Goldbug (comics)
Encyclopedia
Goldbug is a fictional character
, a supervillain
appearing in the Marvel Universe
.
to prevent a shipment of gold from being stolen by the Goldbug. "Smith" then donned the Goldbug costume, stole the gold, and attempted to pin the crime on Cage and Thunderbolt. Cage and Thunderbolt recovered the gold and cleared their names, but Goldbug escaped.
Later, the Goldbug was revealed to be an unwitting pawn of They Who Wield Power, including the Hulk's foe Tyrannus
, and set out to capture the Hulk
. Goldbug kidnapped the Hulk to power his technology and set out to find the city of El Dorado
, the legendary "city of gold." The Hulk broke free and escaped, causing the Bugship to crash. They nevertheless arrived in El Dorado, with the Hulk dragging the unconscious Goldbug to El Dorado. There, Goldbug planned to kill the Hulk, but one of the members of They Who Wield Power revealed himself to be Tyrannus, who killed the other two members of They. Goldbug learned that he was Tyrannus's pawn, and Goldbug and the Hulk both turned on Tyrannus but were captured. Goldbug freed the Hulk from captivity to battle Tyrannus, and they used El Dorado's technology against him. Tyrannus was teleported into space. The Hulk and Goldbug were teleported to New York, where Goldbug was apprehended by the Heroes for Hire
: Luke Cage and Iron Fist.
Goldbug was next hired by the Maggia
to steal some gold from an Empire State University
laboratory. He did so, not realizing that the gold had been exposed to radiation during experiments at the university, and that he had thereby contracted radiation poisoning. He battled Spider-Man
, but when Spider-Man revealed the gold's radioactivity, the Maggia turned on Goldbug, who fell into the river and disappeared.
Goldbug next appeared undergoing treatments for his radiation poisoning. He appeared with a submarine version of his ship, seeking out the sunken remains of an office building that had been transformed into solid gold by the Beyonder
during Secret Wars II
. He was thwarted by Namor the Sub-Mariner
, but managed to escape capture.
that had been organized by Nick Fury
against Latveria
. Goldbug was among the supervillains who had been supplied with enhanced technology by Latverian dictator Lucia von Bardos and sent to attack the heroes who had been involved in Fury's Secret War. The villains' technologies were then hijacked by von Bardos, supplying her with power, potentially at the cost of the villains' lives, but the assembled heroes defeated von Bardos and apprehended Goldbug and the others.
event, Goldbug wanted to leave the country. He contacted Vienna
to make him a new fake identity, but he did not know Vienna was secretly working for the new Heroes for Hire
, who later apprehended Goldbug and several other super-villains. When Goldbug and the Plunderer
were brought to Captain America
's Secret Avengers by Diamondback
, the Punisher
shot both of them dead, saying that they were "thieves and killers".
, working from designs created or stolen by the Goldbug. He wears steel mesh armor coated with gold foil, which contains an electrically powered exoskeleton that amplifies Goldbug's strength. A wafer-thin parachute is sewn inside the costume. He uses a "Gold-gun" that shoots gold dust that hardens on contact. He also uses an aqua regia solution to dissolve metals.
Goldbug uses a jet-propelled hovercraft ("bugship") with gold plating and magna-drive engines, equipped with laser weaponry, radar scanners, and suction cups for scooping up gold. He also has a submarine with gold plating, equipped with laser weaponry, titanium grapplers, cloaking devices, and depth charges.
He later obtained a suit of powered armor from the Latveria
n dictator Lucia Von Bardos.
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...
, a 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...
appearing in 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...
.
Fictional character biography
Goldbug is a gold-obsessed, technologically-powered professional thief. In his first appearance, Goldbug, using the false identity of "Jack Smith", hired Power ManLuke Cage
Luke Cage is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Archie Goodwin and artist John Romita, Sr., he first appeared in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1...
to prevent a shipment of gold from being stolen by the Goldbug. "Smith" then donned the Goldbug costume, stole the gold, and attempted to pin the crime on Cage and Thunderbolt. Cage and Thunderbolt recovered the gold and cleared their names, but Goldbug escaped.
Later, the Goldbug was revealed to be an unwitting pawn of They Who Wield Power, including the Hulk's foe Tyrannus
Tyrannus (comics)
Tyrannus is an immortal supervillain in the Marvel Universe. He first appeared in Incredible Hulk vol. 1 #5 , and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
, and set out to capture the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
. Goldbug kidnapped the Hulk to power his technology and set out to find the city of El Dorado
El Dorado
El Dorado is the name of a Muisca tribal chief who covered himself with gold dust and, as an initiation rite, dived into a highland lake.Later it became the name of a legendary "Lost City of Gold" that has fascinated – and so far eluded – explorers since the days of the Spanish Conquistadors...
, the legendary "city of gold." The Hulk broke free and escaped, causing the Bugship to crash. They nevertheless arrived in El Dorado, with the Hulk dragging the unconscious Goldbug to El Dorado. There, Goldbug planned to kill the Hulk, but one of the members of They Who Wield Power revealed himself to be Tyrannus, who killed the other two members of They. Goldbug learned that he was Tyrannus's pawn, and Goldbug and the Hulk both turned on Tyrannus but were captured. Goldbug freed the Hulk from captivity to battle Tyrannus, and they used El Dorado's technology against him. Tyrannus was teleported into space. The Hulk and Goldbug were teleported to New York, where Goldbug was apprehended by the Heroes for Hire
Heroes For Hire
Heroes for Hire is a fictional superhero team published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in Power Man and Iron Fist #54 , and was created by Ed Hannigan and Lee Elias.-Publication history and original concept:...
