Rhino (comics)

Rhino is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Although more than one character has assumed the identity of the Rhino, the first of these, and the one primarily associated with that identity, is Aleksei Mikhailovich Sytsevich, who was created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Romita, Sr., and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #41 (Oct. 1966).

Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Books, the Rhino has been featured in other Marvel-endorsed products such as animated television series, arcade and video games, and merchandise such as action figures and trading cards.

The character made a cameo in a mecha suit in the opening and closing of the 2014 film The Amazing Spider-Man 2, portrayed by Paul Giamatti.

Publication history

Described by writer Mike Conroy as "famously one of Spider-Man's dimmest villains", the character debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man #41 - 43 (Oct. - Dec. 1966) as a thug for hire working for an Eastern Bloc country. He volunteered to participate in an experiment that bonded a super strong polymer to his skin, and also augmented his strength and speed. The Rhino returned in Hulk, vol. 2, #104 (June 1968) and although he died at the end of the story, the character proved popular enough to be revived, becoming a perennial opponent for both Spider-Man and the Hulk. The character achieved significant exposure in the 1980s and 1990s, appearing in both a solo capacity and as a villain for hire in over a dozen titles. Significant appearances included starring in the limited series Deadly Foes of Spider-Man #1 - 4 (May - Aug. 1991); the "Flowers for Rhino" storyline in Spider-Man's Tangled Web # 5 - 6 (Oct. - Nov. 2001) which is told from the character's perspective, and Punisher War Journal vol. 2, #13 - 15 (Jan. - Mar. 2008), in which the Rhino begins to rethink his lifestyle.

In Amazing Spider-Man #617 (March 2010), a now reformed Sytsevich aids Spider-Man against a new version of the character after Sytsevich turned down Doctor Trauma's offer to give him a new Rhino armor. This caused Doctor Trauma to give the offer to an unnamed human.

Fictional character biography

After being empowered, Aleksei Sytsevich is directed by the agents who gave him his powers to kidnap Colonel John Jameson in order to obtain extraterrestrial spores to which Jameson has been exposed. The Rhino, however, betrays the scientists who empowered him and goes on a rampage, eventually being defeated by the superhero Spider-Man. He is imprisoned and kept there with sedation, but breaks out soon after and continues to try to kidnap Jameson. Spider-Man uses a web imbued with a chemical developed by Curt Connors that melts off his hide and then knocks him unconscious.

Eventually approached by the same scientists with another more powerful suit, the Rhino agrees to find and kidnap Bruce Banner for his knowledge of gamma radiation. The villain encounters the Hulk, but he is critically injured and nearly killed by severe wounds from an exploding truck before a significant battle can occur. Hulk manages to survive Rhino's attempt to take his foe down with him, using his last bit of strength for an attack from behind, and the villain loses consciousness in Hulk's grip, defiantly claiming that he would have defeated Hulk in a fair fight.

The character is revived and healed by the Leader months later. Augmenting Rhino's strength using gamma rays, the Leader directs the villain to prevent the wedding of Banner to Betty Ross. Banner becomes the Hulk and battles Rhino, who escapes and pursues the Leader once realizing that he has been used. Rhino is caught in an explosion while attacking Leader's ship and is left in a coma. Rhino makes a brief reappearance as an illusion when Leader tries to unsuccessfully torture Hulk with images of past foes. Leader, paralyzed after a previous encounter with Hulk, finds and takes mental control of the still comatose body and attacks Hulk. The battle eventually leads to an alien world, where Leader abandons control of Rhino and flees. Bruce and an unconscious but now recovered Rhino travel back to Earth via a rocket.

The Rhino reappears with the Abomination, and the pair activate a gamma bomb at the Hulkbuster base in an attempt to destroy Hulk. Jim Wilson deactivates the bomb, and Hulk tricks the villains during combat, forcing them to collide and knock each other unconscious. Rhino reappears as a member of the supervillain team the Emissaries of Evil (consisting of leader Egghead; the Cobalt Man; Solarr and the Rhino), who search for a rare jewel. Opposed by superhero team the Defenders, Rhino and Solarr initially hold their own until defeated by Doctor Strange. Whilst in hiding, Rhino is found by scientist Doc Samson, being outwitted and defeated.

