Ani-Men
The Ani-Men are a team of zoologically themed criminals formed by the Organizer in 1965. Each has some sort of skill thematically related to their animal persona, along with an uncanny costume to match. The Ani-Men had no particular ideological connection or loyalty to the Organizer, and were quick to detach themselves from him when arrested. All four are currently in police custody after Daredevil brought down the Organizer's operation.
History
The plot of the Organizer
The Ani-Men were formed from a number of experienced criminals with varying skill sets. The Organizer, secretly New York City Reform Party mayoral candidate Jonas Abner, wanted to discredit the existing administration as a means of facilitating his own path to victory, but his identity and motives remained a secret to the Ani-Men. Organizer provided them with animal aliases and costumes to match their skills. Cat-Man (Townshend Horgan)[1] was a skilled infiltrator whom Organizer granted infrared goggles and electronic "blackout" bombs. Cat-Man broke Gordon "Monk" Keefer out of a federal prison, and Organizer granted him the moniker of Ape-Man to go with his natural strength and climbing ability. Francois "Frog" LeBlanc was a former Navy SEAL who left the military under shady circumstances, and had been on the run from the government ever since: Organizer convinced him to join the team by essentially blackmailing him and threatening to reveal his location. The newly christened Frog-Man wore an appropriately amphibious suit to complement his military training. Henry Hawk, a small-time gambling racketeer, was recruited and granted a winged suit and the title of Bird-Man. The four conducted various crimes on the Organizer's orders in an attempt to grant him an easy win in the mayoral race by hampering and discrediting his incumbent opponent. These efforts were countered by the hero Daredevil, who managed to defeat Cat-Man in combat and give him to the police. The Organizer ordered Ape-Man to kill Cat-Man while he was in custody, and he reluctantly accepted, but Daredevil intercepted him before he could do so.[2] Daredevil went on to ally himself with Deborah Harris, a woman associated with the Organizer who was growing uncomfortable with his increasingly extreme tactics, culminating with his proposed assassination of the mayor. He used her double-cross to get one over on Frog-Man, bringing him to the police as well. Daredevil went on to expose Abner Jonas as the Organizer using video evidence, sending him along with the rest of the Ani-Men to prison.[3]
References
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Hardcover #8 (October 2008). Christiansen, Jeff (ed).
- ↑ Daredevil #10: "While the City Sleeps!" (October 1965) Wood, Wallace (w, art), Powell, Bob (art), Simek, Artie (let), Lee, Stan (ed).
- ↑ Daredevil #11: "A Time to Unmask!" (December 1965) Lee, Stan (w), Powell, Bob (p), Wood, Wallace (i), Rosen, Sam (let).