KANGAROO

Real Name: Frank Oliver

Identity/Class: Human cyborg mutant (Australian)

Occupation: Professional criminal;
    former boxer

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Dr. Jonas Harrow

Enemies: Spider-Man (Peter Parker)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: "Kangy"

Place of Birth: Sydney, Australia

Base of Operations: New York City;
    formerly Australia

First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man I#81 (February, 1970)

Powers/Abilities: Before his cybernetic enhancements, the Kangaroo possessed superhumanly strong leg muscles, allowing him to leap higher than any normal human and deliver devastating kicks.  Enhanced by Jonas Harrow's cybernetics, Oliver had surgically-implanted air jets in his legs that allowed him to leap 100 yards in the air or kick through ten feet of concrete.  He also had air jets on his wrists that augmented his punches with blasts of compressed air; his punches were strong enough to shatter a five-inch-thick concrete wall.  Harrow also implanted a mental pacemaker in Oliver's skull that allowed Harrow to inflict agonizing pain on him if he disobeyed his commands, and also to communicate with him remotely.  Oliver was a skilled brawler, although his paranoia and utter stupidity inhibited his effectiveness.

Height: 6'3"
Weight: 235 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blond

History: (Amazing Spider-Man I#81 (fb) ) - Frank Oliver was fascinated by kangaroos, and spent his vacations studying them.  Eventually, he quit his job and began living in the outback, living alongside kangaroos and somehow activating his latent mutant powers.  He used his newfound power to become a kickboxer, nicknamed "The Kangaroo", until he nearly killed one of his opponents with a flying kick.  Oliver fled to Melbourne by rail, where he stowed away on a ship headed for America.  Discovered without a passport, he was transported under guard by train to New York City, where he was to be shipped back to Australia.  

(Amazing Spider-Man I#81) - Upon arriving at Penn Station, however, he batted his guards away and escaped, leaping over the heads of the crowd and ducking into an alley, where he donned a costume (well, a vest) and vowed to become a true criminal!  When he saw a group of guards transporting a metal case, he stole it and leapt away before they could open fire.  He found a small vial in the case and took it, assuming it contained jewels, when it actually contained deadly experimental bacteria.  Disappointed, as he thought jewels would take too long to fence, he went out and robbed a rooftop party, only to encounter Spider-Man.  Spider-Man, aware of the vial's danger, tried to persuade the Kangaroo to give it up, but the paranoid Oliver lashed out at him.  Spider-Man, afraid of striking the Kangaroo and shattering the vial, was was at a disadvantage, and the Kangaroo landed several powerful blows.  Spider-Man tried turning the tables on him, but the Kangaroo knocked him off balance, sending him plummeting off the side of the building.  Catching himself with a webline, Spider-Man swung back and grabbed Oliver in a leglock, shaking the vial out of his vest.  Spider-Man caught it and kept it intact, allowing the Kangaroo to flee.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#126) - Months later, Oliver watched Spider-Man from an alley, blaming him for all hia failures.  As he stewed, Dr. Jonas Harrow found him, and offered to give him the power he so craved.  Oliver agreed, and Harrow took him to his tenement lab, where over the course of seven hours he implanted him with devices to enhance his strength and leaping abilities - as well as a mental pacemaker.  When Oliver awoke, he was overjoyed, but when Harrow tried to explain his plan, the Kangaroo swatted him aside and left.  He sought out Spider-Man and swatted him out of midair.  Spider-Man, surprised by his newly-enhanced foe, was quickly overcome, but before Oliver could land the killing blow, Harrow activated the mental pacemaker, crippling him with agony.  Harrow commanded him to return, and when he did, the doctor told him about the pacemaker, and commanded him to steal a rare isotope from a lab on the Hudson River.  With his new powers, the Kangaroo easily burst through the lab's ten-foot-thick walls and overpowered the guards.  He soon found the room containing the isotopes, but Spider-Man soon found him!  Spider-Man tried to convince him that the isotopes were dangerous, but once more, the Kangaroo's paranoia overrode his common sense - especially when the police announced they'd surrounded the building.  He knocked Spider-Man away and opened up the lead-lined vault door...and immediately dropped dead from radiation poisoning.

(Deadpool III#0 - BTS) - Arnim Zola acquired a genetic sample from Oliver's corpse, which he used to create a Kangaroo proto-husk. 

Comments: Created by Stan Lee, John Romita Sr., John Buscema, and Jim Mooney.

Oh man, this guy.  His criminal career consisted of him stealing two incredibly dangerous things that he was too dumb to realize the danger of.  It caught up with him the second time.

The Kangaroo's first appearance suggests that by living as kangaroos lived, and eating what they ate, Oliver gained their amazing jumping abilities.  Oliver's OHotMU Deluxe Edition entry, more sensibly but less hilariously, suggests that Oliver was a latent mutant, and his training regimen just brought it to the surface.

Oliver has profiles in the OHotMU Deluxe Edition and Master Edition.

Profile by Minor Irritant.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Frank Oliver, alias the Kangaroo, should not be confused with:

...but has no known connections to:

images: (without ads)
Amazing Spider-Man I#126, p7, pan1 (main image)
Amazing Spider-Man I#81, p6, pan6 (pre-enhancement)
Amazing Spider-Man I#126, p17, pan5-7 (death)

Appearances:
Amazing Spider-Man I#81 (February, 1970) - Stan Lee (writer), John Romita Sr. (co-plotter, finished pencils), John Buscema (breakdown pencils), Jim Mooney (inks)
Amazing Spider-Man I#126 (November, 1973) - Gerry Conway (writer), Ross Andru (pencils), Jim Mooney (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Deadpool III#0 (1998) - Joe Kelly (writer), Yancey Labat (pencils), Sean Parsons (inks), Matt Idelson (editor)

Last updated: 01/29/06

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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