The Rhino reappears as a memory in the mind of the Hulk; battles Doc Samson and Spider-Man; and again as an illusion by the entity Glorian. The Rhino teams with the villains (including Moonstone; Blackout and Electro) in an unsuccessful attempt to escape the research complex Project: Pegasus. Rhino also battles Fantastic Four member the Thing during an attempt to remove his body suit; makes a brief appearance with many other Marvel supervillains when summoned to battle the cosmic entity the Beyonder.

The Rhino joins criminal group the Sinister Syndicate to battle Spider-Man and features in a sequence imagined by Peter Parker concerning his imminent wedding and battles the hero Iron Man in the city of Los Angeles. Rhino and accomplice Blacklash, in the employ of criminal mastermind Justin Hammer, also hunt and capture the fellow villain Scorpion who has absconded with advanced weaponry.

The Rhino teams with other villains in two unsuccessful attempts to kill Spider-Man, and stars in a storyline called Flowers for Rhino. Based on the Daniel Keyes novel Flowers for Algernon, the comic story mirrors the original when Rhino receives an intelligence boost via surgery and becomes a genius, eventually undergoing surgery again to reverse the process when life becomes dull.

The Rhino has a comical encounter with mercenary Deadpool, ending with Rhino's defeat by a diminutive Deadpool (courtesy of the Pym Particles discovered by Henry Pym); Rhino appears during the Civil War storyline where he assists the Chameleon in attacking Spider-Man.

The Rhino has a significant encounter with the vigilante Punisher. When Rhino robs a bank and a security guard is accidentally killed, he is humiliated by Punisher and saved by Spider-Man before being killed. Rhino is then captured by Alyosha Kravinoff, the son of Kraven the Hunter. Kravinoff, who is collecting a zoo of animal-themed superhumans, is defeated by Punisher, with a despondent Rhino and other villains being freed. Rhino, feeling remorse from the accidental killing, sends a letter and money to the security guard's widow. Rhino decides to make amends and repay the Punisher for the previous rescue by aiding him on a case. At the conclusion of the story, Rhino is allowed to leave and told to "be good", eventually returning to aid the vigilante. Rhino later persuades Punisher to not kill Michael Watts, the third Stilt-Man.

During "The Gauntlet" storyline, Rhino decides to give up his life entirely. He surrenders to the police and pleads guilty to all charges against him. S.H.I.E.L.D. removes his Rhino costume, and he is sentenced to 25 years in Ryker's Island. The Russian Mafia and other criminal gangs tried to recruit him, but he denies them all, even going so far as to completely avoid a breakout at one point. For his good behavior and cooperation, he is released early on parole, "in order to make room for worse guys". Upon release, he is met by Doctor Tramma, who wants to re-invent him as an all-new and improved Rhino. Sytsevich declines Doctor Tramma's offer and tries to begin a new life, dating (and eventually marrying) a waitress and residing in a small apartment in Yonkers. Doctor Tramma eventually uses someone else to create a new and improved Rhino. Sytsevich feels he needs to face and kill the new Rhino to get rid of him but Spider-Man convinces him to promise otherwise and helps Sytsevich keep his new life by defeating the new Rhino. The new Rhino attacks Sytsevich at one of J. Jonah Jameson's press meetings. Feeling he could not break this promise to Spider-Man, Sytsevich lies to the new Rhino, telling him he will agree to fight him in his suit but he instead goes in hiding with his wife Oksana. However before they arrive at their safehouse the new Rhino attacks again, and Oksana dies as a result. Sytsevich redons his old Rhino suit destroys the new Rhino's suit, and kills him.

