URKO THE GORILLA

Real Name: Percy Potts

Identity/Class: Human technology user

Occupation: Scientist working at government weapons factory

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Spider-Man (Peter Parker)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unidentified military laboratory, New York City

 

First Appearance: Arañita Super Historias#88 (5th December 1976)

Powers/Abilities: Urko wore a battlesuit equipped with a variety of high-tech weapons. The belt held buttons controlling various functions of his suit, such as different groups of tubes that could dispense different items, including
ammunition such as atomic bullets, stun bullets and hypnotic wheels designed to induce unconsciousness, "liquid fire," steel nets, liquid cement to trap opponents and coat their weapons, fog gas and gas that debilitated anyone who inhaled it; Urko's mask protected him from these gases. His suit also had rockets, allowing him to take off into the air.

   Potts kept "reducing pills" in his lab that were able to temporarily shrink Spider-Man to a tiny size (Pym particles?); it was unrevealed whether these were part of his arsenal as Urko, but they'd be a really weird thing to just have sitting in the lab if they weren't.

 

Height: 5'10" (by estimation)
Weight: 150 lbs. (by estimation)
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair:White

 

History:
(Arañita Super Historias#88 (fb) - BTS) - Percy Potts was a scientist working as a weapons designer at military factory that manufactured munitions under contract for the U.S. government. However he felt ignored and undervalued, believing that he had been poorly rewarded for past inventions, and he decided to never again make the mistake of giving his designs away. Instead he elected to manufacture heavily-armed battlesuit outfitted with his newest and best creations, and use them to steal riches. A fan of the Planet of the Apes franchise, and specifically of the villainous gorilla General Urko, Potts decided to make copyright infringement his first crime and adopt Urko's name and design for his costumed alter ego.

 

(Arañita Super Historias#88) - Finally finishing his suit Potts promised himself that he'd become richer than King Midas. Wanting to make a name for himself, his first target was the grand opening of what was being touted as the world's most secure bank. Entering the bank just as the manager was boating about how secure their vault was, Urko dropped the trenchcoat and hat he had been using to disguise his costume, his bizarre appearance initially being assumed to be some practical joke, at least until he identified himself as Urko the Gorilla and announced his intention to rob the place. As the guards approached Urko released his fog gas to blind them while simultaneously blocking up their firearms with liquid cement. Peter Parker was in the bank with his friend Mary Jane Watson, and with her succumbing to the gas' debilitating effects he felt beholden to get her to safety before changing into Spider-Man to confront the villain. However, he began to pass out too, so before he did so he threw his camera through a window in order to clear the gas. Meanwhile Urko looted the vault and used his suit's rockets to fly away.

 

   The next day Urko struck again, this time at a jewelry store. Having been keeping an eye on news reports, Spider-Man arrived on scene just as Urko escaped by car with his purloined goods. Though he had shed his removed his mask and hidden the rest of his suit under civilian clothing, the hero's spider-sense alerted him as to which vehicle to follow, and he tailed the criminal back to his workplace. Spider-Man followed him into the factory, but at some point Urko had spotted him, and when Spidey entered Potts' lab Urko trapped him in a steel net. Over confident that the net would keep Spider-Man restrained, Urko left him there while he went off to commit another robbery, but in his absence the hero got loose (using "reducing pills" that caused him to shrink small enough to pass through the net!) and set a trap using spare canisters of Urko's own liquid cement. When the villain returned Spider-Man dropped the canisters on Urko's head, the fast-setting cement coating and destroying the suit's weapon tubes, as well as trapping him like a statue. Spider-Man then called the police to alert them to where they could find and arrest their bank robber.

 

Comments: Created by José Luis González Durán.

 

   Arañita Super Historias was one of a number of Mexican comics that included brand new stories for Marvel characters.

 

   Potts is shown reading a Planet of the Apes comic featuring the character of General Urko, which is what inspires his criminal identity. However Urko didn't appear in the movies but in the TV show, and afaik the only place Urko appeared in print prior to this story being published were two British Planet of the Apes Annuals. Did these annuals reach Mexico? The art depicting the comic Potts is reading in Arañita Super Historias does vaguely resemble the cover of the first annual.

 

   This profile was completed on 08/12/2026, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25th anniversary's celebratory event to represent Arañita Super Historias.

 

Profile by Loki.

 

CLARIFICATIONS:
Urko has no known connections to:

images: (without ads)
Arañita Super Historias#88, p3, pan4 (main image)
Arañita Super Historias#88, p3, pan1 (unmasked headshot)
Arañita Super Historias#88, p2, pan3 (constructing the suit)
Arañita Super Historias#88, p7, pan1 (full mask)
Arañita Super Historias#88, p3, pan3 (close-up of mask face, with teeth visible)
Arañita Super Historias#88, p2, pan1 (the comic that inspired his costume, with British annual for cover comparison)
Arañita Super Historias#88, p12, pan1 (deploying stun bullets and hypnotic wheels)

Appearances:
Arañita Super Historias#88 (5th December 1976) - José Luis González Durán (writer, art), editor not credited

First Posted: 09/29/2026
Last updated: 08/12/2026

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

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