| 1 | [[WMG:[[center:[-''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' '''[[Characters/SpiderMan Main Character Index]]'''\ |
| 2 | '''Title Character'''\ |
| 3 | [[Characters/MarvelComicsPeterParker Spider-Man]]\ |
| 4 | '''Supporting Characters'''\ |
| 5 | [[Characters/MarvelComicsSpiders Other Spiders]] | [[Characters/SpiderManSupportingCharacters Spider-Man's Allies]]\ |
| 6 | '''Rogues Gallery'''\ |
| 7 | '''Central Rogues Gallery''' | [[Characters/SpiderManGoblins Goblins]] | [[Characters/MarvelComicsInheritors Inheritors]] | [[Characters/MarvelComicsSymbiotes Symbiotes]] | [[Characters/SpiderManRoguesGalleryAtoH A-H]] | [[Characters/SpiderManRoguesGalleryIToZ I-Z]]-]]]]] |
| 8 | |
| 9 | !Rogues Gallery |
| 10 | |
| 11 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 12 | |
| 13 | !!Central Rogues Gallery |
| 14 | |
| 15 | [[folder:Beetle]] |
| 16 | -> See Characters/{{Thunderbolts}} |
| 17 | [[/folder]] |
| 18 | |
| 19 | [[folder:Black Cat]] |
| 20 | -> See Characters/{{Black Cat|MarvelComics}} |
| 21 | [[/folder]] |
| 22 | |
| 23 | [[folder:Boomerang]] |
| 24 | !!Boomerang |
| 25 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/boomerangspidey_9379.jpg]] |
| 26 | |
| 27 | !!!'''Alter Ego:''' Frederick "Fred" Myers |
| 28 | !!!'''Notable Aliases:''' Boomer, Fred Slade, Outback |
| 29 | !!!'''Species:''' Human |
| 30 | !!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Tales to Astonish'' #81 (July 1966) |
| 31 | |
| 32 | ->''"I told them I was born in Australia, so they made me Boomerang. This is why the whole world hates you, by the way. An entire nation boiled down to what you can remember from that time you got high and watched ''Film/CrocodileDundee''. Guess I should be glad I didn't end up some kinda kangaroo guy."'' |
| 33 | \ |
| 34 | An Australian baseball player who was suspended from playing after being caught accepting bribes, Fred Myers used his phenomenal pitching arm and weaponized boomerangs to become the supervillain Boomerang. Clashing with Spider-Man as a member of Jack O'Lantern's Sinister Syndicate, Boomerang temporarily became a "[[VillainWithGoodPublicity superhero]]" called Outback during the ComicBook/{{Civil War|2006}} by supporting the Initiative, but returned to a life of crime, and being Peter Parker's annoying roommate! |
| 35 | ---- |
| 36 | * AlternateCompanyEquivalent: He's this to ''ComicBook/TheFlash'' villain Captain Boomerang. Both are Australian super villains who fight with boomerangs and are similarly written as unlikable jerks whom even other villains can't stand. |
| 37 | * AscendedExtra: While Boomerang was Spider-Man's foe for a while, he never really got much focus. This changed with the ''ComicBook/TheSuperiorFoesOfSpiderMan'', in which he became the main character of the storyline, and it was furthered in Nick Spencer's run, in which he becomes a lot more important as Spider-Man's roommate as well as a subplot with the Kingpin. |
| 38 | * AwesomeAussie: Likes to think he's this and, to give him his due, he has taken on the [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]] armed with nothing but [[TrickArrow trick boomerangs]]. |
| 39 | * BadassNormal: Boomerang has no superpowers but can still put up a good fight with his mean throwing arm and trick boomerangs, not to mention his jet boots. |
| 40 | * BaitAndSwitch: When Spider-Man followed Boomerang to his hideout and found him speaking to his former team, it seemed like he was going to return to villainy with a plan to destroy Spider-Man as everyone expected. It turns out [[spoiler:his "team" where a bunch of LMD's that he used to play cards with which later malfunctioned.]] |
| 41 | * BattleBoomerang: His weapon of choice. |
| 42 | * BewareTheSillyOnes: Yeah, boomerangs. Seems silly, don't it? But he still got a spot on the Thunderbolts because it works for him. |
| 43 | * ButtMonkey: Sometimes written as a joke villain, especially in ''Ultimate Spider-Man''. |
| 44 | * CallingYourAttacks: In a guest appearance in ''ComicBook/SheHulk'', he called out the name of the type of boomerang he was using out loud. She-Hulk mocks him for this, asking if they're voice-activated, or if he is just on an "anime riff." |
| 45 | * CaptainEthnic: As lampshaded in the quote, as is typical of Australians in comicbook land, he ended up with a boomerang theme. Also worth noting is Fred's brief fake hero identity as "Outback", wherein he wore a costume based on the Australian flag. |
| 46 | * ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: He frequently betrays his allies if it means he can save his own skin. Unfortunately for him, it stabs him in the back as his former allies plot to destroy him. |
| 47 | * ADayInTheLimelight: In ''ComicBook/TheSuperiorFoesOfSpiderMan'' along with other C-Listers (and lower) villains Shocker, Speed Demon, Beetle, and Overdrive. Though he's the central character and the story is told from his point of view. |
| 48 | * DirtyCoward: Big time. During the ''Superior Foes'' series, he tried to talk Bullseye [[spoiler:(actually a Life Model Decoy)]] into killing his girlfriend instead of him, [[BriarPatching claiming]] that it would make him suffer and provide more motivation in future face-offs. Needless to say, neither Bullseye nor his girlfriend were all that impressed. |
| 49 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: He actually briefly objects when Centurius suggests abandoning a city to monsters during their tenure on the Thunderbolts. |
| 50 | * FauxAffablyEvil: He can certainly make himself seem friendly and likable, but it doesn't take much to figure out that he's a dick. |
| 51 | * TheFriendNobodyLikes: |
| 52 | ** None of the other supervillains like Boomerang, and with good reason. |
| 53 | ** When he becomes Peter's roommate, he falls into this due to his antics causing Randy and Peter to barely tolerate him. |
| 54 | * FunetikAksent: |
| 55 | -->'''Boomerang:''' Ha ha! Ta for that, mate! That was legendary! You throw like a floppin' Sheila!\ |
| 56 | '''Spider-Man:''' Shut up! You're not even making sense, you-- |
| 57 | * HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Has tried it twice, more out of greed or attempts to reduce his sentence than genuine desire to reform. Both times he went back to be a villain. |
| 58 | * IKnowMaddenKombat: Was a major league baseball pitcher before getting kicked out for accepting bribes. It does help him throwing his Boomerangs...A LOT. |
| 59 | * ImprobableAimingSkills: Maybe not up to Bullseye's level, but still impressive. |
| 60 | * {{Jerkass}}: He's an unrepentant jerk. |
| 61 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He grew into one over time, developing a sincere friendship with Spider-Man [[spoiler:and even dying saving his life.]] |
| 62 | * [[JetPack Jet Boots]]: Boomerang likes to use them [[WeaponizedExhaust as a secondary weapon.]] |
| 63 | * KickTheDog: After discovering Jackpot's secret identity, he murdered her civilian husband in front of her and their daughter. When Jackpot reluctantly saved him from Mr. Negative, he was {{ungrateful|Bastard}}, and proceeded to taunt her by threatening her daughter, which nearly caused Jackpot to snap and kill him. |
| 64 | -->'''Boomerang:''' You know as well as I do I'm not doing any time. I'm either getting witness protection or getting off. So the only way you're getting justice here is to put a bullet in me.\ |
| 65 | '''Jackpot:''' I may fantasize about killing you... I may talk a good game... but, end of the day, I have to go home to her. And I have to be better than myself. I have to be the person I want her to grow into.\ |
| 66 | '''Boomerang:''' That's sweet. But what if one day, I decide it might be fun to find out where you're living now... and pay a visit on that sweet girl of yours-- |
| 67 | * ManipulativeBastard: He's a greedy, self-important, backstabbing jackass; if you're on his team it's not a matter of if he'll throw you to the wolves but when, and he seems to view everyone as existing to help him get ahead. Yet he's surprisingly good at getting people to go along with him and talking himself out of the messes he makes. |
| 68 | * MoralityPet: He winds up forming a genuine friendship with Spider-Man and though he does backstab in the end it's made clear that he actually feels pretty bad over having done it. [[spoiler:This leads to his HeroicSacrifice during ''Sinister War''.]] |
| 69 | * PetTheDog: Despite having an opportunity to ditch Peter and leave him to fend for himself at the bar with no name, he actually stays to protect him and even takes a blast for him. |
| 70 | * PoweredArmor: His suit functions as light body armor and is equipped with jet boots. |
| 71 | %%* PrecisionGuidedBoomerang: |
| 72 | * PsychoForHire: He is a mercenary and assassin. |
| 73 | * RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:During ''Sinister War'' he decides to break with everything and save Spider-Man when he's about to be killed by Morlun at the cost of his own life.]] |
| 74 | * RoguesGalleryTransplant: He started out as an [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]] villain, but became more recognizable as one of Spidey's foes. He's also tangled with Iron Man, the Defenders and the X-Men. |
| 75 | * SmallNameBigEgo: Despite having a gimmicky move set and a kitsch costume, he's rather arrogant. |
| 76 | * TooDumbToLive: He's a regular human that picked fights with the Hulk on purpose, it went about as well as you expect. After Hulk badly injures him in their last fight, he stopped bothering the Hulk. |
| 77 | * [[TrickArrow Trick Boomerangs]]: The most common ones are exploding "shatterangs" (with enough explosive power to destroy an automobile), "gasarangs" that release large doses of tear gas to disable a target, razor-bladed "razorangs", sonic blasting "screamerangs", and whirling "bladarangs" which cut like buzzsaw blades. |
| 78 | * [[HeroWorshipper Villain Worshipper]]: He seems to have developed a weird fascination for Dormammu in ''Superior Foes''. |
| 79 | * WeaponizedExhaust: Boomerang likes to use his jet boots as a secondary weapon. |
| 80 | * WearingAFlagOnYourHead: During ''ComicBook/DarkReign'', he was given the false "heroic" identity of Outback, and wore an Australian flag-themed costume. |
| 81 | * VillainousRescue: Despite being outnumbered at the bar with no name, he still fought to protect Peter from the other villains and even pushed him out of the way of an attack. |
| 82 | [[/folder]] |
| 83 | |
| 84 | [[folder:Carnage]] |
| 85 | -> See [[Characters/MarvelComicsCarnage Carnage]] and [[Characters/MarvelComicsCletusKasady Cletus Kasady]] |
| 86 | [[/folder]] |
| 87 | |
| 88 | [[folder:Chameleon]] |
| 89 | !!Chameleon |
| 90 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chameleonspidey_8985.jpg]] |
| 91 | |
| 92 | !!!'''Alter Ego:''' [[OverlyLongName Dmitri Anatoly Nikolayevich Smerdyakov Kravinoff]] |
| 93 | !!!'''Notable Aliases:''' Peter Parker, J. Jonah Jameson, General Ross, Dr. Turner, many others |
| 94 | !!!'''Species:''' Human mutate |
| 95 | !!!'''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #1 (March 1963) |
| 96 | |
| 97 | ->''"The truth is none of us really knows anyone else. What we're capable of at any given moment. We cannot see beyond our own lives and desires. Other people, well... they're just part of the background."'' |
| 98 | \ |
| 99 | The first supervillain Spider-Man ever fought, Dmitri was the son of a Russian aristocrat and a servant he married when he fled the Communist Revolution. His mother found him embarrassing, and his father thought him weak. While his half-brother Sergei disliked him, he grudgingly acknowledged his existence, and thus in his youth, Dmitri would try to please Sergei however he could, often putting on little plays while doing all the roles himself. Years later, this would become his job, as he took on the name Chameleon. With a base mask hiding his real face, he developed his skills as an impersonator so well that even friends of his roles were fooled. Unfortunately for him, while his acting is great, his stage combat is much more lacking, and thus he has to fight the Spider-Man with his intellect rather than with his fists. |
| 100 | ---- |
| 101 | * TheBlank: Usually; some versions of his mask are more detailed than others. |
| 102 | * ButtMonkey: While some writers, like Fred Van Lente, have attempted to reinvigorate the character and make him a creepy and credible threat, at the end of the day poor Dmitri always goes back to being a borderline IneffectualSympatheticVillain. |
| 103 | * DependingOnTheArtist: The [[ShapeshifterDefaultForm mask he wears when he's not impersonating someone]]: is it white or gray? Cloth, metal, or some flesh-like substance? Is it [[TheBlank completely devoid of features]], or does it have eyes and a mouth at least? And is it a mask at all? The 1990s Spider-Man cartoon did away with the mask and made the Chameleon a [[BaldOfEvil bald]] albino [[TheNoseless with a tiny nose]] and ears. |
| 104 | * DependingOnTheWriter: Sometimes, the Chameleon's mastery of disguise is upgraded to full-on VoluntaryShapeshifting. Other times, it's just a disguise - and even then, his disguise method alternates between hologram technology and [[LatexPerfection wearable costumes and masks.]] |
| 105 | * DirtyOldMan: While impersonating Peter during ''ComicBook/BrandNewDay''. The writers had to clarify in the letters page that he and Peter's roommate just kissed. |
| 106 | * EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Subverted. As mentioned above he and Kraven are brothers, but neither really likes or trusts the other anymore. However, [[spoiler:when Kraven captured various other animal-themed villains for the big hunt (''ComicBook/{{Hunted}}''), Chameleon noted that he was the only such villain Kraven never went after, affirming that Kraven still saw him as a brother on some level]]. |
| 107 | * {{Expy}}: Of the character Smerdyakov in ''Literature/TheBrothersKaramazov''. For one thing, both characters are {{Bastard Bastard}}s from big Russian families. |
| 108 | * InformedAbility: DependingOnTheWriter his acting and impersonation left to be desired; Aunt May and MJ both saw right through him. |
| 109 | * MasterOfDisguise: He wears exquisitely made latex masks, is a skilled mimic, and his own mask is equipped with voice changer software. Post-''Brand New Day'', he's also been seen using holographic masks, and even a special shapeshifting serum, DependingOnTheWriter. |
| 110 | * NonActionGuy: He's an actor, not a fighter. |
| 111 | * OnlySaneMan: During ''Grim Hunt'', he's the only member of the family to realize that bringing back Kraven is not a good idea, considering he was DrivenToSuicide. |
| 112 | * PowerPerversionPotential: A very creepy example. On one occasion when he discovered Spidey's secret identity, he disguised himself as Peter with the intention of committing a BedTrick on Mary Jane. It didn't get further than kissing, however, as she was immediately able to tell he wasn't Peter (it helped that [[BluffTheImpostor she deliberately slipped him some misinformation the real Peter would have known to be wrong, just to make sure]]). When MJ called him out on it, Chameleon then turned into a stereotypical muscular hunk, and then a sophisticated-looking older man, to show he could take any physical visage she might fantasize about, before then shifting back to his normal form with the intention of taking her by force anyway. Unfortunately for him, though, that was the moment MJ beat the ever-loving crap out of him [[BatterUp with a baseball bat]]. |
