Fictional team history
First Zodiac (human)
The original Zodiac group debuts in the title Avengers [3] and is established as a criminal organization founded and funded by member Cornelius van Lunt (who adopts the identity of Taurus). The group's identity is based on the Western zodiac from astrology, with each member adopting the persona of a sign of the zodiac, being twelve in all. The group members share leadership of the organization, with the position rotating just as the astrological zodiac changes. When not united as a group, the members of Zodiac are all based in different cities throughout the United States. Dedicated to economic and political domination of the world, the group uses any means to accomplish this, including subversion; extortion and mass murder.
Lone member Scorpio is the first member to debut in the Marvel Universe, first appearing in the title Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. [4] The character acquires a sentient extradimensional (from the Ankh dimension) artifact called the Zodiac Key, and attempts to assassinate S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury. The encounter ends with Scorpio apparently dying from a gunshot wound. The character reappears in the same title, and attempts to kill Fury once again, before being driven off by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. [5] It is eventually revealed that this was still the original villain, but resurrected in a Life Model Decoy body by the Zodiac Key.
Scorpio appears in the title Avengers and, after capturing the Avengers, reveals to the heroes the entire Zodiac. At this time Aries is team leader, and takes control of the Zodiac Key and acknowledges that Scorpio has redeemed himself for failing to kill Nick Fury. The Avengers are freed by fellow members Yellowjacket and the Wasp, and Scorpio is revealed to be Nick Fury in disguise. The villains flee, and Fury reveals that after learning that the original Scorpio was his brother, Jake Fury, he adopted the identity to draw out the other Zodiac members. [3]
The Zodiac reappear in Avengers, with member Taurus attempting to extort local farmers for their land. Several Avengers, aided by the hero Red Wolf, prevent this and defeat Taurus. [6] The title Daredevil features a plan by Zodiac (who are not revealed as the instigators until reappearing in Avengers) to cause civil unrest by inciting a street gang to violence in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The plan is stopped by Daredevil and Avenger the Black Panther, [7] with the two characters then featuring in title Avengers with the rest of the team to prevent a full-scale attack by Zodiac on Manhattan. Aries is killed when the Thunder God Thor destroys the character's escape craft. [8]
Zodiac, now splintered, operate independently. Aquarius, Capricorn, and Sagittarius attempt to destroy Stark Industries by contracting assassin the Spymaster to kill Tony Stark, the alter ego of Iron Man. [9] The attempt fails, and the Spymaster is contracted to capture Daredevil in revenge for his past interference. The Spymaster succeeds, and also captures mercenary Madame Masque. [10] The Zodiac members then use the Zodiac Key to capture Nick Fury and Iron Man, and take all four captives to the Ankh dimension, where they hope to recharge the artifact. This plan fails, and the heroes defeat and capture the Zodiac members, although the Spymaster escapes. [11] Member Gemini features in the Savage in the City storyline in the title Astonishing Tales [12] and allies with villain the Plunderer in an attempt to steal the Super Soldier Formula (the same serum that empowers the character Captain America), but is defeated by the jungle hero Ka-Zar.
In the title Avengers, van Lunt reunites the Zodiac (including recruiting a new Aries), and together they plan to attack New York City with a weapon called the Star Blazer. The group encounter the Avengers once again and after a near defeat, Aries attempts to stage a coup and take power from Taurus. Aided by Zodiac member Libra, the Avengers successfully capture the other 11 members of the Zodiac. The character Libra reveals he only aided the heroes because Avenger Mantis is his daughter. [13] The Avengers use, with van Lunt's cooperation, the Star Blazer against an alien threat. [14]
Zodiac member Aquarius appears in the third volume of the title Ghost Rider , [15] and after learning he has cancer attempts to make a bargain with a demon to save himself. Aquarius then attempts to take revenge on van Lunt, but the character's soul is claimed before he can do so. The second Aries makes a brief appearance in the title Captain America , and is used and killed by the alien invader Lucifer. [16] Scorpio reappears in the title Defenders , and retrieves the Zodiac Key. After creating an android version of the Zodiac, Scorpio kidnaps the hero Nighthawk, hoping to ransom the character as his alter ego is Kyle Richmond, a wealthy entrepreneur. Nighthawk's teammates, the Defenders track Scorpio and encounter the android Zodiac. Discovering that three of his created Zodiac did not survive the process, a distraught Scorpio commits suicide. [17] Taurus reappears in the title Iron Man, and orders the second Aquarius and third Aries to kill Iron Man (James Rhodes), but both are defeated and incarcerated. S.H.I.E.L.D are advised and begin to track van Lunt. [18]
Second Zodiac (android)
