AUGUSTINE CROSS
Real Name: Augustine Cross
Identity/Class: Human
Occupation: Industrialist
Group Membership: Cross Technological Enterprises
Affiliations: Crossfire (William Cross), Darren
Cross, Egghead
(Elihas Starr), Jonas
Hale;
formerly Grizzly (Max Markham), Hawkeye (Clint Barton), Machinesmith
(Samuel Saxon), Tony Stark
Enemies: Ant-Man Security Solutions (Ant-Man/Scott Lang, Grizzly/Max Markham, Machinesmith/Samuel Saxon), Beetle (Janice Lincoln), Giant-Man (Raz Malhotra), Hijacker, Magician, Miss Thing (Darla Deering), Power Broker, Dr. Erica Sondheim, Stinger (Cassandra Lang), Voice (Jason Cragg), Whirlwind (David Cannon)
Known Relatives: Darren Agonistes Cross (Yellowjacket, father), William Cross (Crossfire, second cousin)
Aliases: Augie
Base of Operations: Cross Technological Enterprises in Miami, Florida
First Appearance: Iron Man I#145 (April, 1981)
Powers/Abilities: He is a slimy businessman, who rather than having his own ideas just steals ideas from others. He is stinking rich because of his dad and has massive daddy issues. He is also pretty good at ping-pong and avoids violence.
He is capable of using the high-tech technology invented at C.T.E. and once flew a small flying platform armed with energy weapons.
Height: Unrevealed (5'8"; by approximation)
Weight: Unrevealed (150 lbs; by approximation)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black (formerly brown)
History:
(Iron Man I#145 (fb) - BTS) - Augustine took over Cross Technological
Enterprises after his father's death. He employed Hawkeye as part of
C.T.E.'s security team and was very proud to have him on his payroll.
(Iron Man I#145) - Augustine approached Tony Stark at the 25th annual Conclave of Electronics Engineers and Innovators at the Park Sheraton Hotel in Dallas, Texas and introduced himself to him as the son of Darren and the new head of Cross Technological Enterprises. He was there to watch Stark's demonstration of the Iron Man armor and to compare notes with him about the heroes they both employed. Their conversation was interrupted by Roxxon's Jonas Hale, who pulled Augie away because they allegedly had to go over the seminar they were going to co-host. Despite some hesitation Augie went along with him.
The next day Augustine met Tony at the bar and suggested to him to hire another hero because Iron Man wasn't doing so well against the Raiders that attacked Stark's booth at the convention. He became one of Tony's suspects for the Raiders' attack after the conversation, but in the end turned out to be innocent.
(Ant-Man I#3) - Augustine kidnapped Dr. Erica Sondheim and then tried to sweet-talk her into working for him while two of his men held her at gunpoint, which he only did so Sondheim could later claim that she worked for Cross under duress. After Crossfire successfully kidnapped Cassie Lang, Augustine finally revealed to Sondheim that he needed her to make up for one of her past mistakes by bringing his father back to life. He then showed her the body of Darren well preserved in a cryotube.
(Ant-Man I#4) - Augustine explained to Sondheim that his father had remained in the same condition he was in seconds after his death due to crystasis and a nucleorganic pacemaker that granted him a minor healing factor. Even though he was technically dead at the moment, Augustine knew that a heart transplant could bring him back to life. Sondheim had reservations because she knew from her previous attempts to keep him alive that Darren would not survive for a minute even with a new heart, but Augustine assured her that he had already found the perfect donor to revive him and keep him alive. Crossfire brought in Cassie Lang and Augustine explained that Cassie's heart due to her size-altering powers could shrink when necessary to prevent a collapse. He threatened to have Cassie, Sondheim and her son killed if Erica didn't perform the operation. Augustine had already a lab prepared for Sondheim to perform the transplant and even some spare donor hearts that could be transplanted into Cassie afterward.
(Ant-Man I#4 - BTS) - Sondheim finally agreed to do the operation and it was a complete success, bringing Darren Cross back to life.
(Ant-Man I#4) - Augie was happy that his dad was alive again, but Ant-Man had already broken into C.T.E. with the help of his employees Machinesmith and Grizzly.
(Ant-Man I#5) - While Sondheim performed another heart transplantation on Cassie, Darren fought Ant-Man, but was interrupted by a big hug from Augie, who was just happy that his dad was back among the living. Darren then decided to kill Cassie in front of her father Ant-Man, but the hero took the fight outside the building to give Sondheim the chance to finish his daughter's heart transplantation. During the fight outside Darren shrunk because he was unable to control the size-altering powers granted to him by his new heart and Augie flew in on a flying platform and saved him after firing a few energy blasts at Ant-Man to get him off his father.
(Astonishing Ant-Man#1 (fb)) - At Cross Technological Enterprises Augie took his minute father, who was still unable to control his size-altering powers, to a meeting with the Power Broker, who asked them to invest in his Hench mobile application. He gave them a life demonstration by sending Whirlwind after Ant-Man, which excited Darren and Augie. The Power Broker canceled the assassination order though when Augie and Darren didn't agree to invest 1.2 billion dollars into the app. Augie called the price extortion and was shocked when Power Broker just walked away from his angered father.
