Unearthing a fossilized amulet on an archeological dig with his parents, Mexican-American Humberto Lopez finds it grants him the power to transform into a dinosaur. After suffering torture under Norman Osborn, he joins the Avengers Academy and uses his abilities to defend the world from peril.
Prehistory
Born in Sparks, Nevada to renowned paleontologist parents, Humberto Lopez grows up learning about dinosaurs. When his parents disappear in Niger, teenager Humberto goes to live with his grandfather in Sparks. While looking for fossils in the desert, he finds a piece of crystallized bone that gives him dinosaurian super powers. Becoming the Super Hero Reptil, he registers with the Fifty State Initiative, but remains in reserve until Doctor Vincent Stegron, AKA Stegron the Dinosaur Man, attacks S.H.I.EL.D. bases with herds of dinosaurs, searching for the captive proto-human Moon-Boy.
Dinosaur Morpher
Thanks to an ancient artifact in the form of crystalized bone, or amulet, Lopez can transform any one part (head, arms, legs) of his body into the corresponding part of any prehistoric reptile. He can grow a tail from one; he has generated wings, armor plating, spiked and clubbed tails, clawed hands and feet, super-fast legs, and a sonic boom- generating tail. He can also form an empathic rapport with dinosaurs and can sense their presence over long distances. The fossilized amulet eventually embeds in his chest.
Avenger Allies and Opponents
One of Reptil’s first opponents is dinosaur-man Stegron. Reptil allies with Greer Nelson, AKA Tigra, and her superhuman squad including Abigail Boylen, AKA Cloud 9, Melati Kusuma, AKA Komodo, and Richard Gilmore, AKA Prodigy, against Stegron.
Reptil suffers torture and experiments under the guise of tutelage from Norman Osborn, who desired to form a superhuman team in his own image. When the Avengers defeat him and form the Avengers Academy, Reptil joins the Academy’s inaugural class with Madeline Berry, AKA Veil, who can transform into a gaseous state; the toxic Jennifer Takeda, AKA Hazmat; electrically-powered Brandon Sharpe, AKA Striker; invulnerable powerhouse Ken Mack, AKA Mettle; and the polymath Jeanne Foucault, AKA Finesse. He has had romantic relationships with fellow Academy members Finesse and White Tiger.
Alongside the Avengers Academy, he fights the Cul Borson, AKA Serpent, Skadi, Carl Creel, AKA Greithoth, and Mary MacPherran, AKA Skirn (Titania).
All Grown Up
After taking an abbreviated Initiative training course, Reptil led an Initiative strike team to South Dakota, where Stegron badly beat him. Commission on Superhuman Activities Director Valerie Cooper withdrew Reptil from active duty, but Tigra convinced her to relent; Tigra also convinced Reptil that he had great potential. Reptil tracked Stegron to Wyoming, where he triumphed over the villain; learning of Stegron’s motives, he and Tigra stole Moon-Boy from S.H.I.E.L.D. and gave him to Kevin Plunder, AKA Ka-Zar. To cover their tracks, Tigra claimed that Reptil had been useless in the field, washing him out of the program. Ka-Zar took Reptil and Moon-Boy back to the Savage Land with him and promised to help Reptil find his parents.
After Norman Osborn took control of the Initiative, he abducted Reptil and put him through a series of painful experimental procedures; when Osborn was deposed, Reptil broke free. As his experiences in captivity had left him with lasting psychological scars, Reptil was invited to join Avengers Academy, with several other high-risk superpowered teens.
He started dating fellow classmate Finesse but it didn’t last very long when she thought it to be less serious than he did. During this same time, he met Jessica Jones who helped him through his leftover trauma from his time with Osborn by comparing his situation to her time with the psycho Zebediah Killgrave, AKA the Purple Man. While at the Academy, Humberto’s class’ identities were revealed to the public and he was elected as their leader. The crystalized bone or amulet that gives Humberto his powers eventually embedded itself into his chest, however despite Hank Pym attempting to help him remove it, it stayed and did not seem to affect his abilities. However, his repressed emotional issues surfaced which affected his ability to fully transform into a dinosaur.
When the human cyborg turned God, Michael Korvac, AKA Korvac, tried to claim his wife Carina Walters (née Tivan), she refused him and the Avengers intervened to protect her. Carina used her time/space manipulation powers to send the Academy students into their 30-year-old bodies to access their full potential and help stop Korvac. Reptil, in his older body, found that his powers were augmented by Pym Particles and as a result, he could transform into full-sized dinosaurs. After the Avengers and Academy students defeated Korvac, Reptil remained in his older body, desiring the increase in power and to better lead the students. Anya Corazon, AKA Spider-Girl, talked him down though, convincing him to revert back to his actual age and body.
Though it wasn’t long before his mind was replaced with his older self, thanks to a future Giant-Man sending Reptil back into his past self to ensure a future where Hybrid killed all of the new students and their advisor Tigra. Reptil with the others ultimately rescued everyone and defeated Hybrid, avoiding this alternate future. Meanwhile, the young version of Reptil was stuck in the future. There, he learned Finesse had had a daughter and upon returning to his time, he attempted to renew their relationship. Finesse, however, turned him down. He then helped the Runaways track down their dinosaur Old Lace using his amulet.
During the war between the Avengers and the X-Men, Reptil sided with the Avengers. He ended up learning more about his amulet along with Ava Alaya, AKA White Tiger, who also possessed a magical amulet, when they met with sorceress Jennifer Kale of A.R.M.O.R. They then faced Jeremy Briggs who tricked them all into being depowered. After learning about the origins of their artifacts, both Reptil and White were able to regain their powers and embarked on a romantic relationship.
Kidnapped by Arcade, Reptil found himself on Murderworld with sixteen other young Super Heroes being forced to battle each other. He faced off with Laura Kinney, AKA X-23, who was on a rampage due to an accidental release of the Trigger Scent by Hazmat. Reptil survived but collapsed after facing her, taking two weeks to recover. He later helped rescue Murderworld survivors, but suffered near-fatal injuries from Hazmat’s nuclear detonation. He received treatment by S.H.I.E.L.D. and fully recovered.
