Grey Gargoyle (Paul Pierre Duval) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Grey Gargoyle
The Grey Gargoyle battles Thor on the cover of Journey into Mystery #107 (Aug. 1964). Art by Jack Kirby.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceJourney into Mystery #107 (Aug. 1964)[1][2]
Created byStan Lee (writer)
Jack Kirby (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoPaul Pierre Duval
SpeciesHuman mutate
Team affiliationsMasters of Evil
A.I.M.
The Worthy
Lethal Legion
Hood's crime syndicate
Notable aliasesPaul St. Pierre, Mokk: Breaker of Faith, Medusa X[3]
AbilitiesGenius chemist
Superhuman strength and durability
Petrification

Publication history

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The Grey Gargoyle first appeared in Journey into Mystery #107 (Aug. 1964) and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.[4]

Fictional character biography

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Paul Pierre Duval is a French chemist whose right hand was transformed into stone following a chemical accident, granting the ability to petrify anything it touches.[5][6][7][8] Duval, however, becomes bored and attempts to achieve immortality by confronting Thor and stealing his hammer, Mjolnir.[9] Thor is turned to stone in their first battle, but turns back to Donald Blake when he falls over and strikes the floor with his hammer. As Blake, he defeats the Gargoyle by luring him into the Hudson River in New York City, using a projection of Thor, leaving the villain buried at the bottom.[10] The Grey Gargoyle eventually reappears after being hauled up from the river, whereupon he turns to stone two people examining him. Believing that Blake can help him find Thor, the Grey Gargoyle goes after him. He pursues them through the streets, becoming angry at their escaping him and finally deciding to eliminate Blake. However he is delayed by an Asgardian blinding him with an arrow that gives off light, after which the Asgardian restores the Thunder God's power. The Grey Gargoyle is incapacitated by Thor once again as he uses his hammer to trap the Grey Gargoyle by tapping a lamppost as a power source and sending a bolt which fuses the Gargoyles limbs. Odin then fully restores Thor's power.[11]

The Grey Gargoyle appears in the title Tales of Suspense, attempting to steal an experimental device for use against Thor, but is stopped by his fellow Avenger Iron Man.[12][13] The character continues to play the role of industrial saboteur in the title Captain America, attempting to steal an experimental chemical called Element X before being stopped by Captain America; the Falcon and Nick Fury.[14] An appearance in the title Marvel Team-Up against Captain America and fellow hero Spider-Man ends with the Gargoyle being trapped in a rocket and launched into deep space.[15]

The character reappears in the title Thor, and is revealed to have been rescued by the crew of the alien spaceship the Bird of Prey and nominated their captain. After a battle with Thor the character is lost in space once again.[16] The Grey Gargoyle eventually returns to Earth in a meteorite in the title Avengers, and battles briefly before being defeated and imprisoned.[17] The character reappears in the title as part of Baron Helmut Zemo's incarnation of the Masters of Evil. In an encounter with the Avenger the Black Knight, the Gargoyle grasps the hero's enchanted sword and is reverted to human form, his power temporarily neutralized.[18]

In the title Iron Man the Gargoyle adopts the false identity of sculptor Paul St. Pierre, and intends to make a fortune in the art world by selling persons transformed to stone as authentic sculptures. The ruse, however, is discovered by Iron Man, who defeats the villain.[19]

During the Acts of Vengeance storyline, Doctor Doom hires Grey Gargoyle to battle the Hulk. However, Hulk resists the Gargoyle's power and then humiliates him by breaking his arm.[20][21]

The Gargoyle appears in the title She-Hulk[22] and in another title of Thor where he is summoned by Zarrko to fight the Thor Corps but was defeated by Beta Ray Bill.[23] He later appeared as the pawn of an alien shapeshifter in the title Fantastic Four. The Gargoyle's power temporarily incapacitates Fantastic Four member the Thing, who recovers with the added benefit of being able to now transform between human form and his superstrong rock-like form.[24] After another appearance in the title Thor and almost instant defeat by the god slaying entity Desak,[25] the Gargoyle features in the title New Avengers with other criminals attempting to escape the prison facility The Raft.[26]

After a brief appearance in the humorous title She-Hulk,[27] the Grey Gargoyle battles heroines Spider-Woman and Ms. Marvel in the title Civil War: The Initiative;[28] appears briefly in the fourth volume of the title New Warriors[29] and in the Spider-Man title published under the Marvel Adventures imprint.[30]

