GRIFFIN

 

GRIFFIN

Real Name: John Horton

First Appearance: Amazing Adventures (Vol. 2) #15, November 1972

Powers: Johnny Horton was a small-time criminal captured by the subversive Secret Empire. He was surgically and chemically enhanced to be an agent of organization. A mutagenic serum turned his face chalk white and augmented his strength, speed, agility, endurance, reflexes, and resilience to physical harm, while the doctors also surgically attached a set of claws to his fingertips, working wings on his back, and a mane of hair around his head. The serum remained in his system permanently, and Griffin found that extreme physical exertion would reactivate the serum, causing him to mutate further and develop new abilities. First, he developed razor sharp fangs and a long prehensile tail from his backside. Later changes included lion-like facial features, more pronounced claws, dinosaur-like scales on his skin which acted as living armor, and the ability to psionically command birds to do his bidding. His strength also increased with each new mutation, causing him to go from grappling with Beast (Class 2 strength) to fighting Wonder Man and Namor (Class 85-100).

Over time, however, Griffin's mind began to deteriorate with each mutation, making him more feral and ultimately little smarter than an animal. At one point, he had grown into an oversized quadraped with no remaining human sentience, and served as Prince Namor's personal steed during a time when the Sub-Mariner's wings were lost. He has since spontaneously reverted back to a humanoid form, but his current power levels are unclear.