Marvel Pets
98 Posted on Oct 14, 2008 in articles by Josh Flanagan |As Ron makes his quarterly tour of the east coast iFanboy offices, he noticed me playing with my dog, and commented that Marvel doesn't have pets like DC does. I countered, and said, "yes, of course they do. There's Lockjaw, Lockheed, Zabu, and...."
"A HA!" replied Ron.
"Well, we'll just have to ask the folks on the site, because it's just more fun that way."
So, what do you think? Is there a Krypto in the Marvel Universe we're forgetting about?
Can you beat this guy?

Comments
I think at this point, any pet, animal, non-human/person counts...so yeah, try a herald
Posted by ron on 10/14/08 at 03:21 PMHulk Poodle?
Posted by PaulMontgomery on 10/14/08 at 03:22 PMThe Sentry has a dog.
Posted by PaulMontgomery on 10/14/08 at 03:23 PMDeadpool considered Bob, Agent of Hydra his pet...
Posted by bentheo on 10/14/08 at 03:29 PMOld Lace from Runaways.
Posted by PaulMontgomery on 10/14/08 at 03:31 PMFalcon has a... Falcon.
Amadeus Cho had that poor coyote.
We're not making any value judgments on the lack of pets, are we?
Posted by Jimski on 10/14/08 at 03:33 PMWell, given that Marvel us supposed to be more like the real world than DC, it's odd that there aren't many pets.
Posted by PaulMontgomery on 10/14/08 at 03:35 PMthere was aunt mays dog Ms. Lion
and the sentry has the watch dog
Posted by RoiVampire on 10/14/08 at 03:41 PM
Gotta go with Lockheed
Posted by babaoriley on 10/14/08 at 03:44 PMWong?
Posted by PaulMontgomery on 10/14/08 at 03:45 PMwhat about that dragon in the x-books??
Posted by kalle on 10/14/08 at 03:46 PMOld Lace is the best. love the facial expressions on him
Posted by greendart32 on 10/14/08 at 03:46 PM@kalle - That's the aforementioned Lockheed.
Posted by conor on 10/14/08 at 03:46 PMAnt-Man has some ants.
Posted by ChrisGo on 10/14/08 at 03:48 PMYou would think Frank Castle would have a dog, he seems like a dog person.
Posted by hbkhumanity on 10/14/08 at 03:49 PMAgatha Harkness always carried around a cat but I don't know its name.
Posted by willhall on 10/14/08 at 03:49 PM@PaulMontgomery that's an interesting point. This question exposes my limited perspective; when someone says "comic book pet," I think of a dog in a costume fighting crime, which falls squarely into the box marked "Do Not Want."
Posted by Jimski on 10/14/08 at 03:55 PM(cracks knuckles)
How could you guys forget Red Wing? The greatest bird hero of them all! Also Thanos' pet Skreet, and the Red Ghost's Super-Apes are favorite Marvel U pets of mine too.
Also, any great western hero not only carries a pair of six-shooters but also has his trusty stallion...
The Original Ghost Rider's horse was Banshee, Kid Colt's was Steel, Rawhide Kid's was Nightwind, the Two-Gun Kid's was either Cyclone or Thunder (depending on who was the Kid at the time), and The Black Rider's horse was Satan... and like his master, Satan had a secret identity too, the very un-satanicly named Ichabod.
What? Don't make fun of me! Surely I'm not the only one who read the Marvel westerns around these parts! (yes, I had to look a couple of those up)
- James
http://isotopecomics.com
Posted by JamesSime on 10/14/08 at 04:00 PMRick Jones
Posted by ThomasKaters on 10/14/08 at 04:03 PMThe Black Knight has the winged horse Arogorn.
Posted by Animalvader1 on 10/14/08 at 04:08 PMOkay, Jimski beat me to Red Wing. He gets my love and respect.
Also, Animalvader1 for his Marvel U horse knowledge!
Posted by JamesSime on 10/14/08 at 04:16 PMIn the old Tomb of Dracula series, Quincy Harker had a German Shepherd named Saint that served as both guard dog & vampire attack dog. Alas, poor Saint, hasn't been seen (to my knowledge) since the series ended.