| 113 | * SanitySlippage: Lost his mind in the 1990s, so the authorities started sending him to Ravencroft instead of prison. |
| 114 | * ShapeShifting: TookALevelInBadass and become more of a mutant than needing masks, although as of his reintroduction in ''The Gauntlet'' he's back to using masks. |
| 115 | * ShutUpHannibal: When Chameleon first openly acknowledged his true relationship with Kraven, Spider-Man made it clear that he didn't care about them being brothers; while Chameleon saw it as a sign that he was from a noble family, as far as Peter was concerned that just provided further proof that both were crazy. |
| 116 | * StarterVillain: Spidey's first supervillain, until prequels retconned it into being Supercharger. |
| 117 | * VagueAge: He was born and raised in the USSR and worked for the KGB. |
| 118 | * TheVoiceless: He wouldn't (or couldn't) speak in his true form in the 1990s animated series. |
| 119 | * WhiteMaskOfDoom: Rather easy to mistake it for his actual face, seeing as how he's seemingly never without it. |
| 120 | [[/folder]] |
| 121 | |
| 122 | [[folder:Doctor Octopus]] |
| 123 | -> See [[Characters/MarvelComicsOttoOctavius Otto Octavius]] |
| 124 | [[/folder]] |
| 125 | |
| 126 | [[folder:Electro]] |
| 127 | !!Electro |
| 128 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maxwell_dillon_28earth_61629_from_marvel_war_of_heroes_002.jpg]] |
| 129 | !!!'''Alter Ego:''' Maxwell Dillon |
| 130 | !!!'''Notable Aliases:''' "Sparky", Guillermo's Lapdog |
| 131 | !!!'''Species:''' Human mutate |
| 132 | !!!'''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #9 (February 1964) |
| 133 | |
| 134 | ->''"Let me tell you something, bullet head: My whole damn life nobody ever missed a chance to make me feel small. But that lightning strike? That was karma, baby. That was somebody upstairs saying I don't have to take other people's garbage anymore!"'' |
| 135 | \ |
| 136 | Max Dillon was a man originally defined by being held back from success. His mother smothered him, not wanting him to fail like his father did. While he held dreams of being an electrical engineer, he was convinced by his mother that he was not smart enough for the job, so he instead became an electrical lineman. One day, while working on an electric pole, a bolt of lightning struck it. Miraculously, based on how he was holding the wires, the two bolts canceled each other out, giving Max power over electricity, prompting him to take up a new job: as the costumed villain Electro. |
| 137 | ---- |
| 138 | * AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: Electro's inferiority complex and self loathing tend to get exaggerated in some adaptations. In both ''The New Animated Series'' and ''Amazing Spider-Man 2'' Max is a shy, bullied outcast who finally snaps from his transformation into Electro. ''Spectacular Spider-Man'''s version is an otherwise decent guy who just wants to be normal before his isolating condition drives him into violent insanity. |
| 139 | * AlternateUniverseReedRichardsIsAwesome: How much he squanders his potential is really highlighted by an alternate Electro being the first arc villain in ''ComicBook/WebWarriors''. This Electro set himself up as a very rich CEO of a power company, witnessed the battle between the Spiders and the Inheritors passing through his universe, memorized the energy frequencies of their portals to have his Doc Ock recreate dimensional travel, establish an alliance with parallel Electros and become poised to conquer the multiverse. |
| 140 | * AmbiguouslyHuman: According to Magneto, the lightning strike probably did nothing other than activate dormant powers that Max always had. He goes on to imply that Max isn't human or even a mutant, but rather something else. |
| 141 | * BaldOfEvil: He was originally a redhead; once he started losing his hair he would blast his scalp smooth. |
| 142 | * BroughtDownToNormal: Spidey is able to bring him out of his PowerIncontinence and brings him back down to being a normal human without letting him die. |
| 143 | * CharacterDeath: [[spoiler: He is killed in ''ComicBook/DeadNoMoreTheCloneConspiracy'' by his MonsterFangirl and girlfriend Francine (accidentally killed by him in past and "cloned" by the Jackal) that accidentally activates her electric powers, so proceeds to kill Max while using him to power up and willingly joins the Jackal as the new Electro. He ultimately [[DeathIsCheap was resurrected]] in ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderMan2018'' by Doctor Octopus and Kindred in the lead up to ''ComicBook/SinisterWar''.]] |
| 144 | * CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: His self-loathing and emotional outbursts allow him to be made a laughingstock, but when he has his wits about him and stable confidence he could trounce even an admittedly inexperienced [[Characters/MarvelComicsXMan Nate Grey]] (who was nevertheless a PhysicalGod rated on par with the Dark Phoenix) with ease and cause Spider-Man to flee in panic. |
| 145 | * CutLexLuthorACheck: Arguably the worst of this out of Spidey's rogues, without the excuse of already being wealthy, or so crazy he cannot think rationally. Electro is a walking solution to every energy crisis on the planet, he could write his own check and be set for life. Instead Electro robs banks. |
| 146 | * DeadlyUpgrade: Once incredibly pissed at being trounced by Thor, he browbeat an AIM scientist to convert him into {{Antimatter}} energy. This actually made him capable of putting Thor on the ropes, but the transformation was unstable and would have had him explode violently and take out the whole city if he was converted back quickly. |
| 147 | * DumbMuscle: Nowhere near as bad as Hydro-Man in this regard, but for someone who by all means should be an Avengers-level threat, he does an unbelievably good job at keeping himself down through a combination of a complete inability to plan ahead, a proclivity towards pointless, self-defeating grudges, a major lack of ambition, and his lack of interest in actually mastering his abilities. He's still capable of being a serious threat from time to time just by virtue of his powerset, but for the most part, he's an angry, unintelligent, petty moron who causes all of his own problems. |
| 148 | * EvilIsPetty: His absolute biggest weakness. The man has the potential to be an Avengers-level threat, and if he took the time to train and experiment with his powers, he absolutely would be - and does, on exactly two occasions (one, he almost kills [[Characters/MarvelComicsXMan Nate Grey]], and the second time he cracks open the Raft at the start of ''New Avengers''). That requires a great deal of effort and ambition, however, and he would ''much'' rather put that time and energy towards low-level robberies and/or starting yet ''another'' pointless fight with Spider-Man or Daredevil because he's got an axe to grind about his last defeat at their hands. |
| 149 | * FashionVictimVillain: [[invoked]]Got a fair amount of grief from the pointy lightning bolt mask, until he eventually wised up and swapped it out for a wraparound. |
| 150 | --> '''Spider-Man:''' Nice costume, Electro! I remember once when I was in a grade school play and I also played a flower. |
| 151 | * FromNobodyToNightmare: A straight example. He once was an overlooked, socially awkward electrician no one took really serious who turned into one of Spidey's most powerful opponents and a respected member of the Sinister Six after being struck by lightning. |
| 152 | * GodhoodSeeker: In the video game ''Spider-Man II: Enter Electro'' he puts together an elaborate scheme to steal a device that enhances a person's bioelectricity and uses it to become an {{Energy Being|s}}. |
| 153 | -->'''Hyper Electro:''' TONIGHT, ELECTRO DANCES WITH THE GOOOOOOOOOOOOODS!!! |
| 154 | * IconicOutfit: His green-and-yellow suit with the star-shaped mask, although his latest costume makes him look similar to his Ultimate counterpart. |
| 155 | * InferioritySuperiorityComplex: The lightning might have given him incredible power turning him into one of Marvel's greatest powerhouses which makes him boast about it any time and claiming to be great villain. However, deep inside he still feels like a nobody as before his accidents. He constantly fails in his plans because of his low self esteem and wanting to prove himself, overreaching. |
| 156 | * {{Jerkass}}: He's a complete asshole who cannot function in a team because he always wears out his welcome in short order. |
| 157 | * LightningCanDoAnything: Electro got his powers by essentially being electrocuted by a particularly nasty lightning bolt while repairing a power line. Just as Bruce Banner should have been vaporized when the gamma bomb exploded and Peter Parker should have gotten cancer from the spider-bite, Max Dillon should have been fried, but instead he gains superpowers and absolute control over electricity. HollywoodScience strikes again! |
| 158 | * MyBelovedSmother: His mother was overprotective and didn't want him to fail when he was going out into the world. |
| 159 | * NighInvulnerability: Not because he's super tough mind you. Rather, he can't be touched while a person is still grounded since he'll zap them instantly. This means you have to be airborne to not get a shock. |
| 160 | * PowerCreepPowerSeep: Has been powered up twice in the comics and tends to be a ''lot'' more powerful in adaptations. |
| 161 | * PowerIncontinence: As he's aged his control over his abilities has waned, leading him to turn to the Tinkerer for help. It got worse after [=SpOck=] got a hold of him upping his powers to the point he couldn't control them. Spidey's able to rescue him from this and brings him down to normal. |
| 162 | * PsychoElectro: Normally he is a very downplayed version of this trope compared to other media versions. But he went crazy after Superior Spider-Man (actually Doc Ock in Peter body, at that time) experimented on him. He can no longer control his powers (to the point of accidentally frying his ally/lover) and has frequent nightmares of Spider-Man torturing him. |
| 163 | * RevengeBeforeReason: One of his biggest flaws; Max would be a lot more successful if he could just get over his petty feud with Spider-Man (and, to a lesser degree, Daredevil; if he's not going after Spidey, it's probably the latter instead). |
| 164 | * RoguesGalleryTransplant: Became an enemy of Daredevil for a while, being the first ''super''villain the Man Without Fear faced, and in general, if Spidey isn't dealing with him, it's probably Daredevil. |
| 165 | * SealedEvilInACan: The Superior Spider-Man converts Electro's unstable body into electricity and stores him next to Sandman in his underwater facility. |
| 166 | * ShockAndAwe: Electro can generate massive quantities of electricity, theoretically up to approximately one million volts. He can employ this electrostatic energy as lightning arcs from his fingertips, and his maximum charge is more than enough to kill a normal human. When his body is charged to high levels, he becomes superhumanly strong and fast. He can also glide over power lines by using the electricity contained therein for propulsion, and he has on occasion been shown to actually ride on lightning bolts. He can also absorb the energy of electrical equipment such as a power plant to increase his powers further. |
| 167 | * StupidEvil: Part of the reason why he never achieves anything worth writing home about. He's had plenty of opportunities to raise his status and/or improve himself, and he's thrown all of them away in favor of yet another opportunity to start shit with Spider-Man or Daredevil, or, if not that, to engage in pointless acts of destruction or some sort of high-risk, low-yield crime that gains him a ton of attention that he can't afford to have and little else. |
| 168 | * TokenFlyer: The original incarnation of the Sinister Six consisted of Dr. Octopus, Electro, Kraven the Hunter, Vulture, Mysterio and Sandman. Electro was the only one who could fly under his own power. Vulture needed his electromagnetic harness to fly. |
| 169 | * TooDumbToLive: He once made fun of Venom's weaknesses to sonics and fire... ''to Venom's face''. Venom later nearly beat him death. Honestly, though, this is a big problem he has in general. He has ''amazingly'' powerful abilities and should by all means be a huge threat, but he's too stupid and myopic to be able to actually use them to their fullest potential most of the time. On the rare occasions when he does, he's every bit as terrifying as you'd expect him to be, but it doesn't happen often. |
| 170 | * TookALevelInBadass: In Mark Millar's ''Marvel Knights'', it's shown how terrifying someone with electric powers would actually be. |
| 171 | * UnskilledButStrong: He's a ''little'' bit more skilled than is typical for this trope, but he still barely uses one iota of his potential and never really bothers to train or expand upon what he can already do. He's still very powerful, but you wouldn't know it most of the time. |
| 172 | * VillainWithGoodPublicity: During ''The Gauntlet'', he persuades people to rally behind him against government bailouts, arguing that he may be a crook, but [[EvenEvilHasStandards he's never gone after the average man]]. It actually ''works''. |
| 173 | [[/folder]] |
| 174 | |
| 175 | [[folder:Green Goblin]] |
| 176 | -> See [[Characters/MarvelComicsNormanOsborn Norman Osborn]] |
| 177 | [[/folder]] |
| 178 | |
| 179 | [[folder:Hammerhead]] |
| 180 | !!Hammerhead |
| 181 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1f830bf0_2d89_45af_a626_08a8fa3dddd5.jpeg]] |
| 182 | |
| 183 | !!!'''Alter Ego:''' Joseph (surname unknown) |
| 184 | !!!'''Notable Aliases:''' Mr. H |
| 185 | !!!'''Species:''' Human cyborg |
| 186 | !!!'''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #113 (October 1972) |
| 187 | |
| 188 | ->''"Ah, cripes. I made another orphan. I don't suppose you're gonna open the door, dear? Fine. Let's get this over with."'' |
| 189 | \ |
| 190 | The son of Russian immigrants, Joseph passed himself off as an Italian and joined the [[TheMafia Maggia]]. Mortally wounded in a brawl, he was given a new life when a down-and-out surgeon named Jonas Harrow performed an experimental operation that replaced most of his skull with a steel alloy, giving his head a boxed look but making it hard enough to even block some of Spider-Man's punches. Amnesiac, Joseph took to calling himself the Hammerhead and established a criminal empire in the style of old 1920s gangsters, as the last thing he saw before passing out was a poster for an Al Capone film. Eventually gunned down by the Kingpin, Hammerhead was given a cybernetic adamantium skeleton by Mister Negative. |
| 191 | ---- |
| 192 | * AbusiveParents: When he was a child, his father would beat him with a hammer for misbehaving. |
| 193 | * BodyguardCrush: Implied to have had something like this towards Silvermane, back when Hammerhead was Silvio's right-hand man. |
| 194 | * BrooklynRage: Speaks with such an accent. It used to be even more extreme, with him using outdated and stereotypical Brooklyn gangster slang but he eventually grew out of that quirk. |
| 195 | * CaptainErsatz: Of Flattop from ''ComicStrip/DickTracy''. |
