MONSTRO
THE MIGHTY
MONSTRO
THE MIGHTY
Real Name: Monstro
Identity/Class: God or demigod
Occupation: Pacifist;
former soldier
Group Membership:
Olympian gods;
formerly numerous military units
Affiliations: Napoleon Bonaparte, Julius Caesar, Major Alan Crash, Frederick the Great, Gabriel Hook, Joan of Arc
Enemies: Little Poison, Nazis
Known Relatives: Mars (Ares, father), Alexander Aaron (Phobos, half-brother), Deimos, Diomedes, Kyknos, Phobos, Oenomaus, Phlegyras, Thestius (brothers or half-brothers, deceased), Alcippe, Antiope, Diomedes' mares, Harmonia, Hiera, Hippolyta, Lysippe, Melanippe, Orithya, Otrera, Penthesilea (sisters or half-sisters), Zeus (grandfather), Hera (grandmother), massive extended family via his Olympian relatives
Aliases: The Mile-High Man
Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
formerly New England;
formerly Olympus
First Appearance: Comedy Comics#10 (June, 1942)
Powers/Abilities: Monstro presumably originally possessed at least the conventional level of superhuman strength, durability and endurance common to Olympian gods; given his heritage as the son of the god of war, he may well have been above average in these respects. Once turned into a giant, he possessed almost-immeasurable durability and strength, and was capable of crushing mountains with minimal effort. He also possessed excellent reflexes, fast enough to catch planes in mid-air, and superhuman eyesight.
Monstro was a skilled soldier, trained in numerous ancient weapons and styles of warfare.
Height: 65'; originally 6'5"
Weight: 21 tons; originally 350 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
History: (Comedy Comics#10 (fb)) - Monstro was the
son of the Olympian war god Ares, who sent him to Earth to be trained in
the ways of combat. For centuries he fought alongside some of history's greatest
generals. He fought as a centurion for Julius Caesar during the Gallic Wars
"against a beautiful and free people", then in the 11th century he campaigned
across Africa and into Spain with the Moors under el Cid (Rodrigo Díaz
de Vivar); in the 15th century he served with Joan of Arc and then in the
18th he worked for Frederick the Great (Frederick II of Prussia). However,
after helping Napoleon Bonaparte with the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805, Monstro
became sickened by the fighting. He raced from the field tearing off his
weapons, but his enraged father caught him. Unhappy at his son's perceived
disobedience, Ares swore to teach Monstro discipline, and sent him forward
in time to 1942 and the Second World War, enlarging him to giant size. He
awoke in war-torn Europe, but staggered away into the ocean to get away from
the fighting.
(Comedy Comics#10) - Monstro emerged from the Atlantic and waded ashore in New England, where, still in a daze, he inadvertently left a trail of destruction in his wake as he accidentally snapped the tops off mountains, swamped boats and demolished buildings by brushing against them. With panic overtaking the Eastern seaboard, the army was sent in, but anti-aircraft shells proved to be no more than itching powder to him, and he swatted fighter squadrons out of the air like flies, but only because they opened fire on him. However, he was genuinely concerned that he wasn't popular with the locals, as they were running away from him, and so when he spotted Major Crash's airplane he hoped it wouldn't shoot at him too. When they didn't open fire, he decided to try and catch the plane without crushing it, and explained his origins to those within, but while he was recounting his tale, Major Crash's prisoner, the Axis spy Little Poison, escaped with a valuable decoder device. Crash tried to enlist Monstro's help in recapturing her, but the giant initially declined, insisting he was through with war, but Crash swiftly convinced him that if the Axis were warmongers while their opponents were peace-loving nations, and that if decoder fell into Axis hands it would be disastrous. Monstro used his powerful eyesight to spot the fleeing spy, and released Crash's plane so he could glide it down to the ground in pursuit. When it instead dropped like a stone, Monstro's fast reflexes came to the rescue and he caught it again and set them down safely. Crash and Hook battled Little Poison's Nazi allies, and when Little Poison tried to flee with the decoder, Hook signalled Monstro, who blocked her escape with one giant hand. After handing the spy over to Major Crash, Monstro strode off for parts unknown.
Comments: Created by unknown (see comments).
