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Quote1 I refuse to let the past hurt me. Quote2
Reptil

History

Origin[]

Humberto Lopez grew up with a love of super heroes and a desire to one day become an Avenger. His parents, both renowned paleontologists, taught him about dinosaurs in hopes of leading him into the field of paleontology as well.[8]

Humberto Lopez (Earth-616) from Avengers The Initiative Featuring Reptil Vol 1 1 001

Reptil showing his Fossilized Amulet

While accompanying his parents on an archeological dig, the Lopezes discovered a Fossilized Amulet. 'Berto eventually took possession of the fossil.[2]

During another archeological dig, 'Berto's parents mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Although they were declared dead, 'Berto continued to hold out hope that they would return. With his parents gone, 'Berto went to live with his paternal grandfather in Sparks, Nevada.[2]

'Berto continued to carry the fossil with him until one day a rockslide occurred nearly burying him. He ran as fast as he could, and it wasn't until he was far away that he noticed his legs had transformed into those of a dinosaur.[2]

Initiative and Avengers Academy[]

Around the time of the Skrull invasion, 'Berto registered with the Initiative under the codename Reptil. However, due to the chaos surrounding the invasion, Reptil was not immediately activated or trained.[2]

When Stegron began using dinosaurs to attack S.H.I.E.L.D. bases around the U.S., Dr. Valerie Cooper placed Tigra in charge of a small squad, and despite his lack of training, Reptil was ordered to be on the roster. Reptil was able to receive some accelerated training over a few days in Camp Hammond.[2]

Humberto Lopez (Earth-616) and Moon Boy (Earth-78411) from Avengers The Initiative Featuring Reptil Vol 1 1 0001

Reptil rescuing Moon Boy

With the help of Baron von Blitzschlag, Reptil's empathic powers allowed the team to locate Stegron. The squad was eventually able to stop Stegron, but after learning that Stegron was merely attempting to rescue Moon Boy, Reptil insisted on reuniting him with Devil Dinosaur. With help from Tigra, Reptil was able to stage Moon Boy's death and escape though in doing so he sacrificed his opportunity at active duty in the Initiative.[2]

Tigra contacted Ka-Zar, and he and Reptil accompanied Moon Boy back to the Savage Land. After Moon Boy was reunited with Devil Dinosaur, Ka-Zar promised to aid Reptil in finding his parents.[2]

Reptil was eventually fed false leads on his parents whereabouts from Norman Osborn, and led into a trap. Osborn proceeded to torture and experiment on Reptil for several months in an attempt to push his powers to their limits.[7][8]

Avengers Academy Vol 1 1 Textless

Reptil joining the Avengers Academy

Shortly after the arrest of Norman Osborn, H.A.M.M.E.R. agents attempted to destroy all evidence of their crimes by killing everyone in the detention center. Luckily, Reptil was able to escape and was quickly rescued by Wasp, Tigra, and Justice to be recruited to the newly formed Avengers Academy.[7][6]

Sometime during or shortly after his imprisonment, Reptil's fossil embedded itself into his chest.[8] Reptil was unanimously elected class leader[8] soon after their identities were exposed to the public.[9] He also began having a romantic relationship with Finesse.[10][8]

Humberto Lopez (Earth-616) from Avengers Academy Vol 1 6 001

Fossilized Amulet embedded in Reptil's chest

Reptil continued to try and push his powers to their limits, but remained unable to fully transform into a dinosaur until he lost control during a battle with Mentallo. Wasp theorized Reptil's repressed emotional turmoil was preventing him from accessing his full potential. During a one on one conference with Jessica Jones, Reptil finally began to discuss some of his emotional problems surrounding his parents and Osborn.[8] Despite facing some of his trouble, Reptil continued to feel insecure about his leadership.[11]

When the Avengers faced off against Korvac, Carina Walters used her manipulation time and space to allow the Avengers Academy students to inhabit the bodies of their thirty-year-old counterparts to use the full potential of their powers to stop Korvac. In his adult form, Reptil's power were augmented by Pym Particles allowing him to transform into full sized dinosaurs.[12] After Korvac was defeated, Carina returned the students to their young bodies, but Reptil remained in his adult body[13] because of a secret desire to be more powerful to lead and protect his team. However, Spider-Girl was eventually able to convince him to revert to his true body.[14]

Fear Itself and Time Travel Possession[]

Humberto Lopez (Earth-616) and Carl Creel (Earth-616) from Avengers Academy Vol 1 18 001

Reptil battling Greithoth in the Infinite Avengers Mansion

Reptil fought alongside the other Avengers Academy students against the forces of the Serpent and Skadi in Washington, D.C..[15] He later helped defend the Infinite Avengers Mansion against Greithoth and Skirn.[16]

