Unlike many villains, Parker Robbins (a.k.a. The Hood) made his comic book debut in a self-titled comic book series, THE HOOD (written by Brian K. Vaughan with art by Kyle Hotz). If you want to know who he was before he became the leader of a supervillain group (more on that later), you should check out this mini-series. Also, since this is a MAX title, you’re getting the story raw and uncensored.
While THE HOOD is a good way to start your journey with Parker Robbins, it doesn’t tell the whole story. Sure, you learn that he has a secret girlfriend and kid, a mistress, and superpowers, but there’s more to his story. This article will give you the four most intriguing things to know about him. Some of them may come into play in Marvel Studios’ Ironheart (in which Anthony Ramos brings him to life).
He was in Norman Osborn's inner circle
After Norman Osborn was put in charge of the world’s security, he created a cabal of like-minded people to help him maintain order. He enlisted the help of Doctor Doom, Namor, Emma Frost, Loki, and Parker Robbins.
Unlike the rest of the group, the Hood was the only one without a long history of villainy. Nevertheless, Norman saw what he was doing and was impressed. So, with that, Parker joined the big leagues. And, with that came perks. The Hood’s crew became a legitimate part of Norman’s new regime. If they were arrested for committing a crime, they’d be released soon after.
Dormammu gave him his hood
Parker’s hood wasn’t just a magical object that gave him incredible powers and a demon form. It was a way for the Lord of the Dark Dimension, Dormammu, to enter this realm. Sadly, once the Hood started using his new magical weapon, he couldn’t disobey Dormammu. The one time he tried to abandon the hood, his new master gave Parker a painful reminder not to get too big for his britches.
The funny thing is, if Parker had to do it all again, he would. He craved power by any means necessary. It’s why he was foolish enough to work with Loki once Dormammu was exorcised from his body (New Avengers: Search for the Sorcerer Supreme).
He’s a good leader
Parker Robbins made a name for himself by organizing the supervillain community (read New Avengers: The Trust for that story). While it was done before, Parker did it better. He didn’t just promise wealth, Robbins made sure that his crew didn’t spend time in jail. The one time they got arrested, he broke them out before they stayed the night.
The big thing that made him an impressive boss was how he treated everyone. For example, when a job was completed, everything was split equally between everyone involved. However, the person who discovered the job got a larger cut for doing the groundwork. It’s reasons like this that he was rarely betrayed.
He was a Ghost Rider... kind of
During Benjamin Percy’s Ghost Rider: Final Vengeance (with art by Danny Kim), Parker performed a ritual that brought Zarathos to him. Zarathos said he found a kindred soul who has “no concerns about innocence, no sense of moral compass, no compunction about the slaughtering harvest to come.” Unfortunately for Zarathos, he didn’t truly understand his new host.
In the end, Parker chose the souls of his wife and child over power. This leaves Parker selling his soul to Mephisto and remaining faceless in Hell. So, it looks like that whole “no moral compass” part was untrue.
It’s kind of ironic how Parker's story begins with a quest for power, and ends with him being damned because of it. We can guess that this isn’t the last we’ll see of him as the Hood, especially with Ironheart bringing him to the forefront of people's minds. Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow to learn when he returns.
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