An android version of the Zodiac first appeared in The Defenders #49 (July 1977). This android Zodiac features in the first The West Coast Avengers Annual , and are employed by former Avenger Quicksilver (under the control of the villain Maximus) to battle the Avengers; four of them battle the East Coast Avengers in Avengers Mansion, four of them battle the Avengers in a circus where Quicksilver had his first mission with the team, and four of them battle a makeshift team of Thor, Black Widow, Black Panther, Falcon, and James Rhodes in the Australian base where Quicksilver was once missing and presumed dead. [19] The origin of this version of the Zodiac is revealed in the second volume of the title West Coast Avengers. Scorpio is resurrected in android form by the Zodiac Key once again and summons the remainder of the human Zodiac to a meeting, at which they are slaughtered by another android version of the entire group. Taurus escapes and seeks the protection of the West Coast Avengers, who have a series of skirmishes with the androids until the false Zodiac are transported to the Ankh dimension, where they are deactivated. Taurus, who had vowed to surrender to the authorities once the threat was over, attempted to escape and was killed in a plane crash during a struggle with Avenger Moon Knight. [20] The limited series Avengers Forever reveals that Libra also escaped the massacre. [21]
Third Zodiac (human)
A third, human version of the Zodiac briefly feature in the second volume of the title Alpha Flight. Their leader also calls himself Scorpio, and wields a weapon reminiscent of the original Zodiac Key. Hired by Department H, a division of the Canadian military, to test Alpha Flight in battle, the group is murdered by mutant task force Weapon X. [22]
Fourth Zodiac
Several members of a mysterious fourth version of the Zodiac are mentioned in the title Young Avengers [23] and appear in the fourth volume of the title New Warriors , and skirmish with heroes from the Initiative and New Warriors. Zodiac member Cancer murders New Warrior Longstrike. [24] The villain Zodiac claims to have murdered all the members of this group and made their heads into hunting trophies. [25]
Thanos' Zodiac
Thanos returns from the dead and forms his own incarnation of the Zodiac. In a plot to rule Earth, he had special suits made for the ambitious people that want to rule the world with one of them being Hood's cousin John King who became Cancer. [26] When Thanos abandoned his Zodiac on the self-destructing Helicarrier, John King was the only one who survived and was interrogated about Thanos' plot. According to Captain America about the identity of some of the Zodiac members when he interrogated King and mentioned that this Zodiac consisted of lackeys, he mentioned one of the Zodiac members was a former bodyguard of Kingpin, another Zodiac member formerly worked for Mandarin, and another was a Hydra agent. Though it wasn't stated which member operated as the different Zodiac members. [27]
Zodiac Sects
In "All-New, All-Different Marvel", a new incarnation of the Zodiac appears. This version has their Sects named after their Zodiac symbol. Each of their sects overseen by Scorpio ended up fighting Spider-Man and Mockingbird. Following one of the fights, Spider-Man finds the Zodiac Key is held in the apartment of a man named Mr. Jacobs alongside his Scorpio gear. [28]
When the planets that are shown in the Zodiac Grand Orrery come into alignment, Scorpio travels back to his base in France and transforms several people into members of Zodiac. Spider-Man and his allies arrive to stop Scorpio. When Scorpio steps into the door, he sees the events of the next year: the emergence of the Skyspear, Norman Osborn's latest activity, Regent's plot, the "New U" device, Doctor Octopus' return, another superhuman civil war, and the rise of the monsters. Catching Scorpio off guard, Spider-Man punches Scorpio into the doorway and locks it up. Spider-Man suspects that Scorpio has been teleported one year into the future, giving S.H.I.E.L.D. time to prepare for his return. [29]
Solo Zodiac
A solo character called Zodiac stars in a self-titled limited series as part of the Dark Reign storyline. The character is obsessed with dominating the criminal underworld. He ends up gaining allies in the Clown, Death Reaper, Manslaughter Marsdale, and Trapster. After they commit mass murder on 100 H.A.M.M.E.R. Agents, Zodiac eventually retrieves the Zodiac Key from S.H.I.E.L.D. [30]
Zodiac later makes plans for a series of impressive-sounding schemes to put into motion in the near future. [31]
It is later revealed that Zodiac was the mysterious benefactor of the Young Masters. When Egghead is the only one that has not left the group, Zodiac recruits him into his villain army. [32]
Great Wheel of Zodiac
A short-lived Zodiac team known as The Great Wheel was revealed to have existed back in 1961. The team was formed by a time traveling Leonardo da Vinci who takes on the Aries mantle. He recruits members that fill out different nations and organizations with the intent to perform certain missions in exchange for special acquirements that could be used for their personal battles. The rest of the Zodiac members consisted of Cornelius Van Lunt (Taurus), Nick Fury (Gemini), Jake Fury (Scorpio), Dum Dum Dugan (Libra), John Garrett (Aquarius), Daniel Whitehall (Leo), Wolfgang von Strucker (Sagittarius), Thomas Davidson (Virgo), Shoji Soma (Pisces), Vasili Dassaiev (Capricorn), and Viktor Uvarov (Cancer). After completing their missions and collecting the items needed, Dassaiev and Uvarov betrayed the members and stole them to enhance themselves. These events would lead into the creation of both Hydra and Leviathan and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s creation of the Life Model Decoys. [33]
