Anton Miguel Rodriquez (Earth-616)

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Tarantula
Name	Anton Miguel Rodriquez
Current Alias	Tarantula
Aliases	Nicknames: Taranty, Tarry Other Aliases: Anton Miguel Rodriques, El Tarántula, Mr. Valdez
Affiliation and Relationships
Affiliation	The Savage Six, agent of the Brand Corporation Formerly the Delvadian Army; former ally of the Jackal, Señor Muerte, Kraven the Hunter, and Lightmaster
Relatives	Siblings: Hidalgo Rodríquez (brother) Children: Jacinda Rodríquez (daughter)
Marital Status	Single
Physical Characteristics
Gender	Male
Height	6′1″ (1.85 m)
Weight	185 lbs (83.91 kg)
Eyes	Irises: Brown
Hair	Black
Unusual Features	Before he died, the Tarantula mutated into a giant talking spider.
Origin and Living Status
Origin	Human
Living Status	Alive; formerly deceased
Reality	Earth-616
Place of Birth	Santa Maria, Delvadia, South America
Personal Information
Identity	Public
Citizenship	Delvadian
Occupation	Professional criminal; former smuggler, government operative, revolutionary terrorist
Base of Operations	New York City, New York Formerly Miami Beach, Florida; Delvadia
Creators and Appearances
Creators	Gerry Conway, Ross Andru
First	Amazing Spider-Man #134 (April, 1974)
First	Amazing Spider-Man #134 (April, 1974)

History

Anton Miguel Rodriquez was a revolutionary in the South American country of Delvadia fighting to overthrow the fascist government. He and his fellow freedom fighters employed such tactics as bombings, kidnapping politicians for ransom, and assassinations. Rodriquez was finally expelled from his group after he murdered a security guard in cold blood during a bank robbery.

The Delvadian government took notice of Rodriquez, however, and gave him a new mission and the identity of the Tarantula, a government-backed costumed agent; in effect, a fascist version of Captain America. He was used against his former allies in assignments that he especially enjoyed. Rodriquez's violent streak eventually got the better of him when he killed a guard who would not allow him to beat a captured revolutionary. Disavowed by the Delvadian government, the Tarantula fled South America and began living in New York illegally. He soon began to integrate himself into the city's criminal underworld. For his first big score the Tarantula, along with his two henchmen Hidalgo (his brother) and Juan, hijacked a Hudson River dayliner in order to rob the passengers and hold them for ransom. Spider-Man, with help from the Punisher, managed to foil the Tarantula's plan and capture him.

The Taratula in his mutated spider form

The Tarantula then became a mercenary, later allying himself with both the Jackal and Señor Muerte. He was also hired, along with Kraven the Hunter, by Edward Lansky (a.k.a. Lightmaster) to stage his own kidnapping as well as kill Mayor Abraham Beame, and attempted to either abduct or murder "Nose" Norton. He was, however, unsuccessful in all of these ventures. The Brand Corporation approached the Tarantula with an offer to give him spider powers in order to have his revenge on Spider-Man, to which the Tarantula agreed. However, the Will O' The Wisp, seeing revenge against the Brand Corporation for his own transformation, damaged various electronics during the process. The altered transformation turned the Tarantula into a spider-like being, granting him four extra appendages and super-human strength. Surviving a fight with the Will O' The Wisp, he confronted both him and Spider-Man, having mutated further and starting to lose his humanity, seeing James Melvin as food. His mutation grew further until he became a huge talking spider, losing almost all of his humanity. In horror, the Tarantula threw himself off of a rooftop and let NYPD officers shoot him, causing him to die on the street below.

The Tarantula's cloned body breaking down

Several years after his death, the Tarantula was among the many of Spider-Man's deceased foes who were brought back to life by Spider-Man's clone Ben Reilly, who was acting as the new Jackal, as an incentive to convince Spider-Man to join his enterprise. When the Jackal's ally, Doctor Octopus, turned against him and set off the decay of the bodies of his subjects, the Tarantula's body started breaking down. While many of the people that the Jackal had cloned back to life did not survive the decay before Spider-Man put a halt to it, others did manage to survive, the Tarantula included.

When Kraven the Hunter contracted the Taskmaster and the Black Ant to capture animal-themed villains for the Great Hunt, the Tarantula was one of the first, being forcefully introduced as a member of the new Savage Six. After the Great Hunt, the Tarantula was forced by the Vulture to continue being a member of the team.

Attributes

Power Grid

Powers

Former Powers

• Spider Form: In his human form, the Tarantula had no super-human powers. In his mutated spider form, the Tarantula gained several superhuman abilities. He had four additional clawed legs and a spider-like face with sharp chelicerae at the sides of his mouth and compound eyes.
  • Superhuman Strength: In his mutated spider form, the Tarantula could lift around 10 tons.
  • Superhuman Speed
  • Superhuman Durability
  • Web-Spinning: In his mutated spider form, the Tarantula could spin webs from his abdomen.

Abilities

• Skilled Fighter: In his human form, the Tarantula was a brilliant athlete with great agility, especially in leaping. He was also a superb hand-to-hand combatant.

Paraphernalia

Weapons

The Tarantula wore gloves that contained retractable razor-sharp blades and boots with retractable razor-sharp spikes. The blades and spikes were covered with drugs that could render his victims unconscious.

Notes

• The Tarantula has diplomatic immunity.

See Also

• 44 appearance(s) of Anton Miguel Rodriquez (Earth-616)
• 7 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Anton Miguel Rodriquez (Earth-616)
• 10 minor appearance(s) of Anton Miguel Rodriquez (Earth-616)
• 5 mention(s) of Anton Miguel Rodriquez (Earth-616)
• 1 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Anton Miguel Rodriquez (Earth-616)
• 58 image(s) of Anton Miguel Rodriquez (Earth-616)