Leo (comics)
Encyclopedia
Leo is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe
.
#72 (January 1970), and was created by Roy Thomas
and Sal Buscema
.
The character subsequently appears in Avengers #120-123 (February-May 1974), Ghost Rider #7 (August 1974), Iron Man #184 (July 1984), and West Coast Avengers #26 (November 1987), in which he is killed.
Leo appeared as part of the "Zodiac" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition
#20.
, and his base of operations was Los Angeles, California
. The Zodiac Cartel was founded by Cornelius van Lunt
(Taurus), handpicking the eleven other members; van Lunt concealed his own identity, while he was the only one who knew the identities of the others. Each member was based in a different American city as part of his nationwide criminal network, with the ultimate goal of world economic and political domination.
The Zodiac was infiltrated by Nick Fury, posing as Scorpio; the Zodiac fought the Avengers
and escaped. Led by Taurus, the Zodiac later attempted to kill all Manhattan residents born under the sign of Gemini as a show of power, but were thwarted by the Avengers. Taurus's faction attempted to kill the Zodiac dissident faction, but all twelve leaders were captured by the Avengers. A new android version of the Zodiac later appeared, led by Scorpio in a new android body, massacred the human Zodiac, and took over their criminal operations.
created by Scorpio (Jacob Fury)
in his "Theatre Of Genetics" to be part of his Zodiac crime organization. Scorpio went after his brother, Nick Fury
, with his new group, but was defeated by Defenders
and Moon Knight
. The Zodiac LMD's were recruited by Quicksilver
during his bout with temporary insanity, and Quicksilver ordered the Zodiac LMD's to destroy Avengers
for their imagined wrong doings. The Avengers managed to defeat the group and most were remanded into federal custody.
He arranged the ambush in which the android Zodiac killed all of the remaining human Zodiac leaders except Cornelius van Lunt, alias Taurus
. Immediately afterward, Van Lunt sought out the services of the Avengers' West Coast branch to confront and defeat the android Zodiac. In their initial foray, the Avengers failed, although several androids were destroyed. A new Leo LMD helped the Zodiac gain an upper hand when the Avengers tracked the Zodiac to their refuge in Death Valley, California, but the first android Leo took offence at being replaced. He battled Scorpio directly, seemingly destroying him.
The Zodiac Key immediately resurrected the Scorpio LMD. Claiming superiority and believing that the Zodiac would eventually kill the Avengers as the androids could never be stopped, Scorpio wanted to use the Key to transport everyone on the scene to the Key's native dimension where the conflict, he believed, could be prolonged indefinitely. However, when the androids were in the other dimension, they ceased to function because each of them was aligned with a particular zodiacal energy, energy that did not exist in the other dimension. The Avengers found Hawkeye
and Tigra
had been sent to the same dimension and, reunited, the team was sent back to Earth by the Brotherhood. However, secretly the Brotherhood waited so that someday they could also send the Key to Earth again and create new conflicts for them.
alongside the second LMD of Sagittarius
, who looked exactly like Hawkeye. The Sagittarius LMD was discovered by Mockingbird
, who along with the help of this LMD version of Leo, was destroyed. Leo took part in destroying Sagittarius to maintain her cover. The real Tigra was sent to the Ankh dimension during this time. As the Zodiac LMD's had their final confrontation with West Coast Avengers
, it was revealed that the female Leo had infiltrated the group. The male Leo LMD became enraged and attacked Scorpio who had created the duplicate. He destroyed Scorpio only to have the Zodiac key put him back together.
Scorpio transported everyone to the Ankh dimension, hoping to gain an advantage. However, when the androids were in the other dimension, they ceased to function because each of them were aligned with a particular zodiacal energy, energy that did not exist in the other dimension. The Avengers found Hawkeye and Tigra had been sent to the same dimension and, reunited, the team was sent back to Earth by the Brotherhood. However, secretly the Brotherhood waited so that someday they could also send the Key to Earth again and create new conflicts for them.
and Aries
in the theft of Department H's super-organism. He was later killed with the rest of the Zodiac by Weapon X
.
The Android Leo has super human strength, agility, endurance, a set of razor sharp claws, enhanced hearing and vision.
The female Android Leo had the same abilities as Tigra.
The Ecliptic Leo possessed superhuman strength, besides using claws and fangs. He wielded a gun and a Zodiac teleportation device.
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...
.
Publication history
The original Leo first appeared in AvengersAvengers (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 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 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 #120-123 (February-May 1974), Ghost Rider #7 (August 1974), Iron Man #184 (July 1984), and West Coast Avengers #26 (November 1987), in which he is killed.
Leo 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.
Daniel Radford
Daniel Radford is a founding member of the ZodiacZodiac (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...
, and his base of operations was Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. The Zodiac Cartel was founded by Cornelius van Lunt
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,...
(Taurus), handpicking the eleven other members; van Lunt concealed his own identity, while he was the only one who knew the identities of the others. Each member was based in a different American city as part of his nationwide criminal network, with the ultimate goal of world economic and political domination.