Posted by dandoody on 10/14/08 at 04:35 PMLogan had that puppy when he was a little boy, but then his best friend killed it. :-(
Um...Spider-pig?
Posted by drakedangerz on 10/14/08 at 04:57 PMDoes Rocket Racoon count?
Posted by ron on 10/14/08 at 05:07 PM@Ron-If he counts, wouldn't Cosmo count too?
Also I would count Silver Surfer. Technically he is Galactus' pet; like Lassy. Leading him to some old well where some kids are trapped and need saving/eating.
Posted by drakedangerz on 10/14/08 at 05:09 PMAnd don't forget the nano pets!
Posted by Neb on 10/14/08 at 05:14 PMDidn't Amadeus Cho's Coyote turn out to be a Skrull? I thought I heard that round these parts...
Posted by CAM on 10/14/08 at 05:14 PMOh and How about Devil Dinosaur. Or is Moonboy the pet?
Posted by CAM on 10/14/08 at 05:15 PM@Animalvader1 - I believe the Black Knight gave Aragorn (the winged horse) to Valkyrie.
Posted by zenman on 10/14/08 at 05:17 PMI'll go with HERBIE since he essentially plays "Hobbes" to Franklin Richard's "Calvin" (in Son of a Genius)
Posted by zenman on 10/14/08 at 05:22 PMAre there more pets in DC? Krypto, BatHound, Streaky the supercat, SuperMonkey, Superhorse... are there lots more?
Posted by Tad on 10/14/08 at 05:30 PMFin Fang Foom has gotta be someone's pet.
Posted by Simmons on 10/14/08 at 05:42 PMIf the heralds of Galactus are counted as pets, then the four horsemen of Apocalypse need to be counted as pets in all their incarnations.
Posted by ChrisGo on 10/14/08 at 05:53 PMIn DC there's that cat in Klarion: Witch boy as well. What was it's name? That's what that guy from the recent podcast should name his cat.
Posted by CAM on 10/14/08 at 05:58 PMLots of people stretching pretty far to find pets in this one.
Posted by conor on 10/14/08 at 05:59 PMIm sure the serpent society had thier share of snakes around.
Also the Starjammer Cho'd(dont know if thats the right name) the big green guy had a pet of some sort.
Do robots count as pets b/c if so there would be plenty to mention?
Namor has to be one of the Marvel U's biggest pet owners since he can command any sea monster to do his bidding.
Mole man had his moliods and Monsters when he lived on monster island.
Didnt Captain America have a cat? i could be way off base on this one.
now cats and dogs and birds seem to be the norm for the Marvel U, my last question is this did any hero, villian or secret society (Aim, Hydra, Serpent soceity, etc) just have random animals like fish, hampsters etc.
Posted by English on 10/14/08 at 06:08 PMRemember Kathy Dare, who shot Tony Stark? She had a Rottweiller or a mastiff or something. And there's a scene where he's waking up in the morning, and Tony thinks Kathy is kissing him but actually the dog is kissing him, and Rhodey walks into the room and says, "I never thought I'd see you waking up with a dog."
I feel like I am constantly bringing this fact up in comment threads, but it just always seems to be relevant.
Also, I'm pretty sure Ms. Marvel has a cat. She once threw it at a bad guy, during a fight, because that's how she rolls.
You would think they'd have more pets at the X-mansion, or something. In the movies, they had horses.
Posted by ohcaroline on 10/14/08 at 06:11 PM@Tad I think for the sheer amount of pets in the superman family alone (which is really huige if you count all the animals Superman keeps at the Fortress of Solitude), I would guess DC has a lot more pets. And they have also had bigger roles in many stories. Like the Legion of the super-pets (including all the pets mentioned in your post, minus bathound), the Legion of the super-dogs (Like legion of superheroes, but they are all dogs--see http://www.dialbforblog.com/archives/317/ ), the Space Canine Patrol Agents.
Princess Python from Marvel's old "Circus of Doom" had a jumbo pet snake
OK, Conor's right ... we are stretching pretty far here ...
