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This article describes fictional events in the past tense. The present tense should be used in order to clearly differentiate between fictional events and actual history. To meet Wikipedia's quality standards, this comics-related article or section may require cleanup. See this article's before making any large and/or controversial edits. This article has been tagged since December 2007. |
- 'The Hood' is also the name of the main villain in the TV series Thunderbirds.
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The Hood (Parker Robbins) is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artists Kyle Hotz and Eric Powell, the character first appeared in The Hood #1 (July, 2002).
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Publication history
The Hood first appeared in his own self-titled MAX limited series in 2002 which explored his origin. The Hood next appeared in the miniseries Beyond! Brian Michael Bendis has stated in a Newsarama interview that within the pages of New Avengers, Parker Robbins will be getting similar treatment to Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II. Bendis says that "...like the the Sentry and Echo – the Hood is one of these excellent brand new creations that no one else was touching, and that’s how they fall by the wayside." [1] The series will deal with Parker's gradual rise to becoming "the ‘Godfather’ of all supervillains", mostly due to the fact that Marvel's Civil War event prevented any heroes from stopping him.
Fictional character biography
Origin
Robbins' father worked closely with the Kingpin and was around while Parker was growing up. As a child, he and his father witnessed a battle between Daredevil and Electro. This battle would have a profound effect on Robbins' later life. At some point, his father died, while his mother became very ill and entered a near-vegetative state. Parker still visits his mother, telling her stories of various "jobs" he's acquired and how he's making himself into a better person. However, these "jobs" are merely lies to please his mother; his shiftlessness is apparent when he threatens an orderly with a knife in order to keep his mother from knowing the truth. Parker's well-meaning nature is juxtaposed with his philandering and thieving ways. He takes care of his pregnant girlfriend Sara, while visiting the prostitute Gro on the side. His cousin, John King, is a recovering drug addict and thief, but remains one of the closest relationships that Parker has. In fact, King is responsible for the job that leads to Robbins' acquiring his magic hood and boots. While at a bar, King approaches Robbins over a job in a warehouse said to be housing unknown but valuable goods. After recognizing Electro in the bar and admiring the perks to being a villain, Robbins takes the job in order to move his mother to a better care center. A HYDRA agent approaches the two in the bar and tries to recruit them. They walk with the man into an alley, but after realizing that HYDRA is a terrorist organization they beat the man and take his shoes. After visiting both Gro and Sara, Robbins assists King in breaking into the warehouse. Inside the warehouse, both men encounter an abandoned mystic ritual which results in an encounter with a creature known as the Nistanti. Shooting and apparently killing it, Robbins steals its hood and boots rather than leave empty-handed. After disposing of the gun in a dumpster, Robbins encountered a gang who wanted the boots he had stolen off the HYDRA agent. Throwing them at the gang, he fled and put the Nisanti's boots on, unexpectedly learning of their levitation powers. After jogging through the air, he shared his discovery with King, and then tried on the cloak. After receiving a haymaker for scolding his cousin's drinking habit, Robbins discovered that holding his breath allowed him to turn invisible. After utilizing the cloak to fulfill his lechery and to commit several other petty robberies, Robbins was then recruited by King to steal a shipment of blood diamonds. Unaware to the cousins, the blood diamonds were the responsibility of one Dennis Golembuski, aka the Golem. The Golem had hired several metahuman enforcers to ensure the safety of his diamonds, including Constrictor, Jack O'Lantern, Shocker, and his own enforcer, Madame Rapier. With Madame Rapier in charge of the three villains, Golem figured his diamonds were being safely smuggled in. However, Robbins confronted the group and with a little luck defeated the enforcers and stole half of the diamonds. Upon rendezvousing with his cousin, both Robbins and King were confronted by two officers. Robbins shot one officer in the neck and King incapacitated the other. King stayed behind to take the blame while Robbins fled. As a result of this incident, Robbins was dubbed "The Hood" by the authorities and a bounty was placed upon his head as a reward for his arrest. Now pursued by not only the Golem and the local authorities, but also by two hotshot FBI agents, the newly christened Hood hatched a plan to get King out of prison. After being confronted by the FBI agents and two faux A.I.M. agents and losing control with an electrical burst, the Hood attempted to pawn the diamonds for King's lawyer fee, but almost immediately ran into the Shocker, who was looking for the diamonds for the Golem. Learning of the Golem, Robbins asked King about the underworld figure. With this knowledge in hand, the Hood surprised the Golem and Madame Rapier at the Golem's office, and then proposed a rendezvous to return the diamonds, minus a small cut for the Hood. Golem agreed to send Madame Rapier, but instructed her to kill the Hood when the opportunity presented itself. Knowing he was being set up, the Hood purchased a similar cloak, and went to the rendezvous point. While the other three villains watched from afar, Madame Rapier confiscated the Hood's gun before the exchange. Seeing her opportunity, she attacked, but ran out of bullets, as the Hood only loaded a small amount. With an extra gun and Madame Rapier at his mercy, the Hood made her dress in the spare cloak, and then had her confront the FBI agents with the end result of being shot to death. The Hood then confronted the other three villains, and gave back the diamonds as a deal was a deal. However, he then informed them to tell the Golem to leave him alone. The FBI agents, having shot Rapier dressed as the Hood, agreed to release King if he agreed that the Hood was a female. Readily agreeing, King was then picked up by Robbins, who told Sara that he would be staying for a few days. Robbins then visited his mother and told her that he would begin helping people and making her proud. Meanwhile, the Golem weeps over a photograph of his family, including his mutant daughter, knowing the price of failure and vowing that he wasn't done with the Hood. As for the officer that King shot, he was actually having an affair with his partner, unknown to his loyal wife. Having been in a coma since the shooting, his wife read him Jack London's White Fang until he succumbed, leading her to utilize her technical expertise and create a suit to avenge him as White Fang. The Nisanti is also shown to have revived with Parker's name on its lips, thanks to King shouting out his name during the robbery attempt.