| 196 | * CranialPlateAbility: Exaggerated. Originally a low level thug following being fatally wounded in an ambush his life was saved by an experimental procedure from a disgraced surgeon that replaced most of his skull with a strong steel alloy. As he discovered to his absolute joy upon recovery this meant [[UnbreakableBones his head]] was now hard enough for him to shrug off punches from Spider-Man and even headbutt his way through brick walls. Between this power and his strategic insight, he quickly rose to be one of the most dangerous [[SuperMobBoss Maggia Bosses]] in the city. |
| 197 | * DiscoDan: He runs his gang in the same style of Prohibition-era gangsters, going so far as to dress in the same style and use the same style of cars, along with Thomson submachine guns. |
| 198 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: When he runs into Bombshell, he refuses to fight her on the basis he doesn't hit women or children, and she's both. When she provokes him into a fight (which [[CurbStompBattle he handily wins]]) he not only pointedly doesn't kill her (observing with some disgust "So now I'm the jerk for beating up a girl") but makes sure someone calls her an ambulance. |
| 199 | * EyesAlwaysShut: Very squinty. |
| 200 | * FromNobodyToNightmare: He went from being a low-level thug to one of the most powerful mobsters in New York. |
| 201 | * TheMafia: Besides his metal skull, Hammerhead also likes to wield a Thompson submachine gun, to go with his "Prohibition-era gangster" theme. |
| 202 | * MysteriousPast: For a long time, nothing was known about his life before his surgery. ''Brand New Day'' reveals that he was the son of Russian immigrants who had lied about his heritage to get into the Maggia. |
| 203 | * PoweredArmor: He had a suit made, but it wasn't very impressive. The first time he used it, [[ComicBook/FantasticFour the Human Torch]] broke it badly. He got it fixed years later, only for Spidey to break it again. |
| 204 | * TheRival: He used to be this to Doctor Octopus when the latter was trying to control the New York underworld. |
| 205 | * SmarterThanYouLook: He looks like your typical DumbMuscle, but he's actually surprisingly clever and runs his gang efficiently. |
| 206 | * SuddenlyEthnicity: Despite being a walking Italian gangster stereotype, when his past is finally revealed, he turned out to be ''Russian''. |
| 207 | * TookALevelInBadass: In ''Brand New Day'', he was given an adamantium skeleton. |
| 208 | * UnbreakableBones: Hammerhead had his skull replaced with a strong steel alloy after he was attacked and left for dead in an alley. His skull is so strong it can withstand punches from Spider-Man and burst through brick walls. Later, Mr Negative had Hammerhead's entire upper skeleton replaced with adamantium after he was shot. |
| 209 | * UseYourHead: How he puts his metal-plated skull to good use. |
| 210 | * VillainousFriendship: Had a one-sided one with Silvermane back when they worked together. |
| 211 | [[/folder]] |
| 212 | |
| 213 | [[folder:Hobgoblin]] |
| 214 | -> See [[Characters/SpiderManGoblins Goblins]] |
| 215 | [[/folder]] |
| 216 | |
| 217 | [[folder:Hydro-Man]] |
| 218 | !!Hydro-Man |
| 219 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hydrospidey_127.jpg]] |
| 220 | |
| 221 | !!!'''Alter Ego:''' Morris Bench |
| 222 | %%!!!'''Notable Aliases:''' |
| 223 | !!!'''Species:''' Human mutate |
| 224 | !!!'''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #212 (January 1981) |
| 225 | |
| 226 | ->''"With five million, I'll be livin' large for a good long time! An' all I gotta do is tsunami that stupid wall-crawler -- which I'd gladly do for nothin'!"'' |
| 227 | \ |
| 228 | Morris Bench used to be a common sailor. Then, when his ship was transporting an experimental generator, a fight broke out on deck, and in the scuffle, he was accidentally thrown overboard by Spider-Man. Exposed to underwater gases, unknown radiation from the generator and seawater, by the time Morris got out, he discovered that he could now shift his body into water. Hating his transformation, he blamed Spider-Man for it, and has gone after the web head for revenge several times. |
| 229 | ---- |
| 230 | * AbortedArc: Marvel Two In One 's reboot issue 3 ended with him encountering a somehow-revived Wolverine but this encounter was never followed up on. |
| 231 | * AdaptationalBadass: He's way ''way'' more powerful in the cartoons and video games he shows up in and knows how to better use his abilities. |
| 232 | * DumbMuscle: He has the potential to be a global threat but lacks the intelligence and ambition to be more than a petty thug. He's content to just work for others or enact his own get-rich-quick crimes. |
| 233 | -->'''Hydro-Man:''' A little while ago I came here treasure hunting, and I met a strange little birdie. She thought her mind-control tricks would work on me. I told her, "Don't you know? You can't control the water." I've been here ever since... waiting for... for... well, I don't actually know why I'm waiting.\ |
| 234 | '''Spider-Man:''' Dude, you don't even know when you've been manipulated. You give "water on the brain" new meaning. |
| 235 | * ElementalShapeshifter: Is the hydrokinetic counterpart of Sandman. A few times, he's been able to will himself into steam and ice, but doing so takes a lot out of him, so he rarely does it. |
| 236 | * EvilCounterpart: To the Sandman, when the latter is acting heroic. |
| 237 | * EvilVersusEvil: Vs Ghost Rider's rogue Water Wizard due to a HatePlague. |
| 238 | * {{Expy}}: Sandman with water. Occasionally derisively referred to as such in-universe. |
| 239 | * FromASingleCell: His consciousness is contained within a single water molecule, and so long as it survives it can reconstitute him by coming into contact with any body of water. |
| 240 | * FusionDance: He and the Sandman once accidentally combined to form a mindless beast called Mud-Thing. They don't like to talk about it. |
| 241 | * GiantWallOfWateryDoom: He can ''become'' one using his powers. |
| 242 | * MakingASplash: Morris has hydrokinesis, and is essentially an aquatic version of the Sandman. |
| 243 | * NighInvulnerability: Due to being made of water he's almost impossible to injure. |
| 244 | * PowerfulButIncompetent: This guy could probably utterly destroy Spider-Man, fix most of Earth's environmental damage, get filthy rich, and still have spare time if he actually knew what he was doing. Instead, he goes after Spider-Man, gets careless, and then defeats himself, over and over. |
| 245 | * ShapeshiftingSquick: |
| 246 | -->'''Gravity:''' *kaff* Oh, God. *kaff* Firestar, he got me, and I swallowed! Does that mean part of him's inside me? I'm gonna be sick. |
| 247 | * SupernaturalSuffocation: His preferred method of killing people is turning into water and drowning them with his own body. |
| 248 | * TooDumbToLive: A ridiculously high percentage of his defeats seem to come from him [[ElementalRockPaperScissors carelessly electrocuting himself]]. When you're used as a byword for self-defeating stupidity by the Podcast/{{Rifftrax}} crew, it's rarely a good sign. |
| 249 | [[/folder]] |
| 250 | |
| 251 | [[folder:Jackal]] |
| 252 | !!Jackal |
| 253 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jackalspidey_6380.jpg]] |
| 254 | |
| 255 | !!!'''Alter Ego:''' Professor Miles Warren |
| 256 | !!!'''Notable Aliases:''' Professor Warren, The Professor, The Man in Red |
| 257 | !!!'''Species:''' Human (Later cloned human mutate) |
| 258 | !!!'''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #31 (December 1965) [[note]]As Miles Warren[[/note]]; ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #129 (February 1974) [[note]]As Jackal[[/note]] |
| 259 | |
| 260 | ->''"Parker! I never get tired of looking at that face. No matter how many times I've cloned it, masked it, unmasked it... liquefied it... or worn it like a little hat."'' |
| 261 | \ |
| 262 | Miles Warren was once a professor at the university where Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy went. He fell in love with Gwen but tried to convince himself those feelings were paternal. This all changed when Gwen Stacy died at the hands of Norman Osborn. Realizing what his feelings were, he blamed Spider-Man for Gwen's death, and when he discovered that it was Peter Parker under the mask, he decided to take revenge. Injecting himself with several experimental serums to make himself stronger and faster, he also began perfecting cloning technology in order to torment Peter. His plot also involved creating Spider-Man clones, which would eventually lead to ''ComicBook/TheCloneSaga''. He even cloned Gwen Stacy, but eventually Spider-Man stopped him. Miles escaped, [[ExpendableClone cloning himself numerous times]], and resurfaced periodically to torment Peter. |
| 263 | ---- |
| 264 | * AbusiveParents: To just about every clone he made. |
| 265 | * ActuallyADoombot: That Jackal that was just defeated, renounces his villainy, and/or was killed? Only a clone, while the real Miles Warren gleefully skulks off to plot behind the scenes. |
| 266 | * {{Animorphism}}: Started out wearing a costume, then turned himself into a human/jackal hybrid. |
| 267 | * ArchEnemy: For a few years, he was siccing super villains after Peter Parker and was a frequent enemy, but from behind the scenes. He is this to the Scarlet Spiders, his own creations, as well. |
| 268 | * AxCrazy: The Jackal is a psycho on-par with the Green Goblin. Miles Warren is saner, but mentally disturbed and still dangerous in his own way. |
| 269 | * BadassNormal: Despite starting as a middle-aged college professor with no combat training and probably a sedentary lifestyle, Warren somehow managed to train himself in only a few months to beat Spider-Man into unconsciousness. |
| 270 | * BigBad: Of the Clone Saga until he was hijacked by Norman Osborn, and some of the Scarlet Spider's stories (both the Ben Reilly and Kaine incarnations). |
| 271 | * CerebusRetcon: Originally, no real reason was given for why he had a thing for jackals, though in 1995 the one-shot ''Scarlet Spider Unlimited'' revealed that he was once an associate of the High Evolutionary, and that one of their creations was a man-jackal that ended up killing Warren's family. However, Ben Reilly suspects that this story is at least in-part untrue, though the Jackal-Man was shown to be real in an issue of ''ComicBook/AlphaFlight'', which gets brought up when the High Evolutionary is explaining Warren's origin to Ben ("There was an unconfirmed encounter in Canada"). |
| 272 | * ContinuitySnarl: Warren's backstory and the mechanics of his cloning process eventually became so convoluted that it led Marvel to publish ''Scarlet Spider Unlimited'', a one-shot that was seemingly written for the sole purpose of trying to make sense of everything like the second Jackal fought by Beta Flight who claimed to be Warren's son (actually Warren's first creation, a psychotic Humanimal who killed Warren's family) and the indecisive retcon that Warren never actually achieved true cloning, he just turned people into other people by brainwashing them and rewriting their DNA (actually that was just slander made up by the High Evolutionary back when he had a grudge against Warren). |
| 273 | * CutLexLuthorACheck: Ekes out a meager living at NSU despite inventing cloning technology and DNA re-sequencing on the fly. Later explained as him actually being a former student of the High Evolutionary whose initial experiments resulted the accidental death of his own wife and child, and the Evolutionary growing suspicious of him and his mental instability in general, resulting in his exile. He ''needed'' a job and being a Professor of Biochemistry got him a living wage as well as the resources to continue his experiments. |
| 274 | * DemotedToDragon: [[spoiler:Of the new Jackal in ''ComicBook/DeadNoMoreTheCloneConspiracy'']]. |
| 275 | * DirtyOldMan: He's old enough to be [[ComicBook/SpiderGwen Ghost Spider]]'s father, if not [[{{Squick}} her grandfather]], and it's implied he thinks of her as his property, no matter what dimension she's from. Even his criminal Earth-65 counterpart finds this appalling, pointing out the sheer age gap in disgust. |
| 276 | * EntitledToHaveYou: He sees Ghost Spider as this once he learns she's an alternate universe Gwen Stacy, chasing her to Earth-65 while ranting about how she belongs to him. His Earth-65 counterpart, though an unrepentant criminal, is distinctly disturbed by this and points out the age gap. |
| 277 | * ExpendableClone: He's deliberately cloned himself so many times there's no telling where the original is, and half the time even Miles himself doesn't know if he's the original or a clone, and he's more than happy to sacrifice them to trick his enemies into thinking he's dead. His apparent DeathEqualsRedemption moment in ''Amazing Spider-Man'' #149? A clone. The Queen atomizing him with her sonic scream in ''Amazing Spider-Man'' #671? A clone. |
| 278 | * EvilutionaryBiologist: Played with. One of the reasons that the High Evolutionary kicked him out was that the Evolutionary thought that his cloning experiments ''stagnated'' evolution rather than improving the human condition, so in a way Warren is an inversion- he is certainly evil, but he often isn't trying to "evolve" things so much as "preserve" and "recreate" them. |
| 279 | * FreudianExcuse: He was an assistant to the High Evolutionary, who never really cared for Warren due to feeling that cloning was "stagnant" and ultimately useless "junk science." Warren went behind the Evolutionary's back and created a Jackal-Man, and after the Evolutionary fired Warren for this, the Jackal-Man escaped and slaughtered Warren's wife, Monica, and their children, who Warren had started to neglect in favor of his work with the Evolutionary. After the Jackal-Man ran off to Canada, Warren, distraught over his family having been murdered by the very thing that had caused him to become estranged from them, confronted and got into a heated argument with the Evolutionary, which inspired a bunch of the Evolutionary's New Men to forsake the Evolutionary in favor of Warren. The New Men let Warren experiment on them to refine his cloning techniques, and to create the transformative virus that he would later use to produce Carrion. Warren eventually became obsessed with Gwen Stacy, due to her resembling Monica, and after she died, Warren lost what was left of his mind and swore vendetta against Gwen's boyfriend, Peter Parker/Spider-Man. |
| 280 | * GollumMadeMeDoIt: In the first Clone Saga, Warren cannot reconcile his personality with the evil deeds he's committed and creates "The Jackal": a split personality who dresses like a deranged UsefulNotes/{{furry|Fandom}}. He later manages to splice his human DNA with animal tissue samples, transforming into a bona fide Jackal (much like his earlier test subjects, which exhibited a [[JekyllAndHyde Jekyll/Hyde]] alternation between man and beast). |
| 281 | * HasAType: Blonde young women, like his wife Monica and later Gwen Stacy. |
| 282 | * HijackedByGanon: Was retconned into being a pawn of Norman Osborn in order to wrap up the Clone Saga. |
| 283 | * HotForStudent: He was in love with Gwen but convinced himself that his feelings were paternal until she died. |
