Ani-Men

Infobox comics organization


imagesize=
caption=The cover to "X-Men" #95, featuring the original Ani-Men fighting the X-Men. Art by Gil Kane & Dave Cockrum.
publisher=Marvel Comics
debut="Daredevil" #10 (Oct 1965)
creators=Wally Wood and Bob Powell
base=
members=Ape-Man, Bird-Man, Cat-Man, Dragonfly, Frog-Man
cat= teams
subcat=Marvel Comics
hero=
villain=y
sortkey=PAGENAME The Ani-Men is the name of several fictional teams within the Marvel Universe. Four of them are villain groups, while one of them was introduced as a team of agents serving the High Evolutionary.

Original Lineup

The original lineup of Ani-Men (Ape-Man, Bird-Man, Cat-Man, Frog-Man) are recruited by a man named the Organizer. The Organizer is secretly Abner Jonas, a candidate for mayor of New York City, who sends the Ani-Men on missions to undermine the current administration. Daredevil defeats them and the Ani-Men and Organizer all go to prison. Later, Ape-Man, Bird-Man, and Cat-Man form a team called the "Unholy Three" and work with the Exterminator. [Daredevil #39]

Ape-Man, Bird-Man, and Cat-Man later rejoin the Ani-Men, and the group goes to work for Count Nefaria. Nefaria also recruits a new member for the group, Dragonfly. Nefaria's scientists submit the unwilling Ani-Men to processes that give them superhuman powers and animal-like forms, although eventually they revert back to normal.

Nefaria sends the four original Ani-Men to kill Tony Stark; however the Spymaster had intended to kill Stark with a bomb, which kills the Ani-Men instead. [Iron Man #115]

The Exterminator Groups

The Exterminator, who was now known as the Death-Stalker, sometime later recruits a new team of Ani-Men, with a new Ape-Man, Bird-Man, and Cat-Man. [Daredevil #157] He sends the new Ani-Men to capture Matt Murdock. The Black Widow defeats Bird-Man, and the Death-Stalker murders Ape-Man and Cat-Man upon the completion of their mission. [Daredevil #158]

The Bird-Man is later murdered by the Scourge of the Underworld in the "Bar with No Name" incident. [Captain America #319]

ervants of the High Evolutionary

A new group wearing the name Ani-Men is created by the High Evolutionary and carries out his orders. The Evolutionary dispatches the Ani-Men to a laboratory operated by his former assistant Miles Warren (the Jackal) to clean up Warren's files. After three weeks, the Ani-Men are almost done with their cleanup and have spread a virus into all of Warren's files, but they are discovered by the Scarlet Spider. When the High Evolutionary teleports the Ani-Men back to his home base at Wundagore, the Scarlet Spider is accidentally brought with them, having stuck himself to Crushtacean with his webbing.

Later, the Scarlet Spider joins members of the Cult of the Jackal in sneaking into the citadel of the High Evolutionary in an attempt to learn the truth about Warren's involvement with the High Evolutionary. The Ani-Men come to face the cult members and the Scarlet Spider, but the fight is brought to an end after the Scarlet Spider is able to learn the truth from the High Evolutionary. The High Evolutionary sends the Scarlet Spider home, but Crushtacean foolishly touches a ball of impact webbing the hero has left behind, covering himself and the other Ani-Men with webbing, much to their embarrassment.

The High Evolutionary's Ani-Men included Buzzard, Crushtacean, Flying Fox, Komodo, Spinneret, and their first appearance was in "Scarlet Spider Unlimited" #1 (November, 1995).

Fourth Lineup

A new group of Ani-Men surfaced in GLA #1 (June 2005). This assemblage has no known connection to any prior incarnations. They attacked the Milwaukee Convention Center, holding humans responsible for their trangressions against the animal kingdom. This group consisted of Giraffe-Man, Great Horned Owl-Man, Pig-Man, and Rabbit-Woman. [Great Lakes Avengers #1]

=Civil War=

A new set of Ani-Men (consisting of a new Ape-Man, Bird-Man, Cat-Man) are among the many criminals hired by Hammerhead in an effort to take over the underworld while the Kingpin is incarcerated. Unbeknownst to them, the Kingpin has tricked Iron Man into leading a S.H.I.E.L.D. unit to the warehouse where they are meeting, which Iron Man believes to be the headquarters of Captain America's Secret Avengers. Iron Man and the S.H.I.E.L.D. unit break in, and a huge fight breaks out. The battle results in arrests, injuries and death, but it is unrevealed if any of those apply to the new Ani-Men. ["Civil War: War Crimes" #1]

References

External links

* [http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix2/animenspider.htm High Evolutionary's Ani-Men]
* [http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix3/animenglaav.htm Ani-Men - GLA foes]
* [http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix4/animencwwc.htm Hammerhead's Ani-Men]