ANI-MEN

Membership: Ape-Man (Gordon "Monk" Keefer), Bird-Man (Henry Hawk), Cat-Man (Townshend Horgan), Dragonfly (Veronica Dultry), Frog-Man (Francois "Frog" LeBlanc);
(with Organization) Ape-Man, Bird-Man, Cat-Man, Frog-Man;
(as Unholy Three) Ape-Man, Bird-Man, Cat-Man

Purpose: Profit (Criminal team for hire)

Affiliations: Count Nefaria, Madame Masque, Organizer (Abner Jonas), Dr. Hellen Rachelson, Dr. Archibald Stancheck, Kenneth Sturdy;
Formerly Debbie Harris

Enemies: Gail Callan, Chuck, Daredevil (Matt Murdock), Death-Stalker/Exterminator (Philip Sterling), Bernard Harris, Debbie Harris, Joe Harris, Herbert, Iron Man (Tony Stark), Franklin "Foggy" Nelson, Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Spymaster, X-Men (Banshee (Sean Cassidy), Cyclops (Scott Summers), Colossus (Piotr Rasputin), Nightcrawler (Kurt Marko), Storm (Ororo Munroe), Thunderbird (John Proudstar), Wolverine (James Howlett))

Aliases: Organization, Unholy Three

Base of Operations: New York City, New York

First Appearance: Daredevil I#10 (October, 1965)

History:

(Daredevil I#10 (fb) - BTS) - Abner Jonas desired to obtain as much political power as possible and to take over the local government. He was nominated as the Reform Party's candidate for mayor and he put together a complex plot that would give him control of the Reform Party completely. He developed a costumed identity as the Organizer and selected four villains who could serve him, creating criminal identities for each of them. He secured a secret ally in Debbie Harris, daughter of Bernard Harris, the political candidate for borough president.

(Daredevil I#10) - Jonas sent the first recruit, Cat-Man, to liberate Monk Keefer from prison, then contacted Frog le Blanc and Henry Hawk. The three met up with Organizer and Cat-Man and were equipped as Ape-Man, Frog-Man, and Bird-Man respectively, told that they could keep all their proceeds from crime as long as they served the Organizer. Frog-Man fired a spear at Jonas during a Reform Party event and narrowly escaped the attacking Daredevil. Organizer was concerned, but determined that if Daredevil continued to be a problem, they would make him their top priority. He then ordered Bird-Man to rob the Reform Party's campaign funds, but Daredevil foiled the plan so Organizer set up a plot to trap the hero. Cat-Man and Frog-Man robbed a bank in their civilian identities and, by pretending there was a victim inside, convinced Daredevil to open the vault for them. They got away with the cash and Daredevil was implicated. Favor toward the Reform Party continued growing, so Organizer decided to tighten control over the Party's members. Bird-Man and Cat-Man went to kidnap Debbie Harris to turn favor to their side, but Cat-Man was captured. Organizer sent Ape-Man to kill Cat-Man, but Daredevil fought Ape-Man off and followed him to the Organization's headquarters. Bird-Man saw Daredevil there.

(Daredevil I#11) - Daredevil successfully "rescued" Debbie, who turned her attentions back to Murdock. Organizer heard claims that Franklin "Foggy" Nelson was keeping damaging information about the Organization in his personal safe, so he sent his three operatives to investigate. Debbie refused to assassinate the mayor, infuriating the Organizer. She aided Daredevil in apprehending Frog-Man, who Daredevil switched costumes with. Daredevil then had Frog-Man arrested in his Daredevil costume, leading Organizer to believing that the hero had been vanquished. Daredevil, in Frog-Man's costume, then returned to the headquarters. He prepared to go ahead and assassinate the mayor before realizing Frog-Man was an imposter and was broadcasting his words to the public over the television. Organizer tripped a trapdoor for the hero to fall through and took Bird-Man and Ape-Man through a prepared escape route. Jonas later attended a press conference with Nelson and Harris to resign from the Reform Party, and Jonas publicly accused Milton Monroe of being the Organizer. He then had Ape-Man and Bird-Man publicly kidnap him to throw suspicion off himself, but Daredevil stopped them and exposed Jonas. Debbie's testimony helped convict him.

(Daredevil I#39 (fb) - BTS) - Cat-Man, Bird-Man, and Ape-Man escaped from prison and reunited as the Unholy Three. They were recruited by the Exterminator and started on a crime spree.