Posted by zenman on 10/14/08 at 06:15 PMWhat about Deuce the Devil Dog?
Posted by jawshoowah on 10/14/08 at 06:15 PMoops ... correction ... "Circus of Crime" ... (like anyone cares!)
Posted by zenman on 10/14/08 at 06:17 PMI find it very hard to believe that...
...Peter Parker didn't have a goldfish or something to worry about at some point
...that Doctor Doom doesn't have some sort of royal dog
...that Daredevil never had a seeing eye dog
...That Black Cat did not, in fact, have a cat
...That the Morlocks didn't adopt a couple of rats
Do the Nightcrawler BAMF dolls count? I believe his girlfriend Amanda Sefton had a cat, she was a witch you know...
Posted by ron on 10/14/08 at 06:18 PM@ron - Deuce the Devil Dog was Daredevil's seeing eye dog until he lost him in a game of... poker (?) to Deadpool.
Posted by jawshoowah on 10/14/08 at 06:28 PMOdin had ravens.
The Punisher had Max.
Posted by Tork on 10/14/08 at 06:32 PM@ron If you were Peter Parker, would YOU get a goldfish? You just know something terrible would happen to it --> more angst.
Posted by ohcaroline on 10/14/08 at 06:33 PMLooks like a tie to me. Theres about 5 or 6 solid Marvel Pets and DC has the Super-pets and bathound, that makes for about seven pets right there, max.
Posted by Kimbo on 10/14/08 at 06:36 PMLockjaw's not a pet...
Posted by Diabhol on 10/14/08 at 06:43 PM
Ares had a bunch of killer birds but herc killed them.
Posted by goat77 on 10/14/08 at 06:51 PMI know I'm pulling deep down, but doesn't Red Wolf train a wolf and keep him as a pet to protect him?
Posted by mcbaker on 10/14/08 at 06:53 PMThe hero Red Wolf used to have a companion who was a real wolf.
Posted by Doughboy on 10/14/08 at 06:55 PMYeah....Lobo was the wolf's name.
Posted by mcbaker on 10/14/08 at 06:57 PMFoggy Nelson is Matt Murdock's.
Posted by Unoob on 10/14/08 at 07:07 PMKazar has that big toothed cat Zabu
Posted by jaglo on 10/14/08 at 07:33 PM@Jaglo-Yes!! Zabu is definetly a pet! Jaglo gets a point!!!
Posted by drakedangerz on 10/14/08 at 07:42 PMUmmm....Squirrel Girl has Monkey Joe and Tippy-Toe, but I'm pushing it here.
Posted by mcbaker on 10/14/08 at 07:47 PM@hbkhumanity - yeah, Frank's gotta be down with man's best friend, and Speedball has a pet cat, Niels that can bounce and mew with funny yellow word ballons.
Posted by PymSlap on 10/14/08 at 07:59 PMWakanda's got to have panthers right? the initiative probably has watchdogs. I think Wolverine had a wolf once. okay, I pushed it too far with that one.
Posted by captamerica101 on 10/14/08 at 08:07 PMThe ad on the top of this page is now an ad for "Trupanion... Insurance for puppies and kittens". Gotta love Google Ads.
Posted by Camden on 10/14/08 at 08:15 PM@ zenman- yep, you're right. He did give the white winged horse Arogorn to Valkyrie. I forgot all about that. Afterwards, he got another winged horse named Valinor which was later used by Bloodwraith.
Valkyrie also had a black winged horse, Pegasus in the Ultimates 3 too.
Dane Whitman's (Black Knight 3) uncle, Nathan Garrett (Black Knight 2), also had a winged horse named Arogorn...but his was black.
Sometimes, Wikipedia is just awesome! Funny how it's dead on with fictional info, but when it comes to non-fiction, it's almost never right.
Posted by Animalvader1 on 10/14/08 at 08:30 PMDidn't Speedball have a pet cat? I don't think the super-hero lifestyle lends itself to pet ownership. It's too hard to find a pet sitter on short notice if you have to go across the galaxy or something.
