Hood (comics)

Superherobox|

caption=The Hood.
Art by Leinil Francis Yu.
comic_color=background:#ff8080
character_name=The Hood
real_name=Parker Robbins
publisher=Marvel Comics
debut="The Hood" #1 (July, 2002)
creators=Brian K. Vaughan
Kyle Hotz
Eric Powell
alliances=
previous_alliances=
relatives=Arthur Robbins (father, deceased), Eliza Robbins (mother), John King (cousin), unidentified child
powers=Utilizes magical cloak and boots for air walking, invisibility, and electrical bursts. Demon transformation|

The Hood (Parker Robbins) is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Universe. Created by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artists Kyle Hotz and Eric Powell, the character first appeared in "The Hood" #1 (July, 2002).

Publication history

The Hood first appeared in his own self-titled MAX limited series in 2002 which featured his origin, as a character who had a cloak and boots stolen from a demon, which granted him invisibility and flight respectively.

The Hood next appeared in the miniseries "Beyond!", a miniseries set in outer space, which had the character shift towards a slightly more anti-heroic side as opposed to a villainous one.

Brian Michael Bendis stated in a "Newsarama" interview that within the pages of New Avengers, Parker Robbins will be getting similar treatment to Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II. Bendis says that "...like the the Sentry and Echo – the Hood is one of these excellent brand new creations that no one else was touching, and that’s how they fall by the wayside." [ [http://www.newsarama.com/marvelnew/newavengers/meet_the_new.html MEET THE (new) NEW AVENGERS: EPILOGUE] , Newsarama]

Confirming the statement and having Parker return to his villainous roots, "New Avengers" had Parker rise to becoming "the ‘Godfather’ of all supervillains", mostly due to the fact that Marvel's "Civil War" event prevented any heroes from stopping him. Although the "Secret Avengers" defeated the Hood's new gang of supercriminals, he broke them out, only to be defeated once more.

Fictional character biography

Origin

Robbins's father worked closely with the Kingpin and was around while Parker was growing up. As a child, he witnessed a battle between Daredevil and Electro, which had a profound effect on Robbins' young adulthood.

Parker's father died, and his mother evenutally entered a near-vegetative state and was hospitalized. Parker visits his mother, telling her stories of jobs he's acquired and how he's making himself into a better person, while actually carrying out the life of a criminal. Parker's well-meaning nature is juxtaposed with his philandering and thieving ways, such as taking care of his pregnant girlfriend Sara, while visiting a prostitute on the side.

Parker's cousin and best friend, John King, is a recovering drug addict and thief who approaches Robbins over a job in a warehouse said to be housing valuable goods. Robbins takes the job in order to move his mother to a better care center. Inside the abandoned warehouse, the two encounter an abandoned mystic ritual which results in an encounter with a creature, the Nisanti.

Robbins shoots and apparently kills the demon, and steals its hood and boots rather than leave empty handed. Disposing of the gun in a dumpster, Robbins encounters a gang who wanted the boots he had stolen off a HYDRA agent before going to the warehouse. Throwing the boots at the gang, he flees and puts on the demon's boots, learning of their levitation powers.

Escaping, he shares his discovery with King and tries on the cloak, which grants him the ability to become invisible while holding his breath. He uses his new powers to commit petty robberies, and then John asks him for help in stealing a shipment of blood diamonds.

The diamonds were the responsibility of Dennis Golembuski, the Golem, who hired Constrictor, Jack O'Lantern, Shocker, and Madame Rapier to ensure the delivery. However, Robbins confronts the group and steals half the shipment. Meeting up with King, the two are confronted by two police officers. Robbins kills one officer and King shoots the other, putting him in a coma. King stayed behind to take the blame while Robbins flees. As a result of this incident, Robbins is dubbed "The Hood" by the authorities and a bounty is placed upon his head for his arrest.

Pursued by the Golem, the cops, and two FBI agents, the Hood hatches a plan to get King out of prison. He tries to the diamonds for King's lawyer fee, but runs into the Shocker. After defeating him, he finds out about Golem and Rapier, and says he will give the diamonds back in addition to a returner's fee.

