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Rhino (character)

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The Rhino
The Rhino.
Art by Khari Evans.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceThe Amazing Spider-Man vol. 1 #41 (October, 1966)
Created byStan Lee
John Romita, Sr.
In-story information
Alter egoAleksei Sytsevich/Alexander O'Hirn
Team affiliationsSinister Syndicate
Sinister Six
Secret Defenders
Emissaries of Evil
Exterminators[1]
Notable aliasesAlex O'Hirn
AbilitiesSuperhuman strength, stamina, and durability

The Rhino (Aleksei Sytsevich) is a supervillain in the Marvel Universe. He is also a frequent adversary of Spider-Man and occasionally the Hulk. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Romita, Sr., he first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #41 (October 1966).

As part of a Soviet super soldier program, a superstrong polymer was bonded to the Rhino's skin. A dim-witted criminal, the Rhino mostly robs banks and works for more ambitious villains.

Character biography

Origin

The Rhino was initially Aleksei Sytsevich, a poor immigrant from Russia who was desperate to pay for the rest of his family to come to the United States. With little education and no real skills, the only paying jobs he could get were using his impressive strength as an enforcer for various criminal organizations. One day he was contacted by some Eastern Bloc agents, who offered him a vast sum of money for participating in an incredible experiment. Sytsevich agreed, and was subjected to intensive chemical and radioactive treatment, which bonded a superstrong polymer to his skin and greatly augmented his strength and speed. He was given the code name "Rhino," and was sent to work as a super-assassin.

Becoming a villain

Rhino's first job was to capture Colonel John Jameson for his military secrets. Spider-Man defeated the Rhino, leading to the supervillain's arrest. After escaping from prison, Rhino has taken on many other jobs over the years, and although he still hates Spider-Man and would love to crush him, he is professional enough not to let personal feelings distract him from a paying job. Physically, he is one of Spider-Man's strongest foes with his favored attack being ramming into a target with a sustained charge. He is also not very bright, and thus not too difficult for the wall-crawler to beat.

The Rhino has often tangled with The Incredible Hulk as well. He is significantly outmatched by the Hulk in terms of sheer brute strength, but the level of superhuman strength he possesses, coupled with his high invulnerability, has always made him a good adversary.

Flowers for Rhino

Main article: Flowers for Rhino

The plot is based on the science fiction story by Daniel Keyes, "Flowers for Algernon".

Rhino decided to seek help to improve his mind the same way his body had been improved: through science. He sought out a scientist who had an experimental treatment to increase his intelligence. To his surprise the treatment actually worked and he was able to defeat Spider-Man, who had always outsmarted him in the past. Next, he took over the majority of the criminal operations in the city and started a law suit against Spider-Man that prevented the hero coming within 500 yards of him. However, his intelligence continued to increase exponentially and, with no intellectual competition, he began to find life boring; he even rewrote "Hamlet" because he found the writing style sloppy, and in his depression pointed out to Spider-Man that he was able to deduce Spider-Man was Peter Parker through a simple equation that could give him the identities of any costumed hero. When he began to approach omniscience he worried that such high intelligence would drive him insane so, although he briefly contemplated suicide, he elected to have the process reversed, actually making himself "a little MORE stupid than [he] used to be... Just to be on the safe side."[1]

Post Civil War

After Peter Parker/Spider-Man's exposure, Rhino was hired by the Chameleon to defeat Spider-Man. Rhino was even successful in this act; he wounded Spider-Man in the process, but was unable to collect payment as Chameleon had already been captured by Spider-Man. The Black Cat later tracks down Rhino, who by now is very drunk. She prevents him from murdering three sailors who were taunting him. She talks him down from his rampage but uses the bluff of the Puma having a device that could hurt him to back him up. Rhino is convinced by words to calm down and heads off. Secretly, the Black Cat had placed a tracking device on him so that he could be found by someone better armed to take him down.

A better armed man, the Punisher later attacks Rhino with the Satan Claw, a weapon of Baron Strucker, and leaves him in poor condition (Rhino's large horn is broken off).[2] Rhino later shows up for the wake of the dead supervillain Stilt-Man but ends up tussling with Armadillo, causing a brawl that was only stopped by Spider-Man. The wake was later bombed by the Punisher, who also posed as the bartender and poisoned the villains. Most of the attendees, the Rhino included, survive, and were treated for third-degree burns in addition to having their stomachs pumped.[3]

After Wolverine confirms Captain America's death, a disillusioned Spider-Man goes to visit the grave of Ben Parker, his uncle. While there, his spider-sense leads him to Rhino who, at the time, was visiting his late mother. Spider-Man, suspecting wrongdoing, attacks Rhino, who inadvertently breaks his mother's tombstone. Enraged, he attacks Spider-Man, who reminisces to a similar situation when he wrongly attacked the Hulk, only to be saved by Captain America. Spider-Man rises and defeats Rhino, only to be confronted shortly after by Wolverine.