During the "Origin of the Species" storyline, Rhino is invited by Doctor Octopus to join his supervillain team where he becomes involved in securing some specific items for him. He showed up after Spider-Man made Freak collide with Vulture IV. Notably, Rhino is revealed to be going after Spider-Man himself rather than the infant. Having realized this, Spider-Man talks him down from a fight because the potential death of an infant would be on Rhino's hands. Spider-Man apologizes for Oksana's death and questions if killing a baby would make her proud of Rhino. Rhino elects not to attack Spider-Man but warns him that next time they meet, he will kill Spider-Man. Rhino is soon thereafter seen as a member of Doctor Octopus' Sinister Six.

During the "Ends of the Earth" storyline, Rhino is among the Sinister Six when Spider-Man and the Avengers engage them on the Mediterranean coasts. Rhino manages to defeat Thor after he had sent Electro into the atmosphere. Rhino is seen guarding one of Doctor Octopus' facilities in Korea. He fights Spider-Man, Black Widow, and Silver Sable and is defeated by Spider-Man's electrical webbing. At the conclusion of the story arc, Rhino's deal with Doctor Octopus is revealed: he wanted to watch the world burn and that losing his beloved Oksana made him a changed man. Rhino went mad and was prepared to die, as he had nothing left to live for, and refused to move as Doctor Octopus had self-destructed his lair by getting his revenge on Spider-Man by taking Silver Sable with him to the great beyond. Rhino pins Silver Sable to the floor in a flooding corridor in the Doctor's lair and tells Spider-Man he would remain there, knowing Spider-Man would blame himself as he wanted nobody to die. He and Silver Sable are apparently drowned, despite Spider-Man managing to stop Doctor Octopus. While in Doctor Octopus' dying body, Spider-Man meets him and Oksana in the afterlife during a post-mortem experience.

Powers and abilities

Mutagenic chemical and radiation treatments, including gamma ray bombardment, provides the character with superhuman strength, heightened levels of speed and stamina, and a high degree of durability. He possesses a thick polymer mat suit similar to a rhinoceros hide, covering his entire body except for his face. The suit is highly resistant to damage and temperature extremes, and is also equipped with two horns, designed to mimic the general shape & appearance of real rhino horns, capable of penetrating 2-inch plate steel. His first suit, more crude in overall design, was originally bonded to his skin and he was unable to remove it. It was eventually destroyed and replaced with a removable, more form fitting suit by Justin Hammer after Rhino underwent further gamma ray treatments that further heightened his powers. This suit is also specifically designed, via the gamma ray treatments, to somewhat enhance some of his powers.

Without the suit, he still possesses great superhuman strength and is still highly resistant to conventional physical injury such as most high caliber bullets, extreme temperatures and impact forces. While wearing the suit, his strength is slightly increased, while his durability is enhanced to a much more significant degree. Via the suit he can withstand high caliber bullets, exposure to temperature extremes of cold and heat without the suit cracking or melting or his own bodily tissues suffering damage, falls from great heights, light anti-tank weaponry, explosive concussions and potent acids without sustaining injury. The Rhino is also superhumanly fast and can move at high velocities over short distances that enables him to run and/or exercise at top-notch speeds. He frequently "charges" his opponents in this manner, making him capable of causing great harm to most enemies and the surrounding area should he connect. However, it is somewhat risky for him to move at high speeds as his agility and reaction time aren't similarly enhanced, making it nearly impossible for him to change direction if running at such high speeds. The Rhino's enhanced musculature is much more efficient than that of a normal human and generates considerably less fatigue toxins during physical activity. At his peak, he can exert himself physically for up to 24 hours before the build up of fatigue toxins in his blood starts to impair him.

The Rhino has some experience in hand-to-hand combat, though he's generally much more of a brawler. Even so, his extreme levels of strength, stamina and resistance to injury make him a formidable opponent regardless of a foe's superior fighting skills.

Other versions

Age of Apocalypse

In the Age of Apocalypse reality, Rhino was one of Death's soldiers on the Moon at Apocalypse's recovery base the Ship. Death captured super humans and brought them to the Ship and used the Terrigen Mist to turn them into warped powerful monsters for him to control. Rhino was one of the super humans that were captured. He joined Death and other of his henchmen and fought Magneto and the X-Men on the moon. He ends up fighting Rogue but is defeated easily by one punch.