Golem agrees and sends Rapier with the Hood under instructions to kill Parker after the deal is made. Knowing it is a setup, the Hood purchases a similar cloak, and goes to the rendezvous point. Robbins sets up events so Rapier confronts the FBI, wearing the fake cloak, and she is killed. He tells the living enforcers to tell Golem to leave him alone after he returns the diamonds. King tells the FBI that the Hood was a female and is released.

Robbins then visited his mother and told her that he would begin helping people and making her proud. Meanwhile, the Golem weeps over a photograph of his family, including his mutant daughter, knowing the price of failure and vowing that he wasn't done with the Hood. Having died in a coma, the wife of the cop shot by King vows to avenge him as White Fang, as she doesn't believe the Hood is dead. The Nisanti is also shown to have revived with Parker's name on its lips, thanks to King shouting out his name during the robbery attempt.

Beyond!

Alongside Spider-Man, Venom III, Gravity, Medusa, Hank Pym, the Wasp, Kraven the Hunter II, and Firebird, the Hood finds himself transported to the reconstructed Battleworld. While in transit, they are told that one victor will have a wish granted by the Beyonder, should the other combatants die. The Hood attempts to capitalize on this by using his invisibility to launch a sneak attack on the gathered heroes and villains, but is battered by Kraven utilizing his enhanced sense of smell. During the confusion of the Hood's attack, Venom manages to impale and kill Spider-Man.

Crashlanding on Battleworld and losing Spider-Man's body, the group encounters Deathlok, who assists them in battle against Dragon Man. After the battle, the Hood follows Kraven as the latter encountered Spider-Man, who has a gaping chest wound but is still alive. After Kraven left, the Hood then reveals himself and shoots Spider-Man in the knees.

The Hood takes Spidey to the camp and forces him to reveal himself as the original Space Phantom. After battling the Space Phantom, the Hood accompanies the group into Limbo to wait for the Space Phantom to appear when he chooses his next target for impersonation. In Limbo, Venom destroys the portal on Battleworld, claiming victory and the Hood and Gravity bond.

Using the Space Phantom to return to Battleworld, the group confronts Venom and realize that Uatu the Watcher is there. Pym shoots the group, seemingly killing them all, in order to draw out the "Beyonder". In truth, this was the Stranger, who was fooled by Pym shrinking the entire group down. The Hood then attacks the Stranger alongside the other combatants, before the Stranger leaves.

With Battleworld crumbling since the Stranger's will was no longer holding it together, the Hood and the others escape, but not before Gravity sacrifices his life to save the group. While on Earth, he attends Gravity's funeral with Sara. Some time after this, Sara gives birth to his child. Gravity would be returned to life a short time later.

Hood's Criminal Empire

The Hood begins his quest to become the Kingpin of All Supervillains in New York by inviting a large contingent of villains to a meeting where he gives each of them $25,000 of seed money, partly to gain their confidence, partly to buy their loyalty. He promises them much more where that came from if they join him in creating a new criminal empire with Robbins at the head and John King as his lieutenant. Parker utilizes the cloak, but his boots are not used in the arc.

The Hood's gang includes Jigsaw, who had been attacked and beaten by Tigra in an earlier robbery. To prove himself to the gathered supervillains, the Hood seeks out and viciously beats Tigra, threatening her mother's life as a warning, while Jigsaw films the attack.

At the after party, Chemistro informs The Hood of a plot by the Owl to sell Deathlok, which he stole from S.H.I.E.L.D., to the highest bidder. As the Owl hasn't gained permission from his new crime syndicate, The Hood decides to gatecrash the auction. He effortlessly ambushes and dispatches the Owl by sending Madame Masque, the Crimson Cowl, the Wizard, and Dr. Jonas Harrow as proxies.

John King and the Hood reconvene in the back room of a rundown bar where they are confronted by a curious Wolverine who overhears their plans to run Deathlok through the lobby of Avengers Tower. Covering King's retreat, the Hood manages to shoot Wolverine in the crotch before assuming the form of the Nisanti demon who originally owned his gear, enabling him to overpower the mutant and escape.