Grey Gargoyle is recruited to join a "crime army" formed by the villain the Hood in the title The New Avengers.[31] During the "Dark Reign" storyline, the Grim Reaper recruits Grey Gargoyle into a new incarnation of the Lethal Legion, who oppose Norman Osborn.[32]

During the Heroic Age storyline, it is claimed that he has a discarded and disavowed daughter named Mortar who is a member of the Bastards of Evil.[33]

The Grey Gargoyle is later shown as an inmate of The Raft.[34] When an EMP surge shuts down the Raft's defenses, the inmates attempt an escape. Purple Man compels the Grey Gargoyle to stop a door from closing by jamming his head into the mechanism.[35]

In Fear Itself, Grey Gargoyle obtains one of the Serpent's hammers and becomes Mokk, the Breaker of Faith.[36] Mokk transforms the entire population of Paris to stone.[37] When Iron Man intervenes, Mokk damages his armor and energy supply, forcing him to flee, and also fends off attacks from Detroit Steel, Sasha Hammer, and Rescue.[38][39][40][41][42] Mokk is reverted to Grey Gargoyle by the end of the storyline, and Odin returns those he affected to normal.[43][44]

In Avengers: Standoff!, Grey Gargoyle appears as an inmate of Pleasant Hill, a gated community established by S.H.I.E.L.D.[45]

In Secret Empire, Grey Gargoyle joins Helmut Zemo's Army of Evil.[46]

In a lead-up to the Sins Rising arc, Count Nefaria forms a new incarnation of the Lethal Legion, consisting of Grey Gargoyle, Living Laser, and Whirlwind in a plot to target the Catalyst.[47] At Empire State University, Curt Connors reveals the Catalyst to the crowd when the Lethal Legion attacks. However, they are eventually defeated and imprisoned in Ravencroft.[48][49]

In Sinister War, Grey Gargoyle is killed by the Sin-Eater, but is eventually resurrected and joins the Sinful Six.[36][50][51][52][53]

Powers and abilities

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The Grey Gargoyle can temporarily transform himself and whatever he touches into organic stone. He also has a master's degree in chemistry.[7]