The Zodiac was infiltrated by Nick Fury, posing as Scorpio; the Zodiac fought 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...
and escaped. Led by Taurus, the Zodiac later attempted to kill all Manhattan residents born under the sign of Gemini as a show of power, but were thwarted by the Avengers. Taurus's faction attempted to kill the Zodiac dissident faction, but all twelve leaders were captured by the Avengers. A new android version of the Zodiac later appeared, led by Scorpio in a new android body, massacred the human Zodiac, and took over their criminal operations.
Android Leo
An android Leo was a Life Model DecoyLife 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 Scorpio (Jacob 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...
in his "Theatre Of Genetics" to be part of his Zodiac crime organization. Scorpio went after his brother, 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...
, with his new group, but was defeated by 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...
and 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...
. The Zodiac LMD's were recruited 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...
during his bout with temporary insanity, and Quicksilver ordered the Zodiac LMD's to destroy 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...
for their imagined wrong doings. The Avengers managed to defeat the group and most were remanded into federal custody.
He arranged the ambush in which the android Zodiac killed all of the remaining human Zodiac leaders except Cornelius van Lunt, alias 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,...
. Immediately afterward, Van Lunt sought out the services of the Avengers' West Coast branch to confront and defeat the android Zodiac. In their initial foray, the Avengers failed, although several androids were destroyed. A new Leo LMD helped the Zodiac gain an upper hand when the Avengers tracked the Zodiac to their refuge in Death Valley, California, but the first android Leo took offence at being replaced. He battled Scorpio directly, seemingly destroying him.
The Zodiac Key immediately resurrected the Scorpio LMD. Claiming superiority and believing that the Zodiac would eventually kill the Avengers as the androids could never be stopped, Scorpio wanted to use the Key to transport everyone on the scene to the Key's native dimension where the conflict, he believed, could be prolonged indefinitely. However, when the androids were in the other dimension, they ceased to function because each of them was aligned with a particular zodiacal energy, energy that did not exist in the other dimension. The Avengers found Hawkeye
Hawkeye (comics)
Hawkeye , also known as Goliath and Ronin, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. Hawkeye joined the Avengers in Avengers Vol. 1 #16 Hawkeye...
and Tigra
Tigra
Tigra is a fictional American comic book superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe. Introduced as the non-superpowered crime fighter The Cat in Claws of the Cat #1 , she was co-created by writer-editor Roy Thomas, writer Linda Fite, and penciller Marie Severin...
had been sent to the same dimension and, reunited, the team was sent back to Earth by the Brotherhood. However, secretly the Brotherhood waited so that someday they could also send the Key to Earth again and create new conflicts for them.
Female android Leo
The female LMD version of Leo was created to look exactly like Tigra to infiltrate the West Coast AvengersWest 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 :...
alongside the second LMD of Sagittarius
Sagittarius (comics)
Sagittarius is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:The original Sagittarius first appeared in Avengers #72 , and was created by Roy Thomas and Sal Buscema....
, who looked exactly like Hawkeye. The Sagittarius LMD was discovered by Mockingbird
Mockingbird (Marvel Comics)
Mockingbird is a fictional character, a superhero in the who first appears in the Ka-Zar story in Astonishing Tales #6 written by Gerry Conway and pencilled by Barry Smith...
, who along with the help of this LMD version of Leo, was destroyed. Leo took part in destroying Sagittarius to maintain her cover. The real Tigra was sent to the Ankh dimension during this time. As the Zodiac LMD's had their final confrontation with 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 :...
, it was revealed that the female Leo had infiltrated the group. The male Leo LMD became enraged and attacked Scorpio who had created the duplicate. He destroyed Scorpio only to have the Zodiac key put him back together.
Scorpio transported everyone to the Ankh dimension, hoping to gain an advantage. However, when the androids were in the other dimension, they ceased to function because each of them were aligned with a particular zodiacal energy, energy that did not exist in the other dimension. The Avengers found Hawkeye and Tigra had been sent to the same dimension and, reunited, the team was sent back to Earth by the Brotherhood. However, secretly the Brotherhood waited so that someday they could also send the Key to Earth again and create new conflicts for them.
Ecliptic Leo
Ecliptic Leo was a later addition to the Zodiac who resembled a humanoid lion. As mean, nasty, and brutal as the other Zodiac man-animals, Leo was also a boastful braggart, openly talking of the group’s plans. He accompanied CapricornCapricorn (comics)
Capricorn is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:The original Capricorn first appeared in Avengers #72 , and was created by Roy Thomas and Sal Buscema....
and Aries
Aries (comics)
The various incarnations of Aries are Marvel Comics supervillains who were members of various incarnations of the supervillain group, the Zodiac....
in the theft of Department H's super-organism. He was later killed with the rest of the Zodiac by 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...
.
Powers and abilities
Leo wore a lion-skin costume equipped with claws on his costume's "paws" as weapons.The Android Leo has super human strength, agility, endurance, a set of razor sharp claws, enhanced hearing and vision.
The female Android Leo had the same abilities as Tigra.
The Ecliptic Leo possessed superhuman strength, besides using claws and fangs. He wielded a gun and a Zodiac teleportation device.
Television
- Leo (alongside the other Zodiac members) appears in The Avengers: United They StandThe Avengers: United They StandThe 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...
. He is depicted as a lion-like alien.