Rhino is next seen humiliating Deadpool by shrinking him via Pym Particles, gluing his head to a keychain (the same thing Deadpool had done to him during a previous encounter), then made him ride a urinal cake. The Rhino was satisfied by what he had done and the two parted ways, only to have Deadpool turn around and defeat the villain while still small.

Recently, Rhino has taken up robbing banks with two accomplices. During one heist, he mistakenly kills a security guard, attracting the attention of The Punisher. The Punisher finds his safehouse and kills his two partners. He then uses a rocket launcher on Rhino, who is almost destroyed, but Spider-Man swings in and pulls him from the explosion. After incapacitating Rhino on a rooftop, Alyosha Kravinoff, the son of Kraven the Hunter shows up and darts Spider-Man. He then tranquilizes Rhino and brings him to his headquarters, where he has been collecting a zoo of animal themed superhumans[4], like Bushmaster II, Gargoyle II, Kangaroo II, Black Knight's former horse Aragorn, Vulture, Mongoose, Man-Bull, Dragon Man, Swarm, Mandrill, Grizzly I, Leap-Frog I, and Tiger Shark. After helping, Punisher stops Kraven and, recalling a recent innocent death at his hands, allows Rhino to leave freely. However, Rhino, feeling remorse from the accidental killing, does send a letter and money to the security guard's widow.[5]

Powers and abilities

As a result of being bonded to a powerful polymer suit, as well as being innately powerful, the Rhino possesses tremendous superhuman strength. He also has heightened levels of speed and stamina, and a high degree of resistance to physical injury and high impact forces. The Rhino's costume renders him highly resistant to conventional injury. He has withstood high caliber bullets, powerful lasers, temperature extremes, and great impacts without injury. In addition, the "horn" of the head of his costume is very durable and razor-sharp. Rhino tends to charge into his enemies with the horn extended, much like a real rhinoceros.

Originally the source of the Rhino's powers was his costume which resembles a rhinoceros, which was once permanently attached. Eventually, the abilities of the costume merged with the body of the wearer. He has been physically improved over the years by several other villains.

Other versions

Ultimate Rhino

Ultimate Rhino (R.H.I.N.O.), has increased power from the suit that the old Rhino stole from the U.S. Military. Using the R.H.I.N.O. suit’s incredible strength, the Rhino robbed a Manhattan bank, charging the vault head-first, destroying it. He then rampaged through a busy street to make his escape, destroying anything in his path, including police cars, with ease. Spider-Man tries to escape school in order to confront him but is stopped by various incidents. Iron Man arrives, stops the Rhino’s assault, and captures him. The Rhino was then taken into military custody.

He was last seen in the first Ultimate Spider-Man Annual, this time soundly defeated by Spider-Man.

Rhino also appears in the Ultimate Spider Man video game where other information on his origin and appearance is revealed. Though stated to be canon, it has yet to be confirmed within the comic series. In contrast to his original counterpart and namesake, R.H.I.N.O. appears to be extremely intellegent, but outside his suit small and weak. It was confirmed in the game that the suit he wears was created at Trask Industries. Whether it was stolen or given willingly remains unknown.

Marvel Zombies

In Marvel Zombies, a zombie Rhino first appeared alongside an entourage of undead supervillains attempting to defeat and eat Galactus. [6] After Galactus is defeated following a battle between various zombified villains and heroes, the zombie Hulk mentions that he tore off and ate the Rhino's head, which he regrets, as the Rhino "tasted terrible". [7] (It was earlier stated by Henry Pym that the zombies taste horrid to each other when one tries to eat another) [8]

House of M

In Spider-Man: House of M, the Rhino appears as the somewhat unneeded bodyguard of Spider-Man, who is a celebrity in this reality. In the end, it is the Rhino who finally unmasks the Green Goblin, revealing him to be a deluded Peter Parker.