Chemistro‎ suggests that they change their plan and instead use Deathlok to rob a federal reserve bank in New Jersey, seeing it as a more profitable venture than a suicidal attack on Avengers Tower. The robbery is successful, netting them over $15 million (US), although Deathlok is destroyed in the process. As the group celebrates their victory, Luke Cage smashes through the wall of their base closely followed by nearly the entire population of the New York superhero community including the New Avengers, the Mighty Avengers, the Fantastic Four (including Storm and the Black Panther), Howard the Duck, Punisher, the Defenders, the Silver Surfer, and Thor. These superheroes turn out to be illusions, however, as only the New Avengers are actually present. In the ensuing battle, Doctor Strange appears to banish Robbins using an anti-demon spell, while the rest of the syndicate is taken down.

The Hood appears alongside Turk; he surveys a fight between Daredevil and a gang of street thugs, after Turk double crosses Mister Fear to show his allegiance to The Hood's new crime empire. [Daredevil vol. 2 #101] The Hood is then mentioned by name when the Enforcers, who are working for Mister Fear, are ambushed by Wrecker and Razor Fist who are working for The Hood. [Daredevil vol. 2 #102]

Later, after some of Robbins' syndicates are captured by S.H.I.E.L.D., Robbins reappears and frees them. He leads Wrecker and others on a rampage through The Raft, swearing to take revenge on the New Avengers. After interrogating Tigra to learn their location, the Hood leads his syndicate against the New Avengers, using the magical powers of his hood and cloak to see through the illusions defending the Sanctum Sanctorum. In the ensuing battle, the Hood fatally injures Doctor Strange before being pushed aside by Wong, and nearly blows Iron Fist's head off before being intercepted by a vengeful Tigra. The Hood, alongside both the New Avengers and his syndicate, is taken down by Doctor Strange's paralyzing spell, but manages to escape from the arriving S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. In the aftermath, Robbins is seen talking to an unseen figure, exclaiming, "Now I know how to beat 'em."

Secret Invasion

The Hood and his Syndicate of New York's majority criminal roster are seen watching live coverage of the Skrull Invasion on television, in Brooklyn. He decides to gather everyone to fight the Skrulls, despite Chemistro's objections that they should, "let the heroes and aliens kill each other". Despite protests, Hood reasons that if the Skrulls were to destroy the world as they know it, that it would be bad for business. ["Secret Invasion" #4] The Hood's group joins with a loose collection of super-powered heroes in the middle of Central Park with the assistance of Masked Marauder and Scorcher. As one, they attack a Skrull force. ["Secret Invasion" #6]

The upcoming New Avengers #46 will deal with the demon behind the Hood.

Members of The Hood's crime syndicate

Among the members of Hood's crime syndicate are: [New Avengers #35]

Notably, some of the members of this syndicate later became members of MODOK's 11, including Mentallo and Living Laser, who were both thought to be killed in action while on that team. Within that series, a small amount of the Hood's influence was displayed in the Purple Man using the money he had been given, along with his powers, to take over a large casino, where he attempted to subdue Mentallo, possibly on the Hood's behalf. Since the end of the series, Living Laser developed himself into a more complex being of energy, and Armadillo departed from supervillainy to aid Deadly Nightshade in clearing the name of their friend, the Puma.

Powers and abilities

Parker Robbins possesses no powers inherent to himself. The mystical boots and cloak he wears allow him to perform many superhuman abilities. When wearing the boots, the Hood can walk on air. While wearing the cloak, and only while holding his breath, the Hood can turn invisible. At least once, the cloak allowed Robbins to fire a sort of electrical energy from his hands.

Robbins has the ability to transform into a demon when under duress, gaining physical strength and speed to match Wolverine in one-on-one combat. In this demon form, his voice changes and he can sprout spikes from his hands. According to Dr. Strange, Robbins's powers will eventually kill him as the Nisanti consumes his mind, body and soul.

Bibliography

*"The Hood" vol. 1 #1-6
*"Beyond" vol. 1 #1-6
*"New Avengers" vol. 1 #34-37, Annual #2
*"Daredevil" #101-105

References

External links

* [http://www.marvel.com/universe/Hood Hood] at Marvel.com
* [http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix3/hoodmax.htm Marvel Handbook Appendix entry]