Supervillain Origins: Rhino
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VOICE OVER: David
Aleksei Sytsevich was once a poor Russian immigrant who was desperate to bring his family to the United States. Because of this, he worked as a thug for criminal organizations, and even allowed himself to be experimented on to create an unstoppable henchman. Grafted with a super strong polymer which granted him augmented strength and speed, his powers were modeled on the abilities of a Rhinoceros. Soon going rogue, he decided to sell his services to the highest bidder, and would often be confronted by Spider-Man. Join http://www.WatchMojo.com as we will explore the comic book origins of the Rhino.
Supervillain Origins: Rhino
Despite his massive strength, this horned villain has become well known as the dimmest adversary of both Spider-man and the Incredible Hulk. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we will explore the comic book origins of the Rhino.
As with most comic book characters, there are often re-imaginings and different versions to a character’s past. We have chosen to primarily follow the storyline that unfolded in 1963’s “The Amazing Spider-Man” #41-43, and was expanded upon in The Incredible Hulk #102 (1968).
Aleksei Sytsevich was once a poor Russian immigrant with no education or skills. Desperate to gather the money he needed to bring his family to the United States, he quickly became a common thug and enforcer for various criminal organizations. Because of this, he allowed himself to be given intensive sub-hypnotic training, before volunteering as a test subject in a criminal experiment to create an unstoppable henchman.
Selected due to his naturally large size, and the belief that his low intelligence would keep him obedient, Aleksei was injected with various chemical substances, and had a super strong polymer bonded to his skin. This provided him with augmented strength and speed, granting him the powers of a Rhinoceros. With his suit shaped accordingly, Aleksei was directed to kidnap Colonel John Jameson, son of the owner of the Daily Bugle, in order to discover military secrets.
However, the Rhino soon rebelled against his employer as he realized that he no longer needed to work for others. Instead, he could use his powers to capture and sell Jameson on his own to the highest bidder.
Facing off against Spider-Man, Rhino easily overpowered the web slinger with his reliance on brute force. However, the crafty hero quickly identified the Rhino’s primary weakness, that he would charge in one direction without the ability to change course.
Defeated and sent to a special state correctional hospital, Rhino was kept under heavy sedation until he broke free and sought revenge on Spider-Man.
This time, Spider-Man devised a more permanent solution and created a special acid fluid that would dissolve Rhino’s hide, leaving him without any impact resistance. Defeated yet again, Rhino was recaptured, tried and convicted, before serving a commuted sentence.
Upon his release, the same scientists that he betrayed sought him out and offered to restore his powers using gamma radiation. Also adding an acid resistant coating to his suit, Rhino was made twice as strong as he once was and asked to capture Dr. Bruce Banner, an expert on gamma rays. Accepting the proposition, the task proved difficult due to Banner having transformed into The Incredible Hulk.
Failing his mission, and his family having learned what he had become, Rhino returned to New York with the desire to rid himself of the suit. Unable to do so, he joined forces with other criminals, even becoming a member of the Sinister Syndicate. With the help of these other super villains, he repeatedly took on Spider-Man, who continued to stand in his way of stealing enough cash to buy a cure for his augmentations.
A longtime adversary of Spider-Man, Rhino has appeared in countless comics and cartoon episodes over the years, remaining a fan favorite due to his reliance of brawn over brain.
Despite his massive strength, this horned villain has become well known as the dimmest adversary of both Spider-man and the Incredible Hulk. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we will explore the comic book origins of the Rhino.
As with most comic book characters, there are often re-imaginings and different versions to a character’s past. We have chosen to primarily follow the storyline that unfolded in 1963’s “The Amazing Spider-Man” #41-43, and was expanded upon in The Incredible Hulk #102 (1968).
Aleksei Sytsevich was once a poor Russian immigrant with no education or skills. Desperate to gather the money he needed to bring his family to the United States, he quickly became a common thug and enforcer for various criminal organizations. Because of this, he allowed himself to be given intensive sub-hypnotic training, before volunteering as a test subject in a criminal experiment to create an unstoppable henchman.
Selected due to his naturally large size, and the belief that his low intelligence would keep him obedient, Aleksei was injected with various chemical substances, and had a super strong polymer bonded to his skin. This provided him with augmented strength and speed, granting him the powers of a Rhinoceros. With his suit shaped accordingly, Aleksei was directed to kidnap Colonel John Jameson, son of the owner of the Daily Bugle, in order to discover military secrets.
However, the Rhino soon rebelled against his employer as he realized that he no longer needed to work for others. Instead, he could use his powers to capture and sell Jameson on his own to the highest bidder.
Facing off against Spider-Man, Rhino easily overpowered the web slinger with his reliance on brute force. However, the crafty hero quickly identified the Rhino’s primary weakness, that he would charge in one direction without the ability to change course.
Defeated and sent to a special state correctional hospital, Rhino was kept under heavy sedation until he broke free and sought revenge on Spider-Man.
This time, Spider-Man devised a more permanent solution and created a special acid fluid that would dissolve Rhino’s hide, leaving him without any impact resistance. Defeated yet again, Rhino was recaptured, tried and convicted, before serving a commuted sentence.
Upon his release, the same scientists that he betrayed sought him out and offered to restore his powers using gamma radiation. Also adding an acid resistant coating to his suit, Rhino was made twice as strong as he once was and asked to capture Dr. Bruce Banner, an expert on gamma rays. Accepting the proposition, the task proved difficult due to Banner having transformed into The Incredible Hulk.
Failing his mission, and his family having learned what he had become, Rhino returned to New York with the desire to rid himself of the suit. Unable to do so, he joined forces with other criminals, even becoming a member of the Sinister Syndicate. With the help of these other super villains, he repeatedly took on Spider-Man, who continued to stand in his way of stealing enough cash to buy a cure for his augmentations.
A longtime adversary of Spider-Man, Rhino has appeared in countless comics and cartoon episodes over the years, remaining a fan favorite due to his reliance of brawn over brain.