Shortly after the Avengers Academy relocated to the Avengers Compound near Los Angeles, California and expanded enrollment, Reptil’s mind was replaced with that of his older self.[17]

Jeanne Foucault (Earth-11511), Humberto Lopez (Earth-11511), Humberto Lopez (Earth-616), and Jennifer Takeda (Earth-11511) from Avengers Academy Vol 1 23 001

Young Reptil's mind trapped in his adult body in the future

The adult Reptil was sent back in time by Giant-Man to ensure that Hybrid would kill all of the new students and Tigra thereby reuniting Jocasta and Veil with the Avengers Academy and ensure their future. Fortunately, Reptil and the others changed their minds at the last minute, rescued everyone, and defeated Hybrid.[18]

While trapped in the future, Reptil learned that he and Finesse had a daughter,[19] and upon returning to his time he tried to rekindle his relationship with Finesse though Finesse turned him down.[20][21][22]

When Old Lace went missing, the Runaways came to the Avengers Academy looking for help. Using his amulet, Reptil was able to locate Old Lace in the Savage Land and helped to reunite her with her friends.[23]

AvX and Murderworld[]

Despite some students of the Avengers Academy siding with the younger X-Men during the war between the Avengers and X-Men, Reptil continued to side with the Avengers.[24]

Humberto Lopez (Earth-616) and Jeremy Briggs (Earth-616) from Avengers Academy Vol 1 34 001

Jeremy Briggs ripping the Fossilized Amulet from Reptil's chest

While the Avengers Academy temporarily closed during the war between the Avengers and X-Men, Reptil and White Tiger travelled to Florida to meet with Jennifer Kale of A.R.M.O.R. to receive insight about their magical artifacts.[25]

The pair soon joined the rest of their team in Manhattan, where Jeremy Briggs tricked them into being depowered. Coat of Arms claimed to have tapped into the power of the fossil and White Tiger's Amulets of Power, but Reptil and White Tiger were able to gain them back by embracing their true potential and learning about the origins of the artifacts in a vision.[26] Bonding over the similarities of their powers, Reptil and White Tiger even began the glimmer of a romantic relationship somewhat to the distress of Finesse.[27][28]

Reptil was among the sixteen young super heros kidnapped by Arcade to battle to the death in his new Murderworld.[4] To prevent suspicion, Arcade made Repitl's disappearance look like he had left to search for his parents.[28]

Jennifer Takeda (Earth-616) and Humberto Lopez (Earth-616) from Avengers Arena Vol 1 11 001

Hazmat caring for Reptil on a beach in Murderworld

Originally, Reptil journeyed out with his classmates X-23, Hazmat, and Juston.[29] Later the Avengers Academy briefly joined with the Runaways Nico and Chase,[3] but the disappearance of Juston[30] and the near fatal attack of Reptil by an Apex controlled Death Locket, left Hazmat and X-23 paranoid and scared resulting in them breaking ties with the Runaways.[3]

Reptil slowly recovered as he, Hazmat, and X-23 trekked to Arcade's safe zone until Hazmat accidentally set off a Trigger Scent bomb. Reptil and Hazmat narrowly escaped X-23's rampage,[31] but Reptil collapsed on a safe zone beach with Hazmat. The pair remained there for two weeks while Reptil recovered. It wasn't until Nico's spell sent Nara, Anachronism, Bloodstone, Cammi, and X-23 to their location, that the pair left, deciding to aid in battling to stop Apex and Arcade.[32]

Reptil acquired near-fatal injuries rescuing his fellow Murder World survivors from Hazmat's nuclear detonation.[33] He was later airlifted for medical treatment by S.H.I.E.L.D.[34]

Search for Tony Stark[]

Reptil, fully recuperated from the radiation, was shown sparring with Striker after having joined Leonardo da Vinci's new program intended to take the place of the now-defunct S.H.I.E.L.D.[35]

King In Black[]

When Knull invaded planet Earth, Reptil assisted civilians caught in between the madness. While helping an elderly woman get home, he was attacked by Spider-Man who had mistaken him for a Symbiote Dragon. Reptile and Spider-Man then worked together to get the woman home to Staten Island. However, on their way, they saw a ferry being attacked and decided to help. As Spider-Man helped come up with a plan, Reptil engaged the dragon in the water. While defeated he managed to hold it off long enough for Spider-Man to destroy it. Briefly celebrating their victory, the woman decided to remain with the ferry to get home, and Reptil and Spider-Man went back out to saving more lives.[36]

Attributes

Power Grid[49]
:Category:Power Grid/Fighting Skills/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Energy Projection/Single Type: Short Range:Category:Power Grid/Energy Projection/None:Category:Power Grid/Durability/Enhanced:Category:Power Grid/Durability/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Superhuman:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Strength/Superhuman (800 lbs-25 ton):Category:Power Grid/Strength/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Intelligence/Normal