Posted by Hellhound on 10/14/08 at 08:36 PMSnake-eyes has his pet wolf, Timber, which we first saw in GI Joe: ARAH #27. Befor the toy, before the cartoon, Timber was in a Marvel Comic. So that counts, right?
Posted by Animalvader1 on 10/14/08 at 08:39 PMRocket Raccoon is NOT. A. PET.
(I'm just jealous you got to it before me.)
I second H.E.R.B.I.E. and add Puppy, Franklin's dog (not seen much lately).
Posted by patio on 10/14/08 at 08:45 PMI'm going to say, as a dedicated Marvel Zombie, that we are clearly losing this battle. There's more pets in the Tiny TItans than there are real, actual pets in all of the Marvel U. But I will say in Marvel's defense that it's handicapped b/c a lot of the DC pets were from early in the Silver Age, before the Marvel U. got going. Think about those early Stan Lee books. Pets just don't fit into that milieu.
Posted by patio on 10/14/08 at 08:58 PMLike it or not, the Sentry's dog, Watchdog, is the "Krypto" of the Marvel Universe. Clearly a spoof, but a counterpart all the same.
Posted by Animalvader1 on 10/14/08 at 08:58 PMSpeedball's cat Niels is now P-Cat, the Penitent Puss.
Foolkiller (I know its a MAX series) had his attack dog Jester.
Maybe the Plunderer had a parrot? lol
Posted by TheSeanFromLaramie on 10/14/08 at 08:59 PMfranklin richerds gerbil (it was a gerbil, right? ) from son of a genius. does Alica Masters have a seeing eye dog?
Posted by captamerica101 on 10/14/08 at 09:01 PMI wonder if peter parker had an ant farm?
Posted by captamerica101 on 10/14/08 at 09:07 PMProfessor X had a cat named Mystique in Ultimate X-Men. That's all I've got off the top of my head.
Posted by JFernandes on 10/14/08 at 10:40 PM@Kimbo DC has plenty more pets than have been mentioned. Dr Midnight has an owl. Catwoman has cats. Penguin is an avid collecotr of birds, Aqua Man had Ark the seal and Topo the Octopus. DC is brimming with pets.
Posted by NealAppeal on 10/14/08 at 10:45 PM@NealAppeal -- don't forget Proty!!
Posted by NJBaritone on 10/14/08 at 11:17 PMHepzibah.
Posted by Loki on 10/14/08 at 11:31 PM@ Paul--I think the Marvel U is more realistic because there aren't many pets.
Spider-Man - "Oh no! Doc Ock is robbing that bank! With Aunt May sick again and the hospital bills piling up, we'll be evicted for sure if I don't set up my camera first for some extra cash. I'd better wrap this up quick too, because I still need to walk the dog!"
I think we can all agree that this would have been a bit much....
Posted by Animalvader1 on 10/14/08 at 11:32 PMWild Child was kind of Sabretooth's pet during Age of Apocalypse.
Posted by JFernandes on 10/14/08 at 11:34 PM@JFernandes I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that cat wa actually Mystique
Posted by ron on 10/14/08 at 11:49 PM
Or even:
Wolverine – “Look Kitty. As if it isn’t bad enough that Jean loves that bone head Summers, We’re hunted and treated as outlaws by the government, and I have no memories of my life up to a few years ago, now I have to worry about your %@#$ing cat pissing in my bed!!!!!!! If it happens again, I’m going to skewer it! And let’s try to remember that some of us in the mansion have heightened senses. If that litter box isn’t clean by the time we get back from this mission, I’ll go into a Berserker Rage I SWARE TO GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1”
Posted by Animalvader1 on 10/14/08 at 11:53 PM@Ron, I wouldn't know. I dropped that title pretty quickly.
Just checked Wikipedia, and it says Emma Frost named the cat after Mystique. I always called the cat Li'l Chuck.
Posted by JFernandes on 10/14/08 at 11:54 PMI think the lack of decent responses within these comments proves that Ron is correct. There are very few pets in Marvel Comics.
Posted by tigermojoe on 10/15/08 at 12:47 AMnamor has a whole sea of pets.
