A
villain published by
Marvel Comics. The
Grey Gargoyle was
created by
Stan Lee and
Jack Kirby and first appeared in
Journey Into Mystery #107 in 1964.
Paul Pierre Duval was a French chemist working for a drug
manufacturer in Paris when he gained his power. Working with
a chemical mixture that included an unknown component, Duval did
what any good chemist would do when confronted with the unknown;
he poured it on himself, specifically his right hand. Suddenly
Duval's hand was composed of some grey, rock-like substance. When
he touched his other hand, he discovered that he could transform
the rest of his body into the same type of substance by touching it,
a picture which frankly smacks of auto-erotism, but then again Duval
is French. Duval next discovered that anything he touched besides
himself became stone-like, but was also incapable of movement.
Deciding that he could use his newfound powers for personal gain,
Duval constructed an incredibly questionable costume and set off
on a crime spree as the Grey Gargoyle. Duval's costume consisted
of a cape with a high collar worn by putting your arms through two
loops, a pair of Speedo-like swim trunks, a mask, and blue socks and
blue gloves. The glove on his right hand was specially treated
to not turn to stone, but had a hole in the palm to allow him
contact with his victims.
The Grey Gargoyle had a successful crime spree growing when he fell
victim to one of the classic pitfalls of evil-doers: he got bored.
Deciding that he would work his way into the big league, Duval traveled
to America to wrest the secret of immortality from the Asgardian
Thor. Needless to say, the Grey Gargoyle got his head handed to
him on numerous ocassions.
The Grey Gargoyle has clashed with other heroes including the Avengers,
the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, and Iron Man. He
has also aligned himself with a number of villainous organizations
including Advanced Idea Mechanics or AIM and the villain team
the Masters of Evil.