Michael Marko (Earth-616)

Michael "Man Mountain" Marko was a street thug living in New York City, on day like any other he and his gang spotted someone to harass. The ordinary looking teenager was none other then Peter Parker. Peter was distracted by his Aunt May's illness, just knocking Marko away like he was nothing. It was from that day that Marko began his quest to gain powers.^[3] His first step was to become bodybuilder and to take work as a bodyguard.^[4]

Man Mountain Marko joined the Maggia, and they fulfilled his wish, enhancing his body through genetic engineering. Using his new found strength he became the loyal lieutenant to Silvermane. He was sent by Silvermane to steal the Lifeline Tablet taken by the Shocker. He was confronted and defeated by Spider-Man.^[4] He then threatened Curt Connors until the scientist agreed to work with Louis Wilson to crack the ancient tablet's secret code.^[5] When Silvermane drank the elixir of life, made with the tablet's formula, Marko was at first deceived by Caesar Cicero into thinking that the young man was an impostor; nevertheless, when Spider-Man busted in the Galby Building, he tried to protect his master, but he was easily defeated again.^[6]

Marko later targeted Big Ben Donovan, who went to the Heroes for Hire for help. He crashed into the office followed by Marko. He managed to knock out Luke Cage when their fight exposed live electrical wires which Marko used electrocute him. He took them both to Caesar Cicero, who wanted Donovan to reveal the location of stolen drugs while preparing Cage to be buried alive.^[7] However, Iron Fist arrived and defeated Marko and saved Cage from his fate.^[8]

Marko was sent to free Hammerhead from a prison transport protected by the Heroes for Hire. Marko along with the Eel were easily matched against the heroes. However Luke and Danny traded partners, pitting the Eel against Luke, and Man Mountain against Iron Fist, the Heroes for Hire managed to beat their foes. Hammerhead crashed into the prison wall and was arrested.^[9] He teamed up with Nightshade, Stiletto, Discus, and the Eel to kidnap Jeryn Hogarth's daughter but were stopped by the Heroes for Hire.^[10]

Marko obsession with becoming more powerful lead to him using horse steroids. He collected protection money for the Maggia when he went a bit crazy. He trashed an entire bar with Spider-Man inside. Ben Urich told Spidey that Marko took off after kidnapping a kid. Spider-Man learned the truth about the steroids. He tracked Marko to his home but he got the the better of Spider-Man as they fight at first but he tires and Spider-Man fights back and knocks him out. Meanwhile, the 'kidnapped' boy was just a fan of Marko's who wanted to be as big as him.^[3]

Marko was hired by Mr. Zoumas to kill the private detective Jessica Jones.^[11] He attempted to strangle her, but Jessica easily defeated him. She dumped the unconscious body of Marko at the feet of Mr. Zoumas during his golf game. They were both the arrested by Agent Clay Quartermain of S.H.I.E.L.D..^[12]

Marko tried to quit his life of crime and became a relatively successful singer, even touring Europe. On a flight back to the United States, Marko got drunk and harassed the other passengers. Dazzler was also on the same flight. She used her powers against him to no avail, and threatening a stewardess, he forced Alison to sing. The song did not calm him, so she used her powers again knocking him out.^[13] Marko later joined Hammerhead's group who planned to take advantage of the upheaval during the Civil War. However their base was raided by Iron Man and S.H.I.E.L.D..^[14]

After Norman Osborn became head of H.A.M.M.E.R., he offered Marko a job as an ATF agent. He was tasked with hunting down the Agents of Atlas. However he was no match for Namora and was teleported to a desert by the Uranian. At another mission to the Temple of Atlas one of the ATF members went rogue, but when Marko confronted him, he revealed that he was Jimmy Woo. The Agents of Atlas attacked and Marko fled, frightened of Namora. He hid but was found by Mr. Lao and the giant dragon who swallowed Marko whole.^[15] Marko somehow survived and resurfaced as part of Boomerang's Sinister Sixteen.^[16]

Man Mountain Marko was hired by Cecelia Monroe to guard the hospital room of her daughter Tempest. Tempest's boyfriend, Miguel O'Hara, attempted to bribe his way into the room and Marko responded by throwing him into the stairwell. Marko checked the stairwell and assumed Miguel had took off, but when he returned to Tempest's room, he found Miguel in his Spider-Man guise. Believing him to be the original, Marko attacks Miguel. Their fight ended when Marko threatened to kill the babies in the nursery unless he left. Marko returned to the room to find it empty, realizing that their battle was just a diversion.^[17]