| 284 | * IgnoredEpiphany: He seemingly had a breakdown in the seventies and took his own life to save Peter and Gwen... but it turns out that was just a clone, and the real Miles came back even more evil than before. |
| 285 | * InformedSpecies: There isn't much of anything that's really "jackal-like" about the Jackal. His costume looks more like the Green Goblin's than anything else, and unlike villains like the Vulture (who has mechanical wings), the Scorpion (who has a stinger tail that spews toxins and energy blasts), and Doctor Octopus (who has mechanical tentacles), the Jackal doesn't really reflect anything to do with a real jackal. The closest he gets is an association with death, via clone corpses. |
| 286 | * LaserGuidedAmnesia: The Jackal uses a serum to alter the "RNA cells" (just go with it) that affect memory. This is why clones have no recollection of their deaths, or even being cloned in the first place. |
| 287 | * LegoGenetics: The Jackal's gimmick is his ability to make hybrids of man and animal. The first Warren wore a costume, but his clones are all green-furred gremlins with impressive dexterity. |
| 288 | * LoveMakesYouEvil: As Professor Miles Warren, he was secretly in love with his student Gwen Stacy and could never get it out of his head that Spider-Man (who he later discovered was another of his students and her boyfriend) was more to blame than the Green Goblin was. Indeed, he tried to recreate her with a clone of Gwen (dozens, actually, but only one shared Ben Reilly's apparent immunity to the degeneration factor). When the second Carrion (Malcolm [=McBride=]) appeared (with Warren still believed dead) Spidey called Warren "a sick man obsessed with a dead woman" in disgust. But even when revealed to be alive, he would never let Spidey forget it. |
| 289 | * LovingAShadow: As per Conway, Miles never really knew the real Gwen or cared anything about her other than her looks and whose cloning are largely attempts for undoing her death in some way rather than moving on as a normal human being. |
| 290 | * MadScientist: He's right up there with Doctor Octopus and Norman Osborn in this field. Miles Warren is a genius in the fields of biochemistry, genetics, and cloning. |
| 291 | * TheManBehindTheMan: He hired numerous villains to attack Peter, like Tarantula, the Scorpion, or the Grizzly before going in himself. And here's where it gets impressive: he was this to ComicBook/ThePunisher in his debut. |
| 292 | * MesACrowd: Uses entirely human clones of himself as minions. |
| 293 | ** During the 90s "Clone Saga" the objective behind the Jackal's "Carrion Bomb" is to turn the entire world's population into clones of Peter Parker. Not clones of the Jackal himself, or even a billion Gwen Stacys; just Peter Parker. He's crazy, so it doesn't have to make sense. |
| 294 | * MoralMyopia: A flashback to the moment after the “birth” of the clone that would become Ben Reilly has Warren declare that the clone is clearly “as blind to the value of human life” as his template after Ben "attacked" him. At this point Ben was basically a newborn acting on instinct who wasn’t aware of his full strength and did nothing more than grab Warren’s wrist to stop the other man from hitting him. Apparently, Warren expected his clones to just take whatever he did to them, and doesn't even acknowledge that creating living beings to further his own plans shows that ''he'' is the one with no value for human life. |
| 295 | * MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Miles seemingly regained his sanity and was able to save the Gwen Clone before dying in an explosion... but it's later revealed that this was actually a clone, and the real Miles was the one who detonated the bomb to trick everyone into thinking he was dead. |
| 296 | * NonIndicativeName: Frankly, there isn't anything really jackal-like about him. His costume resembles a Green Goblin knockoff and his main schtick is genetic engineering. The only real excuse for the name is that Warren overheard another professor describing a jackal to his class, and Warren thought that his split personality's name was that of the animal. |
| 297 | * OurClonesAreDifferent: The Jackal specializes in cloning. From a single blood sample, he can create a fully-formed copy of a person, with all their memories up to the point where the sample was taken. For a time, this was subject to a {{Retcon}} stating that the Jackal was actually exposing random people to a "genetic virus" that caused them to resemble others in both DNA and memory, until that was itself retconned. In ''ComicBook/DeadNoMoreTheCloneConspiracy'', a refined method of the cloning process was introduced, wherein a deceased person's mind could be uploaded into a clone body, using mechanically reproduced {{Psychometry}} on the genetic samples, essentially resurrecting them. Unfortunately, all the clones carried a genetic flaw that caused them to stabilize when exposed to certain radio frequencies that have become common in the modern world, causing a variation of the Carrion virus to [[ZombieApocalypse spread through multiple parallel timelines]] where the scheme was carried out successfully. |
| 298 | * PetTheDog: |
| 299 | ** Fleeting feelings of compassion led him to save Kaine's life. |
| 300 | ** One of his clones (dubbed "Warren Miles") had no purpose other than being sent out into the world to live the normal, happy life that the Jackal himself once had with Monica Warren, and secretly wished he still had with either Monica or Gwen Stacy. |
| 301 | * ReplacementGoldfish: His dead wife had a passing resemblance to Gwen Stacy, who he became obsessed with. |
| 302 | * {{Revenge}}: His motivation (initially); he blames Spidey for not saving Gwen Stacy. Nevermind that it was the Green Goblin's fault... |
| 303 | * RoguesGalleryTransplant: After years tormenting Peter Parker, he's shifted his attentions to the Ghost Spider Gwen Stacy. |
| 304 | * SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: The Jackal's origin and M.O. is alarmingly similar to the late Green Goblin, [[SarcasmMode almost as though he magically rose up to replace the clownish killer]]. The fact that he wore a ''green'' jackal costume despite jackals not being green reinforces this. He, too, suffers from multiple personality disorder and schizophrenia. Of course, Jackal was originally a one-off villain who was buried and forgotten until the second Clone Saga of TheNineties and Conway having created him at what turned out to be the end of a run didn't really have plans to do much with him. |
| 305 | * TakeThat: Creator/GerryConway originally conceived of Warren as a stand-in for fans of Gwen Stacy who wanted her BackFromTheDead and who saw Gwen's death as Spider-Man's fault and not the Goblin's. Since many young readers were upset about Gwen's death, Conway decided to make the in-page advocate for her return and restitution a creepy professor who had a fixation for her as a student, cared largely about her looks and not her personality, and who created a clone that was entirely like Gwen at the moment of her death rather than who she was when she was alive[[note]]As Conway pointed out repeatedly, Gwen was a dull character who hardly anyone remembers what she was like when she was alive but after her death everyone started caring for her which he found absurd[[/note]]. |
| 306 | * TragicVillain: To an extent. Warren is a mentally ill man who accidentally got his own wife and child killed when one of his creations got loose. His infatuation with Gwen Stacy may have been because she had a passing resemblance to his late wife. On the other hand, he's so gleefully awful that it's hard to sympathise with him. |
| 307 | * {{Troll}}: Takes utter joy in plaguing Peter Parker. ''ComicBook/SpiderIsland'' alone took super villain trolling to a whole new level. (As if he didn't prove his trolling by cloning Spidey and his dead girlfriend.) |
| 308 | * UnwittingPawn: Of Norman Osborn, per the end of ''ComicBook/TheCloneSaga''. |
| 309 | [[/folder]] |
| 310 | |
| 311 | [[folder:Kingpin]] |
| 312 | -> See [[Characters/MarvelComicsTheKingpin The Kingpin]] |
| 313 | [[/folder]] |
| 314 | |
| 315 | [[folder:Kraven the Hunter]] |
| 316 | -> See [[Characters/MarvelComicsKravenTheHunter Kraven the Hunter]] |
| 317 | [[/folder]] |
| 318 | |
| 319 | [[folder:Lizard]] |
| 320 | !!Lizard |
| 321 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lizardspidey_3107.jpg]] |
| 322 | !!!'''Alter Ego:''' Dr. Curtis "Curt" Connors |
| 323 | %%!!!'''Notable Aliases:''' |
| 324 | !!!'''Species:''' Human mutate |
| 325 | !!!'''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #6 |
| 326 | |
| 327 | ->''"I work in darkness. The Lizard wants out. It's time I stopped ignoring him."'' |
| 328 | \ |
| 329 | Curt Connors was an army surgeon who dedicatedly helped soldiers in war, but who lost his own arm to an explosion. Returning after the war, he began experimenting with reptiles, trying to discover the secret to how they managed to regrow their limbs. After years of research, he believed that he had isolated the chemical compound that gave them this ability, and after successfully doing animal testing, tried the formula on himself. |
| 330 | |
| 331 | While it did indeed regrow his missing arm, there was an unfortunate side-effect. The formula also turned him into a giant lizard with super strength, speed and even some wall crawling abilities. It also gave him a new imperative to cleanse the world of mammals so reptiles would rule the Earth again. Thankfully, Peter Parker managed to synthesize an antidote to the serum that allowed Connors to become human again, but it proved only temporary, as Connors continued to struggle with his lizard side which would occasionally come out under stress or certain circumstances. |
| 332 | ---- |
| 333 | * AchillesHeel: The Lizard is vulnerable to cold temperatures. |
| 334 | * AlliterativeName: ''C''urtis ''C''onnors. |
| 335 | * AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:At the end of the ''No Turning Back'' arc, Connors' human mind is trapped in the Lizard's body during his imprisonment at the Raft -- and he intends to stay that way as self-punishment by not letting anyone know it]]. |
| 336 | * AntiVillain: Curtis is actually a nice guy and has little-to-no control over what the Lizard does. |
| 337 | * ArtificialAnimalPeople: Turned from a human scientist into a humanoid lizard after infusing himself with a serum derived from lizard DNA. |
| 338 | * ArtisticLicenseBiology: Lizards can't actually regrow limbs, they can only regrow their tail (it's not perfect, the new tail has no bones in it and looks different, and not all species can). Salamanders are the ones which can regenerate limbs. |
| 339 | * AscendedFanboy: A reptile-loving herpetologist who becomes a reptile himself. |
| 340 | * TheAtoner: Curtis seeks to make up for the wrongs he commits as the Lizard. |
| 341 | * BadassLabcoat: Even as the Lizard he wears a tattered lab coat... |
| 342 | ** BarefootCartoonAnimal: ...but no shoes. |
| 343 | * BigDamnHeroes: Just as the Scorpion is about to kill Jameson with his stinger during Smythe's breakout, the Lizard (actually Curt's mind in the Lizard's body) shows up at the last second to save his life. |
| 344 | * BodyHorror: His transformations from Curtis into the Lizard can be very disturbing. |
| 345 | * CameBackWrong: After the Connors persona died in ''Shed'', Morbius tries to bring him back to life in ''No Turning Back'' and seemingly succeeds - except the Lizard persona is trapped in Connors' human body. [[spoiler:Later, Peter does restore Connors' mind and persona, but it's stuck in the Lizard's body.]] |
| 346 | * CareerEndingInjury: Losing his right arm ended his surgery and military careers. |
| 347 | * CreateYourOwnVillain: The Iguana, and the Lizard clone. |
| 348 | * DadTheVeteran: To his son, Billy. |
| 349 | * DarkerAndEdgier: The Lizard started out as an anthropomorphic reptile with plans of world domination, but over time became increasingly feral and fierce, developing an elongated reptilian snout. In ''Brand New Day'', after eating Connors' son, the Lizard sheds his skin and is sleeker, has hair, spikes on his arm, can talk, and revert humans to a reptilian mental state. |
| 350 | * DeathOfPersonality: Curt Connors suffers this fate in the ''Shed'' storyline, when the [[LizardFolk Lizard]] [[JekyllAndHyde persona]] [[OffingTheOffspring murders his son Billy]]. Later, the Jackal clones his son and wife in exchange for his help. |
| 351 | * DependingOnTheArtist: The Lizard's appearance has changed significantly over the years. He started out as a dark green anthropomorphic reptile [[TheNoseless with no nose]], then grew a long monitor lizard-like snout full of fangs in the 1990s. In ''Shed'', he underwent a third transformation, becoming covered in spines and looking a lot more dinosaur-like. Following the Lizard being trapped in Curt's body, he has assumed a fourth form with light green wrinkly skin and a face more similar to his first form's. |
| 352 | * DependingOnTheWriter: Is the Lizard an intelligent creature capable of cunning plans and science, or is he a mindless beast who just wants to eat people? |
| 353 | * DespairEventHorizon: The Lizard killing Billy while Connors watches in his mind and can't stop it. Effectively destroys his human side for a while. Later, the Jackal clones his son and wife in exchange for his help. |
| 354 | * DeathSeeker: Peter seems to think so at one point during the ''No Turning Back'' arc. |
| 355 | * DistressedDude: If he's not turning into the Lizard or helping Spider-Man, he's probably being kidnapped or held hostage. |
| 356 | * EvilAllAlong: The basis of two retcons (so far) regarding the Connors persona. Generally retconned out of continuity when a new writer comes along. |
| 357 | * EvilCripple: Subverted. Connors himself is a genuinely good person when he's human and missing his right arm. The Lizard is evil, but not disabled. |
| 358 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: For a long time, the Lizard couldn't bring himself to harm Curt's son Billy. Tragically he eventually lost this moral and murdered Billy in a desperate (and successful) attempt to gain complete control of Curt's body. Later, the Jackal clones his son and wife in exchange for his help. |
| 359 | * FaceMonsterTurn: Curt Connors is a good man. The Lizard is a monster. |
| 360 | * GeniusBruiser: The Lizard is sometimes depicted as being just as smart as Connors. |
| 361 | * GeniusCripple: Curt is a genius herpetologist who lost an arm. |
| 362 | * GoneHorriblyRight: The Lizard murdered Billy in order to take full control of Curt's body. This worked, but the Lizard was left with crippling guilt afterwards. |
| 363 | * HappilyMarried: To Martha Connors. Until she died of cancer. |
| 364 | * HealingFactor: The Lizard can recover from injuries that would cripple or kill most others. |
| 365 | * HeroicBSOD: After having to watch his Lizard form eat his son, effectively killing off his human personality, [[spoiler: and then still after his human persona was restored]]. |
| 366 | * HumanityIsInfectious: During the ''No Turning Back'' arc, the Lizard, trapped in Curt's body, began to appreciate human things, like music, junk food and video games. This even led to him thinking that HumanityIsSuperior. He was actually tempted to stay human, until Spider-Man arrived, forcing him to inject himself with his newly made "cure" in order to defend himself. |
