Freak (Marvel Comics)
Freak is the name of three fictional characters in the Marvel Universe. Most villains known as Freak are associated with Iron Man, while the most recent version appears in Amazing Spider-Man.
Happy Hogan
The first Freak is an alter-ego of Happy Hogan, a friend of Iron Man (Tony Stark).
Publication history
Happy first appeared as the Freak in Tales of Suspense #74-76 (February-April 1966), by Stan Lee and Gene Colan. He appeared as the Freak again in Iron Man #3-4 (July-August 1968), #26 (June 1970), and #84-85 (March-April 1976).
Fictional character biography
When Happy Hogan had become desperately ill, doctors tried to cure him using a cobalt ray machine powered by Stark's experimental "Enervator" device. Instead, Happy was mutated into a giant, savage, nearly mindless, superhumanly strong humanoid known as Freak. Though he was restored to his normal self, Hogan would turn into the Freak several times after being exposed to cobalt on several occasions.
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Cover to Iron Man #3 starring the Freak
Eddie March
| Freak | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | (as March) Iron Man #21 (Jan 1970) (as the Freak)Iron Man #67 |
| Created by | Archie Goodwin George Tuska |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Eddie March |
The second Freak was Eddie March, another friend of Tony Stark.
Publication history
Eddie appeared as the Freak in Iron Man #67 (April 1974), by Mike Friedrich and George Tuska.
Fictional character biography
Eddie was wearing the Iron Man armor, when he was badly injured in a fight with Thor. Stark decided to use the Enervator on Eddie in a desperate attempt to save him. Though Stark took precautions to prevent the device from transforming Eddie into a monstrous creature, he failed and Eddie became a new Freak. Iron Man tried to subdue him, while simultaneously protecting him from the police. He was able to knock the Freak out with a few nerve punches, and when he was unconscious he reverted to human form and Dr. Donald Blake was able to operate on Eddie to save his life.
Eddie has not transformed into the Freak since this incident.
Freak (Spider-Man villain)
| Freak | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | (as Freak) Amazing Spider-Man #552 (March 2008) |
| Created by | Bob Gale Phil Jimenez |
| In-story information | |
| Notable aliases | Armadillo Man |
| Abilities | Able to adapt to conditions through metamorphosis |
The third Freak was a villain that first appeared in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. A drug addict named "Freak" is chased down by Spider-Man after he attempted to steal from the poor at the soup kitchen Spider-Man's Aunt May works at. He stumbles into a laboratory owned by Curt Connors and injects himself with animal gene fluids, thinking they were crystal meth. Freak then began to form a chrysalis around his body, emerging as a skinless monster. After being shot at by police, he falls into the sewer and forms another chrysalis. Emerging as an animal hybrid, and completely bulletproof, Freak tracks Spider-Man by his scent. After a violent confrontation, Freak gives in to his addictions, and finds a meth lab. Spidey follows him, and during the ensuing fight, the building is set ablaze. Freak is caught under the flaming debris, but survives and creates a new chrysalis, which has made him fireproof and even stronger. Freak emerges as an armadillo-like creature, and again tries to kill Spider-Man. When Connors arrives with the quicklime necessary to incapacitate Freak, Spider-Man tricks him into thinking Connors has drugs. Freak tears open the bags, and is covered in the quicklime. He again forms a chrysalis, with Spider-Man pouring quicklime over it, to permanently incapacitate him. The chrysalis is taken by a hazmat crew, which is later revealed to be an Oscorp research group.[volume & issue needed]
Freak is next seen cut open and hooked up to machines in an Oscorp lab where scientists are using his unique abilities to cure various diseases. Norman Osborn injects him with a sample of the Anti-Venom antibodies to create "super-venom," a virus capable of killing millions with a single drop. He then uses the super-venom to re-power Mac Gargan who was "cured" of his symbiote by Anti-Venom. Norman also mentions that Freak is incapable of becoming high now because his captor, Osborn, removed the pleasure center of his brain. In the confrontation between Spider-Man and Osborn, Osborn activates the building's self-destruction, with Freak still inside. A search afterwards by Oscorp found "no signs of life", which made the team reason that Freak was killed, with Osborn immediately retorting "Idiot. Think about it for a second."[volume & issue needed]
Bibliography
App: Amazing Spiderman #546
App: Amazing Spiderman #552
App: Amazing Spiderman #553
App: Amazing Spiderman #554
App: Amazing Spiderman #558
References
External links
- Happy Hogan as Freak at Marvel Appendix