DOCTOR BONGDOCTOR BONG
Real Name: Lester Verde
Identity/Class: Human technology user;
citizen of the United States of America, presumably with a criminal record at this point
Occupation: Entrepreneur, genetic engineer, professional criminal, psychologist;
former Chief Executive Officer for Bellweather Media Group, journalist
(newspaper/tabloid writer), music performer, rock music critic,
Group Membership: Super Villains Anonymous
(including el Gato, Grizzly/Max Markham, Hippo/Mrs. Fluffy Lumpkins, Looter/Norton G.
Fester, Mirage/Desmond Charne, Porcupine/Roger Gocking, and apparently a descendent,
mutation, prosthesis-wearing or something of the Armless Tiger Man (see comments)), leader of a group of his genetically-modified animals (Carlo,
Fifi, Greta, Lassie, unidentified cat person, unidentified beaked creatures, unidentified drake, unidentified long-nosed/trunked creature, unidentified ram-creature, unidentified top
hat-wearing sea serpent, multiple unidentified
reptilian creatures -- he has also referred to this whole group as his
flock, his pets, and those specifically working in the lab as his lab assistants.;
former leader/creator of Secret Avengers imposters (Batch 135, Batch 191, and unidentified Batch, imperfect clones of Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff, Steve Rogers, and Moon Knight/Marc Spector);
formerly Bellweather Media Group, Globally Branded Content.com
Affiliations: Band of the Bland (Black Hole/Morton Kribbee, Sitting Bullseye/Olivier Bedwette, Spanker/Fred Hovel, Tillie the
Hun/Matilda von Tromp), le Beaver/Pierre Dentifris, Black Talon/Thibodaux Boudreaux, Bzzk J'oh, Dr. Angst (Floyd Mangles), Kenneth Flogg, Heather, Jackpot, Jester (Jody Putt; although he did accidentally knock him out), Jokester,
Greedy Killerwatt, Kong Lomerate, Maller, Peter
Pitterpool, Pro-Rata, Puffin, Quizling,
and Wally Sidney, unidentified captain of a Russian trawler;
he was presumably friendly on some level with the other attendees of
the Bar with No Name and the Rascal Tavern
wrote for the Back Biter, Investigator Smut, Supermarket Enquirer, and unidentified major midwestern paper, and many others;
formerly Ilaney Brükner, Deadpool (Jack/"Wade Wilson"), Mildred Horowitz and his Band, Ian Whippingham, Barbara (presumably formerly);
briefly Beverly Switzler
Enemies: Andy the Angel, Backdoor Boys (A.J., J.T., B.J., T.J., Justin), Chadmaster, Chireeep and her Poporb, Dakimh the Enchanter, Jim Furgen, Gub-gala-emegir, Howard the Duck, Jennifer Kale, Misty Knight, Korrek the Barbarian, Man-Thing, Master C'haaj, Suzi Pazuzu, Amy Pope (he didn't encounter her, but he destroyed her bathroom), Kitty Pryde, David Schuster, Secret Avengers (Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff, Moon Knight/Marc Spector, Steve Rogers), She-Hulk (Jen Walters), Hemlock Shoals, Skudge Hospital staff, S.S. Damned's captain and crew (including Paul Same, Winda Wester, and presumably Iris Raritan), Claude Starkowski, Beverly Switzler,
Lee Switzler, U.S. Coast Guard, Paul White, Colleen Wing, Wolverine (Logan/James
Howlett), Marky, other kids growing up, Bob and his wife, unidentified
group of poker players;
formerly Ian Whippingham;
uncertain relationship with Galactongue and the Brotherhood of Evil
Prepositions (Amonger, Arounder, Betweener, Of, Underneather, and
Withiner),
Known Relatives: Stephanie Verde (mother)
Bong Quintuplets (Lester Jr., Chester, Nestor, Fester, and Howie; genetic clones; "children");
Beverly Switzler has been listed as his ex-wife, but it is unconfirmed whether their marriage was legal or not (see comments)
Aliases: Easter Bunny;
"chime-face" (nicknames from Howard the Duck)
"Ding-Dong" and "Gong Show Husband" (nicknames from Beverly Switzler);
"Dr. Bing" (nickname/mispronunciation from Kenneth Flogg?)
Base of Operations: Currently unrevealed;
formerly a super-secret underground headquarters;
(possibly) formerly Castle Bong, atop a Himalyan mountain (he may still live there and teleport other places.;
formerly Castle Bong, on a bell-shaped atoll in the Mediterranean Sea;
place of birth unrevealed
Education: Ph.D.s in journalism and psychology; advanced training in acoustics, quantum mechanics, and bioengineering
First Appearance: Howard the Duck I#15 (August, 1977)
Powers/Abilities: A
genius in multiple fields, Dr. Bong has mastered acoustics and sonics,
as well as bioengineering, psychology, quantum mechanics and rhetoric.
He has knowledge of genetic engineering advanced far beyond the scope
of contemporary mainstream science. He designed the Evolvo-Chamber,
with which he can genetically manipulate animals
into more humanoid (form with varying degrees of intelligence and
speech capacity (somewhat like the High Evolutionary's New Men); he can also manipulate creatures into a more giant or more monstrous form; in
one instance, he transformed Howard the Duck into completely human form
(except that it only had three fingers and a thumb on each hand),
albeit temporarily. He may also be able to create living creatures on his own.
His creations often have stunted verbal abilities, and are prone to
making the sound, "Neez." Some of his creations, however, are quite
loquacious and/or erudite.
He
can create clones, although these are somewhat imperfect and sometimes
short-lived. Cell samples can be accelerated into fully formed infants
within an unusually short period of time, perhaps 24 hours.
Via his Molecular MarketingTM,
he can genetically engineer human forms (specifically, young teen
idols, who lack umbilici, as they were not born via a placental birth).
The technology/software is simple/friendly
enough that his genetically manipulated animal servants can create
clones.
Bong
outfitted at least one of his creations, the top-hat wearing
sea-serpent, with a pleasure buttons that allowed for easier control in
case of emergency.
Bong also has sufficient technological, scientific, and sonic expertise to tranform television signals/shows into a real-life pocket dimension that he could manipulate at will: BongvisionTM. Within that dimension, all TV shows are recreated with an enhanced sense of realism, all controllable by Bong.
Verde's language skills enable him to build up or destroy anyone’s public life with a few well-chosen words. He utilizes "facts, liberally spiced with interpretive material, of course, and nifty juxtapositions of undistorted truth."
He also speaks Russian fluently enough to clearly detail a complex
threat and provide instructions/ultimatums.
Dr. Bong wears a bell-shaped helmet on his head and a large metal
clapper-like mallet in place of his severed left hand to perform a wide
variety of tintinnabulatory feats. He has worn a variety of fashions of
bells, perhaps dictated by his specific needs, or perhaps just fashion
whimsy.
Sonic vibrations created by striking clapper to helmet can be used to
activate specially tuned devices, paralyze (for seconds to weeks as
desired) or kill living beings, create concussive force (sufficient to
rend steel), create virtually impenetrable force barriers (effective
even against intangible foes), manipulate pocket dimensions,
and apparently allow for teleportation (of himself and other beings in
his vicinity), although other sources have proposed the bell merely
activates other technological devices. Via varying the pitches of his
peals, Bong can produce the desired effects.
It
is unrevealed how Bong protects himself from the adverse effects of the
vibrations of his own clapper against the bell he wears around his
head. If struck incorrectly (or struck by another object,
particularly metal other than Bong's clapper), however, the sound of his bell
helmet's peal can harm even Dr. Bong. Regardless, the bell itself is bulletproof.
The helmet can mirror his own facial expressions (or perhaps its just artistic license?).
The clapper, weighing perhaps 25 lbs., can serve as a blunt weapon and can be used with deadly force. He also carriers a clapper-like mace and wears a fireproof costume.
Bong can also creat highly effective illusions through uncertain means, perhaps involving holography. This may at least partially explain his flying concrete swan and instances showing the temporary illusion of death.
Aside from teleportation, can travel via Flying Bongers, bell-shaped saucers that include devices for communicating with Castle Bong.
He maintains Castle Bong, a facility that seems to exist both on a
bell-shaped Mediterranean atoll and on a high Himalayan peak. Whether
the building teleports between locations, is in two separate locations
joined by dimension-warping technology or whether the island is merely
an illusion is unrevealed. The Bell originally appeared as a castle
with bell-shaped towers, but later was seen with the castle itself
being entirely bell-shaped. Whether he had his castle reconstructed
conventionally or via his advanced sonic technology, or whether its
appearance is, at least, in part illusory is unrevealed.
The
high-tech facility includes a bell-shaped temple, a castle with
bell-shaped towers and vast arrays of complicated machinery intended
primarily for show. Despite the elaborate scientific laboratories of
other villains, Bong prefers a minimalist approach to gadgetry. 
He, at least previously, considered his typewriter (and printing press) to be the most powerful weapon in his arsenal.
Bong has also created technology suitable only for MAX comics, which helped determine how Boy Bands members would be received by young teenage, or pre-teen girls.
Dr. Bong allegedly possesses the strength of a man of his age, height, and build who engages in intensive regular exercise (see comments). Having only one hand limits his manual dexterity somewhat, and, under pressure, he may have trouble tying shoes, which may be why he prefers laceless boots.
Dr. Bong's face is apparently hideously scarred, although whether this was a result of the process through which he developed his abilities or from some other trauma, or otherwise, is unrevealed (see comments).
Height: 6'2" (6'8" with helmet)
Weight: 225 lbs. (260 lbs. with helmet and clapper)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: It is unrevealed whether he still has any hair on his head; his hair was at least formerly reddish blond, including a beard
History: 
(Howard
the Duck I#17 (fb)) - Lester Verde was a chubby child who cried as the other kids mocked him.
(Howard the Duck I#17 (fb)) - Lester came home in tears and told his sympathetic mother how the other kids had made fun of them and that they were a bunch of "monkey-mouths!" Impressed with the original name Lester had come up with, which she bet was funnier than the names the kids had called him, Ms. Verde told him how she had wanted to be a writer when she was growing up and that she might have been if she had his talent for making up names. When she told him the pen is mightier than the sword, Lester was inspired. He raced upstairs seized a pen as his weapon and embarked on a career of using words against his enemies.
(Howard the Duck I#17 (fb)) - In third grade, Lester's class took a field trip to the local newspaper, and he heard his calling in the roar of the presses, which he figured were exponentially more powerful than the pen.
(Howard the Duck I#17 (fb)) - In college, Lester majored in journalism. When he wrote sensationalist material -- specifically "Youth gang terrorized city -- mayor's family slaughtered!" -- Professor Jim Furgen instructed him to defend this garbage, but Lester argued that since it was not libelous, he could write whatever he wanted: "Syntax is mightier than your ethics, sir!"
(Howard
the Duck I#17 (fb) - BTS) - As Professor Furgen missed the implied
threat, Lester felt compelled to demonstrate the truth of his position.
After Professor Furgen once obtained a few capsules of some illegal
stimulant to keep himself awake while he completed a very important
monograph, Lester wrote an article for the campus paper, the Bird of
Prey, with the headline, "Journalism Prof Accused in Drug Scandal."
The scandal ruined Professor Furgen's life: He lost his tenure and his wife divorced him.
(Howard the Duck I#17 (fb) - BTS) - Lester continued on, developing sources and informants, learning whom to get drunk, whom to pay, and whom to flatter to get the information he needed. He felt confident that he could have toppled the dean, the chancellor, and half the student body if he wanted to.
(Howard the Duck I#17 (fb)) - To aid in honing his visual perspicacity, Lester enrolled in a life-drawing course during his senior year. On four separate occasions, Beverly Switzler modeled for those classes, and Verde was enamored by her.
Though he had rarely spoken to women (other than his mother) before, Lester intercepted Bev on the stairs and "politely suggested they -- date."Bev rebuffed Lester and instead rushed into the arms of her boyfriend, David Schuster.
(Howard the Duck I#17 (fb) - BTS) - Presumably via information shared by Lester, David's parents yanked him out of school the next week for dating a non-Jewish girl. David subsequently died in a car crash driving back to school through a blizzard to visit Bev.
(Howard the Duck I#17 (fb) - BTS) - Over the years, Lester refined his technique, and his byline appeared in some of the nation's most widely read periodicals, such as "Woman Eats Child For Snack With Coffee" in the Investigator Smut; "Senator Makes Lewd Gesture At Prexy," in the Supermarket Enquirer; and "Is Ann-Margaret Roger Moore With a Wig On?" in the Back Biter.
Secretly, Lester hoped Bev would notice, but she didn't. In time, he concluded he was aiming at the wrong market to reach her.
(Howard
the Duck I#17 (fb)) - Lester signed with a major midwestern paper as a
rock critic, but while he wanted to be a culture star like Rolling
Stone co-founder Jann Wenner, they wanted him to report like Jonah
Jameson (or, at least they didn't want whatever material he wanted to
publish). Quitting, he next got the idea to gain stardom via
association.
(Howard the Duck I#17 (fb) - BTS) - Lester arranged to go on tour and perform with Mildred Horowitz and his band, the most popular, outrageous rock group of the time. He planned to write about the group, its lifestyle, and the teenage hysteria they engendered. As he already had a paperback deal lined up, he happily became part of it all, planning to sensationalize his seduction later, in print.
(Howard the Duck I#17 (fb)) - As the Easter Bunny, Lester would appear on stage as a symbol of innocence that Mildred and his band obliterated, battering him with their guitars. Large bells were tolled on stage during the shows.
(Howard the Duck I#17 (fb)) - One night, things got too wild, and Lester (as the Easter Bunny) stumbled into Mildred's guillotine. His left bunny mitten snaged and when the blade dropped, it cut off his left hand.
(OHotMU Update '89#2: Doctor Bong entry (fb) - BTS / Deadpool: Rank and Foul: Doctor Bong entry (fb) - BTS) - Under unrevealed circumstances, Verde replaced his left hand with a metal ball and underwent advanced training. He eventually became the disfigured master geneticist and acoustician Dr. Bong, establishing an apparently mobile castle base populated by various animals he had genetically modified into more humanoid form with varying degrees of intelligence and speech capacity.
Verde vowed to reveal the circumstances that led to him becoming Bong only to the woman who agreed to be his mate.
(Howard the Duck I#17 (fb) - BTS) - Bong obtained Beverly's journal from 9 years earlier.
(Howard the Duck I#15 (fb) - BTS) - Dr. Bong gave the drake "neez," transforming it to humanoid biped form.
(Howard the Duck I#17 (fb) - BTS) - While planning to capture Beverly and make her his, he also plotted to transform Howard the Duck into a more humanoid form so that he might mate with Bong's duck-woman Fifi and produce offspring.
(Howard the Duck I#15 - BTS) - As the S.S. Damned ship, carrying Beverly Switzler and Howard the Duck, neared the Island of Dr. Bong, he sent a top hat-wearing sea serpent to plague the ship. He subsequently caused a number of large rocks to rain down on the ship's surface. As the ship's inhabitants spotted the island, Bong pealed his bell several times, causing one of the rocks to crack open and a concrete swan to hatch from it. Beverly unwittingly grabbed hold of a wing and was carried away as the swan flew into the air, and Howard grabbed the bottom of her dress so she wouldn't be taken away by herself. After they landed in quicksand, Bong's reptilian creations and a humanoid drake saved them.
(Howard the
Duck I#15) - Thereafter, Bong called out, "Surprise!" He then mocked
Bev's surprised reply and welcomed them to "the Island
of -- Dr. Bong!"
(Howard the Duck I#17) - Bong told Beverly how he had spared neither effort nor expense to bring her and "the fowl" to his islands. He told her they were guests in his private paradise and suggested that they might soon be partners in -- but Howard interrupted, taking Bev by the hand as he declined the offer and tried to depart. Bong halted Howard by paralyzing him via clanging his bell, instructing Howard that his whim was canon and his authority inexpugnable and warning that he could have just as easily killed him. Bong then had the reptilian Lassie bring Howard to the North Tower, where Fifi would attend to his needs, while he gave Beverly a tour of his castle. Beverly was astounded by the solid stone castle and how much it must have cost. Ignoring that, he then showed her his computer bank and machinery room, which was ornamenetal and essentially made noise and had lights flash, as it was intended primarily to intimidate superficial intellects like Bev's. After explaining that image was everything and defining himself as the domination of style over substance and form over content, he then showed her his nerve center, a chair in front of the most potent weapon ever devised by man, the typewriter.
(Howard the Duck I#17 - BTS) - After Howard recovered and found Bev's journal within his quarters, Fifi served him beans and franks.
(Howard the Duck I#17) - Meanwhile, Bong's boulders from the sky vanished from the S.S. Damned, as did the damage they had caused. When Winda Wester and Paul Same tried to convince the ship's captain to try to rescue Howard and Bev, Bong appeared on the ship, warning them against this and threatening to damage the ship even worse if they didn't depart at once; after his departing Bong caused the whole ship to reverbate powerfully, the captain agreed to leave. Paul suggested that he and Winda could head out by rowboat themselves, but they then found the entire island apparently gone.
(Howard the Duck I#18 (fb) - BTS) - Bong apparently transported his entire castle atop a mountain in the Himalayas.
(Howard
the
Duck I#17) - Back in his study, Bong was pleased with the resounding success of his
first true test of power, as with the announcement of dinner being
served, and with Beverly changed into a dress of his choosing and
standing atop the table. Bong then shared his origins with her. Bev was
disturbed to learn what he had done to Professor Flurgen and mortified
to learn he was responsible for David's death.
(Howard the Duck I#17 - BTS) - After Fifi revealed Bong's plans for her and Howard, Howard fled and headed for Bev.
(Howard the Duck I#17) - Bong told Bev he was pledged only to reveal the other half of his history to his mate, and asked her to share his secrets, fortress, power, and flock. While she reeled at the idea of marriage in general, Howard crashed through the window to rescue Bev, only to be captured by Bong's animal creatures and then rendered unconscious by another peal of Bong's bell. Bong then told his servants to take Howard to the Evolvo-Chamber but not to harm him. He tried to soothe Bev, telling her she would regret nothing, as the pen is mightier, too than the heart.
(Howard the Duck I#18 (fb) - BTS) - Bong promised Beverly that Howard would not perish if she agreed to marry him, and she relented.
(Howard the Duck I#18) - As Howard sat within the Evolvo-Chamber, Bong explained that he had not promised nothing would happen to Howard. He further detailed how he planned to electronically reprogram Howard's genetic structure to reconstruct him as if he had been born another species. Assuring Bev he was certain she would approve of the changes once she'd seen them, he tried to lead her away to arrange their nuptials, but Bev rushed back, ignoring Bong's orders, and tried to turn off the process. Having no idea what she was doing, she instead sped up and altered things, after which she fled in distress. Bong ordered his agents to salvage the experiment, but when smoke and electrical bursts began to discharge, he declared it terminated and ordered everyone to flee. Denying Fifi's insistence to save Howard as her promised mate, he ordered her to come with him as he departed.
(Howard the Duck I#18 - BTS) - Fifi broke Howard out of the Evolvo-Chamber and rushed him away seconds before it exploded.
(Howard the Duck I#18) - As Bong ordered his servants to douse the flames, Fifi escaped to her room with Howard unseen by Bong.
Bong then located Beverly, who had collapsed in despair after having learned the castle had been relocated atop a Himalayan mountain, telling her she must never meddle with his work again; she must be supportive, trusting, and blindly and slavishly obedient. When she acquiesced, Bong clapped his bell, taking her away for their marriage. He transported them off the coast of Maine aboard a Russian trawler that had been discovered by the Coast Guard. In exchange for preventing the confronting, Bong requested the captain marry them. When the captain agreed, Bong transported the Coast Guard cutter away, atop Mount Ararat, and the captain summoned them to his cabin to perform the wedding.
(Howard the Duck I#19 - BTS) - Fifi and Howard (who had transformed into human) escaped in his Flying Bonger ship; Fifi was seemingly killed when the US Air Force shot down the apparent UFO in Manhattan's Central Park, although Howard was relatively unharmed.
(Howard the Duck I#19 (fb) - BTS) - The wedding ceremony was completed as planned.
(Howard
the
Duck I#19) - Upon returning to his castle, Bong was furious to learn
that both Howard and Fifi had fled; when Bev jumped for joy, Bong
caused her to collapse with a peal of his bell. Demanding allegiance
from his wife and reminding her he could kill her with his powers, he
departed, instructing his servants to take her to his chambers to await
his arrival. Scanning recent headlines, he saw information on a(n) UFO
crash that matched the disappearance of Fifi and the Bonger. Figuring
Howard survived, he clapped his bell and transported to confront him.
Shortly thereafter, Bong arrived in the bathroom of Amy Pope, whom Howard the human had befriended. Bong confronted the freshly re-ducked Howard as he emerged from the shower, asking if he truly thought he had eluded him.
(Howard the Duck I#20) - When Howard asked Bong why he wasn't home with his new bride, Bong angrily smashed the floor with his clapper hand, and both Bong and Howard fell through the hole he created, with Bong crashing onto the table of men playing a serious all-night poker game. Enraged at the disruption of their chances to win big, the players jumped on Bong, with one man standing with his foot on Bong's left wrist, pinning his clapper hand, and giving Howard the chance to slip out the window and down a drainage pipe.
(Howard the Duck I#20 - BTS) - Correctly figuring the Bong was seeking to eliminate Bev's divided loyalties, Howard resolved not to make it easy for him.
(Howard the Duck I#20) - Angrily throwing off his attackers, Bong considered squashing them, but since their taunts of him and his speech patterns reminded him of his childhood peers, he instead "only" paralyzed them for the next 90 days with a peal of his bell.
Reaching the street, Bong spotted Howard's shadow in an alley and rushed toward him, only to be struck in his bell helmet by a pipe Howard had found. Angonized by the induced peal, Bong was unwillingly transported away...
(Howard the Duck I#25 (fb) - BTS) - ...back to his castle
(Howard the Duck I#25 (fb) - BTS) - Embittered by his defeat at Howard's hands, Bong occupied himself with "desultory experimentation."
(Howard the Duck I#24 - BTS) - Haunted by dreams/visions including Dr. Bong and the Kidney Lady, Howard was unable to sleep.
(Howard the Duck I#25) - Frustrated with the lack of attention, Beverly confronted Bong, reminding him how he had lusted after her, and telling him "take your stupid bell off your head -- and let's play house." Bong agreed, but forewarned her that he played every game for keeps, to which she shushed him, telling him not to balloon her expectations.
(Howard the Duck I#31 (fb) - BTS) - Bong never consummated the marriage, instead insisting on reciting Poe's The Bells" every night until dawn.
(Howard the Duck I#27) - While his mutates played musical instuments, Bong cheered and clapped as Beverly demonstrated her gymnastic prowess. After she sat on his lap and told him she was happy he had coerced her into marriage, he shared that his plan for world conquest was proceeding apace. He told her that soon they would rule the planet together and he would regain his dignity by slaying Howard, the only creature to ever thwart his ambitions; though he could not see her face, Beverly was horrified by this thought.
(Howard the Duck I#31 (fb) - BTS) - Bev harvested some of Bong's nail-clippings, with plans to clone him and then use the infant clones in a plot to force him to let Howard and her go, or risk disgrace.
(Howard the Duck I#30) - Bong suddenly teleported to confront Howard at Skudge Hospital in Skudge, Pennsylvania, as Howard waited with Beverly's uncle, Lee, by the bedside of the recently injured Paul Same and Winda Wester. As the peal of his bell distrubed the patients and staff, as well as Lee, Bong silenced them all with a paralyzing peal. He then told Howard how he was preventing him from receiving Beverly's undivided affections; realizing Beverly still cared for Howard, he announced that she would never be wholly his until Howard had been destroyed.
Prefering to destroy Howard in a public setting, as image was everything to him, Bong instructed Howard to meet him in mortal combat in 24 hours, or he would reduce the hospital -- with Howard's friends in it -- to rubble, and Howard would be forever branded a coward in Bev's eyes. With a taunting parting gesture, Bong teleported away again.
(Howard the Duck I#30 - BTS) - Beverly, aided by Bong's mutates, accessed Bong's laboratory and turned on his Evolvo-Chamber.
(Howard the Duck I#30) - Bong returned to the castle and surprised Beverly, telling her the "good news" that within 24 hours Howard would be dead. Unbeknownst to Bong, Beverly was preparing a plan to save Howard.
(Howard the Duck I#30 - BTS) - In preparation for this combat, Lee brought Howard to his friend Claude Starkowsky, who constructed the Iron Duck armor for him.
(Howard the Duck I#30) - As Lee helped set up some additional traps for Bong back at the hospital, Bong arrived early and announced their combat would begin.
(Howard the Duck I#31) - Bong's peal paralyzed Lee before he could activate the sonic field intended to nullify Bong's soundwaves, although the cotton balls in Howard's ears (not that he has any external ear structure...). As Howard dodged the swing of his clapper and then fled, Bong ordered him to stand his ground and then used a peal of his bell to stop knock Howard off his feet, as well as to form a virtually impenetrable shield around the hospital, cutting them off from the rest of the world. Howard used his armor's flame-thrower against Bong, who then used another peal to cause hospital equipment to pile atop Howard. While the flame-thrower went out, Bong easily located Howard due to his unwittingly activated chest searchlight. As Bong prepared a deathblow, however, Howard activated his armor's drill, enabling him to escape throught the floor, but his boot-springs activated when he landed, and they bounced him back up the stairs to Bong.
Howard then activated Claude's sonic dishes, paining Bong's ears, but as Claude had forgotten to put a battery in one, they burnt out quickly. In desperation, Howard located his emergency hammer, leapt at Bong's head, and clapped it against his bell, and the two were transported back to Bong's castle. Pleased to have the chance to destroy Howard in front of Beverly but surprised that she had not joined them after hearing their approach, Bong repeatedly clanged his bell, progressively shattering Howard's armor.
(Howard the Duck I#31 - BTS) - Beverly's project finished as she heard the commotion, and she took her completed newspaper from Bong's private print room, and delivered it a man waiting outside the castle, instructing him to get it to Cleveland. She then had Bong's mutates bring the large beaker containing the Bong quintuplets along as she went to confront Bong.
(Howard the Duck I#31) - Though frustrated at shattering one of a matching set of tables in the process, Bong finally destroyed the last of Howard's armor and then identified and plucked out the cotton balls from his ears. Bong again raised his clapper for a final strike, but Beverly called out to stop him. She then showed him the Quintuplets as well as a mock-up headline for the Cleveland Plain-Dealer that would implicate Bong as a negligent father for abandoning his children while he was out conquering the world. After she told Bong that she had sent the story to the press and it would be published if anything happened to her, Bong accepted defeat. Cursing Beverly as a betraying Delilah! Jezebel! Judas! Erlichman! and Haldeman! he transported them to Skudge with a peal of his bell.
He then urged his mutates to heat up some formula for the quintuplets.
(Howard
the
Duck I#31 - BTS) - The editor of the Cleveland newspaper took Bev's article as a joke and threw it in the trash.
(Steve Gerber's unpublished script for Howard the Duck#1 "Secret Crisis II" (fb) - BTS) - Dr. Bong was transported -- along with Dr. Angst and the Band of the Bland (Black Hole Sitting Bullseye, Spanker, Tillie the Hun), le Beaver, Black Talon, Bzzk J'oh, Jackpot, Jokester, Greedy Killerwatt, Kong-Lomerate, Maller, Pro-Rata, Puffin, Quizling, and Wally Sidney -- to within a fire hydrant-like construct in an interdimensional space between the REALITY mirroring the storyline generated by the Poporb of Krylorian techno-artist Chireep. Chaos swiftly erupted as many of their number began fighting amongst themselves.
(Steve
Gerber's unpublished script for Howard the Duck#1 "Secret Crisis II") -
Bong and Angst urged the others to cease their brawling. After
Galactongue disgorged a galaxy into the interspace, Bong his associates
were greeted by the Brotherhood of Evil
Prepositions (Amonger, Arounder, Betweener, Of, Underneather, and
Withiner), who
challenged them to "Play both ends against the middle, and all you
desire shall be yours!" They were then transported to the boardroom of
a building on a planet in the new galaxy, where Kong Lomerate assumed a
leadership role.
(Steve Gerber's unpublished script for Howard the Duck#1 "Secret Crisis II" - BTS) - Meanwhile,
another group -- Andy the Angel, Dakimh the Enchanter, Howard the Duck,
Jennifer Kale, Korrek the Barbarian, Man-Thing, Master C'haaj
(sp?), Hemlock Shoals, and Claude Starkowski (and they were soon joined
by Chireep and her Poporb) -- had been similarly transported into the
interspace (with a Winnnebago-like construct) and arrived in the
building's mailroom.
(Steve Gerber's unpublished script for Howard the Duck#1 "Secret Crisis II") - As they had all observed that others had arrived via a Winnnebago, Bong and the others agreed to Kong's plan that they must divide, intimidate, and then damage their opponents.
(Steve Gerber's unpublished script for Howard the Duck#1 "Secret Crisis II" (fb) - BTS) - Bong, presumably along with some of the others, targeted Andy the Angel, Dakimh the Enchanter, Jennifer Kale, Korrek the Barbarian, Man-Thing, Master C'haaj (sp?), Hemlock Shoals, and Claude Starkowski, while Kong led Maller, Jackpot, and Greedy Killerwatt to attack Howard and Chireep, who had left the mailroom (see comments).
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5 (fb)) - Within his Himalayan stronghold (reshaped to resemble a bell), Bong enjoyed spending time with his clonal offspring, each with bright, inquisitive minds, unsullied by the polluted outside world.
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5 (fb) - BTS) - To maintain them thusly, he sealed off his doman behind a sonic field he thought nothing could penetrate.
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5 (fb)) - Bong was distraught when the Bong quintuplets found a television set within a dusty, unused corner of his mountain retreat; they quickly became addicted to its mind-numbing imagery, especially Saturday morning cartoons.
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5 (fb) - BTS) - Bong feared that simply turning off the televisions would damage the quintuplets' psyches.
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5 (fb)) - To save his children's minds, Bong closeted himself with scores of pre-recorded video tapes, practicing and honing his skills with altering his bell's peals until he could alter the form and substance of what was being broadcast. As an unexpected side effect, Bong found he was able to enter and become part of the transmissions.
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5 (fb) - BTS) - Bong re-employed Fifi -- whether she survived the crash or was cloned by Bong -- using her to care for the Bong Quintuplets.
She further assisted Bong in his plot to alter television programming into BongvisionTM via his Educational Recalilbration Field.
He designed a manual "off switch" for his Bongvision, which he clearly labeled.
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5 (fb) - BTS) - The young Paul White turned on his TV and used his remote control -- an older unit that operated on hypersonics, at the exact time Bong was sounding his recalibration chime -- to turn it to watch "The Stonesteins"; however, he heard a strange bell peal "Bong," and he was transported to a version of the show, where the characters were live action neanderthals (wearing Stonestein-like clothing) and co-existed with dinosaurs.
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5 (fb) - BTS) - Bob and his wife were watching "The O'Rockets," when Bob used the remote -- an older unit that operated on hypersonics, at the exact time Bong was sounding his recalibration chime -- to turn down the volume, and they were transported to the realm of "The O'Rockets."
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5 - BTS) - As She-Hulk surfed channels via her remote control, "Big-Wig's Bungalow" was affected by Bongvision to become more educational and teach proper manners.
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5 - BTS) - As She-Hulk watched,"Fab-Rat" was changed by Bong-Vision so that the actual costumed mouse was devoured by the costumed actual cat, "Fatt-Kat."
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5 - BTS) - As She-Hulk watched,"The 3 Amusing Fellows" was changed so that Joe used a saw to actually split open the head and kill "Longhair."
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5 - BTS) - Disturbed by what was going on, She-Hulk tried to check a series of other channels with her remote -- an older unit that operated on hypersonics, at the exact time Bong was sounding his recalibration chime -- but was transported to the land of "The Stonesteins," where she met Paul, saved him from a Tyrannosaurus rex (or similar dinosaur), and learned of the similar circumstances leading them there.
When she used the remote, which had been transported there with her, they were transported to the realm of "The O'Rockets."
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5) - Fifi informed Bong that his machine was experiencing power fluctuations from inside the program, and Bong vowed that whoever was tampering with his field would face his wrath. He began by attempting to isolate the nature of the interference.
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5 - BTS) - She-Hulk and Paul met Bob and his wife, and brought them with her as she hit the remote again, transporting them to the world of "Robot-Cop."
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5) - Bong identified She-Hulk's use of the remote as causing a counter sonic within his machine, causing minute ripples in its infra-structure. To deal with the matter, he tuned the pitch of his peal to the required frequency and entered Bongvision; he instructed Fifi to watch the quintuplets and to monitor the disturbance but to touch nothing.
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5 - BTS) - Robot-Cop shot She-Hulk's remote control.
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5) - Bong paralyzed Robot-Cop and then introduced himself. When She-Hulk mocked him as a clown, he used peals of his bell to transport her repeatedly from realms where a live bear (wearing a hat and tie like Yogi) menanced a family having a picnic; where a blind man (ala Mr. Magoo) swung his cane about madly in search of the source of Bong's voice; where a real life hunter shot at a rabbit (a la Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunnie); and outside a "Grayskull"-like castle. As he did so, he described himself as the genius who had invented Bongvision, a series of realities accessed via carefully controlled pitches of his bell's peal.
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5 (fb) - BTS) - Despite her instructions, Fifi used her remote control to follow Bong and the others from channel to channel
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5) - After detailing his plot, Bong transported himself to a different Bongvision reality, figuring they were trapped there without She-Hulk's remote control.
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5 (fb) - BTS) - Fifi's use of the remote may have disrupted Bong's exit.
(Sensational
She-Hulk I#5 - BTS) - Via a <plot device> where she tore through
various realities as if she were tearing through the pages in a comic
book, in which she believed she existed -- She-Hulk emerged back in
Bong's castle. The "distortion effect" knocked Fifi back into the
Bongvision off switch, leaving Bong trapped within.
Fifi noted that as he had been only being able to activate himself from
the outside, Bong was unable to escape back to the real world.
(Deadpool#26 (fb) - BTS) - Bong completed a Ph.D. in psychology.
(Deadpool#26 (fb) - BTS) - Trying to work through some of his own issues, Bong promised himself he wouldn't posture/rant during business hours.
(Deadpool#27 (fb) - BTS) - Bong sought a date with a woman named Barbara (see comments), telling her he was serious about his new career as a psychologist.
(Deadpool#26 (fb) - BTS) <Relatively soon thereafter> - Distraught over having destroyed a chance for world peace by slaying the Messiah (S’met’kth), Howard began to have hallucinations (involving bunnies and Mercedes Wilson, though he did not recognize her at this time) leading him to seek out Dr. Bong for psychological therapy.
(Deadpool#28
(fb)) - Bong spent many, many hours examining Deadpool's "scarred
head," determining one thing with certainty: If there was one thing
Deadpool hated more than himself, it was his friends.
(Deadpool#27 (fb) - BTS) - Bong placed Deadpool under hypnosis to learn the source of his problems.
(Deadpool#26) - After Deadpool shared his recent adventures and delusions, Bong diagnosed him as having gone completely insane.
(Deadpool#27) - Bong told Deadpool he was suffering from spontaneous hallucinatory episodes resulting from severe mental trauma incurred over his lifetime of violence as a mercenary, and that they were manifesting at this time due to his destruction of the Messiah.
As Deadpool fought a bunch of delusionary rabbits, Bong stopped him with a clapper to the head, then promised to get to the bottom of things (though he had to stop himself from posturing a couple times). Planning to get to the meaning of the woman in the hallucinations through intensive therapy, Bong first prioritized eliminating the hallucinations so Deadpool could function as a mercenary effectively. Since Deadpool's healing factor would prevent medication from working, Bong prescribed a crash course therapy that would allow Deadpool to confront those aspects of his life the hallucinations represented through the violent death of a hero.
(Deadpool#27 - BTS) - Knowing he could kill Wolverine without really killing him (as his healing factor would protect him), Deadpool chose Wolverine as the target for his therapy and provoked a fight with him.
(Deadpool#27) - Directly observing Deadpool's confrontation in San Francisco, Bong called -- via pay phone -- his would-be girlfriend Barbara (see comments), telling her he was with a patient, hoping to prove he was serious about his new career, and that she would consider dinner with him. The call was interrupted when the phone was destroyed as a result of the Deadpool-Wolverine battle.
When Kitty Pryde, who Deadpool had punched out to provoke the fight, got up and prepared to aid Wolverine, Bong distracted her, offering a group hug (along with Deadpool's ally Ilaney Brükner) as an alternative to fill the void in her life she filled with violence.
(Deadpool#27 (fb) - BTS) - Bong then surprised Kitty and trapped her within a force field out of which she could not phase.
(Deadpool#27) - As Deadpool continued to have hallucinations despite the battle, he asked Bong what was going on, and Bong told Deadpool he was poised on the brink of a breakthrough and was gaining control of the hallucinations and was poised on the brink, and that he should address his isues. When Kitty called out to Wolverine, Bone silenced her with a clapper to the force field, promising to deal with her issues, such as her relationship with such an older man, after he was done with Deadpool.
As Wolverine told Deadpool his problem was just going through life, tearing a hole through whatever and whoever got in his way, without caring about responsibility or compassion, Bong discussed with Ilaney how Wolverine could perform such a lengthy speech during a single leap. Nonetheless, Bong - stunning Kitty yet again -- concluded and advised Deadpool that his recent perceived failure in destroying the Messiah had caused his mind to reflect on all of the various and sundry betrayals, violence, and other mistakes he had made in his darkest moments. Bong further told Deadpool that his mind had redefined those moments as opportunities for peace that had been stolen from him, and that the rabbits represented those lost opportunities, just out of reach; and that the woman -- who was pouring liquor into milk in the hallucinations -- represented Deadpool's own poisoning of his once-promising life.
Deadpool accepted much of this, but realized he knew the woman, though he still could not recognize her. As the hallucinations faded, Bong, considering the mission a success, couldn't wait to tell Barbara as he felt he was going to get "so lucky," after which he transported Deadpool and Ilaney back to his base. Bong hoped to complete his report with the identity of the woman from the hallucinations, but Deadpool told him it was just a woman who had stolen his heart before she died.
(Howard the Duck III#1 (fb) - BTS) - Bong concluded
that there was a significant profit to be made via backing a Boy Band,
and that the simulated sexuality of the simulated music could affect
young girls listening to it, leading them to embrace a simulated
politics when they reached voting age.
With the goal of being able to control who would be leading the country, Bong resolved to create a total boy band package in-house: music, video, licensing, and the boys themselves, who would be genetically engineered.
(Howard the Duck III#1 (fb) - BTS) - Bong formed Globally Branded Content.com, a division of Bellweather Media Group.
(Howard the Duck III#3 (fb) - BTS) - Kenneth Flogg invested millions in Globally Branded Content.com.
(Howard the Duck III#1 (fb) - BTS) - Members of the intended boy band, the Backdoor Boys (A.J., J.T., B.J., T.J., Justin), who did not test well were reduced to raw genetic material and returned to the vats for reprocessing.
(Howard the Duck III#1 (fb) - BTS) - Beverly Switzler had an interview with Globally Branded Content.com; she was instructed to come back the next day.
(Howard the Duck III#1 (fb) - BTS) - Considering Beverly to be "uniquely qualified," Bong instructed Mr. Pitterpool that she be hired.
(Howard the Duck III#1 - BTS) - The next day, Bev was hired, and she supervised marketing tests for Backdoor Boys band.
After a couple days, she encountered T.J., who had escaped destruction
after failing the reviews process. She agreed to let him hide out at
her house.
(Howard the Duck III#1) - The next day, as the workday finished, Bong had Mr. Pitterpool summon Bev to his office.
(Howard the Duck III#1 - BTS) - Researching GBC.C's website, the combination of the Bellweather name and the use of the word "Neez" made Howard realize Dr. Bong was associated with the company, so he convinced T.J. to come with him to rescue Bev.
(Howard the Duck III#1) - Bong detailed his goals to Beverly, after which Howard showed up, and Bong showed them his genetic engineering vats, after which he instructed Beverly to return to him the genetic material she had taken, or he would make restitution with her own genetic material. T.J. then ambushed Bong, striking him atop his bell with an iron pipe; Beverly was knocked off of the hallway by the force of the peal, and Howard grabbed her, but then Bong smashed T.J. with his clapper. T.J. fell backwards, knocking Howard and Beverly towards the vats, which Bong considered acceptable, if not anticipated. Bev grabbed a pipe on the way down, but Howard fell into the vat, and Bong turned the dial up to the danger level. Pitterpool warned that the proteins in the vat were destabilizing, that they were going to lose an entire batch of resequenced Backdoor Boys, and that the apparatus could explode. Bong asked if that would kill the duck, and after Pitterpool acknowledged that it would, he walked out of the room, noting he really didn't care.
The vat shattered, dumping the proteinaceous fluid all over Beverly and the floor, while Howard was turned into a mouaw.
(Howard the Duck III#2) - After Howard and Bev returned to their home on the edge of a scrapheap, Bong called Beverly from his flying bongship (piloted by Pitterpool). He assured her he never wanted to hurt her, as she was the only woman he ever loved and/or married, and asked her for another chance. Beverly reminded him that he had kidnapped her and forced their marriage, which was never legal, and then told him to grow himself some nice girl and never call her again, after which she hung up on him.
Wanting to hear Bev's voice again, he called back repeatedly, and she continued to hang up on him (as well as inadvertently curse out her mother, thinking it was Bong again). He told her that since Howard was dead there was nothing to stand between them, but when Howard got on the phone, asking why he couldn't just succeed at killing him, Bong threatened to keep hurting him by leaving him buried alive in the scrapheap.
(Howard the Duck III#2 (fb) - BTS) - Bong then called the Department of Homeland Security and the Girl Scouts, and he reported the scrapheap as the location of the terrorist Osama el-Braka ("Braka" being Arabic for duck).
(Howard the Duck III#2 - BTS) - In response, the US military burst into Howard and Bev's home, demolishing it; upon learning there was no one by that name (or a duck, as Howard was still a mouse), they departed.
Bong called back again, but Bev and Howard walked away to find a new place to stay.
(Howard
the Duck III#2) - Figuring they had either fled or were dead, Bong
decided to meet with a man who could ensure their demise.
(Howard the Duck III#3 (fb) - BTS) - Bong contacted Kenneth Flogg and arranged a meeting.
(Howard the Duck III#3 (fb) - BTS) - Bong met with Flogg, asking him to kill Howard and Beverly.
(Howard the Duck III#3 / Deadpool: Rank and Foul: Doctor Bong entry) - Annoyed at having his investment squandered, Flogg refused, and when Bong threatened to force him to cooperate, Flogg's personal assistant, Ian Whippingham, shattered his clapper with a burst from his semi-automatic weapon. Flogg then told Bong about the Amulet of Pazuzu (aka Doucheblade, which could transform its wielder into a powerful warrior), now in the possession of Detective Suzi Pazuzu. He told Bong he could force the amulet-powered Pazuzu to kill Howard and Beverly, in exchange for then killing Pazuzu and returning the Doucheblade to him.
(Howard the Duck III#3
(fb) - BTS) - Flogg gave Bong a replacement aluminum clapper, after
which Ian led Bong to Suzi's house, at which Howard and Bev -- checking
up on her former classmate who had begun to suffer delusions from the
amulet -- had arrived.
(Howard the Duck III#3) - Ian instructed Bong to wait for his lead, and when Suzi began to undergo the transformation, he blew a hole in her house. The amulet fell onto Howard, who transformed into the warrior Gub-gala-emegir and slew Ian. Howard threatened Bong but lost his balance and fell down, after which Bev took the blade and told Bong to leave and stay out of her life or she would kill him herself.
(Howard the Duck III#3 - BTS) - Bong departed.
(Deadpool: Rank and Foul: Doctor Bong entry (fb) - BTS) - Bong finally accepted that his relationship with Beverly was over. Lacking her as a guiding focus in his life, he began hanging out in bars frequented by super-villains.
(Daughters
of the Dragon I#3 (fb) - BTS) - Bong arrived in New York City. Presumably
while hanging out at the Rascal Tavern, he heard how 8-Ball, Freezer Burn, Whirlwind, and Humbug had robbed a publisher (and secret
underworld gang leader) Celia Ricadonnna's apartment, and that they had
subsequently tried to exchange the merchandise for currency, but no one
would comply.
(Daughters of the Dragon I#3) - Dr. Bong was present at the Rascal Tavern when Misty Knight and Colleen Wing came in seeking information on the assaults on 8-Ball and Freezer Burn, who were regulars at that bar. The various super-villains instead attacked the investigators, and Bong followed suit, but the women, laughing as he announced his name, sidestepped him so that he took out the Jester (Jody Putt) with his clapper and fell to the ground. As Misty put a foot to hold down his clapper (and made fun of his partially exposed face, which was oddly scarred), and Colleen held her blade to his neck, Bong revealed what he knew about the criminals, after which Misty and Colleen departed.
(Amazing
Spider-Man#552 (fb) - BTS) - Dr. Bong attended "The Bar with No Name,"
an illegal, floating hangout catering to the super-villain trade.
(Amazing Spider-Man#552) - When the Bookie offered odds on what might be within a Manhattan cocoon (which contained the meth-addicted Freak), Bong questioned whether the whole thing was a set-up; Ox (Raymond Bloch) ended the discussion by stating the the Bookie knew what would happen to him if he cheated them and they found out.
(Superior Foes of Spider-Man#9 (fb)) - Dr. Bong was present at a super-villain bar as Bullseye was the center of attention while Boomerang sat off by himself at a table.
(Deadpool#29 (fb) - BTS) - Bong conceived of a plot to steal weapons of mass destruction and sell them on the black market in order to fund his genetic experiments.
(Deadpool#28 (fb) - BTS) - Bong created imperfect genetic clones of Black Widow (Batch 135), Moon Knight, and Steve Rogers (Batch 191) .
(Deadpool#28 (fb) - BTS) - Bong had his duplicates pose as the real heroes, convince Deadpool they were the real heroes, and convince him to join the Secret Avengers and help them confiscate the desire weapons from terrorists.
(Deadpool#28 - BTS) - After Deadpool had blown up a terrorist cell when the team was supposed to confiscate their bomb, Bong tried to calm the Rogers duplicate, but as Deadpool continued mocking him, "Bongrogers" punched out Deadpool.
(Deadpool#28)
- Bong told his "BongAvengers" that they were imperfect genetic clones
and that they needed Deadpool because he was the genuine article and
apologized for his failings in creating them and that the truth was
sometimes painful.
(Deadpool#28 - BTS) - When the real Steve Rogers arrived and infiltrated Bong's super-secret underground headquarters, Deadpool greeted what he thought was his ally, but was assaulted by Rogers who assumed he was part of Bong's plot.
(Deadpool#28) - Bong alerted "Bongknight" and "Bongwidow" and tried to warn "Bongrogers," but the real Black Widow, knowing he would regenerate, filled "Bongrogers" full of bullets when he exited the base, incapacitating him.
"Bongwidow" urged their escape, but Bong advised his remaining agents that their escape routes were covered and that they would have to fight their way out. When the two clones refused to fight the real heroes, Bong told them that this was why he needed Deadpool, as he never stopped fighting.
(Deadpool#28) - Bong watched as Deadpool -- who felt he had been betrayed by his ally and fought back -- and Rogers fought savagely, noting neither was afraid to die, but that Deadpool had the advantage of fearing living.
Bong denied that Deadpool was a psychopath, but stated that Moon Knight -- as he launched a series of darts into Deadpool -- was indeed one.
Cursing when Rogers brought the fighting to a halt and encouraged discussion, Bong reluctantly admitted this venture was done, but when "Bongwidow" asked if he was going to surrender, he answered, "Of course not! My name isn't 'Doctor Surrender' is it?
... No. It must definitely is not."
With a clang of his clapper, he destroyed "Bongknight" and "Bongwidow" and collapsed a building on Deadpool, Moon Knight, and Rogers.
(Deadpool#29 (fb) - BTS) - Bong teleported to his secondary base of operations.
(Deadpool#29 (fb) - BTS) - Deadpool, who recovered first, bound both Rogers and "Bongrogers," as well as the Widow and Moon Knight.
(Deadpool#29 - BTS) - Determining the truth, Deadpool shot the head off of "Bongrogers," and then released and allied with the real Secret Avengers.
(Deadpool#29) - As Bong had his agents load his weapons onto a truck, Deadpool and the Secret Avengers located his base. Realizing there wasn't enough time to get the weapons loaded in time, Bong had his agents all wear Deadpool costumes in hopes of confusing the heroes.
As the heroes arrived and began mowing through the Deadpool-wearing
lackeys, Bong elected to escape while driving his truck, as he feared
bonging himself and the weapons away might detonate the weapons. Posing
as one of the lackeys, the real Deadpool joined Bong in the truck, and
the Widow shot out one of the truck's tires as Bong departed. As the
truck swerved, Deadpool pulled Bong's hand off the wheel, and the truck
went off a bridge, crashed, and exploded. 
(Deadpool#29 (fb)) - Deadpool pushed Bong and himself out of the cab to safety and got them both to safety.
(Deadpool#29) - Bong mocked the heroes with his survival, taunting Deadpool with the stupidity of saving him, and then prepared to execute them with a pea of his bell, but Deadpool instead first cut off his wrist above the clapper; and Bong collapsed to his knees, bleeding.
(X-Men: To Serve and
Protect#4/2) - Doctor Bong was one of a number of super villains
abducted by the Chadmaster in a roller derby contest with the victor
winning rights to the most ultimate of prizes: a date with the
Chadmaster (he rigged the contest with mostly villains who could not
skate, so that Dazzler, Misty Knight, and Colleen Wing could win).
As Bong struggled to lace his skates, Misty Knight shot Bong in the helmet, releasing loud peals.
Dazzler then converted to light in a blast that wiped out the final competitor, MODORD (Mental Organism Designed Only for Roller Derby).
(Superior Foes of Spider-Man#3 (fb) - BTS) - Dr. Bong joined Super Villains Anonymous.
(Superior Foes of Spider-Man#3) - Bong attended a meeting -- alongside el Gato, Hippo, Mirage (Desmond Charne), Porcupine (Roger Gocking), and others -- when Fred Myers (aka Boomerang) showed up under pressure from his parole advocate Mach-7 (Abner Jenkins).
Bong listened to Mirage's story,
and then encouraged everyone to get in on a group hug.
(Superior Foes of Spider-Man#11) - Doctor Bong was present at a Super Villains Anonymous meeting when Grizzly and then the Looter shared their stories.
(Deadpool
& the Mercs for Money#3) - Doctor Bong was one of numerous super-villains present when Deadpool
and his Mercs for Money teammates -- Massacre, Slapstick, Solo,
Stingray, Terror -- auctioned off a Recorder that could predict events
of the future.
Comments: Created by Steve Gerber, Gene Colan, and Klaus Janson.
You may want to mention in the comments how Dr. Bong's back
story (and name) is a reference to rock critic/journalist Lester Bangs.
--ShadZ
I'd guess Mildred Horowitz was meant to be a parody of Alice Cooper...
I never quite understood what the deal was with Bong's creations always saying, "Neez!" As best I can tell, it is a play on the word "knees," which many of them gained upon taking more humanoid form. As Fifi said, "As I not a woman? Have I not neez?" Still, since most animals with legs already have knees, I guess I...just...don't...get...it.
I find it highly unlikely that Bong engages in regular, intensive exercise as his OHotMU Update '89#2 entry reported...I think it more likely that he genetically engineered his muscular form. The only feats of strength he ever does is smash things with his clapper.
That same entry lists Bong's identity as secret, while Deadpool: Rank and Foul's entry lists it as publicly known...not sure what changed.
Dr. Bong had the captain of a Russian trawler marry he and Bev. Many people believe ship captains have the power to marry people.
Stuart Vandal notes, however:
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=zpuBU06Z1TwC&pg=PT69&lpg=PT69&dq=shipboard+marriages&source=bl&ots=vLb68ImL_P&sig=t4dIxKrWyhP2KfbFgMMlwpa_rck&hl=en&sa=X&ei=zZKhT8SBNIjQ0QXImp3pCA&sqi=2&ved=0CH0Q6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=shipboard%20marriages&f=false
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/546/are-ships-captains-allowed-to-marry-people-at-sea
Basically, they can't marry people unless the ship's captain also happened to hold a separate license specifically for the purpose of marrying people (some cruise ship captains do, simply because people believe the myth and think it romantic, and so being able to marry them becomes a selling point for the cruise). Can't see a Russian trawler captain having gone and gotten himself a license.OHotMU Update '89 lists Beverly Switzler as Bong's ex-wife. The Deadpool handbook followed suit and included that information, as well. That's either:
- Error
- Indicative that the Russian captain indeed had such a license to marry others...would Bong have known that?
- Maritime law may be different in the Marvel Universe than in the real world.
- Other?
Interestingly, in Gerber's original stories, Bev accepted that she was Bong's wife and even pushed him to consummate things, after which she told him she was happy with him (obviously she could have been lying), though she was startled to hear his plans to kill Howard. Bill Mantlo later revealed that the consummation never actually happened...I wonder what Gerber had originally intended. Bev always was a bit of a free spirit...
Part of the goal/point of the unpublished Secret Crisis II series was to explain that Howard was not from Duckworld. Based on Howard and others' Handbook entries, we do know that Howard did not originate on Duckworld, but that Duckworld and the fictional/alternate reality events detailed in the Howard the Duck magazine were warped into/overlapped with Howard's existence, such that they do exist in his timeline. Chireep's involvement, as well as that of Dakimh, Jennifer Kale, Korrek, and Man-Thing, is confirmed as well. Steve Gerber reviewed and approved the handbook profile prior to publication.
In Deadpool#27 (1999), Bong was trying to impress a woman named Barbara. One could speculate whether this was an error and he was trying to impress Beverly, but there's no reason he couldn't have just developed an interest in a woman named Barbara.
Certainly Bong is meant to be a somewhat silly character, but most writers fail to grasp his complex, intelligent, and outright dangerous nature. Obviously Gerber got it, as did John Byrne, and I'd say Joe Kelly and Daniel Way were pretty solid in terms of characterization and legitimate threat. Everyone else just seemed to think it would be funny to include a guy with a bell on his head.
On a similar note, it seems really odd to have revealed Bong's scarred
face in the pages of Daughters of the Dragon, where the writers didn't
seem to realize he could have incapacitated Knight and Wing simply by
pealing his bell from a distance. I wonder if they knew he had a normal
face pictured before his transformation into Bong. We don't know the
circumstances of how Bong developed his knowledge and technology, and
his face has not been shown unmasked beyond the past history version as
far as I know, so nothing to contradict it, either.
We do see his ungloved right hand in Howard the Duck III#1-2, and the
skin on his hand isn't scarred at that time, anyway. Nor was his entire
right arm or his neck scarred in Superior Foes of Spider-Man#11/2...he
was also substantially smaller in size and build than in his previous
appearances.
Every time I hear "the pen is mightier..." it reminds me of Darryl Hammond as Sean Connery on SNL's Celebrity Jeopardy.
The discussion between Bong and Howard in Howard the Duck III#2 drew
from Star Trek: Wrath of Khan...interestingly, Bong specified he was
using the "immortal words" of Ricardo Montalban in the second quotation
"I've done far worse than kill you, duck. I've HOORT you. And I wish to
go on HOORTING you..."..maybe the first "You're still alive, my old
friend?" was unintentional, and Howard's response, "Still. Old.
Friend." made the connection for him...and then he did the HOORT thing,
which led Howard to scream, BONNNG!"
Superior Foes of Spider-Man#3, and maybe 11 - I swear the guy in green is meant to be Armless Tiger
Man, except that he's in the wrong color of costume, is alive, and,
most notably, has both his arms. But seriously, compare the images on the right.
--Loki
Bong's mother and quintuplets received first names in Dr. Bong's profile in Deadpool: Rank and Foul.
Somewhere between writing the main profile and working on the sub-profiles, I lost track of Howard the Duck I#24...I'll try to check for it if/when I find it, but if the mutates or anything/anyone else appears therein, please help me out by providing the details so I can add them, thanks!
The story from Howard the Duck I#15 continued into #17...#16 was an essay by Gerber to fill in a missed deadline.
Deadpool#49.1, aka Deadpool the Musical, only related Bong's previous encounters with Deadpool...I don't think there was anything new in there.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Dr. Bong should be distinguished from:
(OHotMU Update '89#2: Doctor Bong entry (fb) - BTS / Deadpool: Rank and Foul: Doctor Bong entry (fb) - BTS) - Under unrevealed circumstances, Verde became the disfigured master geneticist and acoustician Dr. Bong, establishing an apparently mobile castle base populated by various animals he had genetically modified into more humanoid form with varying degrees of intelligence and speech capacity.
(Howard the Duck I#15) - As the S.S. Damned ship, carrying Beverly Switzler and Howard the Duck, neared the Mediterranean Island of Dr. Bong, he sent a top hat-wearing sea serpent to plague the ship. He subsequently transported Howard and Beverly to this island. After they landed in quicksand, some of Bong's reptilian creations (including Lassie) and a humanoid drake saved them.
(Howard the Duck I#17) - After Bong paralyzed Howard, he had Lassie carry Howard to Fifi and then return to lie at his feet; meanwhile, Carlo, prepared Beverly in an outfit of Bong's choosing and readied dinner, announcing that they were served simultaneously.
Lester Jr., Chester, Nestor, Fester, and Howie
(Howard the Duck I#31 (fb) - BTS) - Knowing Bong's pride in his image, Beverly harvested some of Bong's nail-clippings, with plans to clone him and then use the infant clones in a plot to force him to let Howard and her go, or risk disgrace.
(Howard the Duck I#30 - BTS) - Beverly, aided by Bong's mutates, accessed Bong's laboratory and turned on his Evolvo-Chamber.
(Howard the Duck I#31 - BTS) - Beverly's project finished as she heard the commotion, and she took her completed newspaper from Bong's private print room, and delivered it a man waiting outside the castle, instructing him to get it to Cleveland.
Howard the Duck I#31) - She then had Bong's mutates bring the large beaker containing the Bong quintuplets along as she went to confront Bong.
(Howard
the
Duck I#31) - When Bong raised his clapper for a final strike, Beverly
called out to stop him. She then showed him the Quintuplets as well as
a mock-up headline for the Cleveland Plain-Dealer that would implicate
Bong as a negligent father for abandoning his children while he was out
conquering the world. After she told Bong that she had sent the story
to the press and it would be published if anything happened to her,
Bong accepted defeat, and he transported Howard and Bev to Skudge.
He then urged his mutates to heat up some formula for the quintuplets.
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5 (fb)) - Within his Himalayan stronghold (reshaped to resemble a bell), Bong enjoyed spending time with his clonal offspring, each with bright, inquisitive minds, unsullied by the polluted outside world.
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5 (fb) - BTS) - To maintain them thusly, he sealed off his doman behind a sonic field he thought nothing could penetrate.
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5 (fb)) - Bong was distraught when the Bong quintuplets found a television set within a dusty, unused corner of his mountain retreat; they quickly became addicted to its mind-numbing imagery, especially Saturday morning cartoons.
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5 (fb) - BTS) - Bong feared that simply turning off the televisions would damage the quintuplets' psyches.
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5 (fb)) - To save his children's minds, Bong closeted himself with scores of pre-recorded video tapes, practicing and honing his skills with altering his bell's peals until he could alter the form and substance of what was being broadcast. As an unexpected side effect, Bong found he was able to enter and become part of the transmissions.
(Sensational She-Hulk I#5 (fb) - BTS) - Bong re-employed Fifi -- whether she survived the crash or was cloned by Bong -- using her to care for the Bong Quintuplets.
She further assisted Bong in his plot to alter television programming into BongvisionTM via his Educational Recalilbration Field.
(Howard the Duck III#2) - After Howard and Bev returned to their home on the edge of a scrapheap, Bong called Beverly repeatedly from his flying bonger (piloted by Peter Pitterpool).
Beverly
hung up on him each time, until Howard got on the phone and
antagonized Bong, who then informed the Department of Homeland
Security (and the Girl Scouts) to reported the
scrapheap as the location of the terrorist Osama el-Braka ("Braka"
being Arabic for duck).
(Howard the Duck III#2 - BTS) - In response, the US military burst into Howard and Bev's home, demolishing it.
Bong called back again, but Bev and Howard walked away to find a new place to stay.
(Howard
the Duck I#15 - BTS) - As the S.S. Damned ship, carrying Beverly
Switzler and Howard the Duck, neared the Island of Dr. Bong, he
transported passengers Beverly Switzler and Howard the Duck there via
his flying concrete swan. After
they landed in quicksand, Bong's reptilian creations and a humanoid
drake saved them, after which Bong welcomed them to "the Island
of -- Dr. Bong!"
|
This was a fake "nerve center" within Castle Bong.
|
Rather than advanced computer databanks, Bong valued his typewriter and
printing press as his most powerful and dangerous pieces of equipment.
These were present within Castle Bong, presumably regardless of whether
it was on the island on the Himalayan mountain.