| 367 | * IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Often occurs since Peter is friends with Connors. A few times Connors has actually taken control of the Lizard body, the first time being when Morbius was introduced. |
| 368 | * ImAHumanitarian: The Lizard is sometimes written as being a monster who eats people rather than turn them into reptiles. |
| 369 | * ImmuneToBullets: The Lizard's scales are bulletproof. |
| 370 | * JekyllAndHyde: Connors' persona and the Lizard's often vie for control of their body. |
| 371 | * JustThinkOfThePotential: What prompted him to create a serum to regenerate limbs in the first place. |
| 372 | * LegoGenetics: Connors turned into a reptilian monster by infusing himself with a serum derived from lizard DNA. |
| 373 | * LightningBruiser: Is stronger and faster than Spider-Man as the Lizard. |
| 374 | * LizardFolk: His original appearance was as an anthropomorphic lizard, and he only became more bestial as time went on. |
| 375 | * LogicalWeakness: Being cold-blooded, the Lizard is susceptible to low temperatures. |
| 376 | * MagicPants: Even in versions where the rest of his clothes are destroyed, including the labcoat, the Lizard will almost always at least still be wearing pants of some kind. |
| 377 | * TheMedic: Connors' occupation before he lost his arm and turned to science. |
| 378 | * TheMentallyDisturbed: In later stories, he's mentioned as having anxiety and depression. It's also implied that he may have PTSD from his war experiences. |
| 379 | * TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody: While Curt used to have to drink a serum to transform, by the time of ''Shed'', whenever the Lizard's persona takes over, he transforms into the monster. |
| 380 | * MisanthropeSupreme: As the Lizard. Possibly as coming from a darker side of his human personality that blames the loss of his arm to humanity's inhumanity during a war. |
| 381 | * MoralityPet: His wife, Martha, and son, Billy. While they were alive, at least. |
| 382 | * MyGodWhatHaveIDone: The Lizard has fallen into this after he killed Billy. |
| 383 | * NiceGuy: Dr. Connors is actually a ''very'' nice person... when he's human. |
| 384 | * NoOntologicalInertia: Loses his arm again whenever he turns back into a human. |
| 385 | * TheNoseless: Early versions of the Lizard based on Steve Ditko's original design. He later developed a monitor lizard-like snout. |
| 386 | * OffingTheOffspring: In order to permanently take control of their body, the Lizard persona ate Curt's son Billy. Later, the Jackal clones his wife and son in exchange for his help. |
| 387 | * PainfulTransformation: In most depictions, Curtis' transformation into the Lizard is agonizing. |
| 388 | * PapaWolf: In some stories where the Lizard is strangely protective of Billy despite hating all humans. After they are cloned by the Jackal, Connors turns his family into lizards too. |
| 389 | * PrehensileTail: As the Lizard he can coil his tail around things and carry them. |
| 390 | * ProfessorGuineaPig: Partly - OK, ''mostly'' - out of desperation to regain the use of his amputated arm, he tested his own experimental serum on himself. |
| 391 | * ReedRichardsIsUseless: Connors is supposed to be a brilliant scientist who's smart enough to cure cancer, but his experiments often fail and lead to supervillainy instead. |
| 392 | * ReptilesAreAbhorrent: The Lizard is a supervillain who wants to lead an army of reptiles and[=/=]or people turned into reptiles to take over the world. He succeeds in turning his family into lizards after the Jackal clones them. |
| 393 | * ResistTheBeast: But he usually fails at it, of course. |
| 394 | * SanitySlippage: Seems to have suffered this by the end of ''Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy''; [[spoiler:he appears unwilling to accept the fact that, while his lizard formula saved the Martha and Billy clones from degenerating, it has also reduced them to mindless reptilian beasts]]. |
| 395 | * ShapeshifterModeLock: The Lizard tried to cause this by killing Connors' persona. |
| 396 | * ShapeshiftingHealsWounds: Inverted, in some versions Curt was a biologist who lost his arm and experimented with lizard DNA (since lizards can grow back their tails). He regained his arm, but soon transformed into a [[LizardFolk Lizard Person]] with an evil personality. |
| 397 | * ShellShockedVeteran: Curtis lost his arm in a war and never got over it. |
| 398 | * SplitPersonalityTakeover: The Lizard persona had "devoured" Connors' by killing and eating his own son, and even though he's been reverted to human form it remains in control of the body. [[spoiler: Until his human persona was restored, but his body stayed as the Lizard.]] |
| 399 | * SuperpoweredEvilSide |
| 400 | ** Connors willingly became the Lizard to fight Stegron the dinosaur man. |
| 401 | ** At the beginning of the ''Shed'' arc the Lizard persona kept trying to influence Curtis' behavior, and in general is more powerful and ferocious than him. |
| 402 | * SuperStrength: The Lizard can lift approximately 12 tons. |
| 403 | * SuperToughness: His scales can deflect small-caliber bullets. |
| 404 | * SwappedRoles: When Spider-Man defeated the Iguana, a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute to the Lizard, he later started to mutate into a LizardMan himself. Instead of Curt Connors transforming and Spider-Man having to track and cure him, the human Dr. Connors was the one who had to track down the Spider-Lizard and turn him back to normal. |
| 405 | * TakeOverTheWorld: His ultimate goal. |
| 406 | * ThrowingOffTheDisability: His motivation for creating the regenerative serum. And what happens whenever he transforms into the Lizard. |
| 407 | * TragicMonster: It's not like Curt ''wanted'' to become a giant lizard monster when he injected himself with the serum, and he tries to fight it from inside as best he can. |
| 408 | * TragicVillain: Curt injected himself hoping to regain his lost arm, not become a monster. |
| 409 | * TraumaCongaLine: Traumatically lost his arm during military service, had to give up his career as a surgeon, mutated into a supervillain reptile with a split personality, lost his wife to cancer, murdered his own son by eating him as the Lizard, [[spoiler:has his human mind trapped in the Lizard's body]]... |
| 410 | ** And then to make matters worse, the Jackal clones his family in exchange for his help. However, they start degenerating due to them being unstable, so Connors injects them with the Lizard serum to save them. However, they turn into reptiles just like him. |
| 411 | * VerbalTic: [[SssssnakeTalk Sssome writersss have the Lizard hisssssing and lisssping sssoundsss.]] |
| 412 | * VillainsOutShopping: Late into the ''No Turning Back'' arc, The Lizard is trying to play himself off as Connors and not arouse suspicion at the laboratory. He plays a video game with Uatu and is surprised to find himself having a lot of fun. He's able to work his gameplay experience into better understanding a chemical to regain his lizard form, but he was quite surprised at how much he got into it. |
| 413 | -->"Light. Sound. Hand/Eye Coordination. Fantasy. Imagination. Immersion. Incredible! Power ups! Yes!" |
| 414 | * VoluntaryShapeshifting: In a few story arcs, Connors can control his usually non-voluntary transformation into the Lizard and back. |
| 415 | * WallCrawl: One of the earliest Spider-foes to truly have this power too. |
| 416 | * TheWorfEffect: That time he was seriously injured and defeated by Black Cat twice. The Lizard has superpowers. She did not. |
| 417 | [[/folder]] |
| 418 | |
| 419 | [[folder:Mr. Negative]] |
| 420 | !!Mr. Negative |
| 421 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mrnegative_6891.jpg]] |
| 422 | |
| 423 | !!!'''Alter Ego:''' Unknown |
| 424 | !!!'''Notable Aliases:''' Martin Li |
| 425 | !!!'''Species:''' Human mutate (Darkforce and Lightforce) |
| 426 | !!!'''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #546 (May 2007) |
| 427 | |
| 428 | ->''"I always like to have reminders around that there is no good he can do... that I cannot corrupt."'' |
| 429 | \ |
| 430 | One of the more recent additions to Spider-Man's gallery, Martin Li was introduced as a philanthropist and the owner of the FEAST homeless shelter. However, it was revealed that he had a split personality and a double life as the photonegative crime lord Mr. Negative. It's revealed that he was once a Chinese gangster smuggling immigrants when his ship crashed. Stealing the identity of one of the deceased, Martin Li, he was captured by Silvermane and given to criminal chemist Simon Marshall. Experimented on, he escaped alongside fellow subjects [[ComicBook/CloakAndDaggerMarvelComics Tyrone Johnson and Tandy Bowen]], awakening YinYangBomb powers while developing two vastly different personalities - the kindhearted Martin Li, and the villainous Mister Negative. Martin Li established himself as a philanthropist and built a fortune, while Mister Negative set about building a criminal empire. Clashing with the Hood and the Kingpin, Mister Negative was eventually outed as Martin Li by Spider-Man, Anti-Venom, and the new Wraith. |
| 431 | ---- |
| 432 | * AlternateIdentityAmnesia: Martin Li is - or rather ''was'' - unaware that he had a split personality who was a supervillain. |
| 433 | * BadassInANiceSuit: Is always well-dressed. |
| 434 | * BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil: Is a walking YinYangBomb. |
| 435 | * BlackEyesOfCrazy: When he becomes Mr. Negative he has black sclera and white irises. |
| 436 | * CorruptCorporateExecutive: Li ran the FEAST center among numerous other ventures, and while he was a genuinely nice person Mr. Negative is not. |
| 437 | * TheCorrupter: Mr. Negative's powers allow him to corrupt people's souls when he touches them, giving him some measure of MindControl over them as a result. The more goodhearted the person was prior, the more easily they can be corrupted. [[spoiler:It fails when he tries it on the Hood, since the man's [[DemonicPossession underlying power]] transcends Negative's own.]] |
| 438 | * CreateYourOwnVillain: Martin Li cured Eddie Brock of cancer and caused the remnants of the Venom symbiote to bond to his white blood cells. As Anti-Venom, Eddie would be the one to expose his identity as a criminal. |
| 439 | * CutLexLuthorACheck: Played with. He's extremely wealthy in his civilian identity, but as a criminal, he mostly doesn't take advantage of his ability to grant superpowers (although in ''ComicBook/TheSuperiorFoesOfSpiderMan'', he ''does'' send ninjas after Overdrive for violating his intellectual property by using superpowers granted by Negative without Negative's permission). |
| 440 | * DarkIsEvil: The Mr. Negative persona. |
| 441 | * DeadPersonImpersonation: The real Martin Li was killed when the ''Golden Mountain'' slave ship was scuttled. |
| 442 | * EvilCostumeSwitch: Whenever Li transforms into Mr. Negative, his hair, skin and even his clothes turn into photo-negative versions of themselves. The same thing applies to anyone he [[TheCorrupter corrupts with his powers]]. |
| 443 | * FaceHeelTurn: After confronting his alternate with the chance to take revenge upon the man that used him as a drug mule, Mister Negative persuades Martin Li to work with him. |
| 444 | * KatanasAreJustBetter: Despite being Chinese, he and his Mooks wield samurai swords. |
| 445 | * HealingHands: As Martin Li he could perform "miracles" such as curing Eddie Brock of terminal cancer. |
| 446 | * InvoluntaryShapeshifter: The transformation between the two personalities happens at random. |
| 447 | * TheJekyllIsAJerk: Mr. Negative is a heartless gangster who is the evil split personality of kindly philanthropist Martin Li. However, it's later revealed that the man who calls himself Martin Li was in reality a gangster and human trafficker/slaver who [[DeadPersonImpersonation stole an identity]] from his "cargo". It's heavily implied (and at times stated outright) that the evil Negative personality is partly a result of the original man's repressed guilt and failure to come clean about his crimes. |
| 448 | * LightIsGood: The Martin Li persona is a genuinely nice person. |
| 449 | * MasterSwordsman: Is skilled enough with a blade to outmatch Anti-Venom. |
| 450 | * McNinja: He employs several of these, known as his ''Inner Demons'', who have [[HealingFactor the ability to heal from grievous injury]]. |
| 451 | * NiceGuy: Martin Li is one of the nicest people around. Mr. Negative on the other hand is a complete sociopath. |
| 452 | * PhotoshopFilterOfEvil: As Mr. Negative. |
| 453 | * SplitPersonality: Played with, in that both sides are aware of each other but don't interfere with each other for the most part. |
| 454 | * SuperEmpowering: One of his main abilities, whether used for corrupting people or empowering his mooks (i.e. granting invulnerability and giving Overdrive his powers). He also ''accidentally'' did this to Eddie Brock. |
| 455 | * SuperSerum: How he first got his powers. |
| 456 | * SuperStrength: Strong enough to punch Spider-Man through two buildings with one blow. |
| 457 | * WhiteHairBlackHeart: As Mr. Negative his appearance is photonegative, and thus he has white hair. |
| 458 | * YinYangBomb: His powers come from the same source as Cloak's and Dagger's, but he possesses both at the same time. Mr. Negative draws on the Darkforce Dimension, while Martin Li appears to be able to use the same living light that comprises Dagger's knives, albeit unwittingly and in a limited fashion. |
| 459 | [[/folder]] |
| 460 | |
| 461 | [[folder:Mysterio]] |
| 462 | !!Mysterio |
| 463 | %% |
| 464 | %%Image selected per Image Pickin' thread:https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1648008808083701500 |
| 465 | %%Please don't replace/remove or add another image without starting a new thread. |
| 466 | %% |
| 467 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mysterio_3.jpg]] |
| 468 | %%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]] |
| 469 | |
| 470 | !!!'''Alter Ego:''' Quentin Beck |
| 471 | !!!'''Notable Aliases:''' Dr. Ludwig Rinehart, Cage [=McKnight=], Gerdes, Nicholas Macabes, Rudolph Hines, Mysty, Spider-Man |
| 472 | !!!'''Species:''' Human |
| 473 | !!!'''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #13 (June 1964) |
| 474 | |
| 475 | ->''Expect the unexpected when you see Mysterio!'' |
| 476 | -->-- ''Introductory Caption'', The Amazing Spider-Man #13, "The Menace of Mysterio", written by Creator/StanLee |
| 477 | \ |
| 478 | Quentin Beck, better known as Mysterio, is a Creator/MarvelComics character, best known as a villain of ComicBook/SpiderMan. Created by Creator/StanLee and Creator/SteveDitko, he first appeared in ''[[ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderManLeeAndDitko Amazing Spider-Man #13]]'' (dated June 1964). |
| 479 | |
| 480 | Quentin Beck was a master special effects man who loved films and making them. However, he always wanted to be in the spotlight, and hated being stuck behind the scenes. His acting career never went anywhere, so he decided to take on a new job: supervillainy. As an effects wizard, he decided to frame Spider-Man for a robbery, then in a new costume (complete with a one-way mirror FishbowlHelmet) would stop Spider-Man to earn the fame he thought he deserved. Exposed and tricked in the attempt, Quentin swore revenge as Mysterio, and became a serious recurring threat to the wall-crawler. |
