TUSK

Real Name: Inapplicable

Identity/Class: Terrestrial insect hive mutant

Occupation: Servant of Macrothrax

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: The Bug Lords, Macrothrax, Thread, Vespa

Enemies: Ant-Man (Scott Lang), Chudley, Pam, Stinger (Cassie Lang), Swarm (Fritz von Meyer)

Known Relatives: Inapplicable

Aliases: "Brother," "the Rhino Beetle Hulk," "the Thing That is Beetles"

Base of Operations: Mobile throughout Earth

First Appearance: Ant-Man II#1 (April, 2020)

Powers/Abilities: Tusk existed as a humanoid shape composed of thousands of rhino beetles given a semblance of hive intelligence and organizational skills. Due to his nature as a composite being, Tusk could individually control the rhino beetles that made up his form and he had somewhat enhanced durability due to the mutated rhino beetles' armored carapaces. The beetles' horns usually protruded from various parts of Tusk's form and a group of beetles stationed at the head of his form created a trio of sharp horns with which Tusk tended to use as spears.

Height: Variable
Weight: Variable
Eyes: Red
Hair: None

History: (Ant-Man II#2 (fb)) - A hive of rhino beetles were mutated, granting them a hive intelligence and organizational skills. After the insect master Macrothrax soon learned of transformed Nazi Swarm and his experiments that had caused his human consciousness to inhabit a mutated hive of killer bees, Macrothrax forced Swarm to recreate the ray that had given his hive humanoid form and use the ray to grant the mutated hive of rhino beetles humanoid form as Tusk. Tusk and similar mutates Vespa and Thread, all given humanoid form without a human conscious, soon began to think of Swarm as impure and they attempted to kill Swarm, chasing him across the world.

(Ant-Man II#1) - Tusk, Vespa and Thread arrived to confront Swarm in Florida, where Swarm had been defeated by Ant-Man.

(Ant-Man II#2) - Swarm begged Ant-Man for protection from Tusk, Vespa and Thread and the trio of insect hive mutates quickly attacked, with Thread insisting that Ant-Man turn Swarm over to them. Tusk charged at Ant-Man, who shrunk down to avoid an attack from Vespa. While Ant-Man was shrunk, one of the rhino beetles making up Tusk's form pinched Ant-Man, forcing him to enlarge to his normal size in shock and pain. Tusk, Thread and Vespa continued their chase of Ant-Man and Swarm until Ant-Man enlarged a bee to block their escape. Tusk, Vespa and Thread soon destroyed the enlarged bee and emerged to bow before the arriving Macrothrax. Macrothrax soon determined that Ant-Man would stand in the way of his insect domination of Earth and ordered Tusk, Vespa and Thread to devour Ant-Man. Tusk led the charge but Ant-Man enlarged a single rhino beetle in Tusk's form, momentarily stopping Tusk in shock. Swarm and Ant-Man soon escaped and Tusk accompanied Macrothrax, Vespa and Thread in torturing and interrogating Ant-Man's enlarged ant Chudley for information on Chudley's enlargement.

(Ant-Man II#3) - Tusk accompanied Vespa and Thread as Macrothrax received a message from the Savage Land Bug Lords in the Florida Everglades. Ignoring the Bug Lords to focus on his own plan to acquire Ant-Man's Pym Particles, Macrothrax sent Thread to keep Ant-Man and his allies busy while Tusk and Vespa accompanied him to the ant hill where Ant-Man had been residing. When Vespa confirmed that Pym Particles were inside the ant hill, Macrothrax ordered Vespa and Tusk to take the Pym Particles and destroy every ant in the ant hill.

(Ant-Man II#4 (fb)) - Tusk and Vespa sent individual insects from their form into the ant hill, killing nearly all of the ants and stealing the Pym Particles.

(Ant-Man II#4) - As the surviving ant Pam informed Ant-Man of the attack on the ant hill, Tusk accompanied Vespa and Macrothrax to the Savage Land, where Macrothrax convened with the Bug Lords. Macrothrax was thrown out of the Bug Lords' domain for insolence and Tusk rushed to his master's side, asking if the Bug Lords had punished Macrothrax. Macrothrax replied in the affirmative and insisted he would make the Bug Lords see his vision as Ant-Man and Stinger arrived to stop Macrothrax. After Stinger dispersed Vespa, Macrothrax shoved Tusk into battle, ordering him to give his life for the world hive. A confused Tusk hesitated and Stinger used her newly-improved helmet to force the insects that made up Tusk's form to disperse, apparently destroying Tusk.

Comments: Created by Zeb Wells and Dylan Burnett.

Unlike his fellow mutated hives, Vespa and Thread, Tusk was specifically mentioned as being male by Macrothrax, who called Tusk "brother."

While Tusk seemingly died when the rhino beetles that made up his body were dispersed, it wouldn't be the first time a composite character was resurrected by reconstituting himself so I see no reason why another future writer couldn't bring Tusk back if need be.

Profile by Proto-Man.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Tusk has no known connections to:

images: (without ads)
Ant-Man II#1, p20, pan1 (Tusk, main image)
Ant-Man II#4, p6, pan2 (Tusk, headshot)
Ant-Man II#4, p14, pan2 (Tusk's apparent death)

Appearances:
Ant-Man II#1 (April, 2020) - Zeb Wells (writer), Dylan Burnett (art), Darren Shan (editor)
Ant-Man II#2 (April, 2020) - Zeb Wells (writer), Dylan Burnett (art), Darren Shan (editor)
Ant-Man II#3 (May, 2020) - Zeb Wells (writer), Dylan Burnett (art), Darren Shan (editor)
Ant-Man II#4 (July, 2020) - Zeb Wells (writer), Dylan Burnett (art), Darren Shan (editor)

First Posted: 09/27/2020
Last updated: 09/27/2020

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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