Tarantula (Rodríguez)
Antón Miguel Rodríguez was a mercenary and assassin best known as the Tarántula; a foe to Spider-Man. Since his suicide, the Tarántula mantle has been passed on to other people.
Name:
Tarantula (Rodríguez)
Publisher:
Real name:
Antón Miguel Rodríguez
Aliases:
- Anton Miguel Rodriguez
- La Tarántula
- Tarantula
Birth date:
None
Gender:
Male
Powers:
- Agility
- Claws
- Intellect
- Unarmed Combat
- Wall Clinger
- Weapon Master
Origin
Antón Miguel Rodríguez was a revolutionary against the dictatorship in the South American republic of Delvadia, but he loved killing too much and was forced out. He then joined those who he first fought. There he got the costume and the name Tarántula. But when he killed a fellow officer, he was yet again forced out. He escaped to United States, where he started his criminal career.
Creation
Tarantula (Rodríguez) was created by Gerry Conway and Ross Andru and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man Vol.1 issue 134 (1974).
Major Story Arcs
The Tarantula Rises
On his first job he enlisted his brother, Hildalgo, and another mercenary named Juan to hold a tour boat for ransom. Though Spider-Man and Punisher both appeared to stop them, the Tarantula and his men were able to escape when the two began fighting one another. However, realizing that the Tarantula was their mutual enemy, Spider-Man and the Punisher teamed up and foiled his plans. He was thrown into prison, where he escaped thanks to Jackal, who used him as tool against Spider-Man. He tried several kidnapping jobs but ultimately failed them.
Frustrated on his defeats, Rodriguez agreed to an experiment from Brand Corporation scientists to duplicate Spider-Man's power and make him a superhuman agent. The experiment went bad when Will O'The Wisp, with his own vendetta against Brand, trashed the machines. Antón was turned into a spider hybrid. His intelligence waned and appearance turned more spider-like with moments. In the end he jumped down from a rooftop, goading police officers below into shooting him, thus ending his life rather than living like a monster.
The Clone Conspiracy
Some years later, Tarantula was seemingly revived alongside a number of other dead by Spider-Man's resurfaced enemy, the Jackal. Tarantula seemed to be in his original human form but could only remain alive through a serum that was injected by the Jackal.
Legacy
- Tarantula of Old West - Clay Riley
- Tarantula I - Antón Miguel Rodríguez
- Tarantula II - Luis Álvarez
- Tarantula III - Jacinda Rodríguez
- Tarantula IV - María Vásquez
- Devil-Spider - Roderick Kingsley (the Hobgoblin)
Rodríguez's daughter, Jacinda, inherited the Tarantula costume. She teamed up with Marie Batroc, though both women were thought to have been killed by Taskmaster on her very first day in costume after he shot them and threw them from a rooftop. Both were later confirmed to be alive by writer Gail Simone.
A few years later, while it was assumed that Roderick Kingsley had been killed by Phil Urich during the Big Time arc, Kingsley was revealed as still being active in Delvadia wearing a modified version of the Tarantula's costume under the alias "Devil-Spider." Jacinda Rodriguez partered with him for a time, and the duo later assisted Spider-Man and Mockingbird.
An unidentified man also took up the mantle of the Tarantula, briefly aligning with the Black Cat's gang. However, this man was killed by Miss Sinister.
In Other Media
Merchandise
- Tarantula was featured in the HeroClix figure game.
- Despite his relative obscurity, Tarantula was featured in Hasbro's Spider-Man Classics line, the sister line to Marvel Legends. Much of the figure was a reuse of the earlier Marvel Legends Bullseye figure that had been made by ToyBiz, the company that held the Marvel license prior to Hasbro.
- A 6" Tarantula action figure was released by Hasbro in 2023 as part of the third wave of Spider-Man: Retro action figures. The figure includes no accessories or BAF (Build-a-Figure) parts.
