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    Reptil

    Character » Reptil appears in 203 issues.

    While acompanying his parents on an archeological dig, Humberto Lopez found a peculiar stone that grants him the ability to partially transform into a dinosaur. After being tortured heavily by Norman Osborn, Humberto has been inducted into Avengers Academy in hopes of keeping him on a healthy path.

    Short summary describing this character.

    Reptil last edited by KillerZ on 01/11/22 10:50AM View full history

    Origin

    Reptil
    Reptil

    Humberto Lopez is a minor who registered with the Initiative and was living with his grandfather in Nevada. Valerie Cooper put together a squad to go after Stegron after he has been attacking various SHIELD bases with reanimated dinosaurs looking for a particular item or person. Dr. Cooper placed Tigra in charge but Tigra was reluctant to use Reptil in this mission because he was just a kid that did not even go through basic training yet. Dr. Cooper made an exception because of Reptil's abilities and that he may be the only chance to find Stegron. Tigra along with Prodigy, Komodo, Batwing, Sunstreak and Cloud 9 go to Sparks, Nevada to find Humberto. A brief scuffle occurs when Humberto is startled by Tigra and the other Initiative members but comes along willingly after seeing Cloud 9 and realizes these are the good guys.

    Humberto is really excited about this mission and being a full-on super hero. He tells Tigra about his family and how he got his powers. His parents were paleontologist and he dug up some type of crystallized bone when he went out to the desert with them on one expedition. The medallion has some type of weird energy that allows him to take on the abilities of different dinosaurs just by thinking about it. Humberto also has some sort of empathy with Dinosaurs and other reptilian creatures. He is very important to the mission because his empathy abilities are needed to help locate Stegron. They arrive back to Camp Hammond where they try to cram six months of training into a couple of days to help prepare Humberto with this mission. Humberto gets to talk with various members of the Initiative while they train him and he gets different opinions and there personal insight about the good and bad with the Initiative program. Tigra explains to him that he could do a lot of good with the Initiative but the line of work can also give him nightmares for life. She also reminds Humberto that he is still young and not to give up on being a kid. Humberto tells Tigra that he needs to make the cut and become a hero. He tells Tigra that his parents disappeared a year ago on a dig and he believes he can find them with the tools and equipment the heroes have. Tigra promises Humberto that she will do everything she can to make sure he is prepared for whatever choice he makes.

    Humberto being trained by Cloud 9.
    Humberto being trained by Cloud 9.

    The Intiative is able to find out Stegron's location when Baron Von Blitzschlag attaches some type of neuron device that increases Humberto's empathy abilities. He discovers the dinosaur herd in South Dakota and Stegron will attack that SHIELD base next. Tigra and her team intercept Stegron but everything falls apart when Stegron takes control of Komodo's mind and orders her to attack her teammates. Humberto is hot-headed and impulsive during the fight and attacks Stegron but is beaten down. Stegron and his dinosaur herd escape. Humberto suffers a mild concussion and Dr. Cooper tells him that his rash behavior allowed Stegron to escape and he endangered the lives of his teammates. Tigra speaks to Dr. Cooper in private and asks her to give Humberto one more chance to go out on the field. Valerie tells Tigra is he messes up then his career with the Initiative would be over. Tigra speaks to Humberto a few days later and reminds him to stay balanced and not to overcommit. She tells him that everyone has problems and that he is lucky enough to be in a position to learn from other's mistakes and his own.

    The team locates Stegron attacking the Wyoming SHIELD base. Stegron and his dinosaur herd is taken down with good teamwork and Reptil's abilities. They find out that Stegron has been attacking various SHIELD bases to locate Moon Boy who has been captured from the Savage Land. Stegron does not care for Moon Boy but his companion Devil Dinosaur because he is the only living specimen of his kind. Devil Dinosaur has lost the will to live, refusing to hunt or eat since Moon Boy was captured. Humberto tells Tigra that Moonboy is innocent and doesn't deserve this. Tigra tells Humberto there is something they can do but he has to make a tough choice. Tigra tells the SHIELD scientist and agents that Moon Boy was eaten by one of the dinosaurs and Reptil was sent home because he just got in the way and was completely useless.

    However Reptil managed to fly out with Moon Boy and take him back home to Nevada. Tigra meets Humberto there and they are soon greeted by Ka-Zar and Sabu. Ka-Zar thanks them for bringing Moon Boy back to him safely and invites Humberto to take Moon Boy back to the Savage Land. Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur reunite and Ka-Zar tells Humberto that he will help him find his parents.

