Dingo (Gargoyles)

Dingo, born Harry Monmouth, was a recurring antagonist in the TV series Gargoyles, and later a redeemed protagonist, starting with the episode Walkabout, then continuing in the Gargoyles comic series. In his initial appearances, Dingo was a former mercenary and later a member of the Pack, along with: Fox, Coyote, Wolf, Jackal and Hyena. As such, he often found himself employed under longtime gargoyles villain, David Xanatos. Later on, he and his partner, The Matrix, became prominent members of the Redemption Squad, led by Robyn Canmore aka Hunter.

Dingo was voiced by long-time Disney voice actor, Jim Cummings, also known for having played Tigger and Winnie the Pooh since the deaths of their respective actors, Paul Winchell and Sterling Holloway. Other notable credits include: Darkwing Duck on Darkwing Duck, Leatherhead in the 80s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, Tasmanian Devil on several Looney Tunes shows and Cat in the Nickleodeon series CatDog.

Personality

Dingo was a practical and careful individual who always thought before he acted. This was usually showcased in his choice of long-ranged and mid-ranged weapons, as well as his foresight and hindsight. While Wolf and Jackal would have much rather dismissed Coyote's offer for help (in the episode Upgrade), Dingo, along with Hyena, at least gave the android a chance to explain. And although Coyote offered genetic and cybernetic augmentations, Dingo steadily refused, instead asking for a suit of battle armor much like the one worn by David Xanatos. And during the episode Walkabout, Dingo displayed a reluctance towards actions he agreed to do, as was the case with teaming-up with Goliath to stop the Grey Goo Scenario, entering the Dreamtime and eventually befriending the artificial intelligence, Matrix. In these instances he sometimes showed open dismay, for instance working with Goliath, dough this was mostly do to their previous status as enemies. But in the case of magic, as in him journeying into The Dreamtime, he viewed it rather lightly and entertainingly, referring to the journey as "a trip to Disneyland." Because of his careful nature, as well as his disgust towards body modification, Dingo began criticizing Wolf for willinhly becoming a half-human, half-wolf mutant, and the twins, Jackal and Hyena, for having their bodies turned into cyborgs. He considered them a "freak-show" and they in turn considered him a coward. And yet, Dingo did not find nano-technology as being unnatural, rather the opposite comparing it to how it uses microscopic machines the same way nature uses proteins and enzymes.

Dingo had a friendly relationship with his Aboriginal shaman mentor. The shaman was the one he tutored him in matters of spiritual world views, helping him come to grips with his past grievances. He instructed Dingo to go on a walkaobut, a Native Australian journey of self-discovery consisting of wondering the land and contemplating on his actions.

Dingo has a stormy relationship with Hunter. On their first meeting, Hunter blackmailed Dingo and Matrix into joining the Redemption Squad. Hunter and Dingo fought, with Hunter winning by temporarily paralyzing Matrix with an electromagnetic pulse grenade. Although Dingo agreed to join the team, at Matrix's insistence, he has frequently clashed with Hunter over her methods. He has referred to her "evil little mind" and once even threatened to quit the team, leading her to pull a gun on him. However, he has also expressed dissatisfaction that she is difficult to impress, having saved her on two occasions. Fang has also noticed an apparent attraction between them, telling them during one confrontation that they were "steaming up the portholes" of the Redemption. As they floated away following the submersion of the Eastcheap, they were seen smiling at each other.

History

Thrill of the Hunt

Shortly after David Xanato's arrest, The Manhattan Clan took residence inside the Eyrie Building. For several continuous weeks, on every channel on television, The Pack's eponymous television series was being broadcasted and as a result Broadway, Brooklyn and Lexington became instant admirers of theirs. The Trio looked up to The Pack as brave warriors, much in the same way they viewed themselves. At the same time, while they were training for their next big show, The Pack receive an envelop through mail with pictures of the New York gargoyles. Pack members Dingo and Wolf become intrigued with the thought of monsters in New York as they wished to test their strengths with a proper challenge. Dingo in particular complained about the state he was in. Despite his muscular frame, he referred to himself as being "flab" and how he would not survive for more then a day in the middle of a Central American war, thus referencing his past life as a mercenary.

After a live performance at Madison Square Garden, The Pack is visited by Lexington, who had been attending the show in secret along with Brooklyn and Broadway. The small gargoyle wishes to make an alliance between The Pack and his own clan, and as a response Fox and Wolf ask him to bring "the big gargoyle(as in Goliath)" to make arrangements. The following night Lexington and Goliath arrive at the studio where The Pack series was shot. There the two of them are ambushed by The Pack. The fight leads the two gargoyles into the city streets where they escape by climbing a fire-escape onto a nearby roof populated with gargoyle-like statues. While climbing the latter to the roof, Dingo gets scarred of one of the statues and shoots it with his laser pistol. The rest of The Pack arrive on the roof and chase after the gargoyles, now having disappeared among the various statues. Dingo and Hyena are picked-off by the gargoyles, and soon after follows a scarred Jackal. And although they manage to escape, Wolf and Fox were soon after defeated and arrested by the police for holding a woman hostage in order to escape from Goliath's attacks.