| 481 | |
| 482 | Throughout the years, Mysterio would become a recurring member of the Sinister Six, and even [[RoguesGalleryTransplant become entangled with the likes of other superheroes]] in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, most notably ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}. [[LegacyCharacter There have also been a few other characters to become Mysterio]] at various points in time, but Quentin remains the one most associated with the name to date. |
| 483 | |
| 484 | Because of his status as one of Spider-Man's most popular rogues, Mysterio has often appeared in other media. He's more or less shown up in every ''Spider-Man'' cartoon to date, as well as plenty of video games based on Marvel properties. Additionally, it was intended that Creator/BruceCampbell's cameo roles throughout the Creator/SamRaimi ''[[Film/SpiderManTrilogy Spider-Man]]'' trilogy would've been revealed as various disguises of Mysterio in a prospective ''Spider-Man 4'', but the project was canceled before it could come to fruition. Mysterio ultimately made his live-action debut in 2019's ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome'', portrayed by Creator/JakeGyllenhaal, who infamously (almost) replaced Creator/TobeyMaguire in ''Film/SpiderMan2''. |
| 485 | |
| 486 | ---- |
| 487 | !! Mysterio appears in: |
| 488 | |
| 489 | [[AC:Notable Comic books]] |
| 490 | * ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' (various runs) |
| 491 | ** ''ComicBook/SpiderMen'' (2012) |
| 492 | * ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'' vol. 2 (1998 -- 1999) |
| 493 | * ''ComicBook/OldManLogan'' (2008 -- 2009) |
| 494 | |
| 495 | [[AC:Animation]] |
| 496 | * ''[[WesternAnimation/SpiderMan1967 Spider-Man]]'' (1967 -- 1970), voiced by Creator/ChrisWiggins |
| 497 | * ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManAndHisAmazingFriends'' (1981), voiced by Creator/PeterCullen (episode: "Spidey Goes Hollywood") |
| 498 | * ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'' (1994 -- 1998), voiced by Creator/GreggBerger |
| 499 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'' (2008 -- 2009), voiced by Creator/XanderBerkeley |
| 500 | * ''WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan2012'' (2012 -- 2016), voiced by Paul Scheer |
| 501 | * ''WesternAnimation/MarvelsSpiderMan'' (2017 -- present), voiced by Creator/CrispinFreeman |
| 502 | |
| 503 | [[AC:Film]] |
| 504 | * ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome'' (2019), portrayed by Creator/JakeGyllenhaal ([[Characters/MCUMysterio page]]) |
| 505 | |
| 506 | [[AC:Video Games]] |
| 507 | * ''VideoGame/SpiderManVsTheKingpin'' (1993) |
| 508 | * ''[[VideoGame/SpiderMan2000 Spider-Man]]'' (2000), voiced by Creator/DaranNorris |
| 509 | * ''VideoGame/SpiderManMysteriosMenace'' (2001) |
| 510 | * ''VideoGame/SpiderMan2'' (2004), voiced by Creator/JamesArnoldTaylor |
| 511 | * ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance'' (2006), voiced by James Arnold Taylor |
| 512 | * ''VideoGame/SpiderManFriendOrFoe'' (2007), voiced by Creator/RobinAtkinDownes |
| 513 | * ''VideoGame/SpiderManWebOfShadows'' (2008), voiced by Greg Baldwin |
| 514 | * ''VideoGame/SpiderManShatteredDimensions'' (2010), voiced by Creator/DavidKaye |
| 515 | * ''VideoGame/SuperHeroSquadOnline'' (2011), voiced by Dave Boat |
| 516 | * ''VideoGame/LEGOMarvelSuperHeroes'' (2013), voiced by Creator/DavidSobolov |
| 517 | * ''VideoGame/DisneyInfinity: Marvel Super Heroes'' (2014), voiced by David Kaye |
| 518 | * ''VideoGame/MarvelAvengersAlliance 2'' (2016) |
| 519 | * ''VideoGame/LEGOMarvelSuperHeroes2'' (2017) |
| 520 | * ''VideoGame/MarvelFutureFight'' (2017) |
| 521 | * ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance3TheBlackOrder'' (2019), voiced by David Kaye |
| 522 | * "VideoGame/MarvelsSpiderMan2" (2023), voiced by Creator/NoshirDalal |
| 523 | |
| 524 | ---- |
| 525 | !! Mysterio provides examples of: |
| 526 | * AccidentalMurder: ''Symbiote Spider-Man'' shows the first time that he killed as a supervillain; while robbing a bank, he forced the teller to open the vault for him, only for her to get accidentally shot by a security guard because of how he dodged the guard's gunfire. The experience shocks and traumatizes him badly enough that Mysterio briefly considers quitting crime… [[HeelFaceDoorSlam until a symbiote-wearing Spider-Man beats him viciously while trying to arrest him despite Mysterio being defenseless, causing Mysterio to redouble his desire for revenge against the Wallcrawler]]. |
| 527 | * ActuallyADoombot: |
| 528 | ** Mysterio uses this trick a lot too. Seeing as Mysterio is also fond of holograms and illusions, Spider-Man often cannot tell if he facing the real Mysterio, an illusion, or a robot, and even worse, the same often goes for a lot of other stuff he has to fight when the villain is involved. |
| 529 | *** This has become more complex since the original Mysterio acquired a couple of imitators who also use this identity. And they don't really get along with each other. A storyline in ''Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man'' #11-13 (October-December, 2006) had all three Mysterios independently seeking a confrontation with Spidey, resulting in a rather complicated MeleeATrois scenario. Spidey has trouble telling which is which and is further confused because the original was supposed to be dead. |
| 530 | *** In ''ComicBook/SpiderMen'', Mysterio doesn't actually have a ComicBook/UltimateMarvel counterpart. "Ultimate Mysterio" is actually a robot double he was controlling all along. |
| 531 | *** One reason this trick works so often is that Mysterio is a well-established [[EvilGenius technical genius.]] His robots are [[MasterOfIllusion incredibly]] [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots realistic]], so much so that in the ''ComicBook/GuardianDevil'' story arc by Creator/KevinSmith, he manages to convince ''[[Characters/MarvelComicsMattMurdock Daredevil]]'', the man who can [[SuperSenses hear heartbeats,]] into believing that Mysterio is dead. |
| 532 | *** In ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderMan2018'', Mysterio tries this with Kindred to try and slip out of his deal with him, brainwashing his psychiatrist into thinking he was Quentin Beck and using the shrink as a body double, slipping away as Kindred kills the psychiatrist [[HeWhoMustNotBeNamed for speaking his name.]] Kindred isn't happy [[EvenEvilHasStandards about having to kill an innocent]], but admits the only reason Mysterio didn't get away with it was his inability to resist his old "[[ContinuityNod Ludwig Rineart]]" disguise. |
| 533 | * AffablyEvil: Can come off as very likable and snarky at times. On the other hand... |
| 534 | ** FauxAffablyEvil: It's not really a good idea to push him. He once nearly drove Spider-Man into irreversible madness. |
| 535 | * AmbiguouslyGay: Mysterio is sort of this. In the mainstream comics, he's rarely, if ever, shown any interest in women and has had a few hints over the years (plus the Spidey standard of occasional HoYay). The ''[[Literature/SpiderManSinisterSixTrilogy Sinister Six]]'' novels dropped the ambiguously part and made him explicitly gay; said novels are dubiously canon at best but pretty much everyone out-of-universe assumes he's gay at this point, even if the comics have yet to actually say it, though in ''Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider'' it's revealed that he has a secret daughter named Misty, possibly closing the book on the question of his sexuality, or at least now making him AmbiguouslyBi. Then she was revealed to be a [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots gynoid]] so the ambiguity has returned "Mysterio wanted a daughter so badly, he built himself one." |
| 536 | * AteHisGun: Mysterio killed himself this way after finding that Daredevil would not kill him for the death of Karen Page (He also references Kraven's suicide beforehand). [[BackFromTheDead He came back]] but with half of his head missing. |
| 537 | * AttentionWhore: Mysterio, By his own admission, no less! His main goal in life is to become famous, and pretty much everything he does is an attempt to achieve his goal. He was originally a special effects artist in a movie studio, but he didn't think his job was making him famous enough. He tried to get into acting for the extra recognition, but his career never went anywhere. He became a supervillain after a friend sarcastically told him that becoming a criminal seemed like a [[FameThroughInfamy good way to get famous.]] |
| 538 | * BackFromTheDead: In a Creator/PeterDavid ''Friendly Neighborhood'' arc with a dose of BodyHorror. |
| 539 | * BadassCape: |
| 540 | ** Mysterio usually has a purple cape to go with his 'fishbowl' and green outfit, which both help negate the cheesiness of the headgear and let him look more, well, mysterious. He's also got eye-shaped clasps attached to hold it on that can even shoot lasers. |
| 541 | * BadassNormal: Mysterio gets all his abilities from his suit, using psychological warfare, SFX skills, hypnosis, and custom-made gasses to challenge Spider-Man mentally. He also has extensive knowledge of hand-to-hand combat techniques learned as a stuntman, allowing him to engage in combat with Spider-Man despite his foe's superior physical abilities. |
| 542 | * BigBad: The main antagonist of ''ComicBook/SpiderMen''. |
| 543 | * BlatantLies: When Janice Lincoln (aka, the Beetle) shows up to defend him in court, Mysterio threatens to sue her for using the Sinister Six name, claiming it was his idea (it was actually Doctor Octopus' idea). |
| 544 | * BreakoutVillain: Mysterio was just initially a minor gimmick villain [[VillainOfTheWeek introduced and defeated in the same issue]]. However, he quickly struck accord with readers, owing to his striking design and potent gimmick, and as a result started getting more and more appearances. Soon he started appearing in other comics such as ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} and then he made a particularly memorable and chillingly appearance in ''ComicBook/OldManLogan'' the latter of which increased his notoriety among Marvel’s villains even further. After appearing in numerous cartoons and games (being the BigBad of both ''VideoGame/SpiderManFriendOrFoe'' and ''VideoGame/SpiderManShatteredDimensions'') he finally got a [[Film/SpiderManFarFromHome cinematic debut]] in the MCU and proved to be one of the most well-liked villains. |
| 545 | * CanonImmigrant: Enforced InUniverse. He was running operations in [[Franchise/MarvelUniverse Earth-616]] ''and'' [[ComicBook/UltimateMarvel Earth-1610]] simultaneously with the use of his robotic avatar Ultimate Mysterio. [[spoiler:At the end of ''ComicBook/SpiderMen'', he is incarcerated by ComicBook/TheUltimates in Earth-1610 due to [[DeathBySecretIdentity his knowledge of Peter's secret identity in Earth-616]]. However, he [[HesBack eventually finds a means of returning to the 616-universe]].]] |
| 546 | * CardCarryingVillain: He enjoys being a supervillain and it shows. |
| 547 | * ChestBlaster: He has eye designs on his costumes that fire chemical smoke, tranquilizers, or energy blasts. |
| 548 | * CrossoverVillainInChief: Has a turn in this role in ''ComicBook/SpiderMen'', where his portal is responsible for Peter getting sent to Miles' universe. He also serves as their primary opposition in getting Peter home. |
| 549 | * CutLexLuthorACheck: Justified. Mysterio could easily reforge his career as a special effects guy and make millions if he really wanted to, but he likes being a bad guy far more than he ever liked his old job. Supervillainy allows him to indulge his LargeHam tendencies. |
| 550 | * DealWithTheDevil: Mysterio made a deal with a demon to escape from Hell, and now a demon has decided to collect on that debt. Demons tend to not forget when you owe them one, as Mysterio finds out when one decides to collect on the debt Mysterio owes in exchange for coming back to life. Also, because it has been so long Mysterio had practically forgotten about it. Making deals with demons is a very, VERY bad idea. Mostly on account that said deal will more than likely benefit them more than you. Just ask Mendel Stromm. [[spoiler: Oh wait you can’t. Because he’s dead]]. |
| 551 | * DependingOnTheArtist: While the fishbowl, green suit with square pattern, gold gauntlets, and purple cape is considered his main design, he’s had dozens of other appearances some of which [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRUjsdGUs5o1xOQFj8rD1f82hJcviBdU5hJ5A&usqp=CAU remove the cape]] while others artists make him look completely different. Such as in the ''ComicBook/TheCloneSaga'' which replaces the fishbowl with a [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR5iv0ee-KcLhoCFf3XbK-FF9wlZ1VcfM44ww&usqp=CAU head of fire]] similar to Dormammu, a similar look was also used for the Mysterio android who appeared in ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan''. Even the fishbowl is often drawn inconsistently as usually it’s opaque, but it’s not uncommon for Quentin Beck’s actual face to be visible inside. Not to mention whether Mysterio is wreathed in a smokey aura or not. |
| 552 | * DependingOnTheWriter: For any given comic, Quentin was either a genuinely athletic BadassNormal who owed his physique and combat skills to years of stunt work, or a sleazy, portly man who relied on PoweredArmour to be a physical threat. The only consistent attribute was that his face was too homely for showbiz, but even then artists can't seem to settle on whether he was bald or had a black bowl haircut. |
| 553 | * DistaffCounterpart: His cousin, Maguire, though she committed crimes as a Jack O' Lantern instead of as a female Mysterio. |
| 554 | * DrivenToSuicide: During ''ComicBook/GuardianDevil'', Mysterio learned he had cancer and wouldn't last long. After making ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'s life a living hell, Daredevil defeats him and [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech accuses him of]] ripping off ComicBook/TheKingpin with his plan to drive Daredevil insane and repeating a "supernatural intruding upon the real world" scheme he had previously used on J. Jonah Jameson. Subsequently, Beck shoots himself in the head while claiming to [[TakeThat steal an idea from Kraven the Hunter]]. What's worse? The only reason he went after Daredevil was that he didn't want to deal with the Spider-Man that was active at the time (implied to be the clone Ben Reilly). |
| 555 | * DudeWheresMyRespect: In ''ComicBook/GuardianDevil'', Mysterio complains that nobody gave him credit for his inventions about special effects and illusions while everyone knows Creator/GeorgeLucas, Creator/StevenSpielberg, etc., despite their work, are less impressive. |
| 556 | *** Defied in ''The Amazing Mary Jane'' #2, as the tagline says: |
| 557 | --->''"MJ VERSUS MYSTERIO! Mary Jane has learned MYSTERIO is the auteur behind her big break! (It figures…'' '''who else would make a prestige Mysterio biopic?)"''' |
| 558 | * EarlyBirdCameo: Due to a {{Retcon}}, Mysterio actually debuted in ASM #2 as one of the "aliens" allied with the Tinkerer, before his official introduction several issues later. |
| 559 | * EmpoweredBadassNormal: On occasion, Mysterio has drawn power from legitimate magical artifacts. |