(Daredevil I#39) - While the Unholy Three committed a robbery, Daredevil attacked the three, managing to repel them and deliver several blows while only being hit a few times himself. Cat-Man managed to kick Daredevil through a plate glass window and the Unholy Three fled. The Exterminator was furious with the three of them for their failure. He then demonstrated his dangerous T-Ray gun, which would knock its victims out of the time stream temporarily. He demonstrated the gun on Ape-Man, who disappeared for a half hour. The Exterminator then sent them to use the device on Debbie Harris, in order for the Unholy Three to get their revenge and for Exterminator to have clout against potential district attorney Nelson. They used the device on the doorman and a patron as well as Harris, sending the crowd running for it.

(Daredevil I#40) - The trio continued their crime spree, using the T-Ray to vanquish a bank guard and even to open the vault. Daredevil attacked again, getting the best of the villains again while taking few shots of his own until Ape-Man managed to hit the hero with the T-Ray. The villains triumphantly departed with their money. They hit pursuing Chuck the policeman with another ray.

(Daredevil I#41) - Foggy Nelson initiated a smear campaign against the Unholy Three, so they hunted him down. Though Nelson tried to stand against them, they easily captured him and returned him to the Exterminator. The Exterminator planned to use the maximum setting on Nelson, but Daredevil attacked yet again and swiftly defeated the Three with powerful blows. The Exterminator's equipment exploded and both Daredevil and Nelson survived.

(Marvel Team-Up I#25 (fb) - BTS) - The Unholy Three started high-profile kidnappings, returning their captives for large amounts of money.

(Marvel Team-Up I#25 (fb)) - Bird-Man swooped down on Gail Callan, daughter of a wealthy industrialist, kidnapping her from her bodyguards. They demanded that Callan's blind attorney, Matt Murdock, deliver the ransom money to Cat-Man in an alley, and Cat-Man soon collected.

(Marvel Team-Up I#25) - While walking with the ransom money, Cat-Man was attacked by Spider-Man. After managing to evade several blows, though the money was webbed to the ground, Cat-Man was shocked when Daredevil attacked Spider-Man, not knowing the hero was secretly Murdock himself. Cat-Man could not pry the money loose, so he made a run for it. From their hideout in Coney Island, Ape-Man and Bird-Man were furious that the money was gone. Ape-Man threatened Gail, who was tied to a chair, but didn't plan on harming her. When Daredevil and Spider-Man attacked, Bird-Man swore to kill Gail. Daredevil kicked Cat-Man while Spider-Man saved Gail and put up a web wall, which Ape-Man tore through. Daredevil traded blows with Cat-Man and Ape-Man, who soon went running for it, while Bird-Man went after Gail. Spider-Man managed to rip Bird-Man's wings from him, then webbed him from a lamppost. Cat-Man fled into the House of Horror, where he figured his infra-red lenses would give him the advantage, but Daredevil easily knocked him out and left him unconscious in a spider web prop. Ape-Man grabbed Gail and threatened to throw her off the top of the Ferris wheel, but the heroes started the cars and saved Gail while Ape-Man went crashing to the ground. The Unholy Three were soon arrested.

(X-Men I#94 (fb) - BTS) - Count Nefaria, using his Maggia connections, had Ape-Man (who began calling himself Gort), Bird-Man, Cat-Man, Frog-Man, and new ally Dragonfly mutated by Dr. Kenneth Sturdy, Stanchek and Hellen to become more animal-like. Calling them his Ani-Men, he put together a plot to blackmail the world.

(X-Men I#94) - The Ani-Men teleported into the Valhalla base when Joe Harris inadvertently activated the teleporting technology. They defeated the men in the room before Count Nefaria joined them, flooding the rest of the mountain with anesthetic gas. Nefaria then released a media message, demanding a ransom from every country in the world or he would launch nuclear missiles at them. Dragonfly soon notified Nefaria that the X-Men's craft was approaching, and Nefaria was thrilled to get revenge on his old foes, launching missiles at them. When they evaded the missiles, he used a sonic disruptor on them, destroying their ship.

(X-Men I#95) - The X-Men (Banshee, Cyclops, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Storm, Thunderbird, Wolverine) survived and Nightcrawler teleported into Valhalla, where Frog-Man kicked him. Frog-Man chased Nightcrawler around the tunnel, incensed at being called a mutant, until the hero knocked him unconscious with a punch. Nefaria was furious at Frog-Man, but left him to his fate as he prepared to deal with the rest of the mutants. Nefaria tried gassing the X-Men, then had Dragonfly hypnotize a group of soldiers to go after the mutants, who easily persevered. The Ani-Men , with a revived Frog-Man, then attacked, Ape-Man jumped on Thunderbird and tossed him into Banshee. Cyclops fired on an evading Bird-Man. Nightcrawler jumped at Frog-Man. Colossus punched Ape-Man. Storm launched lightning at an evading Dragonfly. Cat-Man leapt on Wolverine, who fell back until Colossus knocked Cat-Man out with a punch. As Frog-Man leapt over Nightcrawler, Cyclops hit him with an optic blast, the Bird-Man picked up Cyclops until Nightcrawler knocked him out of the air. Storm zapped Ape-Man with lightning, but it took punches from Wolverine and Nightcrawler to down him. Dragonfly tried hypnotizing Cyclops, but his visor opened and the optic blast downed her. The X-Men soon defeated Nefaria, though Thunderbird was killed in the battle.