Her Brother's Keeper

Dingo does not appear in this episode, but is mentioned by Hyena who reveals that he had traveled to Europe.

Leader of The Pack

Dingo, now working alongside the masked figure named Coyote, arrive on Ryker's Island to break the rest of The Pack out of jail. Dingo successfully reunites with Wolf, Jackal and Hyena and reequip them with their standard weapons, however Fox refuses to join her team and instead decides to follow-through on her sentence. The Pack regroup and escape the prison on-board a hoover-craft piloted by Dingo. While flying across the Atlantic, Jackal and Wolf are initially distrustful of Coyote, but Dingo reminds them to show him respect for having freed them. After a brief fight with Wolf, Coyote removes his helmet and reveals himself as non other then David Xanatos. And despite Jackal's initial distrust, having been sent to prison along with his sister because of Xanatos (events that had transpired in Her Brother's Keeper), Coyote wins him over after convincing him that the gargoyles where his true cause of his misfortune. Under Coyote's leadership The Pack capture Brooklyn, Lexington and Bronx in an ambush at their old studio. Dingo lassoed Brooklyn while Lexington and Bronx are brought down by Jackal and Coyote, respectively.

The three members of the Manhattan Clan are being held captive inside the abandoned oil tanker, Otoshiana Maru. Coyote equips The Pack with state-of-the-art laser guns, but they are nevertheless brought down by the arrival of the rest of the gargoyle clan. In the midst of the fight, Coyote's face his half torn off by Bronx, thus exposing his true identity as an android. Dingo, along with Jackal and Wolf, is left flabbergasted, while Hyena finds him even more attractive then usual. Coyote is subsequently destroyed by Goliath and Lexington while rest of the Pack escape the sinking ship on-board the hoover-craft.

Upgrade

The Pack return, now under Wolf's de facto leadership and operating as bank robbers, much to Dingo's disdain. Their latest theft is interrupted by the sudden appearance of the Manhattan gargoyles, who pummel Jackal and once again defeat Wolf with little effort. But Dingo knocks Goliath out with a electric grenade, thus buying time for The Pack to escape with barely a single bag of stolen money. As they are travelling across the Atlantic, The Pack are revisited by Coyote, now just a hoovering head. The android offers to make a deal with the team, but Jackal and Wolf distrust it. Dingo and Hyena, on the other hand, decide to at least hear him out. Coyote offers The Pack the chase to augment themselves through either genetic engineering, cybernetics or robotic suit of armor. Dingo rejects the first two options, calling them a "horror show for Halloween" but agrees with the third.

During the three months it took for the augmentations to be completed, Coyote spoke to The Pack about nano-technology and its many uses, calling it the way of the future.

After the three months, The Pack ambush the Manhattan Clan (only Goliath, Bronx, Hudson and Elisa Maza) yet again, this time in the skeleton of a building still under construction. The twins, Jackal and Hyena, had their limbs replaced with robotic ones, Wolf became a mutate by having his DNA spliced with that of a timber wolf, Coyote was refitted with a bulkier body (now going under the alias of Coyote 2.0), while Dingo now wore a robotic suit of armor. Goliath is unable to damage the suit, so Dingo easily overwhelms an runs him off. During the fight, Jackal beats Bronx, Hyena beats Elisa, while Hudson and Goliath are each brought down by Wolf and Coyote 2.0, respectively. Having caught the biggest gargoyle, Coyote proclaims himself leader as per The Pack's agreement, but faces opposition from Wolf. While Hyena sides with Coyote, her brother sides with Wolf. Dingo is left with the choice of leader between Coyote, "a robot who thinks it's a man", or Wolf "a man who has gone to the dogs", neither of which he likes because he became disgusted with his team's decisions. Regardless, he chooses to side with Coyote.

Latter that night, The Pack hold the captured Manhattan clan members hostage inside a train depot, with the attention of letting Bronx go so that he could lead them to the gargoyles hide out. From there they would destroy the remaining gargoyles during morning when they would be frozen in stone. While waiting for the proper time to strike Dingo further demonstrates his dislike of his teammates for having mutilated themselves, especially referring to the twins robotic limbs and referring to himself as being "a partner in a freak-show." The Pack's plan is however foiled do to the untimely arrival of Brooklyn, Broadway and Lexington, who where tipped-off by Fox. In the ensuing fight the gargoyles release their friends, and divide The Pack in order to beat them one at a time. Dingo's armor proves to be his undoing, first having been slammed into the metal roof where it got stuck, secondly and lastly, it gets pulled into a crane-magnet by Elisa. He, along with the other human Pack members are tied up and arrested by the police.