| 560 | * EnemyMine: Has teamed up with Spider-Man in ''ComicBook/EndsOfTheEarth'' for one reason: [[AwesomeDearBoy because it sounded like an awesome pitch for a movie.]] |
| 561 | * EvilGenius: A stuntman who can build his own android doppelgangers and concoct serums for every occasion. |
| 562 | * FakeWizardry: He uses mastery of special effects to fool people into thinking he's got magical powers. By now Spidey knows full well he's faking it, but the effects are just good enough that guessing the nature of the trick can still be a chore. |
| 563 | * FakingTheDead: Before his real death in ''ComicBook/GuardianDevil'', faking it was something of a favorite tactic of his. |
| 564 | -->'''Mook:''' D'ya think he's...?\ |
| 565 | '''Spider-Man:''' Please. He's Mysterio. He's probably halfway to Hoboken by now. |
| 566 | * FameThroughInfamy: He's obsessed with being famous, and at first he tried to gain it honestly, through working in Hollywood. After his acting career failed to get off the ground, he decided to become a criminal for the notoriety. |
| 567 | * FashionVictimVillain: He wears [[FishbowlHelmet what appears to be an upside-down goldfish bowl on his head]]. This is especially hilarious because he's supposed to be a MasterOfIllusion, yet he apparently has never thought that it might be a good idea to create the illusion that he isn't ''wearing an upside-down goldfish bowl on his head''. Eventually, they caught on, and when his illusionary gas was enhanced by Dr. Doom, he went around town with the rest of Spider-Man's RoguesGallery in various disguises -- a metal band, a punk band, and a schoolboy -- with the [[SexyManInstantHarem rest of them as schoolgirls]]. They didn't know how they appeared. |
| 568 | ** A charming cartoonist named Katie Cook has {{lampshaded}} [[http://katiecandraw.typepad.com/.a/6a00e550a9fd7d88340120a6310488970b-pi the fishbowl effect.]] |
| 569 | ** The exact same thing was done in the first ''Spider-Man'' Playsation game, if "What If?" mode was activated. |
| 570 | ** It seems that everyone has made fun of Mysterio's headgear -- ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance'' has Spidey bringing it up if he's part of your team on the helicarrier, for example. In fact, "fishbowl for a head" is Spidey's ''favorite'' method of addressing him. |
| 571 | ** They fixed that in ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'' where he loses the fishbowl and instead just has a vaguely head-shaped cloud of fog drifting above the metal device he wears around his shoulders. It's actually rather creepy but still, the beads he wears around his left hand look kind of silly. |
| 572 | ** He's [[WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation been described]] as having been dressed by the [[CampGay Liberace]] [[SpaceClothes Space Program]]. |
| 573 | ** ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome'' faithfully recreates Mysterio's infamous costume and even has Beck himself [[LampshadeHanging describe it as "ridiculous"]], but manages the impressive effort of [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mysteriofishbowlhelmet.png making it look surprisingly good]], as well as giving a clever reason for ''why'' it's so tacky; it's a clumsy mixture of traits [[FollowTheLeader copied]] from various superhero costumes (Thor's cape, Iron Man's PoweredArmor, Dr. Strange's eye motif, etc.) to go along with Mysterio's FakeUltimateHero bit. |
| 574 | * FishbowlHelmet: Mysterio is infamous for the [[FashionVictimVillain glass helmet he wears that looks like a fish bowl]]. Although it's used more to protect himself from his own hallucinatory gas, it also serves to hide who's in the suit, useful if the man inside [[ActuallyADoombot isn't the real deal]]. |
| 575 | ** Mysterio's parody from Earth-7840 (the '''Mazing Man-Spider'' world) IS a fish swimming inside the fishbowl helmet, called "Fish-Terio". |
| 576 | * {{Foil}}: Surprisingly serves one to Spider-Man at times. He once met with Spider-Man, both of them out of costume and unaware of one another's identities, at a movie theater screening a classic movie. They are both enamored by the film and even share a heart-to-heart conversation about it afterwards. The entire comic this scene comes from actually goes to great lengths to compare and contrast Mysterio and Spider-Man, showing them as having more similarities than they would admit. |
| 577 | * FreudianExcuse: He was once just an excitable little kid who wanted, more than anything, to make movies and entertain people. It took his abusive father breaking his toys, camera, and spirit before Quentin's lighthearted hopes became twisted desires for fame and power. |
| 578 | * GainingTheWillToKill: ''Symbiote Spider-Man'' establishes that when Mysterio started out as a supervillain, he never meant for anybody to get hurt or killed, and actually tended to go out of his way to avoid injuring people — especially civilians — too badly in his schemes. When he kills for the first time by [[AccidentalMurder inadvertently causing the death of a bystander]] in a bank robbery gone wrong, he's so horrified, upset, and traumatized by the experience that he considers leaving crime. [[HeelFaceDoorSlam A vicious beating from a symbiote-influenced Spider-Man puts the kibosh on his retirement plans]] and the ensuing decades of living the criminal lifestyle plus learning he's dying of cancer (and then ''[[BackFromTheDead coming back]]'' thanks to an ill-advised DealWithTheDevil) causes him to slowly lose his aversion to violence and become frighteningly willing to kill to get what he wants, even if he still doesn't actively seek it. |
| 579 | ** He goes through similar in ''Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man'', where he seems genuinely upset for a time at seemingly killing someone--only to shove down the "guilt and shame" and embrace his supervillainy completely. |
| 580 | * {{Gaslighting}}: |
| 581 | ** An accidental one on Mysterio's part where his criminal activities as an impostor Spider-Man looks so genuine that Peter starts wondering if the stress of his double life has caused him to develop a SplitPersonality. It makes him so paranoid that he seriously considers going to a therapist as Spider-Man but bails at the last minute. |
| 582 | ** Mysterio later does it on purpose. Inspired by Jameson's latest scheme of using word on the street testimonials to slander Spider-Man, Mysterio masquerades as a psychiatrist who publicly diagnoses Spider-Man with crazy. Using elaborate projectors and sets with AlienGeometries, Mysterio was close to convincing Spider-Man that he was going insane and to reveal his identity to be rid of the stresses of the double life... were it not for Jameson and Flash bumbling their way into the situation and revealing Mysterio's illusions. |
| 583 | * GlassCannon: Mysterio is a master of illusion and setting up traps, but he is still just a normal human behind all the smoke and mirrors. The hard part of any fight is figuring out where he is, but once Spidey is able to get close, Mysterio usually only has one or two tricks left before Spider-Man takes him out swiftly. |
| 584 | ** PlayedForLaughs in the ''VideoGame/SpiderMan2'' video game. When Spider-Man meets Mysterio late in the game, it seems to be the setup for a long drawn-out boss battle (the game gives him about ''five'' health bars to diminish). One punch knocks him out. |
| 585 | * HeartIsAnAwesomePower: Mysterio often catches flack for his [[FishbowlHelmet goofy]] [[FashionVictimVillain appearance]], his [[LargeHam over-the-top persona]], and his villain abilities coming from [[SpecialEffects special effects wizardry]] rather than any physical attributes. Yet his use of said special effects [[WeakButSkilled is consistently dangerous]], with him being able to make [[KillerRobot working robots]], [[MasterOfIllusion create realistic illusions]], and even nearly drove Spider-Man (and later, ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}) [[DrivenToMadness insane through his machinations]]. |
| 586 | * HeelFaceDoorSlam: In ''Symbiote Spider-Man'', after inadvertently getting an innocent woman killed during a bank robbery, he seriously considered retiring from the supervillain game out of guilt. Then Spider-Man, who was being influenced by the Venom symbiote at the time, beat the crap out of a defenseless Mysterio, which ended his thoughts of retirement then and there. |
| 587 | * HoistByHisOwnPetard: He got cancer from overexposure to the materials he used for his illusions. |
| 588 | * InsufferableGenius: Besides everything else listed on this page, he's also a bit of a snob when it comes to his expertise in practical effects when the movie industry he was a part of has started to veer towards computer-generated visuals. |
| 589 | * KnockoutGas: Mysterio has used it from time to time. |
| 590 | * LargeHam: Is loud and boastful, true to his origins as a showman, to the point of Spider-Man mocking him for it. This is also the reason he doesn't go back to making legitimate money with his special effects skills, as he loves chewing the scenery and villainy gives him the perfect excuse. |
| 591 | * TheLastDance: Mysterio has terminal cancer that'll claim him in less than a year, so he decides to go out trying to take down a superhero, but quickly realized [[ComicBook/TheCloneSaga the last Spider-Man he faced was a clone]] -- then he remembered that shortly after the crisis with ComicBook/{{Onslaught}}, when ComicBook/TheAvengers were [[ComicBook/HeroesReborn missing and thought dead]], he fought Daredevil and realizing they're both considered second stringers, decided for it to be Matt. |
| 592 | * LegacyCharacter: Quentin Beck once faked his death so his acquaintance, out-of-work stuntman Danny Berkhart, could adopt the role for a time. Then when Beck [[DrivenToSuicide actually did die]] (before somehow coming back), a teleporting mutant named Francis Klum adopted the mantle. There's also "Mysterion", an unknown man who bought Mysterio's suit from Roderick Kingsley and battled the ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan. |
| 593 | * LukeIAmYourFather: In ''The Gauntlet'', Mysterio [[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DRZTmE9UIAA82Ls.jpg once wore an elaborate and deformed disguise under his helmet just in case Spider-Man broke it so he could claim he was his long-lost cousin.]] With Peter distracted, Mysterio proceeded to kick him in the nads and made his escape as his nemesis was hunched over in understandable agony. |
| 594 | * MadArtist: Mysterio is not insane, but he has a real flair for the dramatic, and his crimes are as much about showing off his skills as an artist and performer as they are to get money or revenge. ''The Amazing Mary Jane'' even features him trying to go semi-straight as a legitimate film director...although he had to kidnap and impersonate a PrimaDonnaDirector to get funding. |
| 595 | * MadeOfIron: Usually Mysterio is shown to be just a normal man hiding behind illusions and special effects, and gets easily beaten by Spider-Man once he's able to close the distance and figure out where the real Mysterio is. [[DependingOnTheWriter Some depictions,]] however, have him able to stand toe-to-toe with Spider-Man and, while not able to beat him in a stand-up fight, can take a lot of punishment, usually enough to lure Spider-Man into another trap. This has been [[JustifiedTrope explained]] sometimes as his stuntman training lets him roll with the blows and [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom exaggerate]] their effect, making it look like he's taking a lot more damage than he really is. |
| 596 | * MaskOfConfidence: One story established that he has severe confidence issues when not wearing his helmet, to such a point that he is too cowardly to speak to a woman he is attracted to ''over the phone'' without donning the mask. |
| 597 | * MasterOfDisguise: Aside from his robotics and special effects skills, Mysterio is also an expert at passing himself off as an ordinary person. He used the alias of "Ludwig Rinehart" both in a plot to drive Spider-Man crazy and then as the malevolent manager of a retirement home, and in ''The Amazing Mary Jane'' disguised himself as a PrimaDonnaDirector to secure funding to make a movie about himself. |
| 598 | * MasterOfIllusion: |
| 599 | ** Mysterio falls into this trope, and he even titles himself "The Master of Illusion". Though his illusions are all based on his previous employment in the special effects industry, they can still be terrifyingly effective (though trying it on [[Characters/MarvelComicsXMan an Omega Class psychic?]] is not a good idea). After Mysterio [[spoiler:committed suicide in ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'', and returned from the dead, [[DeathIsCheap his subsequent appearances]] revealed that he may or may not have CameBackWrong, with actual illusion-casting powers]]. In the ''ComicBook/OldManLogan'' storyline, Mysterio [[spoiler:makes illusions so real that it tricks Wolverine into killing '''all''' of the other X-Men and breaking him when he dismisses the illusion]]. |
| 600 | * MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: |
| 601 | ** When he came BackFromTheDead, he appeared to have supernatural abilities, supposedly gained in Hell. Given that he was already a MasterOfIllusion, it's impossible to be sure how real these powers were, and in the post-''ComicBook/OneMoreDay'' timeline, he's been sticking to his usual special effects fakery, implying that his demonic phase was more special effects. In general, however, Mysterio has often pulled off things that go well beyond any rational explanations — including being able to [[https://i.imgur.io/ajqItOJ_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium fool and escape from Doctor Strange]] who has universal awareness, suggesting Mysterio may actually have great powers… or his smoke and mirrors tricks simply ''that'' good. |
| 602 | --->'''Mysterio:''' They call me Quentin Beck, the one and only Mysterio. Or maybe the real Beck is dead? I wouldn't trust me on this. I lie about everything. |
| 603 | *** The first issue of ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderMan2018'' picks this plot thread up again by revealing Mysterio did make a deal with a certain being to get out of Hell, and that said being has grown fed up with Quentin's inability to live up to the deal. It almost drags him back to hell until Mysterio makes one final desperate plea to be given a bit more time. |
| 604 | * MoralityPet: [[spoiler:Mary Jane, whose friendship after working on a movie together seems to be the start of a possible HeelFaceTurn.]] |
| 605 | * MotiveRant: Has quite a speech about his motives in the finale of the ''ComicBook/GuardianDevil'' storyline, and implies that there's more still about just how he became a "monster" who ''would'' do all these things. Matt, in keeping with acting utterly unimpressed in this issue, spends most of that same time "rambling about how clever" he is isolating the "hum" of his suit's main battery. |
| 606 | * NotSoHarmlessVillain: Mysterio, with his rather ridiculous costume and somewhat weak premise (he's a glorified stage magician with a lot of gadgets), often comes off as something of a joke, but every now and then he pulls off something unexpectedly big. |