Marko was tracked down by Spider-Man, who was looking for information on Cecelia. He claimed he never heard of her, until Spider-Man started breaking his fingers, then he eagerly told him her home address. He briefly got the upper hand, but Spider-Man ended up beating him to a pulp. After Spidey left, Marko swore he wouldn't lose to him again.^[18] He joined up with The Fist and they augmented his powers. He accompanied Tyler Stone to Parker Industries Medical, where he kept Spider-Man busy while Tyler convinced Tempest to leave with them to Blackthorne Prison.^[1] When Spider-Man arrived at the prison, Marko rushed him only to realize Spider-Man didn't want to battle. Miguel paid him off and two bonded after Miguel revealed that Tempest was carrying his son, Gabriel. Watching their encounter, Stone mind controlled Marko to attack Miguel. With the help of his halo-assistant, Lyla, Spider-Man kept Marko under the East River until he passed out.^[19]

At some point after the Maggia enhanced his body, Marko had married a woman named Judith Cort and conceived a daughter with her. However, Marko left them just after she was born. When their daughter was twelve years old, she started to manifest superhuman strength that was inherited from her father. While imprisoned at The Myrmidon, Marko somehow found about her and threatened Judith to take her once he got out. Judith sought the protection of the vigilante Moon Knight, and during the Kingpin's on superhuman activity, he let himself be captured and taken to The Myrmidon. Marko had become the reigning champion of The Myrmidon's underground fighting ring, so Moon Knight climbed his way through the fighting ladder. He managed to beat Marko and threatened to stay away from Judith and their daughter. After Marko insisted that he was going to kill Judith and get his daughter, Marc gouged Marko's eyes to leave him blind.^[2]

Marko was given a new pair of eyes by Black Spectre and and sent to fight Moon Knight along Microchip, Manslaughter Marsdale, and Waxman but they were defeated and Marko was presumably blinded again.^[20]

• Enhanced Physiology: Marko possesses various superhuman physical attributes after been enhanced by Maggia scientists and further mutated by steroid use.^[21]
  • Superhuman Strength: Marko's strength was increased to superhuman levels, making him able to normally lift around 900 lbs and at least 2200 lbs when using steroids. He could almost hold his own against Luke Cage in his early days.^[21] He can punch steel doors of their hinges and can crack a concrete floor with his blows.^[15]
  • Superhuman Stamina: Marko's muscles generate less fatigue toxins than the muscles of ordinary humans, granting him superhuman stamina.^[21]
  • Superhuman Durability: Marko's skin and his muscle and bone tissues are considerably denser than the tissues of an ordinary human, granting him much greater resistance to physical injury than an ordinary human.^[21] He could survive being thrown through a wall and against a vehicle with enough force to trash it with only light damage.^[15]

Steroid Abuse: Marko was addicted to steroids as he wished to increase in size and strength. But a lifetime of abuse has destroyed his liver.^[3]

Blindness: After Moon Knight gouged Marko's eyes, he was presumably left blind^[2] until Black Spectre gave him a pair of cybernetic eyes, though it was implied that Moon Knight blinded him again after their latest confrontation.^[20]

• Marko at one point implies he has committed (or would at least be willing to engage in) necrophilia; while trying to fatally strangle Jessica Jones, he exclaims, "Best part of these work-for-hire gigs? Is that after I'm done with you here--I don't have to hand you over... after I'm done with you, I can take your lifeless body out somewhere remote and I can do whatever I want with you. Then you'll really find out why they call me Man Mountain Marko".^[12]
• Marko claimed to have a son whose birth mother had hid from him for multiple years,^[19] but it was later stated that the child he's been separated from is a girl.^[2] It's possible that he was mistaken about his child's gender the first time he mentioned it, or that his child transitioned. Or he may have multiple children from multiple partners who are keeping them away from him. Most likely though, it was the mistake/ignorance of the writer.

• After succeeding in giving Man Mountain Marko his powers, Maggia's strength enhancement and genetic engineering division continued working on improvements of the process they had used on Marko, to generate a "new model" with the same powers to a greater level, implemented in a dozen-of-so agents known as the Persuaders.^[22]