Zodiac (comics)
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Zodiac is the name of several fictional villainous organizations that have appeared in Marvel Comics stories. There have been a variety of Zodiac teams, each differing in their motivations and structure, however there is always at least one supervillain in them who has adopted his or her individual star sign as their personal codename and motif. The group has often executed crimes based on the twelve signs of the zodiac.
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[edit] Zodiac I
The first-known group debuted in the 1970s Avengers comics. It was a criminal organization founded by Taurus, a corrupt businessman named Cornelius Van Lundt who sought personal power and dominance of the masses, using astrology to guide his and the zodiac's machinations (note: while it has not been proven that astrological influence is real in the Marvel Universe, it's not impossible, and indeed, the stars are mystically alive in that universe (see Cloud). Leadership of the Zodiac would fluctuate between the membership, based on the "dominance" of their calendar sign. Various Zodiac members would often attempt plots of their own, independent of the main body of the Zodiac, notables including Capricorn, Aries, and Scorpio.
[edit] Zodiac II
Scorpio, who had engaged his brother Nick Fury in a series of criminal efforts years before the debut of the Zodiac, left the original Zodiac and constructed his own team with Life Model Decoy (realistic androids) technology stolen from SHIELD. Scorpio eventually killed himself after the collapse of his schemes. His weapon (an item known as the "Zodiac Key", empowered by a group of extradimensional mystics called The Brotherhood) transferred his intellect into a Life Model Decoy duplicate, granting him a second life. This "reborn" Scorpio would construct various android incarnations of the Zodiac. Zodiac-themed villains would come into conflict with various superheroes, among them She-Hulk, Daredevil, Iron Man, Ghost Rider, SHIELD, and most notably, The Avengers.
Fury's android cartel eventually infiltrated and destroyed Van Lundt's original Zodiac; only a few members are known to have survived. Fury/Scorpio claimed that the Brotherhood had long-controlled the Zodiac and intended him to serve as its master. Fury and his machines were later deactivated and the key retaken by the mystics.
[edit] Zodiac III
Since then, many different cartels have manifested, each with its own general trappings and motivations, all employing at least a single costumed enforcer, and all motivated by emulation of the zodiac calendar. One Zodiac, made up of soldiers in Romanic dress, occupied New York shortly before Onslaught's devastation of the city. This Zodiac was led by a single agent, Libra. Later, a fully costumed cartel actived in Canada. They were opposed by the then-current incarnation of Alpha Flight, then slaughtered by the mutant task force Weapon X. Shortly before the disbanding of the original Avengers charter, a new Scorpio, armed with a copy of Fury's key, battled the team. Scorpio reported to a shadowy group of men in a boardroom-style headquarters, these men were identified as the "actual" Zodiac, Scorpio serving as a colorful facade/agent. Since then, Scorpio has apparently recruited a new public Zodiac team, which attacked the UN but was stopped by the Young Avengers.
