Usually, I try and pick a topic or character related to a
recent Marvel movie or television show and detail their MC2 counterpart
for maximum exposure. But, since I’ve had some setbacks recently and because I’ve
been wanting to cover this character for a good while now, I decided what the heck?
Why not just throw this one out before I lose all the data on my laptop and must
start from scratch again?! So, today’s post is about Aleksei Mikhailovich Sytsevich
aka The Rhino in the MC2. Enjoy!
Aleksei Sytsevich made his debut as The Rhino
in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man #41 by Stan Lee and John Romita
Sr in 1966. There he is seen rampaging all the way to New York
on his way to capture John Jameson
before being defeated by Spider-Man and placed in a state corrections
hospital. Escaping shortly afterwards, Rhino attempts to complete his
original mission but is again defeated after Spider-Man uses a special
acid webbing created by Curt Connors (aka The Lizard)
to dissolve the Rhino’s armour (Amazing Spider-Man #42-43).
It is also in Amazing Spider-Man #43 that we get glimpses
of Rhino’s origin where we learn he was ‘a hired hood—a muscle man’
working for professional spies. He was considered so unintelligent he would not
betray his employers even after they subjected him to months of experiments and
treatments, culminating in gifting him enhanced strength. Finally, he was covered
in a molecular adhesive protective ‘second skin’ and truly became the Rhino.
However, not only had Rhino received increased strength, but also
increased intelligence…at least enough to realize he did not need to follow his
employers’ orders anymore and went solo.
It is interesting to note that the Rhino has had his
suit destroyed on various occasions, the first being his above-mentioned encounter
with Spider-Man, but despite this through the first few decades of his
existence he inevitably found his way into a new and sometimes improved second
skin thanks to various super-geniuses. All this would come to an end when Rhino
grew tired of being trapped in his latest suit after it had once again become
permanently bonded to him following a shuttle explosion (apparently off-panel
in Incredible Hulk #159 implied in Thing #24 and confirmed in the
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #10).
This became the Rhino’s motivation going forward,
driving him to find a cure for his condition as noted above in the Thing #24.
Rhino betrays his Sinister Syndicate team mates for a deal with
the Kingpin
after the doctor attempting to cure him was killed by the team. Despite the Kingpin’s
promise of a cure, he instead planned to retain the Rhino as muscle.
When Rhino kidnapped one of the scientists in the Kingpin’s employ,
he was finally freed from his suit. Unfortunately, the Kingpin
threatened the scientist’s family and Rhino reached out to Justin
Hammer for a new and improved Rhino suit once more, one he could
once again remove this time (Deadly Foes of Spider-Man #1-4).
Despite this, by the time of Sensational Spider-Man #31
occurs, Rhino is once again apparently trapped within his suit. This is
evident from his rampage through New York in a desperate attempt to feel
something as he was unable to feel through his suit. Spider-Man is able
to comply with the Rhino’s desire by electrocuting him, defeating him in
the process and ending his rampage. I specifically mention this story as it
takes place right before the MC2’s divergence from the Main Marvel
Universe and somewhat nicely leads us to the Rhino’s one and only
appearance in the MC2.
In the pages of Amazing Spider-Man Family #3, Peter,
Mary Jane and Aunt Anna bring a sick baby May
Parker to a hospital emergency room. There they encounter Aleksei
Sytsevich who is seeking medical attention for his aunt Yulya Sytsevich.
Peter mentions hearing that Aleksei had finally managed to
surgically remove his Rhino suit. Aleksei struggles with the
registration process and becomes agitated until Mary Jane offers to help
with the paperwork, which his aunt accepts. Aleksei recognizes Peter
as the Daily Bugle photographer and invites him to get a coffee. Aleksei
mentions his was once hired to threaten Peter, a direct reference to Spectacular
Spider-Man #190.
Meanwhile, Anna and Mary Jane help fill out
the forms for Yulya who tells them that Aleksei sacrificed a lot
to bring his family over from Russia, which is most likely a reference
to Amazing Spider-Man Annual #28 where we see he has only managed to
bring over his mother and niece Alexia, with intentions of bringing the
rest of his family to the United States once he has more money. Aleksei
and Peter discuss the expenses of paying for medical treatment and they
bond over their common lack of money, both working job to job. Aleksei
mentions some of the ‘bad bosses’ he’s worked for including the Beetle,
the Leader and Doctor
Octopus, the last of which may be a reference to Webspinners: Tales
of Spider-Man #17-#18 by MC2 alumni Tom Defalco and Ron
Frenz.
Peter explains Spider-Man does what he does
because of the loss of a family member and Aleksei relates to this,
mentioning how his aunt Yulya lost her husband Borya who was ‘taken
away in the night and never seen again’. Aleksei explains that he joined
Russian gangsters to protect his family, using the money he was paid to
support them, and how this eventually led to him being turned into the Rhino
and eventually earned enough to migrate his family to America. Though Peter
believes Spider-Man and Rhino are destined to meet again as
enemies, Peter and Aleksei found common ground and part ways on
good terms.
There is a treasure trove to unpack and explore with the Rhino,
including the fact he is not even given a real name until the Official Handbook
of the Marvel Universe: Hulk 2004 was published nearly 4 decades
after the character’s debut. Prior to that, he used the alias Alex O’Hirn
(the surname being an anagram) while posing as a baseball player in Incredible
Hulk #435, a pseudonym some other adaptions would use, most notably in the Ultimate
Spider-Man comics and the Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon. The use of
Rhino’s real name in this MC2 tale is yet another example of
later details, characters and story elements being integrated into the MC2
from the Main Marvel Universe after the point of divergence.
I am also considering a family tree post to cover Aleksei’s
surprising number of relatives, let me know if you’d be interested in seeing
that. This post proved rather more difficult to research than I first thought but
I thoroughly enjoyed the process. It is good to know some of Spider-Man’s
foes had a happy ending, even if the United States’ healthcare system
could do with an overhaul. Just saying.
Until I talk about the Mecha-Rhino, I remain
frogoat