Beyond!
Alongside Spider-Man, Venom (Mac Gargan, formerly Scorpion), Gravity, Medusa, Hank Pym, the Wasp, Kraven, and Firebird, the Hood found himself being transported to the newly reconstructed Battleworld. While in transit, they are told that one victor would have his or her wish granted by the Beyonder, should he kill the other combatants. The Hood attempted to capitalize on this by using his invisibility to launch a sneak attack on the gathered heroes and villains, but was battered by Kraven utilizing his enhanced sense of smell. During the confusion of the Hood's attack, Venom managed to impale and kill Spider-Man. After crashlanding on Battleworld and losing Spider-Man's body, the group encountered Deathlok, who assisted them in battling against Dragon Man. After the battle, the Hood followed Kraven as the latter encountered Spider-Man, who has a gaping chest wound but was still alive. After Kraven left, the Hood then revealed himself and shot Spider-Man in the knees. Dragging Spider-Man by the lungs back to camp, the Hood forced him to reveal himself as the original Space Phantom. After battling the Space Phantom, the Hood accompanied the group into Limbo to wait for the Space Phantom to appear. While in Limbo, Venom destroyed the portal on Battleworld, claiming victory. While in Limbo, the Hood and Gravity bonded by showing each other their respective girlfriends' pictures. Using the Space Phantom to return to Battleworld, the group confronted Venom and realized that Uatu the Watcher was there. Pym then shot the group, seemingly killing them all, in order to draw out the "Beyonder." In truth, this was the Stranger, who was fooled by Pym shrinking the entire group down. The Hood then attacked the Stranger alongside the other combatants, before the Stranger left due to his paranoia over Uatu's presence. With Battleworld crumbling since the Stranger's will was no longer holding it together, the Hood and the others escaped, but not before Gravity sacrificed his life in order to save the group. While on Earth, he attended Gravity's funeral with Sara. Some time after this, Sara gave birth to his child.
Hood criminal empire
Art by Carlo Pagulayan.
The Hood begins his quest to become the Kingpin of All Supervillains in New York by inviting a large contingent of villains to a meeting where he gives each of them $25,000 of seed money, partly to gain their confidence, partly to buy their loyalty. He promises them much more where that came from if they join him in creating a new criminal empire with Robbins at the head. Their number includes Chemistro, Madame Masque, Griffin, Crusader, Tiger Shark, Blackout and Jigsaw, who had been attacked and beaten by Tigra in an earlier robbery. To prove himself to the gathered supervillains, the Hood seeks out and viciously beats Tigra, threatening her mother's life as a warning, while Jigsaw films the attack. At the after party Chemistro informs The Hood of a plot by the Owl to sell Deathlok, which he stole from S.H.I.E.L.D., to the highest bidder. As the Owl hasn't gained permission from his new crime syndicate, The Hood decides to gatecrash the auction. Sending Madame Masque, the Crimson Cowl, the Wizard, and Dr. Jonas Harrow as proxies he effortlessly ambushes and dispatches the Owl. John King and The Hood reconvene in the back room of run-down bar where they are confronted by a curious Wolverine who overhears their plans to run Deathlok through the lobby of Avengers Tower. They escape by shooting Wolverine and assuming the form of the Nistanti who originally owned his hood, using this form to escape. Chemistro suggests that they change their plan and instead use Deathlok to rob a federal reserve bank in New Jersey, seeing it as a more profitable venture than a suicidal attack on Avengers Tower. The robbery is successful, netting them over $15 million (US), although Deathlok is destroyed in the process. As the group celebrates their victory, Luke Cage smashes through the wall of their base closely followed by nearly the entire population of the New York superhero community including the New Avengers, the Mighty Avengers, the Fantastic Four (including Storm and The Black Panther), The Defenders, the Silver Surfer and Thor. These superheroes turn out to be illusions, however, as only the New Avengers are actually present. In the ensuring battle, Dr. Strange appears to banish Robbins using an anti-demon spell. Later, after some of Robbins' syndicate are captured by SHIELD, Robbins reappears and frees them. He leads Wrecker and others on a rampage through a SHIELD facility, swearing to take revenge on the New Avengers. The Hood appears alongside Turk; surveying a fight between Daredevil and gang of street thugs, after Turk double crosses Mister Fear to show his allegiance to The Hood's new crime empire[2]. The Hood is then mentioned by name when The Enforcers, who are working for Mister Fear, are ambushed by Wrecker and Razor Fist who are working for The Hood[3].
Members of The Hood's crime syndicate
Among the members of Hood's crime syndicate are [4]:
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Powers and abilities
Parker Robbins possesses no powers inherent to himself. The mystical boots and cloak he wears allow him to perform many superhuman abilities. When wearing the boots, the Hood can walk on air. While wearing the cloak, and only while holding his breath, the Hood can turn invisible. At least once, the cloak allowed Robbins to fire a sort of electrical energy from his hands. Robbins has the ability to transform into a demon when under duress, gaining physical strength and speed to match Wolverine in one-on-one combat. In this demon form, his voice changes and he can sprout spikes from his hands. According to Dr. Strange, Robbins' powers will eventually kill him as Nistanti consumes his body and soul.
Bibliography
- The Hood vol. 1 #1-6
- Beyond vol. 1 #1-6
- New Avengers vol. 1 #34-37
- Daredevil #101 (final panel appearance)
References
- ^ MEET THE (new) NEW AVENGERS: EPILOGUE, Newsarama
- ^ Daredevil vol. 2 #101
- ^ Daredevil vol. 2 #102
- ^ New Avengers #35
