

(Ka-Zar III#18) - Ambushing Shanna, Gregor boasted how knowledge of his enemies' patterns would give him the winning edge. Taking their fight into an underground cave to avoid a Tyrannosaurus stampede (summoned by Shanna), Gregor denied any knowledge of Matthew Plunder's whereabouts, but boasted that he'd be suited to raise the boy after the death of his parents, making reference to his prior guardianship of Vladimir. Threatened with another stampede that would bring the cave down on them, Gregor opted to release Shanna, promising the next time they met she wouldn't see him coming until it was too late.

(Ka-Zar III#19 (fb) - BTS) - Gregor's threat was relayed to Ka-Zar.

(Ka-Zar III#19) - Tracking Ka-Zar, Gregor prepared to strike, nearly vanquishing his foe before a last minute warning from Zira gave Ka-Zar a chance to avoid the killing strike. The superior fighter, Gregor continued to unleash his vengeance on Ka-Zar until he believed he'd drowned him. Instead of defeat, Gregor's attack sent Ka-Zar into a berserk rage, that ended with Gregor begging for mercy and a maddened Ka-Zar ready to throw him to his death.

(Ka-Zar III#20) - Coming to his senses, Ka-Zar dumped Gregor's unconscious form before Shanna and Zira.

(Ka-Zar III#20 (fb) - BTS) - Following his expulsion from the Savage Land by it's guardians the Bhadwuans, Ka-Zar had Gregor bound to his sleigh as he, Shanna, Matthew, and Zira prepared to leave. While burying the body of a friend killed during the recent chaos, Ka-Zar learned that Gregor had been spirited by the Bhadwuans, who wished to offer him another path.

 

 

Comments: Created by Howard Mackie and Tom Lyle

It's unrevealed whether Gregor is a first or last name, a single name, or an alias.

Presumably Gregor knew of of Sergei's daughter, Ana Tatiana, like Vladimir a product of his old friend's relationship with his wife Sasha Aleksandra. There's no indication he knew of either Alyosha or Nedrocci, Sergei's illegitimate sons; raised in the African jungle, the mentally unstable mutant Alyosha has since strengthened his ties to the Kravinoff family, while the estranged "Ned" died during an encounter with his insane Uncle Dmitri (the Chameleon), who took the deceased Sergei's identity.

As per Amazing Spider-Man II#567, Vladimir was forty-four years old at the time of his death; while this wouldn't necessarily mean Gregor had access to one of the Kravinoff family life-extending potions (he could be a very fit sixty-something -- not unheard of in the Marvel Universe), his mentorship of Sergei Kravinoff would indicate that Gregor's lifespan has been extended to an unrevealed degree. Details of Gregor's life and his time as Sergei's instructor are largely unrevealed; additionally there was no indication Gregor partook of Sergei's potions prior to Vladimir's death.

The end result of Gregor's vengeance against Kaine for Vladimir's murder are unrevealed, but presumably played a role in his adoption of a tougher, more brutal persona, along with his use of jungle potions.

Gregor's ultimate fate following his abduction by the Savage Land's Bhadwuans is unrevealed; it's fair to assume he's no longer in the Savage Land however, considering his grudge against Ka-Zar, who, obviously, returned to the Savage Land about five minutes after he was exiled. Additionally, Gregor wasn't present during Sasha Kravinoff's successful resurrection of Sergei and ill-fated resurrection of Vladimir. It's unrevealed if Gregor is aware of either event, but if he's still in the Savage Land he presumably became aware following the Kravinoff's subsequent relocation there.

Profile by G Morrow.

CLARIFICATIONS: Gregor has no known connections to

images: (without ads)
Spider-Man I#50, p10, pan3 (main image)
Spider-Man I#49, p8, pan1 (at the Kravenoff ancestral home)
Ka-Zar III#1, p18, pan6 (close-up)
Ka-Zar III#2, p5, pan5 (hunting in the Savage Land)

Other Appearances:
Spider-Man I#47 (June, 1994) - Howard Mackie & Tom Lyle (story & art), Scott Hanna (inks), Danny Fingeroth (editor)
Spider-Man I#48 (July, 1994) - Howard Mackie & Tom Lyle (story & art), Scott Hanna (inks), Danny Fingeroth (editor)
Spider-Man I#49 (August, 1994) - Howard Mackie & Tom Lyle (story & art), Palmer, Janson & Rubinstein (finishes), Danny Fingeroth (editor)
Spider-Man I#50 (September, 1994) - Howard Mackie and Tom Lyle (story and art), Ron Randall (pencils), Scott Hanna and Bob McLeod (inkers), Danny Fingeroth (editor)
Spider-Man I#53 (December, 1994) - Howard Mackie & Tom Lyle (story & art), Scott Hanna (finishes), Danny Fingeroth (editor)
Spider-Man I#54 (January, 1995) - Howard Mackie/Tom Lyle (story & art), Scott Hanna (inks), Danny Fingeroth (editor)
Web of Spider-Man I#121 (February, 1995) - Todd Dezago (guest writer), Phil Gosier (guest breakdowns), DeLa Rosa & Emberlin (finishes), Eric Fein (editor)
Spider-Man I#55 (February, 1995) - Howard Mackie (writer), Mike Manley (guest penciler), Joe Rubinstein (guest inker), Danny Fingeroth (editor)
Ka-Zar III#1 (May, 1997) - Mark Waid & Andy Kubert (story tellers), Jesse Delperdang (inker), Matt Idelson (editor)
Ka-Zar III#2 (June, 1997) - Mark Waid & Andy Kubert (storytellers), Jesse Delperdang (inker), Matt Idelson (editor)
Ka-Zar III#3 (July, 1997) - Mark Waid & Andy Kubert (story tellers), Jesse Delperdang (inker), Matt Idelson (editor)
Ka-Zar III#18 (October, 1998) - J. Felder (writer), A. Williams (penciler), A. Lanning (inker), M. Idelson (editor)
Ka-Zar III#19 (November, 1998) - J. Felder (writer), K. Martinez (penciler), A. Rodriguez (inker), M. Idelson (editor)
Ka-Zar III#20 (December, 1998) - J. Felder (writer), K. Martinez (penciler), A. Rodriguez & R. Ramos (inkers), M. Idelson (editor)

First Posted: 11/02/2010
Last updated: 11/02/2010

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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