Real
Name: Antonio Rodriguez
Occupation: Professional wrestler
Identity: Secret
Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with a criminal
record
Known Aliases: None
Place of Birth: San Antonio, Texas
Marital Status: Married
Known Relatives Maria (wife)
Group Affiliation: Former henchmen of Dr. Karl Malus
Base of Operation: Mobile
First Appearance: CAPTAIN AMERICA #3O8
History: Little is known about the background
of Antonio Rodriguez other than that he has a criminal
record and wife named Maria. His wife critically stricken
with an undiagnosed disease, Rodriguez took her to every
doctor who would see her but none were able to determine
the nature of her illness, let alone help her. In desperation,
he sought Dr, Karl Malus, a criminal scientist who specializes
in the generation and bestowal of superhuman powers, whom
he had heard about while n prison. Malus agreed to try
to cure her exchange for the man agreeing to become his
test subject and employee for an indefinite period of
time, Malus had long been interested in acquiring a superhuman
henchman, particularly after his experiments on the Fly,
the Hornet, the Werewolf, and Goliath failed to provide
him one. Malus subjected the man to an experimental process
that combined genetic material from an armadillo with
the man's genes. The Process caused the man's strength
to increase drastically, his skin to transform into a
tough, organic armored plate, and his hands to grow thick
tough claws. Malus dubbed him the Armadillo and assigned
him to break into the West
Coast Avengers Compound to steal the comatose body
of Goliath Who was being held there. The Armadillo complied
and soon found himself in combat with visiting Captain
America. Although physically superior to him, the
Armadillo was defeated by the Captain's superior combat
skills. Taking compassion on the Armadillo's plight because
of his wife's condition, Captain America refused to turn
the Armadillo over to the authorities. After Malus cured
Maria, Armadillo joined the Unlimited Class Wrestling
Federation.
Height: 7 ft. 6 in.
Weight: 1100 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: None
Strength Level: The Armadillo possesses
superhuman strength, enabling him to lift (press) approximately
25 tons under optimal conditions.
Known Superhuman Powers: The Armadillo
possesses superhuman strength, a high degree of resistance
to bodily harm, and sharp claws on his hands and feet.
The armor plating and tough hide covering his entire body
enabling him to withstand the force of ballistic weaponry
up to light anti-tank weapons without penetration. His
skin can withstand brief exposure to flame, ice, and acid
without damage. His bones and muscles have been augmented
to such a degree that he can withstand the impact of being
hit by a truck carrying ten tons of cargo traveling at
60 miles per hour without serious injury. The Armadillo
possesses superhuman endurance as well, enabling him to
exert himself at peek capacity for over and hour before
fatigue begins to impair his performance. Despite his
mass, he can move as quickly as a normal sized athletically
inclined man.
The Armadillo's claws are strong enough
to rend gouges in cinderblock and medium-density steel
with minimal wear on the nails, Coupled with his great
strength, he can break through a standard 4 inch steel-reinforced
cinderblock wall in a matter of seconds, or dig a hole
in the earth deep enough to fit his entire body in less
than a minute.
