In another thread, we've been discussing which of the Avengers knew their secret identies.

This brought up the confusion over the membership of the villian's group, "Zodiac" and just who were their original line-up.

It seems to me that Cornelius Van Lunt (a powerful businessman) was revealed as Taurus, early on.

And eventually, blind Libra was identified as the father of Mantis, but I don't recall the why's and wherefores.

In a confusing mess, Scorpio was revealed to be Nick Fury... or was that actually his brother Jake?


That leaves about nine more to identify in some manner or another.  Who can do it? Can you list what issue saw their reveal?  Or when they were introduced. (Just listing the first appearance of Zodiac and repeating the same Avengers issue number is unavoidable, but try to go further, if you would.)

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  • Spoilers Warning for reveals and developments relating to Zodiac in Nick Fury #5, Avengers #72, Defenders #50. Scorpio was introduced in Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD #1, #5. The latter issue has a sequence where Fury recognises who he really is, but who this is isn't revealed to the reader. In both issues Scorpio plots against Fury. After the title was cancelled the storyline was wound up in Avengers #72. The issue introduced the rest of the Zodiac; I think in this issue Fury impersonates Scorpio, and the real Zodiac is revealed to be Fury's brother. The Zodiac was brought back in a Steve Englehart Avengers storyline circa ##120-125 in which Libra was said to be Mantis's father. I haven't read this and I don't know if the reveal was undone later. Scorpio showed up again in Defenders ##46, 48-50, where he made use of a robot Zodiac and ended by committing suicide. The Gemini from this version of the Zodiac fought the She-Hulk in The Savage She-Hulk #12.

     

    A hat-tip to the GCD for some of the information in this post.

  • It was the storyline in Avengers that revealed Cornelius Von Lunt as the original Taurus.  Almost immediately after that, Libra revealed himself as Mantis' father.

    Aquarius was revealed (sort of) in early issues of Ghost Rider

    Aries' name was revealed in a few issues of Captain America in the #170s, right before the coming of Nomad.

    There are probably a few issues of Daredevil of interest to this subject matter, but I'm not sure.

  • I twice miswrote "Zodiac" in my post when I meant "Scorpio" . My apologies.

  • I wrote about Zodiac here and just get any last issue of The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe to get their real names. Each was supposed a crimelord in a specific city[don't know if Leo got Detroit or Taurus Chicago] ;-)

    However none ever struck me as a leader type. They usually followed either the first Aries or Taurus. Guys with horns rule!

  • In Ghost Rider (1973 series) ##6-7 the title character battled a one-man Zodiac. My recollection is he was a member of the criminal Zodiac who got powers from the Devil or a devil. The GCD indicates he was Aquarius.

  • Yes, it was Aquarius.  He had some lung health problems after the storyline in Avengers #120s issues and was therefore easy to convince to accept a pact to fight Ghost Rider.

    We eventually learn that the other party involved is in fact Mephisto, although there is some room for doubt since it is also supposedly Daimon Hellstrom's father.

  • Thanks, Luis. I see you alluded to the story above; forgive me for missing that.

  • link to my review that goes into Libra being the father of Mantis in The Avengers.

  • Luis:

    "We eventually learn that the other party involved is in fact Mephisto, although there is some room for doubt since it is also supposedly Daimon Hellstrom's father."

    NO. That is total B***S***.  The main villain in the early issues of the Johnny Blaze GHOST RIDER is SATAN.  The "real" one (heehee), the one in Christian mythology.  The only reason it was ever retconned was because ONE person had a problem with it... and he happened to be in charge.  ("Because I SAID so, DAMMIT!!!")   : )

    The stories Gary Friedrich, and even better, Tony Isabella, wrote, simply do not work as well if the villain is "Mephisto" pretending to be someone else.  Ditto for Satan's appearances in DR. STRANGE and TOMB OF DRACULA (both with scary-as-HELL art by Gene Colan & Tom Palmer).

    This is the same editor who once ordered Doug Moench to write Dum Dum Dugan using "proper English", when Dugan had been speaking his own brand of English since 1963.

  • My recollection is that the character(s) who would later become Gemini first appeared in a throw-away 10-pager used to fill out the one oversized issue of Astonishing Tales #8. They were twin brothers on the opposite side of the law or somesuch  subtlety named Joshua and Damian Link who could merge or something. I also just subtlety linked to the cover of that comic.

    Hoy

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