CAT-MAN

Real Name: Townshend Horgan

Identity/Class: Human mutate;
Formerly human technology user

Occupation: Criminal

Group MembershipAni-Men (Ape-Man (Gordon "Monk" Keefer), Bird-Man (Henry Hawk), Dragonfly (Veronica Dultry), Frog-Man (Francois LeBlanc)), Organization (Ape-Man (Keefer), Bird-Man (Hawk), Frog-Man (LeBlanc), Organizer (Abner Jones) ), Unholy Three (Ape-Man (Keefer), Bird-Man (Hawk) )

AffiliationsCount Nefaria, Dr. Archibald Stancheck, Exterminator, Madame Masque (Whitney Frost), Organizer (Abner Jonas), Dr. Hellen Rachelson, Kenneth Sturdy;
Formerly Debbie Harris

Enemies: Gail Callan, Chuck, Daredevil (Matt Murdock), Debbie Harris, Iron Man (Tony Stark), Milt, Franklin "Foggy" Nelson, Spider-Man (Peter Parker), X-Men (Banshee (Sean Cassidy), Cyclops (Scott Summers), Colossus (Piotr Rasputin), Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner), Storm (Ororo Munroe), Thunderbird (John Proudstar), Wolverine (Logan/James Howlett))

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Catman

Base of Operations: New York City, New York

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

Powers/Abilities: After his mutation into an cat-like being by the Maggia, Cat-Man possessed claws, enhanced strength, and enhanced agility. Previously, Cat-Man wore a winged suit that granted claws and enhanced strength. While working for the Exterminator, Cat-Man wore antennae that allowed him to communicate with his teammates, and wielded a T-ray (time displacement ray) that would temporarily transport its victims to a limbo-like void.

Height: 6'
Weight: 190 lbs.
Eyes: Green
Hair: Red

History:

(Daredevil I#10 (fb) - BTS) - The Organizer sought to form the Organization, a cabal of criminals he could use to control the city government. He designed four costumes for specially selected criminals. One man became Cat-Man, who had infra-red vision and electronic pulse bombs.

(Daredevil I#10) - At Organizer's orders, Cat-Man rode a helicopter to a local prison and dropped his blackout bomb, knocking out all lights and communication, startling the guards, including Milt. Cat-Man put the copter on autopilot and, using his infrared, jumped down and knocked out the guards as he passed. He soon found Monk Keefer, who'd been contacted prior and was waiting for them. They then took the helicopter back to the Organizer, where they met up with Frog le Blanc and Henry Hawk. The Organizer hired them to served as costumed criminals and dressed them as Ape-Man, Frog-Man, and Bird-Man. Cat-Man was soon sent to rob the city's treasury, which he did so successfully. Frog-Man was attacked by Daredevil during a mission and the Organizer was concerned. When Daredevil foiled one of the Bird-Man's missions, the Organizer determined that they would eliminate Daredevil now and put another plan in place. 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. Cat-Man and Bird-Man were sent to kidnap Debbie Harris, who was secretly an accomplice of the Organizer, and Cat-Man was apprehended by Daredevil. The police identified the unmasked Cat-Man as Horgan and tried coercing him into revealing information, but he knew little worth sharing. Soon Ape-Man attacked, sent by Organizer to take care of Cat-Man, but Daredevil interrupted and fought Ape-Man off.

(Daredevil I#11) - His loyalty to Organizer dissolved, Cat-Man told the police everything he knew about the Organization's plots.

(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 Franklin "Foggy" 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) - 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. 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.

(Classic X-Men#3) - Cat-Man expressed concern that Nefaria was going to allow nuclear destruction.

(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.

(Iron Man I#116 (fb) - BTS) - Count Nefaria, who'd been aged to an ancient man in a wheelchair, contacted the Ani-Men for help in getting revenge on Tony Stark and restoring his youth. They contacted his daughter, Madame Masque (Whitney Frost), who agreed to help them.

(Iron Man I#115) - When Stark entered Frost's penthouse, Ape-Man punched him against the wall, the Frog-Man kicked Stark over the balcony. Bird-Man caught Stark, tossing him back inside, where Cat-Man mauled him. When Stark jumped for his briefcase, Frog-Man stopped him. Just as Stark managed to knock Cat-Man back, Frost and Nefaria then revealed themselves.

(Iron Man I#116) - Ape-Man punched Stark again, then Bird-Man barely missed him. Stark grabbed a gun and fired wildly on the Ani-Men until Frog-Man disarmed him. They continued taunting and hitting Stark as Nefaria explained his plan, then all were shocked when Stark quickly donned Iron Man armor. Iron Man defeated Frog-Man, Bird-Man, and Ape-Man in combat just before the building exploded, killing all four of the Ani-Men.

Comments: Created by Wally Wood and Bob Powell.

Cat-Man received an entry in OHOTMU: Master Edition.

Profile by Chadman.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Cat-Man has no known connections to


Milt

(Daredevil I#10) - Milt was working as a guard at a prison when Cat-Man dropped a blackout bomb on the prison, knocking out all lights and communication.

--Daredevil I#10











images: (without ads)
Daredevil I#10, cover (Cat-Man)
Daredevil I#10, p19, pan6 (Townshend Horgan)
Iron Man I#115, p13, pan1 (3rd)
Daredevil I#10, p2, pan3 (Milt)


Other 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)


First Posted: 02/26/2009
Last updated: 07/16/2014

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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