Universe
Marvel Universe

Real Name
Eliot Franklin

Aliases
Clown, Crafty Clown, Funny Man

Identity
(Griffin) Known to authorities; (Clown) publicly known

Citizenship
USA, with a criminal record

Place of Birth
Orlando, Florida

First Appearance
Incredible Hulk #3 (as Clown, 1962); Gamma Corps #1 (as Griffin, 2007)

Origin
Gamma Corps #1 (as Griffin, 2007)

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. The Gamma Corps initial assault of the Hulk surprisingly resulted in their leader, Grey, snapping the Hulk's neck, but unfortunately for them, this came at a time when Hulk was angrier than he had ever been, and he waged war against Earth. Hulk recovered and found the secret base of the Gamma Corps. They pursued the Hulk and Griffin renewed his attack, delivering a few devastating blows to his former sparring partner. However, once Hulk got a firm grasp on Franklin, he broke several of his bones. Franklin healed and stayed with the Corps who, after hearing the truth behind their team's creation, decided Hulk was not the real enemy. The Gamma Corps turned on Ryker and found new targets in the members of the Illuminati.

Franklin was a fugitive from the law – something he was not a stranger to – but when team member Prodigy inadvertently led Iron Partriot to their doorstep, he was offered another opportunity for a clean slate. A brief struggle with the leader of H.A.M.M.E.R. ended with a proposal for Griffin, and the rest of the Gamma Corps, to become bounty hunters to retrieve any unregistered super powered individual. Franklin signed up with the rest.