Earth-Charnel

Rhino was seen as a member of the Avengers who travelled through time to stop Charnel, an entity that had been ravaging his future-Earth for decades. He had been partnered with She-Hulk for twenty years. He was killed in action.

JLA/Avengers

Rhino is among the villains enthralled by Krona in the last issue to defend his stronghold. He is shown defeating Triathlon.

House of M

In the House of M reality, Rhino is the bodyguard of Peter Parker. When Parker sends Rhino to question Crusher Hogan, wrestling under the alias "Green Goblin," Rhino injures Hogan, hospitalizing him. Now in hiding from the authorities, Rhino is approached by the Green Goblin looking for aid in defeating Parker. Rhino betrays the Green Goblin enlisting his friends Electro, Ox and Vulture to attack the Green Goblin, unmasking him to reveal Peter Parker.

Marvel Zombies

Rhino was among the zombified villains that attempted to devour Galactus and joined the undead Sinister Six. When the other zombies were done eating Galactus, Zombie Hulk and Zombie Spider-Man tore off Rhino's head and body and both each eating it, also both stating that it did not taste good.

MC2

Rhino appeared within the MC2 Universe in the pages of Mr. and Mrs. Spider-Man. Whilst visiting the hospital with his sick aunt, Rhino briefly loses his temper as he is told to fill in his forms in order for his aunt to receive her meds, before calming down. Waiting in line, he once again comes face to face with Peter Parker, who is with his own family. Remembering that he once threatened Peter under the orders of Harry Osborn, Rhino assures Peter what he did was simply business, and the two call a truce. They spend the remainder of Peter's visit exchanging stories of their lifestyle choices, and part with a better understanding of each other.

Ultimate Rhino

The Ultimate Marvel version of Alex O'Hirn uses a suit of armor known as R.H.I.N.O. (Robotism Heuristic Intelligence Navigable Operative) that he stole from the U.S. Military. Using the R.H.I.N.O. armor's incredible strength, he robbed a Manhattan bank, charging the vault head-first, destroying it. He then rampaged through a busy street to make his escape, destroying anything in his path, including police cars, with ease. The original Spider-Man tries to escape school in order to confront him but is stopped by various incidents. Iron Man arrives, stops the R.H.I.N.O. assault and captures him by the time Spider-Man catches up. R.H.I.N.O. was then taken into military custody. R.H.I.N.O. was later seen being soundly defeated by Spider-Man. During the "Divided We Fall" storyline, R.H.I.N.O. faces off against Captain America and the U.S. Army. The new Spider-Man uses his venom blasts to create a shortcut into the R.H.I.N.O. armor and defeat him.

In other media

Television

Rhino made two appearances in the first season of the 1967 Spider-Man cartoon, voiced by Ed McNamera. In the episode "Horn of the Rhino", Rhino steals some military equipment to try to make an explosive weapon which Spider-Man is blamed for, but Spider-Man realizes he is hiding in the rhinoceros enclosure of a zoo. Rhino is defeated with pepper and Spider-Man baking some mud with a heating device. In the episode "The Golden Rhino", Rhino steals a shipment of gold in order to make a gold statue of himself, which he succeeds in after stealing more gold, but is captured by Spider-Man's new webbing: instant steel. He later "returned" in a third-season budget-saving 'mishmash' episode called "Rhino" which uses footage from his other episodes and where he also attempts to make a gold statue of himself, but is again webbed up.

Rhino appears several times in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, voiced by Don Stark. While his origin is not detailed in the series, he still retains his abilities from the comics. First appearing in the episode "The Alien Costume", he is hired by the Kingpin to steal a mineral from John Jameson's space shuttle after crash landing to earth, and then later becomes a member of the Insidious Six. Here he is shown as very unintelligent. As in one episode, Spider-Man easily fools him into thinking he is the Chameleon and tricks him into attacking the other Insidious Six members.

