Gargoyle portrait

Yuri Topolov was a brilliant Russian scientist who was forced by his government to participate in dangerous nuclear bomb experiments for the military. During one of these experiments there was an accident and Yuri was exposed to massive amounts of radiation that horribly altered and disfigured his face and body while vastly increasing his intelligence.

Because of his grotesque appearance Yuri was codenamed The Gargoyle by his superiors and kept deep within the huge sprawling base where the experiments were being done. Despite this the Gargoyle rose to prominence in his field becoming one of the greatest scientists in Russia. The Gargoyle also used his increased mental powers to become a major figure in the secret intelligence community.

Later one of the Gargoyle’s agents Igor Starsky was assigned to spy on Doctor Robert Bruce Banner’s development of the Gamma Bomb. When a mishap with the first test detonation of the bomb resulted in Banner becoming irradiated and transforming into the monstrous Hulk Starsky notified the Gargoyle about the events.

The Gargoyle shocked that the events so closely mirrored his own accident with radiation became obsessed with finding the Hulk. The Gargoyle then snuck into the United States and tracked down the Hulk and his friend Rick Jones. The Gargoyle singled handedly captured them when he drugged them using a pellet gun of his own design. With their wills sapped by the drug pellets Rick and the Hulk were then taken by the Gargoyle back to Russia via submarine and then a jet.

During the flight The Hulk reverted to Bruce Banner. Upon landing the Gargoyle easily deduced Banner and Hulk were the same being. Ushering them into his private laboratory the Gargoyle began questioning why Banner would consign himself to being a monster. Breaking down emotionally the Gargoyle confided in the two men how he would give anything to be able to become normal again even if it cost him his genius.

Touched by the Gargoyle’s words Banner offered to help him revealing he had seen cases similar to the Gargoyle and he knew how to treat it. Submitting to Banner’s radiation therapy the Gargoyle reverted back to his normal human form and just as Banner had predicted Yuri was now back to his former intelligence before mutating into the Gargoyle.

Ecstatic and grateful for Banner curing him Yuri decided to help Banner and Jones escape while at the same time get revenge on his superiors who  he blamed for his original mutation.

Yuri set off a series of small explosions inside the base using them as a distraction to launch his personal escape rocket containing Banner and Jones sending them on course for the United States.

Yuri waited calmly in his office until base security and his superiors showed up to see what had happened. Not immediately recognizing him Yuri explained he was the Gargoyle no longer and that he was once again a man, no longer a genius and that his work was now done. Yuri then stated he knew he was going to die but that he chose to die like a man. With that said Yuri then triggered a nuclear bomb killing him self and destroying the base.  

Unknown to Yuri some time after his transformation he had impregnated his wife who after his death had bore him a son named Kondrati Topolov. The radiation that had transformed Gargoyle’s body had affected his genes so his son was born with his same mutated, grotesque appearance and supreme intellect on top of dwarfism.

Taken into custody by the Russian government Kondrati was raised to believe the Hulk had killed his father before his birth. A child genius Kondrati was codenamed the Gremlin and he used his intellect to try and gain revenge on the Hulk but he met with defeat.

Joining the Supreme Soviets, Russia’s answer to the Avengers, the Gremlin built his own Titanium Man armor and fought alongside them for years.

During the first event known as the Armor Wars Tony Stark as Iron Man was destroying any of his Iron Man technology that was being used by armored felons as well as heroes. Seeking out the Crimson Dynamo in Russia Iron Man defeated him and then fought the Gremlin in his Titanium Man armor.

During the battle Titanium Man grabbed Iron Man in a bear hug during flight. Unable to break loose Iron Man’s boot jets ignited Titanium Man’s armor setting it ablaze inside and out. Releasing his grip Gremlin panicked trying to extinguish the fire but was unable to stop it from burning him to death before the armor fell back to earth as a blazing ball of molten metal that crashed through a frozen lake and sank.

Gargoyle, Gremlin, Yuri Topolov, Kondrati Topolov and above mentioned characters copyright Marvel Comics