Aries (comics)
Encyclopedia
The various incarnations of Aries are Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...

 supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...

s who were members of various incarnations of the supervillain group, the Zodiac
Zodiac (comics)
Zodiac is the name of four groups of fictional characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics. The first version appears in Avengers #72 and was created by Roy Thomas and Sal Buscema. The second version first appear in Defenders #49 and were created by David Kraft and Keith Giffen...

.

In the history of the Marvel Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...

, six different characters
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...

 have assumed the role of Aries. All of them have been members of the villainous Zodiac and used horns on their head to ram their opponents. The third Aries was a Life Model Decoy
Life Model Decoy
A Life Model Decoy is fictional android appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is designed to function as an exact body double for VIPs...

 created by Jake Fury
Scorpio (comics)
Scorpio is the name of several fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe. Most of the men to use the Scorpio identity have been supervillains who have been affiliated with the Zodiac criminal cartel, and in this context were enemies of the Avengers and other superheroes.-Publication...

. The second and fourth Aries' were African-American.

Publication history

The original human Aries, Marcus Lassiter, first appeared in The Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...

#72 (January 1970), and was created by writer Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...

 and artist Sal Buscema
Sal Buscema
Silvio "Sal" Buscema is an American comic book artist, primarily for Marvel Comics, where he enjoyed a ten-year run as artist of The Incredible Hulk...

. The character subsequently appears in Avengers #82 (November 1970), in which he is killed.

The second human Aries, Grover Raymond, first appeared in The Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...

#120-123 (February-May 1974), and was created by Steve Englehart
Steve Englehart
Steve Englehart is an American novelist. In his earlier career he was a comic book writer best known for his work at Marvel Comics and DC Comics, particularly in the 1970s...

 and Bob Brown
Bob Brown (comics)
William Robert "Bob" Brown was an American comic book artist with an extensive career from the early 1940s through the 1970s. With writers Edmond Hamilton and Gardner Fox, Brown created the DC Comics hero Space Ranger, drawing the character's complete run from his debut in the try-out comic...

. The character subsequently appears in Ghost Rider #7 (August 1974), and Captain America #177-178 (September-October 1974), in which he is killed.

Aries appeared as part of the "Zodiac" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...

#20.

Marcus Lassiter

Nothing is known about how Lassiter joined the Cartel or any of his dealings with their group prior to their first battle with the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...

.

In order to take down the Zodiac Cartel Nick Fury
Nick Fury
Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...

, disguised as Scorpio
Scorpio (comics)
Scorpio is the name of several fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe. Most of the men to use the Scorpio identity have been supervillains who have been affiliated with the Zodiac criminal cartel, and in this context were enemies of the Avengers and other superheroes.-Publication...

 captured the Avengers. He called the Cartel for a meeting in order to present the Avengers to them. The Avengers managed to break free before the Cartel could execute them. Fury unmasked himself and joined the heroes in fighting off the Zodiac Cartel. Aries managed to claim the Zodiac Key, and led the Cartel to their escape through a hole in the wall.

Lassiter led the reorganization of the Cartel and its planning to takeover Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

. A mercenary group in the Zodiac's employ was sent to Avengers Mansion
Avengers Mansion
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe, Avengers Mansion has traditionally been the base of the Avengers. The enormous, city block-sized building is located at 890 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York City.-Creative origin:...

 and was able to subdue the Avengers who were subsequently put into stasis. The Aries-led Zodiac army was able to take over Manhattan. Aries used the Zodiac Key to entrapping it within a force field. The Cartel demanded one billion dollars or they threatened to kill the entire population of Manhattan. The Black Panther
Black Panther (comics)
The Black Panther is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and penciller-co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #52...

 and Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...

 managed to free the Avengers, and, in the ensuing battle, Aries was apparently slain. Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....

 destroyed his vessel with a bolt of lightning. The rest of the Zodiac Cartel escaped capture.

Grover Raymond

Raymond was recruited by Taurus
Taurus (comics)
Taurus is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Cornelius Van Lunt:Cornelius Van Lunt was a multimillionaire businessman, and professional criminal mastermind. He was also the founder and financer of the original Zodiac cartel, chose its eleven other leaders, and succeeded Marcus Lassiter,...

 to replace Marcus Lassiter as Aries. The Zodiac Cartel decided to kill every person born under the sign of Gemini
Gemini (astrology)
Gemini is the third astrological sign in the Zodiac, which spans the Zodiac between the 60th and 89th degree of celestial longitude. Generally, the Sun transits this area of the zodiac between May 21 to June 20 each year...

 because they thought them to be untrustworthy. The Cartel was defeated by the Avengers who were able to destroy the Star-Blaster which the Zodiac was to use to fulfill their plans.

Following their defeat, Raymond was able to get the rest of the Cartel, except for Libra
Libra (comics)
Libra is a Marvel Comics character, a former supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe, most notably a member of the Zodiac Cartel.-Publication history:...

 to back him in overthrowing Taurus as their leader. The renegade Zodiac met with Cornelius Van Lunt, the Cartel's financial backer, in an empty warehouse but were attacked by the Avengers during the meeting. Van Lunt fled, but revealed that he was Taurus and that the warehouse was, in fact, a rocketship which Taurus shot into space. The Vision
Vision (Marvel Comics)
The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The first Vision was created by the writer-artist team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in Marvel Mystery Comics #13 The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that...

 was able to persuade the Zodiac to help the Avengers get back to earth rather than continue their battle. Upon their return to earth, the Avengers turned Aries and the other Zodiac, except for Libra, over to the authorities. Except for Taurus, all the Cartel ended up in prison.

While in prison, Raymond was visited by Lucifer
Lucifer (Marvel Comics)
Lucifer is the name of two unrelated comic book characters from Marvel Comics. One is an alien supervillain of the X-Men and the other is a villain of Ghost Rider and is referred to as the Prince of Darkness.-Lucifer :...

, who had possessed the body of Rafe Michel, a criminal. In order to keep his power from consuming a single body, Lucifer offered to divide his power. Raymond agreed, and gained some of Lucifer's strength, along with his costume. They did battle with the Falcon
Falcon (comics)
The Falcon is a fictional comic book superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics.Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Gene Colan, and introduced in Captain America #117 , the character is mainstream comics' first African-American superhero...

, but managed to escape to Mr. Morgan. Morgan asked the two to kill the Falcon.

The two Lucifers attacked, but were defeated by the Falcon. Raymond-Lucifer led the other to Lucifer's base, where they revived Lucifer's undamaged Ultra-Robots and sent them to attack the Falcon. The Falcon, though, was helped by an uncostumed Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...

, who defeated the Lucifers and destroyed the Ultra-Robots. Still unable to contain Lucifer's energies, both host bodies died with Lucifer being sent back to the Nameless Dimension..

LMD

This version of Aries was a Life Model Decoy
Life Model Decoy
A Life Model Decoy is fictional android appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is designed to function as an exact body double for VIPs...

 created along with an entirely new Zodiac in the Theatre of Genetics by Scorpio
Scorpio (comics)
Scorpio is the name of several fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe. Most of the men to use the Scorpio identity have been supervillains who have been affiliated with the Zodiac criminal cartel, and in this context were enemies of the Avengers and other superheroes.-Publication...

 (aka Jake Fury). The Defenders
Defenders (comics)
The Defenders is the name of a number of Marvel Comics superhero groups which are usually presented as a "non-team" of individualistic "outsiders," each known for following their own agendas...

 attacked the Theatre and Scorpio was forced to activated the LMD Zodiac prematurely. The Aries LMD rushed into battle but was hampered by his clumsiness and recklessness. During the battle Moon Knight
Moon Knight
Moon Knight is a fictional character, a mercenary-turned-superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character exists in the Marvel Universe and was created by Doug Moench and Don Perlin...

 and Nighthawk
Nighthawk (Marvel Comics)
Nighthawk is the name of several fictional characters that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. There have been five versions of the character: a supervillain-turned-superhero from the mainstream Marvel Universe continuity, Kyle Richmond, who belonged to the team Squadron Sinister;...

 were able to cause Aries to slam into a wall knocking it unconscious. The Aries LMD was taken into S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....

 custody following the battle.

