Hit-Monkey
Hit-Monkey is a male animal character who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Hit-Monkey was the name given to a male Japanese Macaque who lived in the wilderness of the mountains alongside a tribe of other such monkeys. One day, their clan came to take a fugitive assassin in their care where they nursed him back to health by using herbal remedies by the hot springs. He disagreed with the other monkeys as he believed that the assassin's enemies would follow him but the rest of the tribe kept him among them. The nameless assassin came to recover his health and began to hone his skills again with him practicing on snowmen. In that time, the monkey began to study the assassin though he warned the Macaque against his evil ways. A fight erupted when the monkey attempted to use physical violence against the intruder with his tribe exiling him as a result of his actions. Whilst away, he happened upon a group of soldiers in the woods who were looking for the assassin and rushed to warn his clan. However, he did not make it in time as he found the assassin along with his tribe having been killed. As the sole survivor, he sought revenge and took on the assassin's pistols where he proceeded to kill the soldiers. (Hit-Monkey v1 #1)
The spirit of the deceased hitman manifested following Hit-Monkey's first murders, and he guided the macaque into finding his killers' patron, a politician named Hideki Hiyashi who was in turn working for General Kato, the duo's ultimate target. Arriving at Tokyo, Hit-Monkey attacked Hiyashi but accidentally killed his innocent assistant. Anguished by having accidentally taken an innocent life, Hit-Monkey forfeited his guns and retreated untiil the assassin's ghost encouraged to keep on going. (Hit-Monkey v2 #1) The next day, Hit-Monkey learned from a newspaper that General Kato's daughter was getting married. He infiltrated the wedding, stealing the suit and tie from a toddler. Chaos broke out after the guests realized Hit-Monkey wasn't a trained animal ring-bearer, and the macaque was confronted by General Kato's newest bodyguard, Bullseye. Evading the hitman, Hit-Monkey infiltrated General Kato's safe room and decapitated him. Ashamed that he had been bested by a monkey, Bullseye murdered the rest of Kato's men. Shocked by this turn of events, Hit-Monkey came to the realization of the dangers of vengeance. The spirit of the assassin also revealed itself to be a fragment of Hit-Monkey's own mind, meaning it was a manifestation of his self-indulgent desire for revenge. The toddler whose suit Hit-Monkey had stolen found and hugged him, unwittingly shielding him from Bullseye's throwing knife and dying. The boy's death motivated Hit-Monkey to now seek revenge for the innocents whose blood had been spilled and not for himself. (Hit-Monkey v2 #2)
The Japanese macaque evaded an intense pursuit by the mercenary Bullseye by temporarily taking refuge within the Tokyo residence of an elite model named Masami, utilizing her apartment as a tactical safehouse. The tracking acumen of the marksman quickly breached this hideout, initiating a high-stakes firefight that resulted in the catastrophic destruction of the living space and the collateral death of the civilian model. This chaotic engagement suffered further disruption when an armed security detachment under the command of a corrupt corporate executive, Mr. Yahama, arrived at the scene with orders to eliminate all parties involved. Recognizing the escalating threat parameters, the simian executed a series of high-mobility maneuvers to systematically eliminate the incoming guards before turning its firearms directly upon Yahama, terminating the corrupt official to dismantle the financial backing of the criminal operations. (Hit-Monkey v2 #3)
The Japanese macaque initiated an urban scouting campaign within New York City, successfully executing a group of rogue, corrupt local police officers inside an urban structure to satisfy its core directive of terminating established assassins. Following these precise executions, the simian transitioned into a stealth reconnaissance pattern the next morning, trailing the vigilante Spider-Man through the city streets to trace the precise location of the mercenary Deadpool. Despite Deadpool utilizing an elaborate clothing disguise to obscure his physical profile, the macaque instantly recognized his identity and launched a high-velocity ambush against him. When Spider-Man unexpectedly intervened to break up the conflict, the primate accidentally discharged a projectile into the superhero's chassis. Overcome with a sudden protective remorse for the injured hero, the simian froze its offensive sequence, which allowed Deadpool to immediately launch a brutal counter-offensive, shooting the monkey multiple times at close range before the primate managed to escape the immediate zone. (Deadpool v3 #19)