In other media

Television

  • The Rhino (voiced by Ed McNamera) made two appearances in the first season of the 1967 Spider-Man cartoon, later "returning" in a third-season budget-saving "mishmash" episode.
File:SpectacularRhino.jpg
Rhino as seen in The Spectacular Spider-Man.
  • Alex O'Hirn appeared in The Spectacular Spider-Man, voiced by Clancy Brown. Originally a common petty crook under Big Man, O'Hirn was partnered with Flint Marko, and (briefly) Shocker. The two friends had repeated run-ins with Spider-Man and were getting frustrated at constantly being dupes and punching bags. Eventually realizing Spider-Man must be made to get out of his way, Big Man had O'Hirn used as a guinea pig in Oscorp's illegal experiments. His body was infused with Otto Octavius' newest innovation: supertough polymer armor modeled after a rhinoceros. O'Hirn gleefully dubbed himeslf "The Rhino". In comparison to Flint, O'Hirn has no issue with his new found abilities as long as he could take down Spider-Man. However, his costume has one fatal flaw: it obstructs his pores. Without a proper (de)hydration system, Rhino must periodically stop fighting and drink water, lest he overheat. Thus, Spider-Man gained the advantage by realizing and attacking this weakness by leading O'Hirn into a steam tunnel and opening up the pipes. Suffering from heat exhaustion and severely delusional, O'Hirn gives Spider-Man The Big Man's real name just before passing out.
  • In "Group Therapy", he escapes from jail with Doc Ock, Shocker, Fancy Dan and Ox, Sandman, and Vulture by Electro and team up to take down Spider-Man as (the Daily Bugle dubs them) the Sinister Six, where rekindles his partnership with Flint Marko, who has now become Sandman. Despite scaring Spider-Man away during a confrontation (with Rhino ready to impale him), he is defeated by a symbiote-controlled Spider-Man, when he is accidentally hit at the same time by Shocker and Electro, causing him to pass out while standing, and thrown on top of Electro.

Video games

  • In the PlayStation, Dreamcast, and Nintendo 64 Spider-Man game, the Rhino surprises both Spider-Man and The Black Cat, and manages to incapacitate her. Spider-Man uses the surrounding machinery in his battle.
  • Rhino appears briefly in the Spider-Man 2 video game where the player briefly engages in a "Boss Battle" with him. This version's game of the Rhino has spikes on parts of his costume. He was voiced by John DiMaggio. In the PC version of Spider-Man 2, the Rhino is the first villain Spider-Man battles in the game. In the first battle, the Rhino escapes his maximum security prison after Spider-Man takes out numerous crooks. Later on in the game, Spider-Man and Rhino meet multiple times in OsCorp. As in the console version, Rhino is voiced by John DiMaggio.
File:Ultspidey rhino game.jpg
R.H.I.N.O. in the Ultimate Spider-Man video game.
  • Rhino is a boss Spider-Man fights in the 2005 Ultimate Spider-Man game voiced by Bob Glouberman. When he first appeared, Spider-Man attempts to chase him while he causes destruction on the way. When he goes into a car lot, Spider-Man attempts to take him down by hitting him on his back mutiple times. After Spidey defeated him, he was revealed to be a short man. He speaks mostly in Latin, seems to be very smart, and works for Bolivar Trask, a greedy business man who funded the Venom project. Strangely, this makes him the exact opposite of the original Rhino. In the characters page, R.H.I.N.O.'s name is shown to be Alex O'Hirn, and the web site for the game reveals that he originally designed the armor to be controlled by a computer before concluding that his own mind was more powerful than any computer and using the suit for himself.
  • He appears as a boss in Spider-Man 2 for the PC(computer game). He must be defeated by baiting him into electric police barricades by dodging and evading him.
  • In Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, Rhino was one of the many villains that Mysterio kidnapped and placed under his control. He was sent to a deserted island to guard a meteor shard. After Spider-Man defeats him and frees him of the mind control, Rhino agrees to help Spider-Man and becomes a playable character. John DiMaggio reprises the role.
  • In the Spider-Man 3 video game, Dr. Stillwell hires Rhino to take out Scorpion. After Rhino defeated Scorpion, he runs off. When Spider-Man and Scorpion reach Dr. Stillwell's hidout, Stillwell orders Rhino to destroy them. Rhino defeats Scorpion again, but Spider-Man defeats Rhino by tying him up with web lines and dropping several enormous ceiling blocks on top of him, knocking him unconscious.
  • This version of Rhino doesn't don a full costume, but rather a large part of his body is scaly and bumpy like that of a rhinoceros, while his mask resembles that of his traditional costume.

Novels

  • The Rhino appears in Jim Butcher's Spider-Man novel The Darkest Hours, in which he and Spider-Man are forced to ally against the family of Morlun, and the two old foes gain a deeper respect for one another. Indeed, listening to Aleksei's life story, Peter finds out that the two of them aren't all that different and have had many of the same problems in life. Also, Rhino points out that he hates his costume, but must wear it because it's what his clients expect.

Toys & collectibles

  • The Rhino has been reproduced in action figure form several times by Toy Biz, first as part of their Spider-Man: The Animated Series line, then as part of Spider-Man Classics, and finally as part of their Marvel Legends series. The Spider-Man Classics figure was later repainted and reissued by Hasbro.
  • The character has been reproduced in mini-bust form by Art Asylum (as part of their Rogues Gallery collection) and as both a bust and statue by Bowen Designs.

References

  1. ^ Tangled Web of Spider-Man #5
  2. ^ Punisher War Journal #3.
  3. ^ Punisher War Journal #4.
  4. ^ Punisher War Journal vol.2 #13
  5. ^ Punisher War Journal vol.2 #15
  6. ^ Marvel Zombies #4
  7. ^ Marvel Zombies #5
  8. ^ Marvel Zombies #2
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