Rhino appeared in The Spectacular Spider-Man, voiced by Clancy Brown. Originally a common petty crook under the Big Man, Alex O'Hirn was partnered with Flint Marko. The two friends had repeated run-ins with Spider-Man. Having grown frustrated at constantly being dupes and punching bags. Concerned about Spider-Man's constant interference in his business, the Big Man had O'Hirn used as one of the guinea pigs in Norman Osborn's illegal experiments, in which O'Hirn's body was infused with Dr. Otto Octavius's highly durable titanium resin armor modeled after a rhinoceros. Although he proves to be one of Spider-man's most physically powerful foes, the costume has a major weakness in that it obstructs his pores. Now only able to perspire through his face, Rhino must periodically stop fighting and drink water, lest he overheat, a weakness Spider-Man utilizes to defeat him. The costume also inhibits his ability to manipulate small objects such as elevator buttons. The character appears in episodes such as "Group Therapy", "Reinforcement", "Accomplices" and "Opening Night".

Rhino first appears in the Ultimate Spider-Man episode "The Rhino," with Alex O'Hirn voiced by Daryl Sabara and Rhino voiced by Max Mittelman in the first appearance and by Daryl Sabara in later appearances. This version of Alex O'Hirn is a teenager who was bullied by Flash Thompson and has been drinking a vial of animal DNA (made by Doctor Octopus in an earlier episode) that he stole from Oscorp to transform into a humanoid rhinoceros. Spider-Man and Power Man encounter Rhino at the burning Oscorp building and end up rammed into a tree by Rhino who makes off with some exotic animal-related chemicals. Spider-Man and Power Man later stakeout another Oscorp building and find Rhino charging towards an Oscorp train. Spider-Man and Power Man fight Rhino with the resulting fight causing Rhino to gash Power Man's leg. As Rhino charges towards Spider-Man, S.H.I.E.L.D. arrives causing Rhino to retreat with his "medicines." The next day, Peter Parker anticipates that Alex is responsible, as Spider-Man sees Alex drink a chemical that transforms him into Rhino. Spider-Man fights Rhino to keep him from attacking Flash Thompson while trying to reason with him. Spider-Man then works to protect Flash Thompson and not even Spider-Man's electro-webs could phase Rhino. When Spider-Man finds Flash Thompson at his house near a gas station, Spider-Man gets Flash Thompson away from the gas station when Rhino causes it to explode. Spider-Man tells Flash Thompson to call for help as he continues to fight Rhino. When Rhino starts charging towards Flash Thompson, Spider-Man tries to reason with Rhino while doing a bucking bronco move on him. In the nick of time, Power Man arrives and grabs Rhino by the horn. Spider-Man tells Flash that Rhino is actually Alex. Spider-Man traps Rhino on some oil as Spider-Man and Power Man double-team on Rhino enough for Rhino to regress back to Alex O'Hirn. As Alex is arrested by S.H.I.E.L.D., Flash Thompson apologizes to Alex as a female S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent tells Flash that they'll take care of Alex. In the episode "The Sinister Six", Rhino appears as a member of Doctor Octopus's Sinister Six along with Electro, Kraven the Hunter and Beetle. He joins in exchange for more of the Rhino serum. In the episode "Return of the Sinister Six", Rhino is sprung out of Ryker's Island and is equipped with a tank-like armor. When the Sinister Six are reassembled (although Scorpion replaces Beetle), Rhino once again fight Spider-Man and then Power Man. He also assists in the Sinister Six's assault on Iron Patriot (Norman Osborn). After the Green Goblin's rampage, Spider-Man was able to defeat Rhino along with the other Sinister Six members.

Film

Paul Giamatti plays the Rhino as one of the villains in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. In an interview with visual-effects supervisor Jerome Chen, he states that the armor was "put together out of surplus Soviet-era military gear that Oscorp had sold back in the '80s", with Aleksei modifying the armor. In the film, Aleksei Sytsevich is a dim-witted and boastful Russian mobster whose theft of Oscorp plutonium is foiled by Spider-Man. Following the defeat of Electro and Green Goblin, Aleksei Sytsevich is given a rhinoceros-themed combat/mechanical suit of powered armor that features heavy machine guns and missile launchers. After a shootout with police, he is confronted by Spider-Man and engage in a fight, with Spider-Man using a manhole cover swung at the Rhino's horn as the film ends.