(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#16: Ani-Men) - At some point after the NORAD missile adventure, the Ani-Men reverted to normal human form.

(Iron Man I#115 (fb) - BTS) - When Count Nefaria was aged to be an elderly man, he had his daughter, Madame Masque, recruit the Ani-Men. They were ordered to capture Tony Stark, who would be ordered to help de-age Nefaria.

(Iron Man I#115) - The Ani-Men waited at Stark's business until he returned. Ape-Man knocked him backward into Frog-Man, who kicked him into Bird-Man, then Cat-Man knocked him back with a punch. When Stark rushed for his briefcase, Frog-Man kicked him back again, then Stark knocked Cat-Man out with a punch. Madame Masque and the elderly Count Nefaria then revealed themselves.

(Iron Man I#116) - The Ani-Men continued beating up on Stark while Nefaria and Masque watched. After Ape-Man struck Stark, Stark ducked under Cat-Man's leap and grabbed a gun from a secret wall compartment. Stark fired several stray shots until Frog-Man knocked him out. When Stark awoke, he was tossed by Ape-Man near his briefcase and Stark opened it and quickly donned his Iron Man armor contained in the case, shocking the Ani-Men. Iron Man swiftly defeated Frog-Man, knocking him into Cat-Man and through the wall. When Bird-Man tried to fly away, Iron Man quickly grounded him. Ape-Man then launched himself at Iron Man, who knocked him back. An unexpected explosion set by the Spymaster then killed all four Ani-Men.

(Daredevil I#158) - Death-Stalker stopped by the morgue to examine their corpses.













Comments: Created by Wally Wood and Bob Powell.

This team of villains switched its name three times, from the Organization (working for Organizer) to the Unholy Three to the Ani-Men.

Thanks to Per Degaton for the addition from their Deluxe Edition entry.

Profile by Chadman.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Unholy Three/Ani-Men/Organization have no known connections to

Chuck

(Daredevil I#40) - A policeman, Chuck, pursued the Unholy Three after they robbed a bank, but they hit him with the T-Ray, temporarily displacing him in time.

--Daredevil I#40

Herbert

(Daredevil I#41) - Herbert and his companion saw Foggy Nelson get kidnapped by the Unholy Three.

--Daredevil I#41

images: (without ads)
Daredevil I#10, p1, pan3 (Organization)
Daredevil I#10, p1 (Organization 2nd)
Daredevil I#10, p11, pan1 (headquarters)
Daredevil I#39, p9, pan1 (Unholy Three)
Marvel Team-Up I#25, p3, pan1 (Unholy Three 2nd)
X-Men I#94, p10, pan5 (Ani-Men)
Iron Man I#116, p1 (Ani-Men 2nd)
Daredevil I#40, p14, pan4 (Chuck)
Daredevil I#41, p6, pan1 (Herbert)

Appearances:
Daredevil I#10 (October, 1965) - Wally Wood (writer/inker), Bob Powell (penciler), Stan Lee (editor)
Daredevil I#11 (December, 1965) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Bob Powell (penciler), Wally Wood (inker)
Daredevil I#39 (April, 1968) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Gene Colan (penciler), Artie Simek (inker)
Daredevil I#40-41 (May-June, 1968) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Gene Colan (penciler), John Tartaglione (inker)
Marvel Team-Up I#25 (September, 1974) - Len Wein (writer), Jim Mooney (penciler), Frank Giacoia (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
X-Men I#94 (August, 1975) - Chris Claremont (writer), Dave Cockrum (penciler), Bob McLeod (inker), Len Wein (editor)
X-Men I#95 (October, 1975) - Chris Claremont (writer), Dave Cockrum (penciler), Sam Grainger (inker), Len Wein (editor)
Iron Man I#115 (October, 1978) - Bill Mantlo (writer), John Romita, Jr. (penciler), Dan Green (inker), Roger Stern (editor)
Iron Man I#116 (November, 1978) - Dave Michelinie (writer), John Romita, Jr. (penciler), Bob Layton (inker), Roger Stern (editor)
Daredevil I#158 (May, 1979) - Roger Mackenzie (writer), Frank Miller (penciler), Klaus Janson (inker), Allen Milgrom (editor)

First Posted: 02/26/2009
Last updated: 05/13/2018

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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