Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Inspired Dog Names

While many of the characters that grace the Marvel Comic/Cinematic Universe aren’t always faithful to the same cause for the entirety of their existence — in fact, that may be rarer than not — many of their faithful companions are, and there are more than enough of them roaming in and out of the massive roster of narratives. By example, even the mighty Bruce Banner, better known as the Incredible Hulk, had a dog named Ricky when living in Rio de Janeiro. 

In true Marvel fashion, very few just sauntered in and out of stories without much context. Like their human (or semi-human, alien, or mixed) counterparts, most canine characters also came complete with their own backstories with which to frame their personality. In fact, one of them has nearly as much tenure of some of Marvel’s other famed heroes, being introduced as early as 1965, just a few short years after the company official coined its name: Lockjaw.

Of course, Lockjaw is also no ordinary dog. Originally introduced in the Fantastic Four #45, he was revealed to be a giant Inhuman Bulldog — the Inhumans themselves were introduced in the very same issue. Outside of being the Royal Family’s protector and escort, Lockjaw also has significant superpowers, including teleportation, the ability to open inter-dimensional passages and even psionically trace a scent between them. But instead of being shoved off to the side like so many sidekicks, Lockjaw began his comic book journey with supreme importance.

During the course of his first narrative arc, Lockjaw acts as a pivotal character, tying together the world of the Inhumans to that of the Fantastic Four while also intertwining Quicksilver and Crystal on his way to leading the Fantastic Four back to his home planet in attempts to help save it. But his story doesn’t end their either. After his issue of origin, Lockjaw went on to appear in numerous other Marvel comic books, several animated series, video games and even live-action series and films. 

While he’s rarely the character most stories center around, he also doesn’t just live in the margins either. However, in 2009, he was featured as one of the lead characters in a four-issue mini-series called Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers, alongside other animal sidekicks like Falcon’s  Redwing and Lockheed from the X-Men. 

Outside of being an all-around great character, his most recent claim to fame was being listed as one of TIME’s Top 10 Oddest Marvel Characters.