Giamatti confirmed that Rhino will return in The Amazing Spider-Man 3.

Video games

Rhino's first video game appearance was in the 1989 game Doctor Doom's Revenge, along with other Marvel villains such as Electro, Batroc the Leaper and Doctor Doom himself.

Rhino appears as a boss in The Amazing Spider-Man for the Game Boy.

Rhino makes an appearance in Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge. He and Carnage team up to defeat Spider-Man at the end of his second level.

Rhino appears as a boss in The Incredible Hulk for the SNES, Sega Genesis, SMS and Sega Game Gear.

Rhino appears as a mini-boss in the 1995 game Spider-Man Animated Series for the SNES and Sega Genesis.

Rhino appears in the PlayStation, Dreamcast, and Nintendo 64 Spider-Man game, voiced by Dee Bradley Baker. Rhino attacks both Spider-Man and the Black Cat. Spider-Man uses the surrounding machinery in his battle.

Rhino appears as a boss in the Game Boy Advance game Spider-Man: Mysterio's Menace.

Rhino appears briefly in the Spider-Man 2 video game, voiced by John DiMaggio. The player briefly engages in a "Boss Battle" with him. This game's version of the Rhino has spikes on parts of his costume. In the PC version of Spider-Man 2, the Rhino is the first villain Spider-Man battles in the game. In the first battle, the Rhino escapes his maximum security prison after Spider-Man takes out numerous crooks. Later on in the game, Spider-Man and Rhino meet multiple times in Oscorp. In the PC Game, after Spider-Man defeats several crooks trying to make a jail break at the Maximum Security Prison in New York, Rhino breaks out and starts a fight with Spider-Man. Rhino then makes a run for it and is caught in a laser cage made by the police. Spider-Man engages Rhino in the cage and makes him smash into the cage until its power wears down. Rhino eventually gets through the cage completely after Spider-Man dodges him once more, but the villain is defeated when he rams a pole into a gas station that blows up and sends Rhino flying away from the blast. Rhino's unconscious body is taken by Doctor Octopus, leaving Spider-Man to take down the fire with fire hydrants. Rhino is later seen again in the game when Doctor Octopus attacks Oscorp, and Spider-Man has to fight Rhino in a generator room, defeating him by making him smash into six generators that electrocute him into submission. However, Rhino meets up with Spider-Man again in a small room with four tubes containing (what seems to be) liquid nitrogen. Evading Rhino, Spider-Man destroys the tubes and escapes the room as it freezes leaving Rhino frozen in the chamber.

Ultimate Rhino is a boss Spider-Man fights in the 2005 Ultimate Spider-Man game, voiced by Bob Glouberman. When he first appeared, Spider-Man attempts to chase him while he causes destruction on the way. When he goes into a car lot, Spider-Man attempts to take him down by hitting him on his back multiple times. After Spidey defeated him, he was revealed to be a short man. He speaks mostly in Latin, seems to be very smart, and works for Bolivar Trask, a greedy business man who funded the Venom project. Strangely, this makes him the exact opposite of the original Rhino. In the characters page, R.H.I.N.O.'s name is shown to be Alex O'Hirn, and the web site for the game reveals that he originally designed the armor to be controlled by a computer before concluding that his own mind was more powerful than any computer and using the suit for himself.

Rhino appears in the touch screen app Spider-Man: Total Mayhem. He is a boss in the level: Rhino - serious rampage. He appears originally in level 1, where he throws a car at Spider-Man after he defeats Sandman (Flint Marko) The game appears to be set in the Ultimate universe, however, Rhino is less intelligent, suggesting a slightly different universe.

Rhino appears as a boss in the video game Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, voiced by Steven Blum. He is a member of Doctor Doom's Masters of Evil. He and Shocker were first seen working with Arcade. They are later seen guarding a defeated Heimdall. Rhino has special dialogue with Thing and Venom. He is in the Thing's simulation disk which takes place on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Omega Base where Thing must protect a frozen Mister Fantastic.