    Creation

    Reptil was originally created for the Super Hero Squad cartoon before being brought over into the comics. His first appearance was in his very own special, Avengers: The Initiative Featuring Reptil #1. He was not seen regulary after his initial appearance until he became a core teammember of the Avengers Academy comic.

    Major Story Arcs

    Avengers Academy

    Attending the Avengers Academy
    Attending the Avengers Academy

    Humberto would be kidnapped and be held captive at HAMMER Base Kappa-Four in Nevada. Norman Osborn would have his HAMMER agents kidnap underage kids and teens where they undergo numerous tests and experiments. Humberto was one victim and Osborn had ordered a test to see if extreme stress would induce the subject to transform his entire body into dinosaur form. A commanding officer halted the experiment when they learned that Norman Osborn was arrested and no longer the Director of National Security. The commanding officer wanted to get rid of any evidence regarding these illegal experiments and killed the scientist in charge. Humberto was in his holding cell when he heard the gunshots. Guards were coming after Humberto and he had to make a stand if he wanted to live. Humberto snatched a rifle away with his T-Rex head and smacked some agents away with his tail. If Humberto was gonna die then he was going out like a trooper so he smashed and slashed away in various dinosaur forms. Reptil got passed some security droids when he received some assistance from Hank Pym, Tigra and Justice. Tigra had informed Pym that Reptil was the future of the Avengers and they wanted to recruit him into the Avengers Academy.

    Months after Reptil was elected leader of the student of Avengers Academy. Soon after Mentallo arrived with a ray gun that made the Avengers Academy fight each other. Reptil then unleashed his Jurassic powers, but lost control and brutually attack Mentallo. The staff then talked with him about controlling his powers when Tigra suggested Jessica Jones to come and talk with him. Reptil then revealed he was having problems with the disappearance of his parents. Jessica then asked him about being in Avengers Academy and he responded "it was a dream come true".

    When Korvac was released accidental by Veil, Carina turns the Avengers Academy into their adult forms making there powers more advanced with the ability of transforming into full dinosaurs. Next when Hazmat defeated Korvac in her adult form Carina turned the Avengers Academy back to their normal selves, but Reptil still was in his adult form because of his magic gem not being affected by Carina's powers and him wanting to stay in the form to obtain his matured powers. Later at the prom when he was with Spider-Girl he turned back into his original form when he realized he wanted to be himself again.

    Later the Sinister Six attacks a science institute in Paris to get Hank Pym's Dimensional Door Technology, the Avengers Academy then goes to stop them. Soon Tigra is shocked by Electro leaving her unconscious. Reptil then uses his new ability of turning into a full dinosaur with the use of Pym Particles to take down Rhino. Later during the fight the Chameleon turns into Tigra and trick the students into opening a doorway which leads to Doctor Octopus' lair and the Sinister Six retreat with the Dimensional Door. When escaping Electro shocks Reptil leaving him unconscious when he and Tigra when taken to the Infinite Avengers Mansion. There he and Tigra were diagnosed with third-degree burns, with only Reptil having ventricular fibrillation, but was corrected by Striker.

    Avengers Arena

    Reptil was one of sixteen teenage superheroes who were kidnapped by Arcade, including fellow Avengers Academy students Mettle, Hazmat, X-23, and Juston Seyfert, and brought to Arcade's newest Murderworld, forced to compete in fight to the death where only one person will get out alive. While Arcade was explaining the situation to the contestants, Reptil was one of the few teens who attacked Arcade, in an attempt to stop the games before they ever started. After the failed assault, Reptil was forced to watch helplessly as Arcade began killing Hazmat, and then later Mettle, who had took her place in order to save her life.

    The four surviving Academy students then set up camp in the island's forest zone, scavenging for food, which was becoming more scarce every day. When the night attacker hit their camp on the eighth night, the group lost Juston and his Sentinel Mark IV both of whom vanished. With tensions running high, the arrival of Runaways Nico Minoru and Chase Stein led to a brief stand-off between the two groups. Hazmat reluctantly allowed the two to join their camp in exchange for food, which came from an enchanted tree Nico had created.

    The following night during his watch, Reptil confessed to Chase that he had considered killing the two earlier, to which Chase responded by threatening to kill Reptil if he ever tried hurting Nico. After this exchange, Chase went to relieve himself in the woods. While he was gone, Reptil was ambushed and seriously injured by a sudden burst of fire that left him near death. Because of his Fistigons, and their ability to project fire, suspicion was immediately placed on Chase which caused the two groups to separate but not before Hazmat destroyed Nico's food tree.

