The Griffin
Real Name: Johnny Horton, but it's been a while since he had a proper name. These days he's more likely to respond to "Here, boy! Here, boy!"
First Appearance: Amazing Adventures (second series) 15
What's His Problem? John Horton was your typical, semi-ambitious two-bit hood who got involved with an ambitious, semi-typical subversive group (the Secret Empire) that promised to make him into a genuine supervillain. Having most likely ignored the fine print, Horton went through selective surgery that would wreak havoc on both his mind and body for years, driving him insane early on and later costing him his human intellect. That temper of his was the last to go, but I doubt you'll hear any complaints.
Abilities: Horton was first made into the Griffin with surgically grafted wings, fangs and claws. The kicker proved to be a mutagenic serum that caused his body to mutate under extreme stress like fighting mighty wearers of spandex. His strength increased over and over again until it was somewhere in the Hulk's range; he also gained a spiked prehensile tail, scaly armor, accelerated healing and even mental control over sea gulls that hasn't been used in years.
Favorite Quote: "The jerk! He's forgotten about me! And turned his back!" (Champions 9. The "jerk" in question was the original Ghost Rider, who nearly got skewered for forgetting about Our Villain. This was the second spat between the two Johnnys and certainly one where spectators had trouble picking out the hero.)
Heroes He Keeps Running Into: The Griffin was first unleashed on a newly altered Beast only to find an Angel waiting in the wings as well. Separate rematches with the two came as Horton (or what was left of him) played musical superheroes with Spider-Man, the Champions of Los Angeles, Wonder Man and the West Coast Avengers. His attempts to escape the Vault were foiled by the likes of the Falcon, D-Man, Captain America and Hank Pym, but this did not stop him from rearing his ugly head against the Sub-Mariner.
People Who Think He's Not So Bad: Horton's desire for power and revenge were good incentives for allying with hostile Russkies like Darkstar, the Titanium Man and whoever was wearing the Crimson Dynamo armor back then, but I doubt he was a sweetheart before the Secret Empire stint. With little of the original man left within the monster, the Griffin wound up a pawn to the likes of Headlok and multi-billionaire Desmond Marrs, only to be subdued by the purrs of Tigra and later by Namor's little seen talent for bronco-busting. The Avenging Son of Atlantis and Wall Street had become his guardian when both were befriended by Shanna the She-Devil, but Griffy-boy disappeared soon afterwards.
Most Despicable Act: Horton was a bit more creative than usual when he nabbed the surgeon who turned him into freak show material and dropped the guy from hundreds of feet up. Despite Spider-Man's efforts, the man died from either the fall, the impact, the prolonged dip in the East River, or maybe that two-and-a-half page narrative he gave to Spidey and Hank McCoy. Now that's stamina!
by Ray Schaff