Later, Aries and the rest of the LMD Zodiac, led by Quicksilver
Quicksilver (comics)
Quicksilver is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...

, battled the Avengers whom Quicksilver was attempting to frame for treason. During an underwater battle near Avengers Mansion with a team of the heroes, the Aries and Taurus
Taurus (comics)
Taurus is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Cornelius Van Lunt:Cornelius Van Lunt was a multimillionaire businessman, and professional criminal mastermind. He was also the founder and financer of the original Zodiac cartel, chose its eleven other leaders, and succeeded Marcus Lassiter,...

 LMDs were flung out into the river and apprehended by the authorities.

After being released from prison, Aries and the rest of the LMD Zodiac attacked and killed all the human Zodiac Cartel except for Cornelius Van Lunt (aka Taurus). Soon after the LMD Zodiac attempted to rob the Denver Mint, but were interrupted by the West Coast Avengers
West Coast Avengers
The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. The team first appear in The West Coast Avengers #1 and was created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall.- Publication history :...

. During the battle the Scorpio
Scorpio (comics)
Scorpio is the name of several fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe. Most of the men to use the Scorpio identity have been supervillains who have been affiliated with the Zodiac criminal cartel, and in this context were enemies of the Avengers and other superheroes.-Publication...

 LMD brought both the Zodiac and the Avengers to the Ankh Dimension, but this had the unwanted result of shutting down all the LMDs, leaving them immobile in that foreign dimension.

Fourth Aries

It is unknown who the person was who became this version of Aries or how he joined the Zodiac Cartel. He likely was invited by Cornelius Van Lunt as done previously. Taurus later the second Aquarius and this incarnation of Aries to kill Iron Man (James Rhodes)
War Machine
War Machine is a fictional character, a comic book superhero appearing in comic books set in the Marvel Comics universe. The character of James Rhodes first appeared in Iron Man #118 by David Michelinie, John Byrne and Bob Layton...

, but both failed. In their battle, Aries was defeated and turned over to the authorities.

Fifth Aries

It is unknown who the person is who became the fifth incarnation of Aries or how he became a member of the Zodiac Cartel. He was a member of the human Cartel who were killed by the LMD Zodiac.

(Comment: The fourth Aries was an African-American, while the fifth is shown as Caucasian. It is possible that the fourth and fifth incarnations are, in fact, the same person, but there was a coloring error in the issue in which the human Cartel were killed. See: West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #26.)

Sixth Aries

This incarnation of Aries was a product of genetic engineering recruited by Scorpio who was working for the Ecliptic
Ecliptic
The ecliptic is the plane of the earth's orbit around the sun. In more accurate terms, it is the intersection of the celestial sphere with the ecliptic plane, which is the geometric plane containing the mean orbit of the Earth around the Sun...

. This version of Zodiac was sent by Scorpio to steal the Nth Projector from Department H
Department H
Department H is a fictional organization in the Marvel Universe.-History:It is a branch of the Canadian Department of National Defence and is also responsible for the recruitment, provisioning, administration and deployment of Alpha Flight....

. During their mission they were attacked and defeated by Alpha Flight
Alpha Flight
Alpha Flight is a fictional superhero team published by Marvel Comics, noteworthy for being one of the few Canadian superhero teams. Created by John Byrne, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 ....

, but were able to escape.

Soon after, the Director of Weapon X
Weapon X
Weapon X is a fictional clandestine government genetic research facility project in the Marvel Universe conducted by the Canadian Government's Department K, which turns willing and unwilling beings into living weapons. The project often captures mutants and experiments on them to enhance their...

 sent a Weapon X team to the Zodiac's castle headquarters to retrieve Madison Jeffries
Madison Jeffries
Madison Jeffries is a fictional character, a mutant superhero in the . He first appears in Alpha Flight #16 and was created by John Byrne.- Publication history :...

 who had become one of the Zodiac's Gemini
Gemini (comics)
Gemini , in comics, may refer to:* Gemini , a member of the Zodiac in Marvel Comics* Gemini , the "daughter" of Brotherhood of Evil member Madame Rouge in DC Comics...

 twins. The Zodiac were defeated and Jeffries was recovered. The Zodiac were drained of their life energy by Sauron
Sauron (comics)
Sauron is a comic book character, a supervillain in Marvel Comics' main shared universe. An enemy of the X-Men, the character was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Neal Adams. He first fully appeared as Sauron in X-Men #60 ....

 and, after the creature had left, Weapon X blew up the castle leaving the Zodiac for dead.