John DiMaggio reprises his role of Rhino in Spider-Man: Friend or Foe. In the game, Rhino was one of the many villains that Mysterio kidnapped and placed under his control. He was sent to Tangaroa Island to guard a meteor shard. After Spider-Man defeats him and frees him of the Control Amulet, Rhino agrees to help Spider-Man and becomes a playable character.

Steven Blum reprises his role of Rhino who appears in the Spider-Man 3 video game. This version does not don a full costume, but rather a large part of his body is scaly and bumpy like that of a rhinoceros, while his mask resembles that of his traditional costume. Dr. Stillwell forces Scorpion to free Rhino who was caught by Spider-Man in the second game. Rhino accidentally knocks out Scorpion, and runs off. Observing the event, Spider-Man decides to look into MechaBioCon. Spider-Man allies with Scorpion to turn him back to normal. When Spider-Man and Scorpion reach Dr. Stillwell's hideout, Stillwell orders Rhino to destroy them. Rhino defeats Scorpion, but Spider-Man defeats Rhino by tying him up with web lines and dropping several enormous ceiling blocks on top of him, knocking him unconscious.

Rhino appeared in Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, voiced by Fred Tatasciore. Spider-Man encounters him on Ryker's Island when on his mission to break out the Tinkerer. Unlike his other incarnations, he actually aids Spider-Man (as he is needed to break certain obstacles in the level), though he still presents some danger because he will sometimes launch indiscriminate attacks that can hurt the enemies in the level and Spider-Man. With Rhino's help, Spider-Man manages to take down the security system. If the player chooses the Red Suit path, Spider-Man tricks Rhino into going back the way they came in order to get himself captured again. If the player chooses the Black Suit Path, Spider-Man lets Rhino go through the exit and tells him to look for any flying super-powered characters stating to Rhino that he will need his help later. In the game's PlayStation 2 and PSP versions, Rhino serves as a guard for Spencer Smythe's underground laboratory.

Rhino appears exclusively in the Nintendo DS version of Spider-Man: Edge of Time. Rhino takes Anti-Venom's place as the one who fuses with Walker Sloan and Doctor Octopus to become into the monster Atrocity (voiced by Fred Tatasciore).

Fred Tatasciore reprises his role as Rhino in The Amazing Spider-Man video game. In this version, Alex O'Hirn is a low-level thug that Rajit Ratha, a corrupt Oscorp executive, and a reluctant Dr. Michael Morbius used a serum on that was created using the notes of Dr. Curt Connors's research. The result of the serum used on Alex O'Hirn transforms him into a hybrid of a man and a rhinoceros.

Rhino appears as a boss in Marvel Heroes, voiced by Benjamin Diskin.

Rhino appears in Lego Marvel Super Heroes, voiced by Robin Atkin Downes.

Rhino appears in the mobile version of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 video game, voiced again by Robin Atkin Downes.

Novels

Rhino appears in Jim Butcher's Spider-Man novel The Darkest Hours, in which he and Spider-Man are forced to ally against the family of Morlun, and the two old foes gain a deeper respect for one another. Indeed, listening to Aleksei's life story, Peter finds out that the two of them are not all that different and have had many of the same problems in life. Also, Rhino points out that he hates his costume, but must wear it because it's what his clients expect.

Theatre

Rhino will appear as one of the villains in the Marvel Universe: LIVE! stage show.

Toys and collectibles

Rhino has been reproduced in action figure form several times by Toy Biz, first as part of their Spider-Man: The Animated Series line, then as part of Spider-Man Classics, and finally as part of their Marvel Legends series. The Spider-Man Classics figure was later repainted and reissued by Hasbro.

The character has been reproduced in mini-bust form by Art Asylum (as part of their Rogues Gallery collection) and as both a bust and statue by Bowen Designs. Rhino has also been immortalized as a comiquette statue by Sideshow Collectibles.

References

External links

Rhino at Marvel.com
Rhino's profile at Spiderfan.org

Tuesday, December 2, 2014