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Attributes

Height: 6' 5"

Weight: 710 lbs

Eyes: Brown

Hair: Brown

Features: Thick grey armor with double horns

Summary

Created By: Stan Lee, John Romita, Sr., Mickey Demeo

Real Name: Aleksei Mikhailovich Sytsevich

Current Aliases: Alex O'Hirn

Former Aliases: Mecha-Rhino

Dual Identity: Known to local authorities by fake ID

Current Occupation: Professional Criminal.

Former Occupation: Henchman, bodyguard

Citizenship: United States of America

Legal Status: Criminal record in the U.S.

Place of Birth: Unknown

Marital Status: Single

Known Relatives: Unnamed mother (mentioned in Green Goblin #3), Alexia (niece, seen in Amazing Annual #28)

Known Confidants: None

Known Allies: Kingpin, the Leader, Boomerang, Beetle, Speed Demon, Hydro-Man

Major Enemies: Spider-Man, Hulk

Usual Bases: Mobile

Former Bases: Unknown

Current Groups: None

Former Groups: Sinister Syndicate, Deadly Foes of Spider-Man, Egghead's Emissaries of Evil, Great Game contestant

Education: Limited

Powers & Paraphenalia

Strength Level: Can press 80 tons

Powers: Skin is almost indestructable. Great strength and bulk.

Abilities: Has a devastating "charge" attack, and is capable of running up to 100mph - but has difficulty stopping or making sharp turns

Equipment: None

Weapons: Two tough and sharp rhinocerous horns are part of his costume.

Limitations: Costume was originally not removable, but is now. Rhino has limited manouverability. He is vulnerable to gas. Earlier costumes have proved susceptible to chemical attack. He isnt that bright, either.

Background

The Rhino's first mission was to capture the recently returned U.S. astronaut, Colonel John Jameson. He was dropped in Mexico, and given a fake passport bearing the name "Alex O'Hirn." He made his way north to New York, where unfortunately he encountered Spider-Man. Spider-Man defeated him in battle, and he was captured. He escaped from custody, and a rematch followed. However, Spidey was one step ahead. Having found a fragment of armour chipped from the Rhino's protective coating, he developed a spray designed which successfully dissolved the Rhino's armour.

After Rhino turned on his backers for a second time, he became a free agent in the world of professional super-powered mercenaries. The Rhino became fairly well known outside Spider-Man. He made a number of appearances in Incredible Hulk early on in his career, and then guest starred in dozens of other titles. The Rhino tried to kidnap Bruce Banner, but was nearly killed in an explosion. The Leader hired the Rhino to disrupt Bruce's wedding, but the Rhino's impatience left him the victim of yet another explosion. Rhino later teamed with the Abomination to take over Hulkbuster Base, but the two collided head- on, and were left incapacitated. Rhino also battled the Hulk during a time when he played minor league baseball as "Mecha Rhino."

With the fall of communism in Russia, the Rhino took a job from the Green Goblin (Harry Osborn) in hopes to make enough money to go back home, and convince his family to return back to America with him. His job, to scare Peter Parker, was thwarted when Peter slipped into his Spider-Man costume and furiously beat Rhino into submission. Members of his family were later seen to be disgusted with Aleksei when the illegal means to his financial gains had been revealed.

As a classic villain, The Rhino was also invited to join a some short-term villain groups. First he was also part of the Sinister Syndicate along with Boomerang, Beetle, Speed Demon and Hydro-Man, who teamed-up to take down Silver Sable. With this gang, he came very close to killing Spider-Man, if not for the timely intervention of the then-reformed Sandman. Later, the same Syndicate team regrouped in the "the Deadly Foes of Spider-Man" miniseries along with Leila Davis, out for revenge against the Beetle. Rhino was looking for money to get his hide removed. Beetle, Speed Demon, and Hydro-Man kill an assassination target, who happened to be the Rhino's chief surgeon. Leila persuaded Rhino to join her and the Shocker and Boomerang aginast the Beetle. In a major series of twists and turns, the Rhino was revealed to have been working for the Kingpin, using the super-villain battle as a diversion for the Kingpin to steal precious data from a police station, in exchange for the removal of his hide. The Kingpin planned to fail in the hide removal, to make the Rhino dependant on him. The Rhino overheard the double-cross, and kidnapped a doctor's family. In the end, Rhino's hide is successfully removed, but, missing the excitement, he later hires Justin Hammer to make him a new one (removeable this time). The Juggeranut's sentence was lightened in exchange for the Canadian govenrnment officials avoiding having to reveal what experiments they performed upon the Rhino.

He became involved in yet another scientific experiment, this time to boost his intellect to match his mighty physical strength, as described in "Spider-Man: Tangled Web". The experiment worked too well, with Rhino's intelligence growing too large for his own liking. He fell in love, but soon was intellectually bored with his girlfriend, and ruined the relationship. He contemplated suicide, but used his new brainpower to reverse the proceedure back to his old dumb self - even a little extra dumb!

Rhino popped up again aiding the Polish Mafia against Hammerhead's gang, and was once again thwarted by Spider-Man. Over in Uncanny X-Men, Rhino was seen escaping from a prison in Vancouver, Canada, where he had been, at some point, transformed into a half-man / half-rhino creature. The Juggernaut, about to be sentenced, was there with a new outlook on life, seeking to make amends for his criminal days. Juggeraut subdued the beastial Rhino, and surrendered despite the opportunity to escape.

Rhino apparently was reverted back to his normal superpowered self. He was jailed again after abducting and proposing to a French female singer/songwriter. Subsequently, he was jailed in Ryker's Island special section for superpowered criminals, along with the Green Goblin (Norman Osborn). Free again recently, Coleen Wing knocked down and apprehended the Rhino crashing Misty Knight's Jaguar XK8 straight into him.

Aleksei's luck has not been improving. He was captured by Alyosha Kravinoff and put in a "zoo" with the Vulture and Leap Frog. He had been trying to avoid the Punisher but quickly hoped that Frank Castle would "rescue" him.

Thanks To:

The assistance of the Marvel Chronology Project is gratefully acknowledged.

This profile was completed with information used with permission from the Appendix of Marvel Universe website, mantained by Jeff Christiansen (Snood). If you want to find out about that odd-ball character you've only seen once, or even about that character you haven't ever seen, that's the site you're looking for. An impressive amount of obscure characters await you there!

Character Appearances