Who are Man-Bull, El Aguila and Porcupine? She-Hulk episode 7 introduced a host of D-list Marvel villains who were guests at the meditation retreat run by Emil Blonsky, who is perhaps better known as Abomination.
As She Hulk’s a comedy series, these characters didn’t pose a particularly huge threat to Jen. They seem to be present as a fun Easter egg and a source of comic relief and act as the latest in a long line of cameos for the Marvel series, which, so far, have included Hulk, Abomination and Wong(ers).
It’s also been confirmed that Daredevil is going to pop up at some point, but Man-Bull, El Aguila and Porcupine seem to be a lot more obscure compared to some of the characters we have seen so far. So, join us as we dig into these characters’ respective comic book histories and how their live-action portrayal compares. And prepare for episode 7 spoilers. Obviously.
Man-Bull explained: Who is Man-Bull?
The name of Man-Bull is pretty self-explanatory, and as explained to She-Hulk after ramming into her car, the reason for his appearance — which includes horns, a bull-like snout and extra hair — is the result of a science experiment gone wrong.
But according to his comic-book history, he’s hardly a victim. Furthering Daredevil’s link to the show, the villain first appeared in Daredevil #78 in 1971 as William Taurens, a criminal in cahoots with Mr Kline. His job was to kidnap people to be used as guinea pigs by Kline and the mysterious Professor, who developed a mutagenic serum with the DNA of a bull.
However, after the Man Without Fear foiled his kidnapping scheme, Taurens was forcibly injected with the serum as a punishment, which led to his Bull-like appearance and various other abilities like superhuman strength, agility, and an enhanced ability to empathise with cows.
His appearance in Daredevil was brief, but he also managed to cross paths with the Thunderbolts, who are set to get their own Marvel movie in Phase 5. So, with two links to future Marvel projects, Man-Bull’s future with the MCU remains to be seen, although he seems to have put his villainous ways behind him, at least.
El Aguila explained: Who is El Aguila?
Apart from his co-dependency with Man-Bull and brief stint as a Matador, the origins of El Aguila aren’t explained in much depth in She-Hulk episode 7. However, his appearance does demonstrate Marvel’s continued commitment to slowly introducing X-Men characters into the MCU because, like Ms Marvel lead Kamala Khan and Black Panther 2 character Namor, El Aguila is a mutant with the power to generate electricity.
In the comics, his name is Alejandro Montoya, and he comes from Spain. He was first introduced in Power Man [Luke Cage] and Iron Fist #58 (1979), and is characterized by his double-edged steel sword that helps him to conduct and channel his electricity.
His sword even briefly appears in this episode, as he calls himself a “swashbuckler,” but we don’t get to see his powers in full force on She-Hulk. El Aguila also briefly clashes with Hawkeye in the comics, but whether or not he returns to the MCU remains to be seen. However, with Luke Cage and Iron fists’ respective Netflix series now being canon to the MCU, maybe the swashbuckler will pop up again if the pair follow in Daredevil’s footsteps.
Porcupine explained: Who is Porcupine?
Poor, stinky Porcupine. We don’t see him as much compared to Man-Bull and El Aguila, who meet Jen after tussling on her car, but he is shown to be present in the group therapy circle at Blonsky’s retreat.
His origins are more debatable because three different people in the Marvel comics adopted the mantle of Porcupine. In the end credits, the villain is also only referred to as Porcupine, so it is difficult to know what the villain’s real name actually is.
The first Porcupine, Alexander Gentry, appeared in Marvel one-shot comic Tales to Astonish in 1968, A scientist working for the US military, Gentry Gentry hasn’t got any supernatural powers but creates a super-suit with various abilities in the style of a porcupine. The suit’s abilities include shooting sharp quills, gases, fire, or other chemicals — but he later becomes disillusioned with the Government and decides to use the suit to commit crimes.
Like the other two Porcupines, Gentry ends up facing off against Ant-Man and the Wasp and also battled Captain America and Moon Knight before trying to get rid of the suit and attempts to sell it to various people, including the Avengers, HYDRA, and Kingpin.
The second Porcupine, Roger Gocking, adopts both the suit and the mantle, and as well as frequently fighting against Ant-Man and the Wasp, also interacted a lot with the Thunderbolts in the comics.
Meanwhile, the third Porcupine was a teenage mutant named Billy Bates who could grow quills. Sadly, he never even got to use the mantle or the suit and was very quickly assassinated. Based on his older appearance and his use of the suit in She-Hulk, it’s likely that Porcupine, in this case, is either Gentry or Gocking as opposed to Bates. We don’t know if he will show up again, but with Ant-Man 3 coming up, that seems like the most likely place he will appear.
This misfit trio aren’t the only D-List Marvel villains to appear in She-Hulk. Find out more about Saracen and his possible link to Blade in our guide on the MCU’s first vampire.