Minotauros Gordon

Minotauros Gordon (天牢星ミノタウロスのゴードン, Tenrōsei Minotaurosu no Gōdon) is one of the Specters of Hades. His power lies in the Divine Prison Star, and he is one of the few exceptional powerful Specters among the Underworld. He is often seen with his companions Basilisk Sylphid and Alraune Queen.

The Half Bull
After a failed mission to invade Athena's Sanctuary, a command was issued for all remaining spectres on Earth to return to their homebase, the Underworld. While Judge Wyvern Rhadamanthys forwarded this command to the dark warriors of Hades, he was challenged by four Bronze Saints of Athena's -- Pegasus Seiya, Dragon Shiryu, Cygnus Hyoga, and Andromeda Shun. As Rhadamanthys contemplated the decision to destroy these Saints, four of his own subordinates appeared to defend his honor -- Harpy Valentine, Basilisk Sylphid, Minotauros Gordon, and Alraune Queen. These four were known throughout the Underworld for their extraordinary skills, and each of them were more than enough to dispose of these mere Bronze Saints. Leaving the assassination of the intruding Saints to the four Specters, Rhadamanthys descended to the Underworld.

Harpy Valentine found a foe in Pegasus Seiya, while Basilisk Sylphid and the other three spectres sought out the other Bronze Saints. The Basilisk and his companions quickly proved their superiority, and their foes were momentarily defeated. Satisfied, the Specters left the base, leaving their enemies behind while issuing a challenge for them to follow.

After receiving news that the Underworld's infamous Wailing Wall had been pierced by Athena's Saints, Basilisk Sylphid and his companions quickly went to investigate the scene. As they approached the site, their presence alerted Bronze Saint Dragon Shiryu, who decided to stay behind and fight so that his companions had a chance to cross the cosmic river behind the Wall into Elysium.

Sylphid, Gordon, and Queen arrived to find that the reports were true. Paying Shiryu no mind, they attempted to chase the rest of the Saints, only to find that the Dragon refused to let them pass. With no other choice, Sylphid, Gordon, and Queen teamed up to ensure that the Saint was beaten quickly.

As Queen was unsuccessful in his attack, Gordon proceeded to the battle and unleashed his "Grand Ax Crusher on Shiryu". The Bronze Saint had managed to defend himself with the Excalibur technique he had received from Gold Saint Capricorn Shura, but as he defended himself from Gordon it ended up with Shiryu's arm being broken, and the holy sword crushed. Gordon was ready to behead the Saint, but Shiryu retaliated with his "Rozan Sho Ryu Ha" and sent the Minotaur flying back. Sylphid had waited patiently and, when the right opportunity presented itself, struck down the Saint with his own attack. The move sent Shiryu slamming onto the undamaged section of the Wailing Wall. However, the Dragon survived and counterattacked, sending the damaged Basilisk crashing into the ground.

Fuming with rage, Sylphid pulled himself up and retaliated with Gordon and Queen for a triple team attack. Shiryu, rising his Cosmo to the highest limit, unleashed his sensei's signature technique -- "Rozan Hyaku Ryu Ha". Not even the might of all three Specters was enough to endure the sheer destructive power of this technique. Queen and Gordon were killed immediately, while Sylphid was completely thrashed but remained alive.

The Lost Canvas
Gordon is featured in Lost Canvas, along fellow Specter Alraune Queen, who he considers a close partner, infiltrating Sanctuary, on a mission to destroy Athena's Cloth, until they are both discovered by the Libra Gold Saint. Knowing the power of the weapons of the Libra Cloth, Gordon recklessly challenges Dohko to wield any of the weapons of Libra. Enraged by Dohko's refusal to reveal the whereabouts of Athena's Cloth, Gordon attacks the Saint with his murderous Grand Axe Crusher, a titanic blast of his right arm that emulates the axe wielded by the Cretan Labyrinth's Minotaur; finally opening the gateway to Athena's statue. As he prepared to destroy Athena's statue and defile her temple, his right arm is severely injured by a Dragon made of pure Cosmo. Gordon then realizes Dohko has deemed that hour as a moment when the Arms of Libra must be wielded, to defend justice. Obsessed with destroying the weapons of Libra to make his Axe the strongest weapon, Gordon finds himself unable to. He is finally defeated by Dohko, who, using the Sword of his Libra Cloth, disables his arm and therefore his axe. He then dies decapitated by Alraune Queen.

Powers and abilities

 * Grand Axe Crusher (グランドアクスクラッシャー, Gurando Akusu Kurasshā): Gordon's right arm has the power of the legendary Minotaur's battle axe, capable of delivering a titanic blast that can split his vicitim in two. It is powerful enough to break the sacred Excalibur sword. Although in the myth Minotaur was killed by The sword of Theseus' father ironically.

Surplice, Star & Name
Gordon's Surplice is based on the mythological monster, the Minotauros (the Bull of Minos), and is depicted as a one eyed Minotaur. In Greek mythology, the Minotaur was a punishment on the Cretan King Minos, who had petitioned the gods for a worthy sacrifice for Poseidon. Poseidon readily provided Minos with a tame snow-white bull, but Minos instead kept the bull for himself. In retaliation, Poseidon not only made the bull violently insane, but caused Minos's wife, Queen Pasiphaë, to fall in love with the bull and mate with it. Pasiphaë then gave birth to the Minotaur, which Minos had imprisoned at the center of the Labyrinth. The Minotaur was trapped in this immense maze, but every seven years, as a tribute to Minos for the death of his son, the Athenians would send 7 youths and 7 maidens to Crete to be sacrificed to the Minotaur. The Minotaur was eventually defeated and killed by Prince Theseus of Athens with the help of Minos's daughter, Ariadne, by slaying the Minotaur with his father's sword. The star is originally of the character Yang Xiong, from the Water margin story. The star title might also be a reference to the Labyrinth in which the Minotaur was imprisoned.
 * Minotauros Surplice
 * Masami Kurumada designed him to resemble Taurus Aldebaran. When Gordon takes off his helmet, his facial features look very much like the Taurus Gold Saint's. As Kurumada employs the revered Osamu Tezuka's Star System manga technique (a stable cast of characters), he probably did this to create a motif connection since both characters represent a bull in Greek mythology: Aldebaran's constellation and Gold Cloth represent the mighty Cretan Bull and Gordon's Surplice represents the legendary Minotaur.
 * The Divine Prison Star


 * "Gordon" literally means "large fort". This name could have been selected because the Minotaur was kept in the Labyrinth of Crete.

Trivia

 * In the anime adaptation, Gordon was introduced at a later point than he originally appears in Kurumada's manga. His intervention in the anime adaptation is identical to the events in the manga.