Gargoyle (Yuri Topolov)

The Gargoyle (real name: Yuri Topolov) is a Russian supervillain and enemy of the Fantastic Four.

History

At some point, Yuri and his son Kondrati entered into an alliance with Coldsteel and Annihilus of the Negative Zone. The Topolovs agreed to deliver the android Draconus to the extradimensional warlord in exchange for the raw ores necessary to synthesize Adamantium with which they planned to make both Kondrati’s Titanium Man armor and Coldsteel’s robot frame indestructible.

As part of their plot, Yuri and his son infiltrated the Baxter Building in order to secure Draconus and access [[Reed Richard’s|Mister_Fantastic] Negative Zone portal. While Kondrati entered the Negative Zone to complete the bargain with Annihilus, Yuri remained behind with Coldsteel to guard the Negative Zone portal from the Manhattan Clan and Fantastic Four. When Kondrati was subsequently stranded in the Negative Zone, Yuri hurled himself into the closing portal rather than abandon his son to Annihilus‘ mercies. ("Clan and Family...")

Characteristics

Yuri Topolov is a bald human of dwarfish stature with a over enlarged cranium. Despite his ruthlessness and megalomaniacal ambitions, Yuri is deeply concerned with his son’s wellbeing, willing even to strand himself in the Negative Zone rather than abandon him. Yuri pilots a suit of armor seemingly identical to Kondrati’s Titanium Man armor.

Appearances

• "Clan and Family..."

Production Background

The character first appeared in Incredible Hulk Vol. 1 #1 (1962), and was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee.

The Gargoyle was the first ever “supervillain” faced by the Hulk. A Soviet scientist feared by his own people both for his cruel intellect and his deformed appearance, the Gargoyle secretly infiltrated the US to investigate reports of a grey-skinned behemoth (this was before the Hulk acquired his now iconic green coloring) terrorizing the American Southwest. The Gargoyle eventually succeeded in capturing the Hulk and his teen “sidekick” Rick Jones with a “will sapping gun” of his own design before spiriting them away behind the Iron Curtain.

After witnessing the monstrous Hulk eventually reverting to his human persona of Dr. Bruce Banner, the shaken Gargoyle tearfully pleaded with the American scientist to share the secret that allowed him to become a “normal” man. Moved by compassion, Banner agreed to use his knowledge of exotic radiation to “cure” the Gargoyle of his deformity. The operation was a success and the man formerly known as the Gargoyle aranges to have Banner and Jones smuggled back to America in gratitude. The issue ends with the former Gargoyle renouncing Communism and detonating a bomb, seemingly destroying himself and much of Soviet High Command.

In true Marvel fashion though, the Gargoyle was eventually revived decades later and reverted to his original appearance with little explanation.

See Also

• Gargoyle (Yuri Topolov) at Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia