(Daredevil I#176) - Toynbee was cleaning Cord Conglomerate, wondering if he would be replaced by an electronic janitor, when two men, Turk and Grotto, broke in at gunpoint and forced him to release electronic equipment to them.
--Daredevil I#176
GROTTO
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Human
Occupation: Criminal
Group Membership: Former partnership with Turk Barrett; former part of criminal gangs of Kingpin (Wilson Fisk) and Eric Slaughter
Affiliations: Mr. Alejandro, Turk Barrett, Beeno, Bullseye, Crime-Master, Sarah Dewey, Fancy Dan, Gladiator (Melvin Potter), Ghost, Hammerhead, Janus Jardeesh, Jigsaw (Billy Russo), Injun Joe, Josie, Lady Bullseye, Lynch, Montana, Ox (Raymond Bloch), Shiv, Eric Slaughter, Stymie, Tombstone (Lonnie Lincoln), Alarich Wallenquist, White Rabbit, Zeke
Enemies: Captain America (Sam Wilson), Daredevil (Matt Murdock), Elektra, Night Thrasher, Punisher (Frank Castle), Sheldon, S.H.I.E.L.D. (James Choi, Ryan Gudmusdottir), Spectrum (Monica Rambeau), Toynbee, Wolverine (Logan)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: New York City, New York
First Appearance: Daredevil I#168 (January, 1981)
Powers/Abilities: Grotto is an opportunistic criminal who wields guns, chains, and knives as necessary to complete his jobs, though he is frequently reluctant to commit violence. Grotto has at times achieved places in the organizations of Kingpin and Eric Slaughter, but more frequently has partnered with his ally Turk Barrett.
Height: 5'7" (by approximation)
Weight: 205 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Bald
History:
(Daredevil I#168) - One of Eric Slaughter's men, Grotto was assigned to help protect Alarich Wallenquist, a thief who was seeking to board a sea-plane in a storm to escape the city. Elektra attacked, and Grotto thought she'd be an easy target as she was a woman, but she easily defeated Grotto and the others.
(Daredevil I#170) - Grotto was at Josie's Bar (where Josie served) as Turk whined about being fired by Slaughter, then Daredevil attacked, pulling Turk away.
(Daredevil I#171) - Grotto was at Josie's when Daredevil, in civilian clothes, showed up asking about Vanessa Fisk and the Kingpin. He battled Grotto and the others, then Turk offered to take him to Kingpin, despite Grotto's concern. They took him to the Kingpin's base. Later, Grotto and Turk were tasked with shooting the defeated Daredevil and tossing him in the river, but Grotto let Turk talk him into throwing the unconscious Daredevil into a drainage pipe instead.
(Daredevil I#172) - Grotto joined Turk and Lynch in moving some files for the Kingpin, but Daredevil attacked and stole the files. Kingpin assembled the criminal underworld, including Grotto and Shiv, and he sent Bullseye after Daredevil.
(Daredevil I#176) - Grotto was hanging out at Josie's Bar with Turk and Stymie when Stymie caught Turk cheating at poker. Daredevil burst in, wanting intel on Stick, but he was knocked down by criminals. Josie, with her gun, forced the men to take Daredevil outside. Outside, Daredevil got the better of the men and escaped. Grotto and Turk later robbed Cord Conglomerate, forcing Toynbee the janitor to give them equipment.
(Daredevil I#178) - Turk and Grotto were hired by Kingpin to find Sheldon, a young man seeking to blackmail Kingpin ally Randolph Winston Cherryh. They chased after Sheldon, but didn't catch him.
(Daredevil I#180 (fb) - BTS) - Grotto, Turk, and Zeke committed a robbery.
(Daredevil I#180) - Turk was dividing out the loot between the three of them when Zeke reminded them to give a cut to the Kingpin, but Turk was reluctant to do so. Daredevil burst through the window on a crutch, with his ankle wounded. Zeke surrendered immediately, but Daredevil had to use his crutch to strike down Turk and Grotto when they wouldn't surrender.
(Daredevil I#182 (fb) - BTS) - Grotto and Turk were arrested.
(Daredevil I#182) - In jail, Grotto and Turk witnessed Punisher escaping on a helicopter. Grotto chose not to grab the rope ladder to escape, but Turk did; Punisher soon cut the ladder down, leaving Turk to fall to the Earth beneath.
(Daredevil I#190 (fb) - BTS) - When Injun Joe escaped from jail, Grotto went along with him, then he found himself working for Joe alongside Turk. Joe attempted an assassination on the Kingpin, and Grotto grew nervous.
(Daredevil I#190) - Daredevil attacked, knocking Turk out. A frightened Grotto admitted that Joe and four others were inside, and the hero soon defeated them all.
(Daredevil I#196) - At Josie's, Turk was bragging to Grotto about a new chemical mace he could use to defeat Daredevil, but Daredevil and Wolverine entered the bar and Turk accidentally fired the mace into his own face.
(Daredevil I#200) - At Josie's, Grotto was talking to Turk when an injured Daredevil showed up and they attacked him, but the hero easily knocked the men all back.
(Daredevil I#203) - Grotto was reluctant about another of Turk's plans just as Daredevil grabbed Turk to question him.
(Daredevil I#220) - At Josie's, during a thick fog, Grotto told Turk how his colleague Beeno had been arrested. Daredevil entered, seeking information on how to infiltrate a building.
(Daredevil I#229) - Grotto and Turk were robbing Santa suits off of a Volunteers of America worker and planning to scam the rich when a vagrant (actually Matt Murdock) told them to take the suits off. Turk was furious and stabbed the stranger.
(Daredevil II#109 - BTS) - Turk was laughing on the phone with Grotto, saying someone had thought his name was Grover.
(Daredevil II#119 - BTS) - Turk muttered about Grotto being in Ryker's Island prison.
SECRET WARS III HAPPENED
(Civil War II: Kingpin#1) - Kingpin assembled a group of villains to celebrate successes with over drinks and dinner. Grotto sat at the table with Turk, Lady Bullseye, Ox, Montana, Fancy Dan, Janus Jardeesh, Hammerhead, and Jigsaw. While Kingpin got patched up after getting shot, Grotto and the others stood by, flanking him when heroes Captain America (Sam Wilson), Spectrum, and Night Thrasher investigated.
(Civil War II: Kingpin#2) - Grotto flanked Kingpin as he told a room full of criminals that they worked for him now, including Tombstone, White Rabbit, Gladiator, Ghost, Crime-Master, and others. With Kingpin's other men, Grotto saw Kingpin expose and kill undercover S.H.I.E.L.D. agent James Choi and expose Ryan Gudmusdottir by kidnapping his family.
(Civil War II: Kingpin#3 - BTS) - Kingpin ordered Turk to take Grotto, Lady Bullseye, and Ox and search for the missing Jardeesh, with orders to kill whoever had taken him.
(Civil War II: Kingpin#4) - When Kingpin was badly wounded, Janus Jardeesh assembled Grotto and the others, wanting to be the new Kingpin. Although Grotto initially agreed, he soon left the country with Ox and went to Bogota, Columbia.
(Kingpin II#3 (fb) - BTS) - Kingpin sent Grotto to set up a new security system in the home of Sarah Dewey. Her landlord, Mr. Alejandro, let Grotto in.
(Kingpin II#3) - Sarah came in and was shocked to see Grotto, so she sprayed him with mace. He quickly explained why he was there.
(Infinity Countdown: Daredevil#1 (fb) - BTS) - Turk got a Mind Stone and distanced himself from his peers, making Grotto jealous.
(Infinity Countdown: Daredevil#1) - Daredevil found Grotto in Josie's Bar, and he burned Grotto's hat to scare him. Grotto admitted that Turk had a stone that could read minds. After Daredevil left, the others in the bar were angry with him for speaking up. They forcibly took Grotto to Turk, who shot him in the chest for his betrayal. Grotto was zipped up in body bag as he muttered that he and Turk used to be friends.
Comments: Created by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson.
Grotto has had a lot of staying power for a character with no real development or clear motives. He's a bald criminal in a snow hat who makes lots of bad decisions. While Turk has gone on to be somewhat of a major player from time to time, Grotto remains in the background. In the Kingpin series, he was a trusted ally of the Kingpin, a major step up for him.
Profile by Chadman.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Grotto should not be confused with:
(Daredevil I#220 (fb) - BTS) - During a thick fog, Beeno robbed a house, but he couldn't find his way back to his own car. He flagged down a passing car, not realizing it was a cop, and ended up arrested.
--Daredevil I#220 (fb) - BTS
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(Daredevil I#176) - Toynbee was cleaning Cord Conglomerate, wondering if he would be replaced by an electronic janitor, when two men, Turk and Grotto, broke in at gunpoint and forced him to release electronic equipment to them. --Daredevil I#176 |
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images: (without ads)
Daredevil I#168, p17, pan3 (vs. Elektra)
Civil War II: Kingpin#2, p4, pan4 (with Kingpin)
Kingpin II#3, p11, pan3 (in hat)
Infinity Countdown: Daredevil#1, p16, pan2 (bald)
Daredevil I#176, p12, pan5-6 (Shiv)
Daredevil I#176, p11, pan2 (Toynbee)
Appearances:
Daredevil I#168 (January, 1981) - Frank Miller (writer/penciler), Klaus Janson (inker), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Daredevil I#170-172 (May-July, 1981) - Frank Miller (writer/penciler), Klaus Janson (inker), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Daredevil I#176 (November, 1981) - Frank Miller (writer/penciler), Klaus Janson (inker), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Daredevil I#178 (January, 1982) - Frank Miller (writer/penciler), Klaus Janson (inker), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Daredevil I#180 (March, 1982) - Frank Miller (writer/penciler), Klaus Janson (inker), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Daredevil I#182 (May, 1982) - Frank Miller (writer/penciler), Klaus Janson (inker), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Daredevil I#190 (January, 1983) - Frank Miller (writer/penciler), Klaus Janson (inker), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Daredevil I#196 (July, 1983) - Denny O'Neil (writer), Klaus Janson (artist), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Daredevil I#200 (November, 1983) - Denny O'Neil (writer), William Johnson (penciler), Danny Bulandi (inker), Linda Grant (editor)
Daredevil I#203 (February, 1984) - Steven Grant (writer), Geof Isherwood (artist), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Daredevil I#220 (July, 1985) - Denny O'Neil (writer), David Mazzucchelli (artist), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Daredevil I#229 (April, 1986) - Frank Miller (writer), David Mazzucchelli (artist), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Daredevil II#108 (August, 2008) - Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka (writers), Michael Lark (penciler), Stefano Guadiano (inker), Warren Simons (editor)
Daredevil II#119 (August, 2009) - Ed Brubaker (writer), Michael Lark (penciler), Stefano Gaudiano (inker), Warren Simons (editor)
Civil War II: Kingpin#1-4 (September-December, 2016) - Matthew Rosenberg (writer), Ricardo Lopez Ortiz (artist), Wil Moss (editor)
Kingpin II#3 (June, 2017) - Matthew Rosenberg (writer), Marc Laming, Ben Torres (artists), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Infinity Countdown: Daredevil#1 (July, 2018) - Gerry Duggan (writer), Chris Sprouse, Phil Noto, Lee Ferguson (pencilers), Scott Hanna, Karl Story, Phil Noto, Lee Ferguson (inkers), Devin Lewis (editor)
First Posted: 03/16/2019
Last updated: 11/16/2019
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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