Though he is described as being a mile-high, the art depicts him as perhaps six to seven times taller than single-storey buildings, belaying this description. As such, the stated height is overruled; perhaps this is how tall the frightened witnesses claimed he was?
comics.org suggests Al Gabriele might be the artist.
Profile by Loki.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Monstro the Mighty has no known connections to
Major Crash was a member of the U.S.' Flying Intelligence Service, who had clashed with the Axis agent Little Poison in the past. He was a capable fighter and skilled pilot. The day that Montro began his "rampage," Crash was due to fly a portable decoding machine to the Acceptance Commission. He captured Little Poison when she tried to steal it, and, deciding he needed to take her with him, instructed his mechanic and bodyguard Hook to come along too, for insurance. However, the plane was intercepted by Monstro; though the giant proved friendly, Little Poison used the distraction to escape. Crash convinced the initially reluctant Monstro to help them recapture her, and the giant spotted where she had fled. Crash pursued and stopped Little Poison from hiding the decoder by mailing it to herself. She fled again, evading Crash by sliding down a parcel chute to narrow for the wide-shouldered pilot. He took the long way down to the loading platform, but was forced to fight his way past Little Poison's Nazi allies. Luckily Hook's quick thinking saved the day, as he signalled Monstro, who caught Little Poison. After taking her prisoner again, Crash watched Monstro stride away, and declared the giant "Uncle Sam's new secret weapon."
--Comedy Comics#10
Hook was a former prize-fighter who became the mechanic and bodyguard to Major Crash during World War II. He accompanied Crash and Little Poison on the plane delivering the decoder, and met Monstro when the giant caught the plane in mid-air. When Little Poison escaped, he joined Crash in pursuing her, thought he voiced the opinion that his boss was nuts for trying to glide the plane down to Earth; Crash agreed with him. Sure enough, the plane dropped like a stone, but Monstro caught it and set them down safely atop the Federal Building that Little Poison had fled to. Hook and Crash stopped Little Poison from hiding the decoder by posting it, and as she appeared to be about to drop it down a parcel chute to the loading bay, Crash ordered Hook to head there while he pursued the fleeing agent. Instead Little Poison jumped down the chute herself. However, Hook had figured out a better plan; rather than heading for the loading bay, he took the shorter route to the roof of the building and signalled Monstro, who intercepted Little Poison as she exited the building. Later, after Crash had taken Little Poison into custody again, the Major declared the departing Monstro as America's newest secret weapon. A cynical Hook responded "Yeh. Just try keeping dat weapon under cover!"
--Comedy Comics#10
Little Poison was a bold Axis agent who once stole her general's star to trim a Christmas tree. She encountered Major Crash early in the war, as he described her as a "1941 Mata Hari." Having seemingly fallen into her superiors' bad books, she felt she needed to steal Crash's portable decoding machine or she would end up in the hands of a firing squad. However, Crash captured her, and took her with him in his plane, planning to deliver her to the authorities. More scared of Crash than Monstro, when the giant unwittingly provided a distraction, she stole the decoder and a parachute and escaped, intending to rendezvous with her Axis contacts. She landed near the evacuated Federal Building, and tried to hide the decoder by mailing it to herself, but the pursuing Crash and Hook prevented this. Crash pursued Little Poison as she fled, sending Hook a different way to hopefully intercept her, but she jumped down a parcel chute, knowing this route meant Crash could not follow and Hook would not get ahead of her in time. However, though Hook couldn't intercept her himself, he signalled Monstro, who blocked her escape with a gigantic hand.
--Comedy Comics#10
images:
Comedy Comics#10, p27, pan2 (main) - recolored
version from OHOTMU HC#14 handbook entry used here
Comedy Comics#10, p26 (Monstro towering over a city)
Comedy Comics#10, p31 (Monstro holds Cash and Hook in his hand)
Comedy Comics#10, p28, pan6 (Crash)
Comedy Comics#10, p28, pan7 (Hook)
Comedy Comics#10, p28, pan4 (Little Poison)
Appearances:
Comedy Comics#10 (June, 1942) - Stan Lee (editor)
First Posted: 09/04/2013
Last updated: 09/05/2013
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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