: Luke Cage and Iron Fist.
Goldbug was next hired by the Maggia
Maggia (comics)
The Maggia is a fictional international crime syndicate that has appeared in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The organization exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe...
to steal some gold from an Empire State University
Empire State University
Empire State University is a fictional university in the Marvel Comics Universe, a mixture of New York University and Columbia University . It is located somewhere in New York City, in Greenwich Village near the site of New York University...
laboratory. He did so, not realizing that the gold had been exposed to radiation during experiments at the university, and that he had thereby contracted radiation poisoning. He battled Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, but when Spider-Man revealed the gold's radioactivity, the Maggia turned on Goldbug, who fell into the river and disappeared.
Goldbug next appeared undergoing treatments for his radiation poisoning. He appeared with a submarine version of his ship, seeking out the sunken remains of an office building that had been transformed into solid gold by the Beyonder
Beyonder
The Beyonder is a fictional character in . Created by Jim Shooter and Mike Zeck, the immensely powerful Beyonder first appeared in Secret Wars vol. 1 #1 as an unseen force. He reappears in Secret Wars II #1 , which was created by Jim Shooter and Al Milgrom.-Publication history:The Beyonder was a...
during Secret Wars II
Secret Wars II
Secret Wars II is a nine-issue comic book limited series and crossover published from 1985 to 1986 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Marvel's then Editor-in-chief Jim Shooter and primarily pencilled by Al Milgrom....
. He was thwarted by Namor the Sub-Mariner
Namor the Sub-Mariner
Namor the Sub-Mariner is a fictional comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe, and one of the first superheroes, debuting in Spring 1939. The character was created by writer-artist Bill Everett for Funnies Inc., one of the first "packagers" in the early days of comic books that supplied...
, but managed to escape capture.
Secret War
Goldbug reappeared during the aftermath of the Secret WarSecret War (comics)
Secret War is a five-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics. The series is written by Brian Michael Bendis and painted by Gabriele Dell'Otto...
that had been organized by 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...
against Latveria
Latveria
Latveria is a nation in the . It is an isolated European country ruled by the supervillain Doctor Doom, supposedly located in the Banat region. It is surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains, and also borders the Symkaria to the south. Its capital is Doomstadt.-Publication history:Latveria first...
. Goldbug was among the supervillains who had been supplied with enhanced technology by Latverian dictator Lucia von Bardos and sent to attack the heroes who had been involved in Fury's Secret War. The villains' technologies were then hijacked by von Bardos, supplying her with power, potentially at the cost of the villains' lives, but the assembled heroes defeated von Bardos and apprehended Goldbug and the others.
Civil War
Later, when the Superhuman Registration Act was announced during the Civil WarCivil War (comics)
Civil War is a 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover storyline built around a self-titled seven-issue limited series written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, which ran through various other titles published by Marvel at the time...
event, Goldbug wanted to leave the country. He contacted Vienna
Vienna (comics)
Vienna is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics' Marvel Universe.-Fictional character biography:Vienna first appeared as a stewardess on a plane that Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung-Fu, was on. Shang-Chi was being threatened by a man named Kiley and Vienna helped him defend himself...
to make him a new fake identity, but he did not know Vienna was secretly working for the new Heroes for Hire
Heroes For Hire
Heroes for Hire is a fictional superhero team published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in Power Man and Iron Fist #54 , and was created by Ed Hannigan and Lee Elias.-Publication history and original concept:...
, who later apprehended Goldbug and several other super-villains. When Goldbug and the Plunderer
Plunderer
The Plunderer is a fictional character, owned by Marvel Comics who exists in that company's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:...
were brought to 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...
's Secret Avengers by Diamondback
Diamondback (comics)
Diamondback is the name of four fictional characters appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Diamondback first appeared in Captain America #310 , written by Mark Gruenwald and illustrated by Paul Neary.-Willis Stryker:The first Diamondback was a foe of Luke Cage...
, the Punisher
Punisher
The Punisher is a fictional character, an anti-hero appearing in comic books based in the . Created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita, Sr., and Ross Andru, the character made its first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 .The Punisher is a vigilante who employs murder,...
shot both of them dead, saying that they were "thieves and killers".
Powers and abilities
Goldbug uses gold as a weapon and as a motif. He is a talented inventor and criminal strategist with a gifted intellect. He uses a variety of paraphernalia created by the TinkererTinkerer
The Tinkerer is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in comic books set in the Marvel Comics Universe...
, working from designs created or stolen by the Goldbug. He wears steel mesh armor coated with gold foil, which contains an electrically powered exoskeleton that amplifies Goldbug's strength. A wafer-thin parachute is sewn inside the costume. He uses a "Gold-gun" that shoots gold dust that hardens on contact. He also uses an aqua regia solution to dissolve metals.
Goldbug uses a jet-propelled hovercraft ("bugship") with gold plating and magna-drive engines, equipped with laser weaponry, radar scanners, and suction cups for scooping up gold. He also has a submarine with gold plating, equipped with laser weaponry, titanium grapplers, cloaking devices, and depth charges.
He later obtained a suit of powered armor from the Latveria
Latveria
Latveria is a nation in the . It is an isolated European country ruled by the supervillain Doctor Doom, supposedly located in the Banat region. It is surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains, and also borders the Symkaria to the south. Its capital is Doomstadt.-Publication history:Latveria first...
n dictator Lucia Von Bardos.