Fictional character biography
Roderick Krupp
| Digger | |
|---|---|
 First page from Dead of Night Featuring the Man-Thing #3 Art by Nick Percival | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Tower of Shadows #1 (September 1969) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Roderick Krupp |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations | Night Shift |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength |
Digger generally is depicted with green skin, although in some instances it appears blue.[a]
Roderick Krupp, a serial killer who buried his victims alive while telling them macabre stories, became known as Digger for his modus operandi. Living in a decrepit Los Angeles, California mansion known as the Tower of Shadows, he was eventually contacted by the vigilante the Shroud and recruited for the supervillain team the Night Shift.[2] The team made the mansion its headquarters. Krupp was eventually apprehended by the Mockingbird of the superhero team the Avengers.[volume & issue needed]
Digger appears with the Night Shift, as part of the Hood's gang. They battle the Midnight Sons, and Digger fights Morbius, the Living Vampire, who breaks Digger's shovel and buries it into his skull. He and the Night Shift are killed when the zombie virus from the Marvel Zombies' Earth mutates and becomes airborne.[3] The virus cloud begins to rain blood, and reanimates the Night Shift as zombies.[4] Dormammu assumes control of the Night Shift and uses them to fight the Midnight Sons. When Jennifer Kale and the Black Talon contain the virus within the Zombie (Simon Garth), the Night Shift members, although still in an undead state of being, halt their rampage. The Hood teleports away with them.[5]
Digger and the rest of the Night Shift are hired by Snapdragon to kill the Moon Knight on behalf of Count Nefaria who was operating as the Kingpin of Los Angeles. When they fail and are bailed out of prison by Snapdragon's lawyer, Count Nefaria reduces Digger, Dansen Macabre, the Needle, the Tatterdemalion, Tick-Tock, and the Misfit to ashes.[6]
During the "Spider-Geddon" storyline, Digger and Dansen Macabre turn up alive as they, the Brothers Grimm, Skein, and new member Waxman rob a bus of people, only to be thwarted by the Superior Octopus. The Superior Octopus agrees to spare them more pain in exchange that the Night Shift becomes his agents, where he will compensate them from his own funds. They agree to the terms and are ordered to return the stolen items. The Superior Octopus leaves, advising them never to cross him or they will not live long enough to regret it.[7]
Gamma mutate
On July 3, 1957, crime boss Morris Forelli killed seven rival crime bosses and their chief lieutenants during a meeting in Las Vegas and buried their bodies in the desert. Sometime later, a gamma bomb test occurred in the part of the desert where they were buried which fused their corpses together into a patchwork gamma zombie who planned revenge on Morris Forelli. Because Digger is made up of those criminals, Digger is referred to with pronouns like "we" and "them". This led to Digger encountering Spider-Man who managed to defeat them with a plan that would render them inert.[8]
Sometime later, the Green Door allowed Digger to revive themselves like it did with every gamma-based character and they became an underling of Rose at the time when he was meeting with Tombstone and White Rabbit.[9]
During the "Gang War" storyline, Digger informs Rose that their men are ready. When Beetle leads the Sinister Syndicate to Sugar Hill, Manhattan to claim it from Diamondback, they find that the rest of the men not defeated by the Sinister Syndicate had been defeated by Rose and Digger.[10] Digger and Rose fight the Sinister Six until some armored soldiers come in with one of them quoting "Light 'em up"![11] As the armored soldiers working for Wilson Fisk take Rose away, Digger recovers from the attack as Beetle and White Rabbit tell them what happened while offering him a job. Digger was seen with the Sinister Syndicate and their allies when they are facing the Maggia. They tell White Rabbit that Rose is currently getting disciplined by his father.[12]