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Hit-Monkey was a bipedal mammalian creature that possessed the structural biological features of an ordinary Japanese macaque integrated with a standard human aesthetic. The subject possessed a thick coat of light greyish-white fur that covered the entirety of his body, with the explicit exception of his face, hands, and feet, which exhibited a bare, pinkish-red coloration. The facial anatomy featured two dark, expressive eyes set beneath a prominent brow ridge, a flat snout, and distinct cheek configurations typical of his species. Following the destruction of his tribe, the subject abandoned a purely wild state to adopt formal human attire. His uniform consisted of a custom-tailored, black fabric business suit jacket, matching black dress trousers, a pressed white collared dress shirt, and a dark necktie. Additionally, the subject frequently wore dark, rectangular sunglasses over his eyes to obscure his gaze during operations. (Hit-Monkey v1 #1)
He came to find himself haunted by the unnamed assassin who found refuge amongst the macaque monkeys in their isolated spring. (Hit-Monkey v1 #1)
Powers and abilities
Hit-Monkey possesses the normal attributes of an Earth Japanese macaque, which includes superhuman agility and reflexes. On a basic feats level, this primate physiology granted the subject natural physical attributes that included exceptional biological agility, advanced balance, and quick reflexes far exceeding those of a baseline human. (Hit-Monkey v1 #1)
Through extensive visual study and mimicking of a master human hitman, Hit-Monkey had elevated these traits to an elite tier, becoming an exceptional martial artist and marksman. As such, he came to be an expert marksman and martial artist. He possessed the physical dexterity to dual-wield high-caliber human firearms simultaneously, using his feet alongside his hands to grip weapons, chamber rounds, and fire accurately while moving through three-dimensional space. Despite lacking the physiological vocal framework required to speak human language, the subject possessed advanced human-level tactical intelligence, situational awareness, and problem-solving skills that enabled him to navigate urban environments and track international contract killers. (Hit-Monkey v1 #1)
Notes
- Hit-Monkey was created by Daniel Way and Dalibor Talajić where he made his first appearance in Hit-Monkey v1 #1 (April, 2010).
- The character was said to had been inspired by Agent 47 from the Hitman franchise.
Alternate Versions
- In M.O.D.O.K. Assassin v1 #2 (2015), an alternate version of Hit-Monkey appeared in the Battelworld domain of Killville that was designated as Earth-11131 in the Multiverse.
In other media
Television
- In Hit-Monkey, Hit-Monkey featured in the setting of the Hulu animated television series where he was voiced by actor Fred Tatasciore. A Japanese macaque whose tribe had adopted an assassin named Bryce McHenry, the Monkey saw him as a threat and tried to have the tribe expel him, only to be banished himself. While he was away, his entire tribe was killed by the humans that had come to kill Bryce. Picking up one of their guns, the Monkey killed all of the humans in anger, after which he went after the ones who had sent them there in the first place. On the Monkey's way to Tokyo, he had discovered that Bryce's spirit was now bound to him, unable to leave the Monkey's presence and constantly pestering him with advice. Arriving at Tokyo, the Monkey killed the Old Fish Lady, who was the only lead that Bryce had. Returning to the scene of the crime later, he was able to follow General Kato to the funeral of Ken Takahara, where he took notice of Akiko Yokohama. The Monkey and Bryce came across a monk who could both see Bryce and understand both of them and urged them to work together. Following up on the leads of the now-deceased General Kato, the Monkey and Bryce visited his apartment, where they learned of Yakuza members Keppei and Teppei. The Monkey followed to their casino and, after winning a bunch of money, managed to kill the two as well, but not before learning of the one called the Accountant. The Monkey snuck into Sugano Prison and, after neutralizing its Warden, made his way to the section where the Accountant was kept. He fought and defeated Fat Cobra but spared his life, earning Fat Cobra's friendship and respect. Fat Cobra helped the Monkey get the next lead from the Accountant - a man known as the Rooster. The Rooster and the rest of the Yakuza were, by now, sick of the Monkey and put a ¥150,000,000 yen bounty on him. After evading multiple assassins and earning the respect of the undead assassin Yuki, the Monkey got to the Yakuza and managed to kill most of those present, although the Rooster managed to escape. After this, the Monkey finally found the courage to come and see Akiko at her home. The Rooster tried to mask his trail by employing numerous lookalikes, which the Monkey eliminated one by one, eventually taking out the Rooster himself. This put even more serious attention on him in the shape of Lady Bullseye.
Video games
- In Marvel Contest of Champions, Hit-Monkey appeared as a playable character in the setting of the mobile video game.
Appearances
- Hit-Monkey v1: (2010)
- Hit-Monkey v2:
- Deadpool v3:
- Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D. v1:
- Deadpool & the Mercs for Money v2:
External Links
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