Bushmaster (John McIver)

Bushmaster
Bushmaster, from Avengers vs. X-Men #0 (May 2012). Art by Frank Cho.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Captain America #310 (October 1985)
Created by	Mark Gruenwald Paul Neary
In-story information
Alter ego	Quincy McIver
Team affiliations	Thunderbolts Serpent Society
Abilities	Bionic arms 14-foot-long (4.3 m) super strong snake-like tail 6-inch (150 mm) "fangs" strapped to his hands with sharp needles that contain a fast-acting poison derived from snake venom

Bushmaster is the name of two fictional supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first was a master criminal, while the second Bushmaster was given super powers as he had a long, mechanical snake tail grafted to his torso and bionic arms.

The first Bushmaster (John McIver) first appeared in Iron Fist vol. 1 #15 (September, 1977) created by writer Chris Claremont and writer/artist John Byrne. John McIver, known as John Bushmaster, became a Maggia crime boss in Europe and later expanded into the United States. In the United States he was confronted by Misty Knight, Iron Fist and Power Man. Due to an accident during a fight with Power Man Bushmaster was transformed into "Unliving metal", which later lead to his death.

The second Bushmaster (Quincy McIver), first appeared in Captain America #310 (October, 1985), created by Mark Gruenwald and Paul Neary. Quincy McIver, younger brother of John, lost both his arms and legs in a boating accident while trying to avoid the police. The Roxxon Oil Company used their resources to graft bionic arms to Quincy's body and replace his severed legs with a long bionic snake tail, transforming him into Bushmaster. He became a founding member of the Serpent Society, finding acceptance among the team. He would remain loyal to Society leader Sidewinder when Viper took control of the Serpent Society. He was not shown to be a member of Serpent Solutions when the Society was reorganized.

John McIver was a powerful crime boss, criminal financier and organizer, and the brother of Quincy McIver. As a teenager, John and Quincy grew up on an unidentified island in the Caribbean Sea. Unlike Quincy, John was quick and savvy enough to stay out of trouble despite stealing from the local merchants. After John found out that Quincy blurted out that they were brothers to a shopkeeper who had caught him, John gave Quincy a beating. A few nights later, John beat the shopkeeper to death. Years later, John was in the employ of Herve Argosy where he worked as his muscle man in his gun-extorting business. John got Quincy in with Herve Argosy, but Quincy got all four limbs chopped off by a motorboat propeller on the first mission. John visited Quincy in the hospital to mock his misfortune. John McIver then took on the name John Bushmaster and headed off to Europe to run some of Argosy's trade there.