Armand Martel - Monkey King

Monkey King

Monkey King is a crime lord turned adventurer in the Marvel Comics universe.

The character, created by Nick Spencer and Ariel Olivetti, first appeared in Iron Man 2.0 #5 (July 2011).

Within the context of the stories, Monkey King was a crime lord who modeled himself after the Monkey King of Chinese legend, Sun Wukong. The original Sun Wukong was a monkey who became king of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, learned powerful magic including the ability to shapeshift, and granted himself immortality. However, he grew arrogant and Buddha trapped him under the mountain for five hundred years.

The Monkey King is tricked by one of his rivals into attempting to steal Ruyi Jingu Bang, the staff of the original Wukong. In his quest, he comes across the spirit of the original Monkey King, who allows him to take the staff, provided his heart is pure. Agreeing, he takes the staff, but is judged impure and cast down to the Eighth City of Heaven, a prison that housed many demons, for fifteen years. During the events of Fear Itself, the Absorbing Man cracks the city wall, allowing the Monkey King and other beings trapped there to escape. He later encounters and fights War Machine and Iron Fist.