Posted by kevrum on 10/15/08 at 01:07 AMMarvel has less pets and less sidekicks. The Difference in the Eras that Marvel and DC were created in is so large. Consider this: Krypto predates Spider-Man by seven years. By the time Marvel got going, DC had been having to pull crazy things out of the air just to keep people interested for years.
Superman first appears in 1938. Seventeen years later, 1955 creators are reaching for super-dogs to keep things fresh.
Spiderman first appears in 1962. Seventeen years later is 1979. In 1962 I'm sure folks were looking at super-pets like we look a pouches, metal arms, and cross-hatching. And when you've been running stories for seventeen years and it's 1979, the weirdness you add is going to be seriously different the weirdness you add in 55.
Posted by NealAppeal on 10/15/08 at 01:33 AMAquaman beats Namor.
What about Howard the Duck and Spider-Ham? No? Ok, but Marvel has the better anthropomorphized characters...
Posted by patio on 10/15/08 at 01:38 AM@Patio I think that matter needs to be explored further.
DC: Tawky Tawny, Captain Carrot, Ambush Bug(?), umm.. sure there's more
Marvel: those mentioned above, Rocket Racoon, some more probably.
Though I would probably wager that Marvel has better Criminals in animal costumes.
Posted by NealAppeal on 10/15/08 at 01:44 AMPeter Parker did have Kevin, the sentient cheese -- he even made a sign to not eat him. I forget what other issues he's in, but he's definitely in the Peter Parker: Spider-Man Nuff Said issue.
Posted by kndoubleu on 10/15/08 at 02:14 AM@ NealAppeal New Men/Khights of Wundagore + Inhumans + Mutants = Win!
Posted by patio on 10/15/08 at 02:59 AMMarvel characters aren't even allowed to have spouses let alone pets.
Posted by ultimatehoratio on 10/15/08 at 09:00 AMLast night I dreamed I had a pet tiger. I'm pretty sure this thread is at fault.
Posted by ohcaroline on 10/15/08 at 09:22 AMHoratio, you made me laugh.
Besides the Superman pets, and possibly Talky Tawny, who are the DC pets?
Posted by Andrew on 10/15/08 at 02:10 PM@Andrew - Rule at Marvel: no spouses or pets UNLESS you've worked on a tv show. Then you can do whatever you want: spider totems, retcon romances for Storm... whatever! Hell, you don't even have to finish series you start!
Posted by ultimatehoratio on 10/15/08 at 02:19 PMDidn't Mirage have a winged horse WAAAAY back when she was in the New Mutants?
Posted by Kehinde on 10/15/08 at 04:21 PM@ Horatio - So Hulkling is a pet?
Posted by Andrew on 10/15/08 at 05:25 PMwhat about skrull cows?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Men_(Marvel_Comics)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratbat
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_(G.I._Joe)
Posted by chlop on 10/15/08 at 08:06 PM
@ Horatio - Power Girl has a cat, Cyclone has a monkey and I think Dr Midnight has an owl
thats just from JSA
Posted by wulfstone on 10/16/08 at 02:56 AMWe shouldn't forget that Ultron was originally a pet.
I was trying to remember some of the pets that the High Evolutionary, but they're all too evolved to be considered pets. But Bova and White Tiger were among his creations.
Posted by WilliamLund on 10/16/08 at 03:26 AMis howard the duck beverlys pet? or is it the other way around?
Posted by WinTheWonderboy on 10/19/08 at 01:46 PMFrom what I understood, they are friends.
Posted by chlop on 10/19/08 at 01:59 PMI am SURE that Tony Stark has had several Pets. And Playmates for that matter.
Posted by Unoob on 10/19/08 at 04:35 PMUnoob wins.
Posted by conor on 10/19/08 at 04:37 PM@:chlop always thought they were more then friends. maybe just the kind with benefits or at least from what i read in the Howard the Duck Max mini we know howards got to 3nd base with beve
Posted by WinTheWonderboy on 10/19/08 at 05:11 PM


Do heralds count?
Posted by PaulMontgomery on 10/14/08 at 03:18 PM