Powers and abilities

The first wore a pair of ram's horns upon his head which he could use to ram opponents in battle. He briefly possessed the Zodiac Key, which he was able to use to channel energy blasts, and powered his ship's force field, which he used to surround all of Manhattan. The second also wore ram's horns upon his head, and would ram his opponents in battle. He often carried a Star-Blazer, a pistol which could fire energy blasts. While possessed by Lucifer
Lucifer (Marvel Comics)
Lucifer is the name of two unrelated comic book characters from Marvel Comics. One is an alien supervillain of the X-Men and the other is a villain of Ghost Rider and is referred to as the Prince of Darkness.-Lucifer :...

, his body was charged with ionic energy, granting him superhuman strength. The third possessed a pair of horns on its head, enhanced strength, and would attempt to ram its opponents in battle. In its most recent form, it also wore a suit of protective armor, and could project fire from its horns. As a LMD
Life Model Decoy
A Life Model Decoy is fictional android appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is designed to function as an exact body double for VIPs...

, it could also exist underwater. The fourth wore horns on his head which he could use to ram opponents. The fifth, as with all Aries, had horns on his head which he could use to ram opponents. The last possessed superhuman strength, had horns, wielded a gun, and used the Zodiac's teleportation.

First Aries

  • The Avengers
    Avengers (comics)
    The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...

    #72
  • The Avengers
    Avengers (comics)
    The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...

    #82

Second Aries

  • The Avengers
    Avengers (comics)
    The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...

    #120-122
  • Captain America
    Captain America
    Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...

    #177-178
  • Iron Man Annual '99
    Iron Man
    Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...

     (as corpse)

Third Aries

  • The Defenders
    Defenders (comics)
    The Defenders is the name of a number of Marvel Comics superhero groups which are usually presented as a "non-team" of individualistic "outsiders," each known for following their own agendas...

    #49-50
  • West Coast Avengers Annual
    West Coast Avengers
    The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. The team first appear in The West Coast Avengers #1 and was created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall.- Publication history :...

    #1
  • West Coast Avengers (vol. 2)
    West Coast Avengers
    The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. The team first appear in The West Coast Avengers #1 and was created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall.- Publication history :...

    #26-28

Sixth Aries

  • Alpha Flight (vol. 2)
    Alpha Flight
    Alpha Flight is a fictional superhero team published by Marvel Comics, noteworthy for being one of the few Canadian superhero teams. Created by John Byrne, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 ....

    #12
  • Weapon X (vol. 2)
    Weapon X
    Weapon X is a fictional clandestine government genetic research facility project in the Marvel Universe conducted by the Canadian Government's Department K, which turns willing and unwilling beings into living weapons. The project often captures mutants and experiments on them to enhance their...

    #1

Television

  • Aries appears in The Avengers: United They Stand
    The Avengers: United They Stand
    The Avengers: United They Stand is an animated series based on the Marvel Comics superhero team The Avengers. It consists of 13 episodes, which originally premiered on October 30, 1999, and was produced by Avi Arad and distributed by 20th Century Fox Television...

    , voiced by Tony Daniels
    Tony Daniels
    -Voice Acting Roles:-References:*...

    . He is a member of the Zodiacs and is depicted as a super-strong alien that wears a ram-horned helmet.
  • Aries appears in the Marvel Anime: Iron Man
    Marvel Anime
    Marvel Anime is a four-part anime project with collaborations from both Marvel Entertainment and Madhouse. The project took famous Marvel characters and reintroduced them for a Japanese audience in a 12-part series. The announcement was confirmed at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con...

    .
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