(Astonishing Ant-Man#2 (fb)) - Augie hired Machinesmith and his henchman Grizzly to get the former to hack into another company's system and steal all their data. He apologized for the incident with Scott and Cassie Lang and assured Machinesmith that C.T.E. would never hurt Scott and Cassie again. Augie also paid Machinesmith a case full of money, which was enough to convince Machinesmith to do the job.
(Astonishing Ant-Man#2-3 (fb)) - Augie and Machinesmith partied ways after a handshake.
(Astonishing Ant-Man#3 (fb) - BTS) - C.T.E. created with the stolen data the Lackey mobile app, which not only aped Power Broker's Hench app in every aspect but immediately offered half prices on costumed criminals to compete with Hench.
(Astonishing Ant-Man#5 (fb)) - Augie celebrated the success of Lackey with Crossfire at a club. The funding for the app had raised his family's net worth from a hundred million to a billion dollars. Even more important for Augie was that his dad was finally kind of proud of him. Crossfire warned Augie that Power Broker would come after him for stealing the idea.
(Astonishing Ant-Man#8) - Power Broker sent Stinger (Cassie Lang) to break into C.T.E. and upload a computer virus into their servers as payment for giving her superpowers again. She was caught in the act by Darren, Augie and Crossfire.
(Astonishing Ant-Man#9 (fb)) - Augie asked Stinger to come peacefully with them, but she shot him and the others with energy blasts. The three men cornered her, but Ant-Man saved her after breaking into C.T.E. to rob the place with a crew consisting of Grizzly, Machinesmith, Beetle, Giant-Man, Hijacker, Magician, Miss Thing, Voice and Whirlwind. Ant-Man got caught in the process by Darren and Crossfire.
(Astonishing Ant-Man#10 (fb)) - Crossfire and Augie played ping-pong with an energy ball that had Ant-Man trapped inside. Darren eventually caught the ball before the trio was confronted by Stinger, who freed her father with an energy blaster. Augie hid because he abhorred violence while Darren and Crossfire fought against Ant-Man and Stinger. Crossfire accidentally shot Augie in the face with a plasma-blast when Stinger shrank right before it hit her. Darren rushed over to his injured son and then turned around to end Ant-Man and Stinger once and for all, but they escaped.
(Astonishing Ant-Man#11 (fb)) - Augie was taken to a hospital where he remained in a coma with serious injuries to his face (and apparently also his skull). Darren still blamed Lang for his son's condition, but had not forgotten about Crossfire's involvement. Crossfire felt so apologetic that he caught Hijacker, a member of Ant-Man's crew. During Darren and Crossfire's interrogation of him they learned about Ant-Man's secret lab.
(Astonishing Ant-Man#12) - Augie was still in a coma, but Darren promised him that he would find a way to fix him and that would get their revenge on Lang. Egghead was delivered to Darren Cross, who needed Egghead's extensive knowledge on Hank Pym to fix Augustine. They invaded the hidden lab inside Ant-Man's helmet to find something that could help Augie. Egghead showed Darren the Yellowjacket battle armor, which could help the comatose Augie and grant him powers. Darren decided to just keep the armor for himself and not help his son.
Comments: Created by David Michelinie, John Romita Jr. & Bob Layton.
This profile was completed on 12/18/2025, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25th anniversary event.
Profile by Markus Raymond.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Augustine Cross has no known connections to:
images:
Astonishing Ant-Man#2, p4, pan1 (main)
Astonishing Ant-Man#8, p21 (head shot)
Iron Man I#145, p4, pan5 (meeting Stark)
Astonishing Ant-Man#9, p10, pan1 (brown shirt)
Astonishing Ant-Man#12, p7, pan1 (in hospital)
Appearances:
Iron Man I#145 (April, 1981) - David Michelinie (writer), John Romita
Jr. (pencils), Bob Layton (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Ant-Man I#3-5 (May-July, 2015) - Nick Spencer (writer), Ramon Rosanas
(artist), Wil Moss (editor)
Astonishing Ant-Man#1-3 (December, 2015 - February, 2016) - Nick Spencer
(writer), Ramon Rosanas (artist), Wil Moss (editor)
Astonishing Ant-Man#5 (April, 2016) - Nick Spencer (writer), Ramon
Rosanas (artist), Wil Moss (editor)
Astonishing Ant-Man#8 (July, 2016) - Nick Spencer (writer), Brent
Schoonover (artist), Wil Moss (editor)
Astonishing Ant-Man#9-10 (August-September, 2016) - Nick Spencer
(writer), Ramon Rosanas (artist), Wil Moss (editor)
Astonishing Ant-Man#11 (October, 2016) - Nick Spencer (writer), Ramon
Rosanas (artist), Charles Beacham (editor)
Astonishing Ant-Man#12 (November, 2016) - Nick Spencer (writer), Brent
Schoonover with Ramon Rosanas (artists), Charles Beacham (editor)
First Posted: 09/15/2026
Last updated: 12/18/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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