Brief History

"Crime is rampant on the subways, politicians make empty speeches while armies march to war, industry poisons the Earth..." -- Richard Rory.

Richard Rory was a supporting character of the Man-Thing series, loosely based on his creator Steve Gerber. He was originally introduced as an Ohio disc jockey who made fun of the original Foolkiller while on the air. As a result, the serial killer hunted him down from Ohio to Florida. After Man-Thing saved his life, Rory became a regularly appearing friend of the Guardian of the Nexus. He settled for a while in Citrusville to be able to live close to his friend. However his complaining about book-burning incidents and the rather oppressive ideological regime in the city eventually turned him into a social outcast. He decided to leave and take runaway teenager Carol Selby with him.

The runaways were caught and Rory was imprisoned for kidnapping. While in prison, he was cellmates with Greg Salinger, with whom he shared stories about the Foolkiller. Salinger was sufficiently impressed with tales of the Foolkiller to take on the mantle himself. Rory was released at some point and was briefly involved with Omega the Unknown and the Defenders. He was next seen hitting the jackpot in a Las Vegas casino. Rory was added to the 1980s supporting cast of She-Hulk and had unrequited feelings for her.

Rory no longer appears regularly but turns up on occasion in stories featuring Man-Thing, Foolkiller or She-Hulk. His financial status has fluctuated between relative affluence and being down on his luck in the various portrayals.