Rhino | |
---|---|
Name: | Aleksei Mikhailovich Sytsevich |
Alias(es): | Rhino |
Portrayed by: | Paul Giamatti |
Only Appearance: | The Amazing Spider-Man 2 |
Appears in: | 1 Film |
- "This is not the end, Spider!"
- ―Aleksei Sytsevich to Spider-Man[src]
Rhino (Aleksei Sytsevich) is a recurring villain in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. He is portrayed by Paul Giamatti as the tertiary antagonist in the 2014 film The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
He is a Russian mobster that hijacked an armored Oscorp truck containing vials of plutonium, but was disarmed and defeated by Spider-Man. He is later recruited by Harry Osborn and Gustav Fiers as the first of a new team created to fight Spider-Man, and provided a mechanical suit to wreak havoc, dubbed the Rhino.
History[]
The Amazing Spider-Man 2[]
- "On behalf of the fine people of New York City and real rhinos everywhere, I ask you to put your mechanized paws in the air."
"NEVER! I crush you, I kill you! I destroy you!"
"You want me to come down there so you can kill me?"
"Yes!" - ―Spider-Man and Rhino in their fight in the film's final scene[src]
Aleksei Sytsevich was once a muscle thug for the local mafia. He is first seen driving a truck full of Oscorp chemicals. He drives manically through the streets until he is brought to a halt down a back alley. Spider-Man confronted Sytsevich face-to-face, using his spider sense to dodge the rapid fire of Sytsevich's machine gun. Spider-Man disarmed him and then webbed each wrist to the walls opposite so his arms were crossed over his chest. Spider-Man proceeded to pull down Sytsevich's pants to humiliate him further. Sytsevich was incarcerated in the Vault by the NYPD.
Later, he is broken out of prison and is given Rhinoceros like armor by Harry Osborn. He took to the streets of New York, which hadn't seen Spider-Man since his confrontation with the Green Goblin and Gwen's death, and began shooting at the police, calling himself "The Rhino". A boy dressed as Spider-Man, who Spider-Man had helped out earlier, stepped out in front of Rhino, trying to make a stand. Despite mocking that "Spider-Man is back", Rhino compliments the child's bravery and lowers his weapons, unwilling to kill him, allowing the real Spider-Man to arrive on the scene and get the boy to safety. Rhino began to charge at Spider-Man, who leapt in the air using a manhole cover as a weapon.
Spider-Man: No Way Home[]
While comparing villains with two alternate versions of himself, Spider-Man calls himself lame for having fought only the Rhino in comparison to the other two fighting aliens.
Video Game Continuity[]
The Amazing Spider-Man[]
Unlike all of the other cross-species, which were created after Curt Connors terrorized the city as the Lizard, Rhino was the result of a pet project of Connors' direct superior, Rajit Ratha. As Connors and Peter Parker worked to develop the serum that would ultimately turn Connors into the Lizard, Ratha applied what he had learned through Connors' research to black-market dealings. Without the knowledge or consent of his superiors at Oscorp, Ratha forcefully enlisted the help of Michael Morbius, threatening to end the reclusive biochemist's career if he refused to help. Morbius reluctantly complied, applying the rhinoceros DNA with which Ratha supplied him to a cross-species serum similar in nature to Connors' own for the Lizard.
Ratha's next step was to test the serum, and his underworld clients were all too happy to provide his oblivious human test subject: a low-level thug named Aleksei Sytsevich. If it worked, the mafia would have a new weapon on its hands; if not... no great loss.
After an excruciatingly painful transformation, Sytsevich was now a hybrid of man and rhinoceros, ready to tear apart anything in his path - Ratha's clients would be pleased. Unfortunately for the corrupted businessman, however, his own life was taken by the Lizard before the transaction could be completed. Morbius would soon claim that he created Rhino entirely of his own volition, with help from Connors' notes. Also, knowing that animalizing a human crossed an ethical line even at Oscorp, Morbius furthered the lie to suggest that Rhino was in fact originally a rhinoceros that was infused with human DNA. Only Sytsevich knows otherwise.
After the breakout of all the cross-species at Oscorp, the Rhino was found in a parking lot, surrounded by cars and trucks: things he loved to smash. Spider-Man found his way to the lot and fought him which resluted in the wall-crawling superhero slamming him through the pavement. Days later, Spidey would hear of reports of incidents and disturbances in the sewers. No doubt it's another cross-species, Spider-Man thought, and he was right. The Rhino was back, and the two battled it out once more before Spider-Man threw him into an electrical pit, and Sytsevich hasn't been seen since.
Trivia[]
- Paul Giamatti confirmed that Rhino would return in The Amazing Spider-Man 3 prior to its cancellation.
- Rhino is the final antagonist of the film. He is also the final antagonist of The Amazing Spider-Man films since the other films of the series were cancelled.