MC2 Mystery: Who is Argo's Mother?

Argo the Almighty was introduced in A-Next #6. When he met the Avengers, he told them that he was the son of Hercules and that he was from California where Hercules met his mother, specifically in Los Angeles. During his emotional reunion with Hercules, he revealed that his mother had died from a broken heart. 

Los Angeles is a city Hercules had a history with when he was a member of the first itineration of the superhero team, the Champions. Going over their recorded adventures, I did not find a love interest for Hercules in that comic. 

To theorize who Argo's mother was, we go back years ago in a story arc from Captain America #206-212, to a place in Central America called Rio de Muerte ("River of Death") where a dictator named Hector Santiago, derogatorily referred to as "The Swine", ruled his country from a prison where he could on hand to torture the inmates. Hector, who some online think resembled John Lennon, had a cousin named Donna Maria Puentes who worked in the administration office of the prison. Because she was family and believed Hector was not capable of kinslaying, Donna Maria was openly disrespectful towards Santiago. She sunbathed in view of the guards and inmates, called him "Swine" and openly hoped for the day he would be overthrown. 

Things finally reached a head in their relationship when Donna Maria stopped Hector from killing Captain America, who had been kidnapped and brought to Rio de Muerte. Hector threw Donna Maria in the pit he had trapped Captain America in and planned to kill them together. He unintentionally saved her life, because a mutant man-fish ended up killing Hector and his men with Hector being torn in half. Captain America and Donna Maria climbed out of the pit and met the man-fish's master, Arnim Zola. 

Bringing them back to his home, Zola introduced Captain America to his grotesqueries, starting with Doughboy and Primus. Primus battled Captain America and tried to claim Donna Maria as his own. Captain America rallied and defeated Primus, but Zola still got hot sticky goo all over Donna Maria. 

Far from being a damsel in distress, Donna Maria showed a lot of valor fighting Zola and the monsters he created. 

Zola finally revealed that they saved Hitler's brain and he wanted to put it in Captain America's body. Donna Maria seemed unfamiliar with who Hitler was. What a Millennial! Although I guess she would have been a Boomer when this comic was published. 

Zola was defeated, but then Captain America, Donna Maria and the recently arrived Sharon Carter were confronted by Zola's backer, the Red Skull. 

The Red Skull was also defeated, and Donna Maria was last seen helping get an injured to a SHIELD plane. 

During their adventure together, Captain America had a little bit of an emotional affair with Donna Maria calling her "foxy lady" and "baby", which seemed to like. But like they said in the movie Speed, Relationships based on intense experiences never work." Donna Maria would not be seen again until nearly 200 issues after her debut. 

Aside from a pin-up in Captain America #350, done by Ron Frenz, where her last name was revealed as well as her dream to immigrate to the United States, Donna Maria was not seen again until Captain America #404. 

When Donna Maria reappeared in Captain America #404, she was part of the Avengers Support Crew and worked as a receptionist at the Avengers Mansion, drawing on her past experience working in the administration office of the Rio de Muerte prison. She met Captain America's former girlfriend Bernie Rosenthal and Captain America's current but recently kidnapped and brainwashed girlfriend, Rachel Leighton a.k.a. Diamondback.  Donna Maria seemed to be hit on a lot at her job with security chief Michael O'Brien chatting her up and Cap's new pilot, Zachary Moonhunter, asking her to a movie. 

Donna Maria's final appearance was in Quasar #41 and it's the issue that gives me my opportunity to connect her to Argo. While at the reception desk, Donna Maria felt menaced by a duplicate of the original Marvel Boy (Robert Grayson) and activated a force field which summoned the Avengers, including Hercules. While no direct interaction between them was featured, they appeared on the same page. So technically, she met Hercules in New York. 

When most of the Avengers apparently died fighting Onslaught, it was revealed in Avengers Annual '99 that the government terminated the Avengers charter, effectively disbanding the team. One of the few survivors, Black Widow, chose not to fight it and Jarvis told the more prominent members of the Support Crew that they were laid off. While not shown, Donna Maria would have been laid off as well. 

After this tragedy and the setback of losing her job, Donna Maria may have moved to California. Hercules was at loose ends as well, mourning the loss of his teammates, particularly Thor and Thunderstrike and visited Kevin in Los Angeles. There he would have encountered Donna Maria and they would have renewed their acquaintance and started a relationship. Argo said Hercules met his mother in California, but people tend to simplify or stretch the truth for expediency. Hercules may have not been well acquainted with Donna Maria when she was the Avengers' receptionist, and this would have felt like meeting her. 

In the absence of a better candidate, I submit the mother of Argo the Almighty is Donna Maria Puentes.