(Howard the Duck I#17) - Dr. Bong showed Beverly his equipment.
(nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more!)
(Howard the
Duck I#31) - Beverly used Bong's printing press to put together a mock newspaper exposing Bong as a negligent father.
--Howard the Duck I#17
Despite apparently being made of stone, the swan could achieve winged
flight, even with two passengers holding it (and even by the wing).
Whether the swan was truly made of stone, hatched from a boulder, and
flying under its power, or whether Bong used illusions or other means
to animate/levitate it? The world may never know!
(Howard the Duck I#15 - BTS) - As the S.S. Damned ship, carrying Beverly
Switzler and Howard the Duck, neared the Island of Dr. Bong, he caused
a number of large rocks to rain down on the ship's surface.
As the
ship's inhabitants spotted the island, Bong pealed his bell several
times, causing one of the rocks to crack open and a concrete swan to
hatch from it.
Beverly unwittingly grabbed hold of a wing and was
carried away as the swan flew into the air, and Howard grabbed the
bottom of her dress so she wouldn't be taken away by herself.
After
they landed in quicksand, Bong's reptilian creations and a humanoid
drake saved them.
...the swan was not seen again, as far as I can tell...
--Howard the Duck I#15
images: (without ads)
Howard the Duck I#15, pg. 4, panel 1 (sea serpent swimming);
panel 2 (sea serpent attacking ship);
pg. 5, panel 4 (sea serpent pleasure button);
panel 6 (sea serpent responding to pleasure button);
pg. 14, panel 4 (stone swan);
pg. 16, panel 3 (tall panel of reptilian creations);
panel 5 (drake kneeling);
pg. 17, panel 1 (drake walking away);
#17, pg. 2, pg. 1-2 (striking helmet with clapper);
panel 5 (Lassie in profile carrying Howard);
pg. 3, panel 1 (Lassie rear oblique);
panel 3 (fake equipment);
pg. 4, panel 6 (typewriter room);
pg. 9, panel 5-6 (Carlo face and upper body);
pg. 10, panel 3 (helmet in profile);
panel 4 (as young boy, body, face in shadow);
panel 5 (mother);
panel 6 (young boy, face);
pg. 11, panel 6 (college appearance, face);
pg. 15, panel 1 (Easter Bunny);
pg. 17, panel 2 (reptilians tackling Howard);
#18, pg. 1 (Howard in Evolvo-Chamber);
pg. 4, panel 5 (Castle Bong in Himalayas);
pg. 12, panel 4 (Flying Bonger leaving castle);
pg. 13, panel 1 (Flying Boner, close-up);
#19, pg. 14, panel 1 (Bong chides mutates)
#20, pg. 1 (threatening Howard in bathroom);
#27, pg. 9, panel 2 (mutate orchestra);
#30, pg. 8, panel 2-3 (Greta);
panel 5 (Evolvo-Chamber machinery);
#31, pg. 13, panel 2 (long nose-trunky deal mutate);
pg. 15, panel 3 (Bong quintuplets in beaker);
Official
Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89#2: Doctor Bong entry (main image)
Sensational She-Hulk I#5, pg. 10, panel 3 (green costume, seated);
pg. 16, panel 2 (Himalayan stronghold, bell-form);
panel 4 (Bong quintuplets as toddlers);
panel 5 (Bong quintuplets watching TV)
Deadpool#27, pg. 19 (Kitty in force field);
Howard the Duck III#1
#2, pg. 5, panel 4 (updated Flying Bonger);
pg. 9, panel 6 (sad face)
#3, pg. 6, panel 3 (front view, helmet);
panel 5 (clapper shot);
pg. 20, panel 1 (aluminum clapper)
Daughters
of the Dragon#3, story pg. 4, panel 1-2 (variant bell helmet, partial and hand-obscurred);
panel 4 (scarred face);
Amazing Spider-Man#552, pg. 18, panel 1 (listening to Bookie);
Deadpool#28, pg 19, panel 4 (clapper raised high);
X-Men: To Serve and Protect#4/3, pg. 6, panel 1-2 (helmet shot and reverberating)
Superior
Foes of Spider-Man#11/2, pg. 1, panel 1 (seated at Super-Villains Anonymous meeting);
pg. 10, panel 3 (mask close-up);
Deadpool
& the Mercs for Money I#3, pg. 10, panel 3 (seated at auction)
Appearances:
Howard the Duck I#15 (August, 1977) - Steve Gerber (writer/editor), Gene Colan (penciler), Klaus Janson (inker)
Howard the Duck I#17-19 (October-December, 1977) - Steve Gerber (writer/editor), Gene Colan (penciler), Klaus Janson (inker)
Howard the Duck I#20 (January, 1978) - Steve Gerber (writer/editor), Gene Colan (penciler), Klaus Janson (inker)
Howard the Duck I#24 (May, 1978) - Steve Gerber (writer/editor), Gene Colan (penciler), Tom Palmer (inker)
Howard the Duck I#25 (June, 1978) - Steve Gerber (writer/editor), Gene Colan (penciler), Klaus Janson (inker)
Howard the Duck I#27 (September, 1978) - Steve Gerber (writer/editor), Gene Colan (penciler), Klaus Janson (inker)
Howard the Duck I#30 (March, 1979) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Gene Colan (penciler), Al Milgrom (inker), Mark Gruenwald (assistant editor), Jim Shooter (editor-in-chief)
Howard the Duck I#31 (May, 1979) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Gene Colan (penciler), Al Milgrom (inker), Jim Shooter (editor)
Official
Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89#2: Doctor Bong entry (August, 1989) - Peter Sanderson (writer/researcher), John Byrne
(penciler), Josef Rubinstein (inker), Sara Tuchinsky (asssistant editor), Gregory Wright (editor),
Mark Gruenwald (executive editor)
Sensational She-Hulk I#5 (September, 1989) - John Byrne (writer, penciler), Bob Wiacek (inker), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Deadpool#26
(March, 1999) - Joe Kelly (script, co-plotter), James Felder
(co-plotter), Pete Woods (penciler), Walden Wong (inker), Matt Idelson
(editor)
Deadpool#27 (April, 1999) - Joe Kelly (writer), Walter McDaniel (penciler), Whitney McFarland (inker), Matt Idelson (editor)
Howard
the Duck III#1-3 (March-May, 2002) - Steve Gerber (writer), Phil
Winslade (artist), Stuart Moore (editor), Kelly Lamy (associate managing editor), Nanci Dakesian (managing editor) - note, #3 repeats the indicia from #2
Daughters
of the Dragon#3 (May, 2006) - Justin Gray (writer), Jimmy Palmiotti
(penciler), Khari Evans (inker), Nathan Cosby (assistant editor), Mark
Paniccia (editor)
Amazing Spider-Man#552 (May, 2008) - Bob Gale
(writer), Phil Jiminez (penciler), Andy Lanning (inker), Thomas Brennan
(assistant editor), Stephen Whacker (editor)
Deadpool
Corps: Rank and Foul#1: Doctor Bong entry (May, 2010) - Ronald Byrd
(writer), Mike O'Sullivan, Markus Raymond, & Mike Fichera
(writing/coordination assistants), Jeff Christiansen (head
writer/coordinator), John Denning (associate editor), Alex Starbuck
(assistant editor), Jennifer Grunwald & Mark D. Beazley (editors,
special projects), Jeff Youngquist (editor)
Deadpool#28 (December,
2010) - Daniel Way (writer), Carlo Barberi (penciler), Walden Wong
(inker), Jody Leheup (assistant editor), Axel Alonso (editor)
Deadpool#29 (January, 2011) - Daniel Way (writer),
Carlo Barberi (penciler), Walden Wong (inker), Jody Leheup (assistant
editor), Axel Alonso (editor)
X-Men: To Serve and Protect#4/2 (April, 2011) - Jed
Mackay (writer), Sheldon Vella (artist), Jake Thomas & Jordan D.
White (assistant editors), Daniel Ketchum (associate editor), Nick Lowe
(editor)
Superior
Foes of Spider-Man#3 (November, 2013) - Nick Spencer (writer), Steve
Lieber (artist), Tom Brennan (editor), Stephen Whacker (senior editor)
Superior Foes of Spider-Man#9 (May, 2014) - Nick Spencer (writer), Steve Lieber (artist), Tom Brennan (editor)
Superior
Foes of Spider-Man#11 (June - labeled as May, 2014) <first story>
- Tom Peyer (writer), Carmen Carnero (penciler), Terry Pallot (inker),
Tom Brennan (editor)
<second story> - Elliot Kalan (writer), Nuno Plati (artist), Tom Brennan (editor)
Deadpool
& the Mercs for Money#3 (June, 2016) - Cullen Bunn (writer), Salva
Espin (artist), Heather Antos (assistant editor), Jordan D. White
(editor)
First Posted: 08/04/2016
Last updated: 10/01/2023
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
Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!
Island of Doctor Bong
top hat-wearing sea 