Grief

Dingo is once again absent, now having permanently severed his ties with The Pack after their last defeat and having been left disillusioned because of them. While in Egypt, beneath the Great Sphinx, and during the summoning of the god Anubis, Hyena claims that Dingo would regret not taking part in The Pack's latest job.

Walkabout

In his own episode, Dingo had returned to his native country of Australia and taken a job as a security officer for the nearby Xanatos laboratory complex, working under Fox and her mother, Anastasia Renard. While in the Australian Outback, Dingo is tutored by an Aboriginal Shaman to go on a journey of self discovery, a walkabout, and ultimately find The Dreamtime, a parallel dimension of the mind and soul. Instead of this, Dingo comes across The Avalon World Tour, a magical team of globe-trotters comprised of Goliath, Elisa, Bronx and Angela. He summons his robotic armor and does battle with them, but their fight is interrupted by the sudden eruption of the Matrix, a liquid mass of nano-bots which consume all matter in their path. In the midst of the eruption Dingo saves Goliath's life, which helps him gain the gargoyles trust. He later reveals to them with the use of his armor's microscop lenses that the liquid metal was not magical in nature, but scientific. He brings them to the Shaman in order to discuss the situation, but they are interrupted by Fox and Anastasia, who reveal that the Matrix is on the brink of causing the Grey Goo Scenario. It would consume all matter on Earth, both inanimate and living, until the entire planet became a mass of metal.

Under Anastasia and Fox's instructions Goliath and Dingo fly over the laboratory, now complete assimilated by the Matrix, and try deactivating it before it can consume the labs' nuclear power plant, that would give the A.I. enough power to consume the world. The plan fails, so they rejoin the group. Instead of fighting it, The Shaman proposes a different solution: convince the Matrix to stop by communicating with it. Fox explains that the Matrix is a computer programe, being able to think several times faster then a human being and as a direct corollary to this communication was impossible by regular means, so instead The Shaman magically transports Dingo and Goliath into The Dreamtime. There they are able to speak with the artificial intelligence, but the entity refuses to listen as its sole purpose was to creat order out off chaos. It fought them for a time, but the two eventually convinced it to stop assimilating all mater surrounding it. Goliath explains it that order is fluid and ever changing, the direct opposite of Matrix's rigid constructs, while Dingo proposes a different solution to its dilema. He tells Matrix to become a crime fighter and thus bring Law and Order. Back in the material world, Dingo and Goliath wake up to find that the Matrix has ceased its expansion and has taken on a humanoid form. It wishes for Dingo to further elaborate on Law and Order, to which he brings up his days starring on The Pack television show and how he currently wished to become an actual hero. As a result Dingo and Matrix become partners, with Matrix having merged with Dingo's armor so that they may be one being. Although overwhelmed by his decision Dingo declares himself Australia's newest crime fighter.

Powers and Abilities

Great Strength - Dingo was a very fit man which great upper-body strength and plenty of stamina.

Tactical Combat Training - Along with his prowess in hand to hand combat Dingo was likewise skilled in a variety of weapons and fighting styles. But unlike the more head-first-into-battle teammates, Wolf, Jackal and Hyena, Dingo leaned more on caution and wit. He mostly employed ranged weapons such as guns, grenades and rocket projectors, as well as mid range weapons like grappling hooks, nets and boomerangs. Do to his choice of weapons and preference to keep a distance between his opponents, Dingo was often the least injured member of his team. More so, his skills with ranged weapons allowed him to knock-out Goliath as well as other members of the latter's clan far more often then any other member of The Pack.

Xanatos Cybernetic Armor - For a time, Dingo utilized a powerful battle suit of mechanical armor. The suit was invulnerable to Goliath's claws and punches, as well as other powerful blows. Likewise, the suit was strong enough to inflict great damage on Goliath and carry very heavy weights. Aside from these advantages, the suit of armor had rocket guns mounted in the gauntlets and could fly via propellers in the boots. The helmet had lenses that could be focused to see matter at microscopic size, as was the case with The Matrix's nano-bots.

This suit was eventually "assimilated" by Matrix, but Matrix can form new armor and other forms around Dingo and under Dingo's control by inserting part of his Matrix into Dingo's spine. Naturally, this is unnerving for Dingo, particularly as it can cause him pain when Matrix is damaged.

Piloting - Dingo was educated in piloting flight vehicles, such as The Pack's hover-craft, as well as his own mechanical suit of armor.