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Daniel Radford (Earth-616)

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Daniel Radford was a Los Angeles based crime boss who operated under the alias Leo as part of the original Zodiac, a covert criminal syndicate led by Taurus. Radford oversaw operations in the LA area.[1]

Leo took part in Zodiac's early plots to destabilise American institutions, including a failed attempt to kidnap the Avengers, during which he escaped.[1] He remained active through major schemes such as the Zodiac's attempted occupation of Manhattan using force fields and advanced weaponry, a plot thwarted by the Avengers,[2] Later, Leo joined a plan to eliminate everyone born under the sign of Gemini using the orbital Star-Blaster.[3] The failure of this plan led to a failed coup against Taurus, alongside Gemini, Cancer, and Aquarius.[4] Taurus retaliated by trapping them and the Avengers in a warehouse launched into space.[5]

Following his incarceration, Leo and the cartel planned to assassinate Iron Man.[6] He was ultimatly among the members gathered to face a new threat an artificial Zodiac composed of Life Model Decoys. Leo and the other human members were slaughtered in the ambush and was replaced with Leo.[7]

History

Early Life[]

Daniel Radford was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. From an early age, he became involved in organised crime, eventually building his own network of illicit operations across the West Coast. A charismatic and ruthless figure, Radford established himself as a capable enforcer and strategist, earning a reputation for his violent tendencies and loyalty to profit.[8]

Zodiac Cartel[]

The original Zodiac was secretly established by Cornelius van Lunt, a wealthy businessman who operated under the alias of Taurus. Van Lunt personally recruited eleven operatives to represent the remaining astrological signs, each assigned to a different American city. He gave Daniel the title Leo based on the month he was born. He represneted LA in the cartel. The cartel's shared objective was global political and financial domination, orchestrated through a vast criminal network.[8]

Avengers[]

Scorpio convened the Zodiac for a covert assembly, during which several members of the Avengers were captured. However, Scorpio was exposed as Nick Fury in disguise. The Avengers freed themselves and engaged the Zodiac in battle. Amid the skirmish, Leo managed to flee after Aries distracted the heroes using the Zodiac Key.[1]

Manhattan Takeover[]

Following this defeat, Aries restructured the Zodiac and launched a plan to seize control of Manhattan, using advanced technology and coordinated operations. Concurrently, Taurus pursued a separate scheme in the American Southwest, involving fraudulent land acquisitions from Indigenous tribes. This brought the Zodiac into conflict with Red Wolf, who followed the cartel's agent Jason Birch to New York. The Avengers unaware of the full scope of the Zodiac's plans divided into smaller units to investigate separate incidents, all of which were secretly connected to the cartel’s operations.[9] A Zodiac assault later downed a quinjet carrying Goliath, Scarlet Witch, Vision, and Red Wolf. Taurus seemingly perished in the destruction of an artificial dam during the confrontation.[10]

Urban Siege[]

The Zodiac escalated their actions by infiltrating Avengers Mansion, gassing and imprisoning several Avengers, including Captain America, Iron Man, Quicksilver, and Thor. Aries placed Manhattan under siege with a force field and demanded one billion dollars in exchange for the lives of its citizens. Black Panther and Daredevil intervened and freed the Avengers, resulting in a large-scale battle. Aries was apparently killed, and Zodiac’s mercenaries were captured. The remaining Zodiac members managed to escape.[2]

Gemini Extermination[]

Leo participated in a new operation to eliminate all individuals born under the sign of Gemini, excluding the Zodiac's own Gemini. The cartel used a space-based weapon, the Star-Blaster, to carry out the plan, but they were thwarted by the Avengers. Taurus attempted to leverage the threat by endangering Mantis, forcing the heroes to stand down temporarily.[3]

The scheme ultimately unraveled when Scarlet Witch disabled the weapon. In the aftermath, Leo joined Pisces, Cancer, Sagittarius, Scorpio, Libra, Aquarius, and Aries in a conspiracy to depose Taurus. They arranged a meeting with van Lunt, hoping to gain his support only for van Lunt to reveal his identity as Taurus. He then trapped the Avengers and the traitorous Zodiac members inside a warehouse and launched it into space.[4]

Aboard the spacecraft, the rebels and the Avengers clashed until Vision convinced them of the futility of fighting. Iron Man returned the warehouse safely to Earth, but when it became clear they would be arrested, the mutineers sided with Taurus once again in a final attack against the Avengers. They were swiftly defeated.[5] Leo and the other captured members were turned over to the authorities, with Libra as the sole exception.[11]

Leo was incarcerated with the rest of the Zodiac, though Taurus remained at large.[12] He later appeared via viewscreen at a secret cartel meeting, where Taurus revealed plans to eliminate Iron Man using a bomb, fearing his investigation into Zodiac activities.[6]

Death[]

Leo's final known appearance occurred at a gathering of the original Zodiac in Houston, Texas, where they discussed the threat posed by a new, artificially constructed Zodiac made up of Life Model Decoys. During the meeting, it was revealed that their Scorpio had been replaced by an LMD of Jake Fury. The impostor allowed the LMD Zodiac to storm the room and execute the original human members. Leo was killed during the ambush.[7]

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References

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