Powers

Humberto Lopez (Earth-616) from Avengers Academy Vol 1 14 001

Reptil transforming into a full-sized dinosaur

Humberto Lopez (Earth-616) from Avengers Academy Vol 1 23 002

Reptil transformed into a prehistoric insect

Reptil's powers were activated by the Fossilized Amulet, which was discovered by his parents.[2] The jewel was magically created by the Hag of the Pits to imbue Reptil with the strength of the prehistoric animals he will one day have to protect.[8][20] His powers were later augmented with Pym Particles.[37] His powers include:

  • Prehistoric Animal Metamorphosis: Originally, Reptil could only transform certain parts of his body into different aspects of dinosaurs such as wings of a pterodactyl, the tail of a stegosaurus, the head of a parasaur, the legs of a velociraptor, etc. While inhabited by his future self, he showed he was also able to turn into prehistoric insects. And he could also only maintain one transformation at a time.[2] These transformations could even be limited to enhancing senses such as vision, hearing, and olfactory senses.[7][8][19][2] Eventually Reptil was able to fully transform into a complete dinosaur though due to the conservation of mass, Reptil could not alter his size.[8] As his powers progressed, Reptil discovered his transformations were not limited to dinosaurs, but that he could indeed transform into any prehistoric animal[38][20] or insect.[39][19]
  • Empathic Prehistoric Animal Connection: Reptil can sense the presence and emotions of dinosaurs. However, he cannot exert control over them.[2]
  • Size Alteration: Reptil's powers were eventually augmented with Pym Particles allowing him to increase his size and transform into a full-sized dinosaur[8][37] and also shrink down into smaller animals.[39][19][40]
  • Accelerated Healing: After being electrocuted by Electro, Reptil discovered that he heals much faster when in his dinosaur forms.[39]

Weaknesses

Humberto Lopez (Earth-616) from Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 661 001

Sometimes Reptil can lose control of his dinosaur mind when transforming

  • Reptil can occasionally lose control to his more feral instincts while in dinosaur form.[8][41]
  • Reptil cannot transform without his Fossilized Amulet.[2]

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Transportation

Notes

  • Reptil's origins are revealed in Avengers: The Initiative Featuring Reptil #1 and Avengers Academy #6.
  • Reptil has mentioned that the fossil will not grant others the ability to transform into dinosaurs, and that he cannot transform without it.[2]
  • Reptil's skin always changes into a scaly red while he transforms into his various dinosaurs. This is possibly due to the red energy signature of his Fossilized Amulet.
  • Both Tigra[2] and Hank Pym[8] have theorized that Reptil's fossil is merely a catalyst for his powers and not the source, but there is no evidence to support this claim.

Trivia

See Also

Links and References

References

  1. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Update #2
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 Avengers: The Initiative Featuring Reptil #1
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Avengers Arena #4
  4. 4.0 4.1 Avengers Arena #1
  5. Avengers Academy #20
  6. 6.0 6.1 Avengers Academy #1
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 Enter the Heroic Age #1
  8. 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 8.12 Avengers Academy #6
  9. Avengers Academy #5
  10. 10.0 10.1 Avengers Academy #3
  11. Avengers Academy #9
  12. Avengers Academy #1112
  13. Avengers Academy #12
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 Avengers Academy #13
  15. Avengers Academy #15
  16. Avengers Academy #1719
  17. Avengers Academy #21
  18. Avengers Academy #2326
  19. 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 Avengers Academy #23
  20. 20.0 20.1 20.2 Avengers Academy #28
  21. Avengers Academy #30
  22. Avengers Academy #38
  23. Avengers Academy #2728
  24. Avengers Academy #2931
  25. Avengers Academy #34
  26. Avengers Academy #36
  27. 27.0 27.1 Avengers Academy #39
  28. 28.0 28.1 28.2 Avengers Arena #13
  29. Avengers Arena #14
  30. Avengers Arena #3
  31. Avengers Arena #6
  32. 32.0 32.1 Avengers Arena #11
  33. Avengers Arena #18
  34. Dennis Hopeless Exits "AVENGERS ARENA" To Go "UNDERCOVER"
  35. Invincible Iron Man #600
  36. King in Black: Spider-Man #1
  37. 37.0 37.1 Avengers Academy #14
  38. Avengers Academy #22
  39. 39.0 39.1 39.2 Avengers Academy #17
  40. Avengers Academy #29
  41. Amazing Spider-Man #661
  42. Gage, Christos (November 3, 2011) Ok now I remember more. I think she was created for the cartoon an... X. Archived from the original on October 31, 2024.
  43. Avengers Academy #11
  44. Avengers Academy #27
  45. Avengers Academy #2
  46. Avengers Academy #26
  47. Avengers Academy Giant-Size #1
  48. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Update #2
  49. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Update Vol 1 2
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