In other media

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Television

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Video games

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References

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  1. ^ Misiroglu, Gina Renée; Eury, Michael (2006). The Supervillain Book: The Evil Side of Comics and Hollywood. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 9780780809772.
  2. ^ Conroy, Mike (2004). 500 Comicbook Villains. Collins & Brown. ISBN 1-84340-205-X.
  3. ^ Christopher Hastings (w), Salva Espin (p), Salva Espin (i), Matt Yackey (col), Comicraft's Jimmy Betancourt (let), Devin Lewis (ed). Secret Agent Deadpool, no. 1-6 (September–November 2018). United States: Marvel Comics.
  4. ^ DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 158. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
  5. ^ Ashford, Sage (March 26, 2023). "10 Marvel Villains Transformed by Their Powers". CBR. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  6. ^ Eckhardt, Peter (July 14, 2022). "10 Classic Thor Villains Who Have Never Been In A Marvel Movie". CBR. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Bagamery, Jonathan (July 22, 2022). "10 Avengers Villains Not Yet In The MCU". CBR. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  8. ^ Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Super-Villains. New York: Facts on File. p. 149. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.[1]
  9. ^ Brevoort, Tom; DeFalco, Tom; Manning, Matthew K.; Sanderson, Peter; Wiacek, Win (2017). Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History. DK Publishing. p. 101. ISBN 978-1465455505.
  10. ^ Journey Into Mystery #107 (Aug. 1964). Marvel Comics.
  11. ^ Journey Into Mystery #113 (Feb. 1965). Marvel Comics.
  12. ^ Ashford, Sage (August 31, 2023). "The First 10 Villains To Defeat Iron Man In Marvel Comics (In Chronological Order)". CBR. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  13. ^ Tales of Suspense #95-96 (Nov.-Dec. 1967). Marvel Comics.
  14. ^ Captain America #139-142 (July-Oct. 1971). Marvel Comics.
  15. ^ Marvel Team-Up #13 (Sep. 1973). Marvel Comics.
  16. ^ Thor #257-259 (Mar.-Jun 1977). Marvel Comics.
  17. ^ The Avengers #190-191 (Dec. 1979-Jan. 1980). Marvel Comics.
  18. ^ The Avengers #271 (Sep. 1986). Marvel Comics.
  19. ^ Iron Man #235-236 (Oct.-Nov. 1988). Marvel Comics.
  20. ^ Beauvais, Julian (November 3, 2019). "The 5 Worst Things The Grey Hulk has Ever Done (& the 5 Worst That The Red Hulk Did)". CBR. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  21. ^ The Incredible Hulk vol. 2 #363-364 (Dec. 1989-Jan 1990). Marvel Comics.
  22. ^ The Sensational She-Hulk vol. 2 #27 (May 1991). Marvel Comics.
  23. ^ Thor #440
  24. ^ Fantastic Four vol. 3 #38-39 (Jan.-Feb. 2001). Marvel Comics.
  25. ^ Thor vol. 3 #47 (Apr.-May 2002). Marvel Comics.
  26. ^ The New Avengers vol. 4 #1 (Jan. 2005). Marvel Comics.
  27. ^ She-Hulk #10 (Oct. 2006). Marvel Comics.
  28. ^ Civil War: The Initiative (Apr. 2007)
  29. ^ New Warriors vol. 4 #1 (Aug. 2007). Marvel Comics.
  30. ^ Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man #29 (Sep. 2007)
  31. ^ The New Avengers #35 (Dec. 2007). Marvel Comics.
  32. ^ Dark Reign: Lethal Legion #1-3 (Aug.-Oct. 2009). Marvel Comics.
  33. ^ Young Allies #1 (Aug. 2010). Marvel Comics.
  34. ^ Thunderbolts #145. Marvel Comics.
  35. ^ Thunderbolts #147. Marvel Comics.
  36. ^ a b Zachary, Brandon (August 14, 2020). "Spider-Man: Every Villain the Sin-Eater Has Killed (So Far)". CBR. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  37. ^ Allan, Scoot (February 26, 2021). "10 Most Dangerous Villains Iron Man Fought Against". CBR. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  38. ^ Matt Fraction (w), Salvador Larocca (a). "Fear Itself Part 1: City of Light, City of Stone" The Invincible Iron Man, no. 504 (July 2011). Marvel Comics.
  39. ^ Matt Fraction (w), Salvador Larocca (a). "Fear Itself Part 2: Cracked Actor" The Invincible Iron Man, no. 505 (August 2011). Marvel Comics.
  40. ^ Matt Fraction (w), Salvador Larocca (a). "Fear Itself Part 3: The Apostate" The Invincible Iron Man, no. 506 (September 2011). Marvel Comics.
  41. ^ Matt Fraction (w), Salvador Larocca (a). "Fear Itself Part 4: Fog of War" The Invincible Iron Man, no. 507 (October 2011). Marvel Comics.
  42. ^ Matt Fraction (w), Salvador Larocca (a). "Fear Itself Part 5: If I Ever Get Out Of Here" The Invincible Iron Man, no. 508 (November 2011). Marvel Comics.
  43. ^ Yang, Paul (May 29, 2020). "How Marvel's Fear Itself Turned Its Strongest Fighters Into DARK Gods". CBR. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  44. ^ Matt Fraction (w), Salvador Larocca (a). Fear Itself, vol. 1, no. 7.3: Iron Man (January 2012). Marvel Comics.
  45. ^ Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D. #6. Marvel Comics.
  46. ^ Captain America: Steve Rogers #16. Marvel Comics.
  47. ^ The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #41. Marvel Comics.
  48. ^ The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #46. Marvel Comics.
  49. ^ The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #56. Marvel Comics.
  50. ^ Zachary, Brandon (October 12, 2020). "The New Juggernaut Is Marvel's Most Powerful & DISGUSTING Version Yet". CBR. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  51. ^ Zachary, Brandon (August 26, 2020). "Spider-Man: Sin-Eater's Next Target Is a MAJOR Marvel Villain". CBR. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  52. ^ Zachary, Brandon (September 22, 2020). "Spider-Man: Sin-Eater Gains the Powers of Another Brand New Day Villain". CBR. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  53. ^ Sinister War #3. Marvel Comics.
  54. ^ a b c d "Grey Gargoyle Voices (Thor)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved December 24, 2019. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
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