History[]
Gigantopithecus
Martin Blank's life is largely similar to that of his Earth-616 counterpart. However, instead of being noticed by Kraven the Hunter, he caught the attention of Mister Sinister, who for reasons unknown offered to help Martin without asking for anything in return, saying that "the simple scientific accomplishment of your transformation would be your reward." He increased Martin's powers with a xenogenetic compound that unlocked his latent mutagenic potential, being transformed into a massively muscular ape-man over three meters tall and weighing an estimated 500 kg, and also giving him a great animal rage. Now known as Gigantopithecus, he attacked Spider-Man, but the latter managed to convince him that he only refused him as a partner because the superhero life was a life full of suffering and misfortune, and he wanted to spare Martin from it. Ashamed of having almost killed Spider-Man, Martin disappeared from view.
Later, Gigantopithecus sought to help Spider-Man, trying to prove that he could be a good superhero. He was caught in the middle of a fight between Spider-Man and Venom, and managed to knock Venom unconscious, aiding Spider-Man in the process. Later, he joined other superheroes in the group Spider-Man's Astonishing Friends, alongside Puma, Kodiak, Firestar, Iceman, Cloak and Dagger. This team assisted Spider-Man against the villainous serial killer Carnage, and participated in many missions together under Spidey's leadership. Later, Gigantopithecus and Kodiak teamed up independently as a duo of crime-fighting superheroes, helping Spider-Man stop the villainous Sabretooth.
Still later, now closely resembling a normal human, Gigantopithecus married the young reformed criminal Princess Python, who loved him despite his bestial appearance, seeing great beauty in his heart and loving him for who he was. Around this time, he began to participate in the Avengers Academy's classes as a teacher.
Strange New Worlds[]
Gigantopithecus was transported to an alternate world where apes were the dominant power, after participating in laboratory experiments conducted by Doctor Fiona Fitzhugh. Upon returning to Earth, he found himself captured by Taskmaster and Yellowjacket to be an exhibit in Kraven the Hunter's Great Zoo. He fought alongside the other exhibits against the Vulture, who tried to convince him to betray Spider-Man, and watched when Kodiak exiled Kraven in the Savage Land.
At the end of the conflict, the Vulture attempted to shoot Spider-Man, and without thinking twice, Gigantopithecus jumped in front of and received the deadly shot that would have killed Spider-Man. Mortally wounded, he only escaped with his life because Spider-Man managed to summon Reed Richards to replicate the xenogenetic compound that had empowered him to save him from death. Later, Gigantopithecus reflected that he was happy that Spider-Man had been with him for his entire life since Peter Parker made his existence worthwhile.
Powers and Abilities[]
Primitive Primate Physiology: Martin Blank has a Gigantopithecus-like appearance. He has superhuman strength, speed, agility, dexterity, reflexes, coordination, balance, and endurance. His strength is enough to defeat Iron Man, and he's dexterous enough to jump and climb the walls of skyscrapers with no effort at all. For instance, he could jump out from a helicopter, catch on to a wall, jump at Spider-Man and knock him down. When he first appeared he had a very human appearance and wore a Gigantopithecus suit, but later on, he gained a more primitive primate-like appearance and now looks like a giant-sized Gigantopithecus.
- Superhuman Strength: The Gigantopithecus possesses superhuman physical strength of an unknown limit. It is known that he possesses sufficient strength to go toe-to-toe with Wonder Man, Ikaris, Thundra, and War Machine, among other superhumans.
- Super Leaping: Gigantopithecus can make prodigious jumps from hundreds of meters away that allow him to jump the distance of New York City in a single leap, as well as easily jump to the top of skyscrapers.
- Superhuman Durability: Aside from his vast strength, the tissues of Gigantopithecus's body are considerably stronger and denser than those of a human being, providing him superhuman durability. His body can resist high caliber machine gun rounds without sustaining injury. If he is injured, he can recover from physical trauma with tremendous speed and efficiency, giving rise to the quote "strike him down and he sure would rise again".
- Superhuman Stamina: Despite Gigantopithecus's great size, he can run at speeds greater than that of an Olympic level athlete. His enhanced musculature generates less lactic acid than the muscles of a human being, granting him superhuman levels of stamina.
- Superhuman Agility: Gigantopithecus has superhuman agility, dexterity, reflexes, coordination, and balance. His agility is great enough for him to be effectively able to match and even surpass Spider-Man's, and he proved to have enough dexterity to jump with agility and grace from one skyscraper to the next, hanging upside down on parapets, climbing walls and other vertical surfaces and jumping over the rotating propellers of a television helicopter without suffering any damage.
- Superhuman Dense Tissue: Although the tissue of Gigantopithecus's body is not invulnerable, he is more dense and resistant to damage than the tissue of common humans, allowing him to withstand amounts of damage that would kill common humans and even some super beings.
- Claws and Fangs: Gigantopithecus's fingers and toes are tipped with razor sharp, retractable claws, and he has fangs in his mouth that are capable of piercing even the Hulk's skin, a feat usually reserved for adamantium, due to a combination of the toughness of his claws and fangs and his massive physical strength.
- Protective Fur Coat: The dense fur covering Gigantopithecus's body grants him immunity to the harsh conditions of the extreme cold weather common in the areas in which the Gigantopithecus ape has appeared.