    When Arcade announced that their was a supply cache, filled with food, weapons, and medicine, Hazmat and X-23 attempted to ferry the unconscious Reptil there in order to claim the medicine for him. On the way there, Reptil regained consciousness and revealed that it wasn't Chase who had attacked him, but rather the young Death Locket. After Hazmat accidentally triggered a mine, both he and Hazmat were doused in Trigger Scent, which caused X-23 to go into a rage and attack them. Luckily, Reptil was able to transform into a pterodactyl and carried Hazmat to Safe Zone 3 before he collapsed.

    While events elsewhere claimed the lives of Kid Briton, Juston, and Nico, Reptil spent two weeks healing. When he finally regained consciousness he awoke to a different Hazmat, one who made jokes and was happy all the time. Unsure about what to do about her sudden personality shift, Reptil opted to play along with her out of sympathy for the death of Mettle.

    When a portal opened and dropped Anachronism, Bloodstone, Cammi, Nara and an unconscious X-23 into their midst, the duo were initially unsure of their motives but ultimately accepted them due to Laura's presence. While Hazmat showed Nara and Anachronism to their food supply, Reptil explained to a confused Laura that Hazmat had given up after all the deaths and misery she had suffered in Murderworld. After a brief argument with Bloodstone, Reptil went to talk to Hazmat alone, chastising her for giving up and saying how Mettle would have wanted her to live, burning his hands in the process. Reptil agreed to accompany the others back into Murderworld proper in order to save the life of Nico, who the group believed to be battling the villainous Apex, the real source of the nightly attacks.

    When they arrived back on the mainland, the group quickly fell apart. Finding themselves lost, Reptil flew up into the air in order to orient themselves but ended up becoming lost himself. When the island was flooded with trigger scent and Bloodstone unleashed the monstrous Glartrox in order to save Anachronism from X-23, Reptil, Chase, and Nico, now alive again thanks to a resurrection spell she had cast last minute, arrived to help defeat the monster.

    After Nara gave her life to banish the monster back into Bloodstone, her boyfriend Anachronism flew into a rage and attacked Bloodstone. Concerned, Reptil believed they should intervene before somebody else died, but Nico said to not to interfere. Cammi's timely intervention saved Bloodstone and sent Anachronism flying into the woods. A surprise attack from Chase, now empowered with the Darkhawk Amulet, sent Reptil flying into the forest as well.

    While this was going on, Laura was attacking Hazmat, leaving her near death. Aiden intervened and swung his axe into Laura, thereby knocking her off of Jenny. Still trying to defend his friends, Reptil charged into Aiden and headbutted him away from Laura and Jenny, who's injuries to both her and her suit caused her radiation to leak and build up.

    Humberto supposedly sacrifices himself to save the others from the explosion caused by Hazmat's meltdown.

    Powers and Abilities

    Shapeshifting to have claws of a Raptor.
    Shapeshifting to have claws of a Raptor.

    Reptil wears a crystallized bone medallion that allows him to take on the abilities of different dinosaurs just by thinking about them. He initially cannot fully transform into a complete dinosaur but can shapeshift various parts of his body into different dinosaur appendages like a tail to strike enemies, changing his arms into pterodactyl wings, or having claws like a Raptor. However, after briefly possessing the body of his future self in a fight against Korvac, he retains the ability to fully transform. He possesses the strength and ability of whatever dinosaur he is using and his skin always turns red and scaly whenever he uses his abilities.

    Reptil also has some empathy abilities with dinosaurs and other reptilian creatures. He can sense other reptiles, but he cannot control them or influence their behavior at this time.

    His amulet is magical in nature and recently embedded itself into his chest. Not much is known about it except that it is not actually the source of his powers, but only the catalyst that allows him to use them.

    Later in Avengers Academy, Reptil learned how to transform into full dinosaurs with the use of Pym Particles in his body.

    In the show Super Hero Squad, it has been shown that an infinity fractal (one of the broken pieces of the Infinity Sword), is what allowed Reptil to use his shapeshifting powers. However, it later turned out even after losing it, he was still able to use his powers; though Reptil had some difficulty controlling them. For example, he went full dinasaur when all Reptil wanted was to transform his legs. It could be that prolonged exposure to the fractal has given Reptil permanent ability to shapeshift.

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