The Porcupine was soon defeated by Henry Pym, who was then the original Ant-Man, and his partner, Janet van Dyne, the Wasp. A second defeat by Pym as Giant-Man came when the Porcupine took an overdose of Pym’s shrinking capsules, and shrank out of sight.

Eventually, however, the effect wore off, and the Porcupine, again at his normal size, was among the many costumed menaces assembled by Doctor Doom to disrupt the wedding of Reed Richards and Susan Storm.

His self-confidence still shaken by his failure in battling Giant-Man and the Wasp, the Porcupine eagerly accepted the invitation of Count Luchino Nefaria, a powerful figure in the criminal Maggia, to join his group of costumed agents. However, Nefaria and his agents were thwarted by the original X-Men. Once again, the Porcupine escaped being taken prisoner, and he blamed the failure of the blackmail scheme on Nefaria and the other agents. But Gentry suspected that, in fact, he himself was inadequate for the role of being a “super-villain” battling superhuman opponents.

During coming months, the Porcupine enlisted as a member of Batroc’s Brigade and also worked, with his allies the original Eel, the Plantman, and the Scarecrow, for the masked criminal mastermind who called himself the Cowled Commander. Again, the Porcupine clashed with Captain America but was defeated.

Convinced that they were failures, Gentry and Leopold Stryke, who was the original Eel, sought guidance from the Celestial Mind Control movement, which was secretly masterminded by the alien Nebulon. Nebulon pitted the Porcupine and the Eel against his foes, the costumed adventurers called the Defenders, who defeated them both.

Later, the Porcupine and a small group of confederates invaded a major Manhattan hotel to steal the valuables in its safe. This time the Porcupine erred by deciding to rob the wealthy audience at a fashion show in one of the hotel’s ballrooms. The Wasp, Yellowjacket, and Nighthawk quickly defeated the criminals, and the Porcupine left, humiliated at being overpowered by the Wasp and Yellowjacket when they were both at the size of insects.

Perhaps believing there was safety in numbers, the Porcupine next turned up as one of a large assemblage of costumed criminals organized by the original versions of Libra and Sagittarius of the android Zodiac. This time the Porcupine was defeated by the Hellcat during a battle between a number of the criminals and a group of adventurers operating under the auspices of the Defenders.

The Porcupine went to prison but was soon released by minions of billionaire Justin Hammer. That venture didn’t last long either because the Porcupine and his allies failed to defeat Iron Man for Hammer.

Tired of his long string of defeats, Gentry decided to give up his career as a costumed criminal and live off the millions of dollars he expected to receive by selling his battlesuit. Gentry totally redesigned his porcupine battlesuit, making it far deadlier than before. He entered into negotiations with the subversive organization called the Secret Empire. But Captain America and his ally Nomad defeated the Porcupine, and Gentry was returned to jail.

In prison, Gentry vowed never to put on the Porcupine battlesuit again. He was soon released from prison, apparently legally, and he set about once more to try to sell the battlesuit. But by now Porcupine was universally regarded as a laughable failure.

In despair, Gentry came up with the idea of selling the battIesuit to the Avengers to prevent it from falling into the hands of their enemies. Captain America agreed to have the Avengers buy the battlesuit if Gentry helped get him to members of the Serpent Society. Gentry accepted Captain America’s terms.

Captain America’s plan was for Gentry to pretend to have captured him and to offer the Serpent Society the opportunity to kill him. Gentry contacted the Society’s leader, Sidewinder, and arranged to have some of the Society members meet him at a Lower Manhattan construction site. Gentry, having reluctantly donned his Porcupine costume once more as part of the plan, pretending to guard Captain America, who was seemingly bound with chains.

Four Society members soon appeared: Cottonmouth, Death Adder, Diamondback, and the Rattler. Captain America took the Society members by surprise.

In the ensuing battle, Gentry was impaled on one of his own quills when he fell. Apparently the quill went into his heart, for the injury proved fatal. Diamondback escaped, but Captain America defeated the other three Society members. Captain American found Gentry dying and in despair. Gentry said, “I’m going to die as lived. . .one big loser.” Captain America tried to reassure Gentry, telling him that he had helped him defeat three Serpent Society members, and that therefore Gentry was a hero. But Gentry refused to believe the captain’s kind words, saying that he, Gentry, was “nothing” and had led a worthless life. Captain America said that Gentry had proved to be a worthy opponent, but it is not known whether this compliment mattered to Gentry, for he expired seconds later without having said another word.

In tribute to Gentry, Captain America had him buried in a grave reserved by the Avengers for those who have fallen in battle, and put his battlesuit on exhibit in Avengers Mansion, labeled “Battle Armor of the Porcupine—Honored Foe of the Avengers.”