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| Pug | |
| Real name: | Augustus Pugliese |
| First Appearance: | She-Hulk (v1) 2 (Jun 2004) |
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Created by: |
Dan Slott Juan Bobillo |
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Affiliations: |
Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway |
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Abilities: |
None |
Augustus "Pug" Pugliese is lawyer for Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway and has an unrequited crush on She-Hulk.
History[]
During his law school years, Augustus Pugliese worked as a bouncer for a man named Tito at the Velvet Morgue. Pug’s other friends included his neighbor Charlene. One night Pug was beaten up by the Maggia crime family, and would probably have been killed had not Spider-Man intervened. Spider-Man left before Pug had the chance to thank him, but later on Pug sought to return the favor and help super-heroes as a lawyer. Pug had great opportunity for this at the pioneering superhuman law division of Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway, the most prestigious law firm on American east coast.
When the super-heroine She-Hulk was hired by GLK&H, in the condition that she works only in her plain Jennifer Walters form, the brawny Pug asked to get an apartment across the hall from her at GLK&H’s apartment building, the Excelsior, in order to protect her. Pug soon started having romantic feelings towards her, but never managed to ask her out. Unlike most of She-Hulk’s men, Pug liked both of her forms and saw them as two sides of the same person.
She-Hulk helped Pug to get in touch with Spider-Man, who Pug helped to sue J. Jonah Jameson, the publisher of Daily Bugle, for harassment. When Pug included Peter Parker, Spider-Man’s secret alter ego, in the suit, the hero told Pug to settle the case. Jameson agreed on Spider-Man’s conditions, and Pug considered the case a win even though it wasn’t exactly what he had expected. Unfortunately, Jennifer was asked out by Jonah’s son, John Jameson, and they began dating.
Months later, the Excelsior and GLK&H’s headquarters, Timely Plaza, were attacked by Titania. Pug’s workmate, Mallory Book, was severely injured and Pug stayed at her bedside in the hospital. A few floors of the Excelsior were lost during the attack, so all the tenants had to double up. Pug insisted that She-Hulk would room with him at 3C. Together they worked on the Charles Czarkowski case and afterwards Pug helped to win She-Hulk’s time trial. John Jameson stayed at their apartment a lot, which bothered Pug, but he rather slept at the office than said anything about it.
Jen was about to dump John Jameson, but the former Avenger Starfox, not in control of his euphoria powers, made Jen madly in love with Jameson. This was continued by other GLK&H employee, Awesome Andy, who had unknowingly copied Starfox’s powers. Pug realized that something was wrong and found evidence in their boss’s video recordings, just before learning that She-Hulk and Jameson had eloped. Pug wanted to show the evidence to She-Hulk and tell her about his feelings, but the first time he did it, She-Hulk turned out to be GLK&H’s shape-shifter, Ditto, who wanted to save Pug from unnecessary heartache.
Pug bought a magic potion capable of making a person love somebody or making a person forget a love. Pug brought the potion to She-Hulk and tried to tell her about Starfox's love spell. Things got heated between Pug and John Jameson, and Pug even hit John. She-Hulk finally learned of Pug’s feelings, but then Jameson turned into Man-Wolf and mauled Pug. Pug was accompanied to the hospital by Mallory Book and Awesome Andy, who both saw Pug’s evidence and learned that Starfox had also made Mallory in love with Andy. Awesome Andy then turned off his powers, thus putting an end also to She-Hulk’s love spell. Unfortunately Pug drank the magic potion before finding out and left GLK&H.
Subsequently, Pug went to see She-Hulk, purely as a friend, and helped her in her identity crisis. Pug had let his hair and beard grow, which was part of his new activities. Pug came to visit his old friends at Timely Plaza after Mallory Book had replaced Holden Holliway as a senior partner of the firm, now called Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Book. While there, he convinced Mallory not to get even with the imprisoned Titania and shared a secret with her. By drinking the magic potion, he had been indentured to the witch he had bought it from (Morgan le Fay in disguise) and is now unable to tell the witch’s name to anyone or ever feel anything romantic towards She-Hulk. Nevertheless, Pug and She-Hulk are now best friends.