| Eliot Franklin used to find himself consistently on the losing end of life during his criminal career. Whether he was part of the Masters of Menace, the Circus of Crime or trying to make a go of it on his own, Franklin's clown theme simply couldn't contend with the likes of heroes such as Spider-Man, Ghost Rider and especially the Hulk. Franklin even tried leading the Circus of Crime when the Ringmaster wasn't around, but he was just as ineffective when bossing around a group. Franklin was so bad as a criminal, he went straight for a short time before returning as a professional assassin again donning the clown suit. Eventually, Franklin found himself behind bars once more. |
| While incarcerated, he was visited by General John Ryker. The general wanted to use the former Clown in his Harpy experiments and place him in a group called Gamma Corps – designed to hunt and bring down the Hulk. Franklin was so eager for revenge, he readily agreed. Now, as the Griffin, and having real power at his disposal, he couldn't wait for his shot to redeem all his past failures. |