| 607 | ** In ''ComicBook/GuardianDevil'', a then-dying Mysterio decided to try and drive ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} so insane that he almost murders an infant with a ridiculously convoluted scheme, just because at the time Ben Reilly was Spider-Man, and the dying Mysterio wanted a grand exit and felt it would be wasted on Reilly, who Mysterio had subconsciously picked up was not the original Spider-Man]], |
| 608 | ** He once trapped [[Characters/MarvelComicsXMan X-Man]] in an illusion of a perfect reality. |
| 609 | ** He also used a robotic avatar to muck around in the ''ComicBook/UltimateMarvel'' universe, including killing their version of the Kingpin]]. |
| 610 | ** At the start of ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderMan2018'', Mysterio stages an 'alien invasion' that nearly overwhelms the entire superhuman community of New York. |
| 611 | ** Perhaps his biggest deed happens in the BadFuture WhatIf ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} storyline ''ComicBook/OldManLogan'', where Mysterio's mastery of special effects reached GameBreaker levels, in that he was able to manipulate Wolverine, he of the incredible senses and huge amounts of experience with having his head screwed with, into going absolutely crazy and slaughtering the entire X-Men team thinking they were his enemies coming in for a final battle. Not bad for a guy with a fishbowl for a head. |
| 612 | ** Oddly enough, none of these actually happened to his main enemy Spider-Man, at least [[VideoGame/SpidermanShatteredDimensions not in]] [[Film/SpidermanFarFromHome the comics]], which suggests that perhaps ol' Fishbowl Head should go find himself a new archenemy (though it's worth noting that Mysterio disguised himself as a psychiatrist and nearly drove Spider-Man insane in one of his earliest appearances). |
| 613 | * OddFriendship: He develops one with [[spoiler:Mary Jane after using the alias of director Cage [=McKnight=] to direct her in a movie]]. |
| 614 | * OneWayVisor: His fishbowl-like helmet hides his appearance but allows him to see perfectly clear through it. |
| 615 | * OnlyInItForTheMoney: In ''ComicBook/EndsOfTheEarth'', this is Mysterio's main motivation for joining up with Doc Ock's current Sinister Six. However, once Ock's plan is revealed, Spider-Man convinces him to pull a HeelFaceTurn, if only for a little bit, due to the fact that the money would be useless should Ock succeed. |
| 616 | * PoweredArmor: His suit serves as a containment/protection for his various hologram and gas-based gadgets, but depending on the writer it also has a battery-powered strength-enhancing system. It was far more rudimentary and basic than the ones employed by, say, Iron Man, however. |
| 617 | * TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: In the ''ComicBook/GuardianDevil'' storyline, Mysterio, after learning he's dying, launches an EvilPlan to ruin Daredevil's life and [[SuicideByCop goad him into killing him]]. Daredevil beats him down; and then after denying him what he wants, verbally tears both the plan and Mysterio to pieces. [[DespairEventHorizon Not disagreeing]], Beck then admits that he ''does'' have one more idea to steal -- [[ComicBook/KravensLastHunt Kraven the Hunter's]] -- and promptly [[AteHisGun shoots himself in the head]]. |
| 618 | -->'''Mysterio:''' D… Do it, hero… K… Kill me.\ |
| 619 | '''Daredevil:''' [[NotWorthKilling I'm not going to give you the satisfaction]]. You think you can break me? You're a joke and a fraud. Now give me the baby and let's ''end'' this.\ |
| 620 | '''Mysterio:''' A… fraud?! I'm… an artist! I n… nearly drove you… insane!\ |
| 621 | '''Daredevil:''' You drugged me and killed people. There's no talent in that… ''just savagery''.\ |
| 622 | '''Mysterio:''' B… but… my dystopian nightmare…\ |
| 623 | '''Daredevil:''' [[ShutUpHannibal ...was nothing more than B-Movie material]]. An amalgam of whorish, clichéd devices. The supernatural intruding on our world? Didn't you use the same schtick on J. Jonah Jameson years ago? And trying to drive me insane? Kingpin nearly did it once. But you're no Kingpin. You're not even close. You think you've spun some sort of grand swan-song epic? Think again. You've just told yet another tale of a so-called super-genius endeavoring to drive his arch-nemesis -- or, in this case, his ''adopted'' arch-nemesis -- insane. Your whole existence is counterfeit. You've never had an original thought in your life. You're a product of too many movies and too much TV. Regurgitating only what's gone before. You're a Human Xerox, at ''best''. |
| 624 | ** Beck then admits that he has one more idea to steal: [[ComicBook/KravensLastHunt Kraven's]], and shoots himself in the head. |
| 625 | * RoguesGalleryTransplant: Mysterio did this once on purpose because the real Spidey wasn't available, and made enough of an impression (notably, he indirectly caused the death of Karen Page) that he arguably still has a place among ''Dardevil's'' foes. He is still mostly a Spidey villain but when he shows up, there is a higher-than-normal chance that Daredevil will too. |
| 626 | ** Likewise in ''ComicBook/OldManLogan'' he became a villain for ''ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}''. |
| 627 | ** He briefly becomes a nemesis of [[Characters/MarvelComicsXMan Nate Grey]] (who, partly thanks to being friends with Spidey, had a tendency to run into Spidey's enemies), and even successfully trapped him in a fantasy world. Unfortunately, Nate is arguably Marvel's most powerful psychic. Needless to say, Karma followed very quickly. |
| 628 | * SecondaryColorNemesis: Mysterio wears a green bodysuit and a flowing purple cape, the latter of which billows behind him to add flair to his movements. |
| 629 | * ShadowArchetype: Mysterio reflects Spider-Man's [[DudeWheresMyRespect desire for respect]] and his temptation to use his powers for his [[ItsAllAboutMe own selfish gains]] instead of helping others. Both were people who felt unappreciated and downtrodden most of their lives and started out using their special gifts for money and fame but while Peter learns [[ComesGreatResponsibility with great power comes great responsibility]] Mysterio stays a selfish jerk. |
| 630 | * SmallNameBigEgo: He's a firmly B-list villain at best, but his ego is the size of a planet. He's had a respectable career as a villain, but he's not anywhere near the level of the Green Goblin or Doctor Octopus. He doesn't take it well when he realizes his true place on the villain ladder. |
| 631 | * SmokeOut: He's fond of this, as per his [[MasterOfIllusion illusionist/performer]] persona. |
| 632 | * SymbioticPossession: In ''Symbiote Spider-Man'', Mysterio blackmails Felicia Hardy into obtaining a sample of Spider-Man's mysterious new [[ComicBook/{{Venom}} black suit]] -- actually an alien symbiote. This piece of the symbiote later bonds to Mysterio, who revels in his newfound power and seeks to kill Spider-Man to claim the rest of it for himself. |
| 633 | * TrickedOutShoes: He has used magnetic boots in order to mimic Spidey's wall-crawling. |
| 634 | * {{Troll}}: Creator/DanSlott's interpretation of ComicBook/{{Mysterio}} in ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderManDanSlott'' seems to realize the fact that he is seen as a HarmlessVillain, and rather than snap and try to prove them wrong, he actually [[BecomingTheMask just takes the ball and rolls with it.]] In ''ComicBook/EndsOfTheEarth'' he's even seen killing time playing ''VideoGame/AngryBirds'' as opposed to aiding the Sinister Six. |
| 635 | * TropicalEpilogue: During ''The Gauntlet'' arc, Mysterio's ultimate goal when he takes over the Maggia is to grab as much money as he can, and "buy an island in the tropics where I can sit under palm trees and drink things out of coconuts". |
| 636 | * VillainousRescue: In ''ComicBook/EndsOfTheEarth'', Mysterio had once saved ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' from impending doom. [[LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain Though Tony Stark wouldn't admit it.]] |
| 637 | [[/folder]] |
| 638 | |
| 639 | [[folder:Prowler]] |
| 640 | -> See Characters/SpiderManSupportingCharacters |
| 641 | [[/folder]] |
| 642 | |
| 643 | [[folder:Rhino]] |
| 644 | !!Rhino |
| 645 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aleksei_sytsevich_earth_616_from_daughters_of_the_dragon_vol_1_1_0001.jpg]] |
| 646 | !!!'''Alter Ego:''' Aleksei Mikhailovich Sytsevich |
| 647 | !!!'''Notable Aliases:''' Alex O'Hirn |
| 648 | !!!'''Species:''' Human mutate (Gamma) |
| 649 | !!!'''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #41 (October 1966) |
| 650 | |
| 651 | ->''"People don't get me. I'm not stupid. I'm simple. Big difference. And when I accept a job, I complete a job. I knock into stuff. It falls down. Sometimes, enough times, I get paid for it."'' |
| 652 | \ |
| 653 | An immigrant to the United States from Russia, Aleksei was approached by some mobsters to earn money by participating in an experimental treatment. The treatment helped give him a new suit that imitated the toughness of a rhino's hide and increased his strength past that of Spider-Man's. Initially directed to kidnap J. Jonah Jameson's son, he was stopped by Spider-Man, and became a recurring threat from then on. |
| 654 | ---- |
| 655 | * AnimalThemedSuperbeing: He's a supervillain based on a rhino. |
| 656 | * BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. His unique physiology allows him to survive in outer space with little issue, but he still requires an oxygen mask for the breathing part. |
| 657 | * TheBrute: Bulky and stupid, but occasionally has [[DumbassHasAPoint startling moments of insight]]. |
| 658 | * CharacterizationMarchesOn: In his origin, it was mentioned he got smarter due to the process; however, everyone wrote him as dumb afterwards. Recently, he's gone back to being written as being of at least average intelligence but who knows how long that will last. |
| 659 | * TheChewToy: For a time, ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} shrunk him down to about the size of a hamster and kept him as a pet. He eventually got revenge on Deadpool, though. |
| 660 | * ClingyCostume: He can't take off his outfit unless it's surgically removed. |
| 661 | * DeathSeeker: By the end of ''ComicBook/EndsOfTheEarth'', it's revealed that he's the only member of the Sinister Six in on Doc Ock's ''real'' plan to wipe out 99.92% of all Earthly life, as he feels that a world in which his beloved wife could die so horribly simply doesn't deserve to live. He ultimately commits suicide by drowning, taking Silver Sable with him. |
| 662 | * DependingOnTheWriter: |
| 663 | ** His intelligence and how strongly affixed his costume is. The first time he took on the Hulk, his costume was more of a slip-on thing, while other writers have made it clear that he can only go to the bathroom due to a tiny flap and he can't get laid. This has since been fixed and he can put it on and take it off at will. Creator/MarkWaid once explained this by claiming the mutation was unstable regarding his intelligence, then had it stabilized in that same story. |
| 664 | ** His Russian origins gets played up or downplayed depending on the writer as well. When downplayed, he typically gets depicted as a blue-collar criminal similar to Sandman and Shocker. |
| 665 | ** Sometimes Spider-Man can beat him as casually as any other member of his rogues gallery. Other times, he's portrayed as TheJuggernaut and Spider-Man talks about how Rhino makes his heart skip a beat and how he's far above all the other villains playing dressup, with Peter always needing luck or preparation to beat him. |
| 666 | * {{Determinator}}: Once fought Hulk for days, on a traveling spacecraft, in orbit ''around the sun''. |
| 667 | * DumbMuscle: Rhino is defined by this trope. Unless he's fighting against other heavyweights like Hulk, there is little chance of defeating him with brute strength. However, it is very easy to trick and outsmart him. The only reason why he has the suit is because his superiors thought that Rhino's strength would be easy to command because of his stupidity. The Leader recruited him for this express purpose; the Rhino was one of the few who could reliably fight the Hulk and simultaneously submit to his will. All the others were either too weak or too ambitious in their own right. |
| 668 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: |
| 669 | ** His fight with Spider-Man in ''The Origin of the Species'' is short-lived as Spider-Man reads him the riot act for trying to start a fight when Spidey has a baby in tow. Rhino, much to Spidey's shock, actually ''does'' drop the fight and leave of his own accord in response. |
| 670 | ** In the ''End of Hell'' story where he goes up against Daredevil, he admits he doesn't want to wreck churches but will anyways since he's being paid to. However, he decides he'll wreck the cathedral for last and gives the people inside ten minutes to clear out. |
| 671 | ** In the more recent years, Rhino has shifted to being [[PunchClockVillain a muscle for hire]] but it gets established in ''ComicBook/MilesMoralesSpiderMan2018'' and later reaffirmed in ''ComicBook/DevilsReign'' that child trafficking [[WouldntHurtAChild is a moral line he won't cross]]. |
| 672 | * EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: His dearly departed wife, Oksana, was the first person to get him to actively try to be a better person. After her death, he [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope doubles down on villainy]] and directly worked to end the world. He's since gotten into a better headspace, and even teamed up with ComicBook/CaptainAmerica and [[Characters/MarvelComicsMilesMorales the other Spider-Man]] to rescue Oksana's niece to honor her memory. |
| 673 | * FlowersForAlgernonSyndrome: Becomes a heck of a lot smarter in ''Flowers for the Rhino''. So much so that he sets up a complicated gambit to ensure his own defeat then reverses the process because it made his life far less interesting. |
| 674 | * GeniusBruiser: Briefly in ''Flowers for the Rhino''. |
| 675 | * HeelFaceRevolvingDoor[=/=]LoveRedeems: For a while, he gives up his life crime when meet and marry a waitress, Oksana. Unfortunately, she is later killed by the new Rhino. Aleksei donned the Rhino suit again; easily defeated and killed the New Rhino returning to villain's side. |
| 676 | * MoralityChain: His wife, Oksana. She doesn't last long. By the end of Doctor Octopus' latest scheme, he's gone completely insane. Octavius offered him not any sort of wealth or status, but the opportunity to watch the world ''burn''. |
| 677 | * NoNameGiven: The Rhino was initially unnamed, though he sometimes went by the alias "Alex O'Hirn", which became his official name in the ''ComicBook/UltimateMarvel'' continuity. His real name was ultimately revealed to be Aleksei Mikhailovich Sytsevich. |
| 678 | * NoSell: Rhino is the first person to get hit by [[Characters/MarvelComicsMilesMorales Miles Morales]]' Venom Blast and just get up like it was nothing. To elaborate on how impressive this is, even guys like Venom or demons like Blackheart got knocked out for at least a few minutes after a hit like that. |
| 679 | * PetTheDog: Misses his dead mom and wife, and since said wife's sister is a drug addict, he's quite protective towards his niece-by-marriage, Tanya. |
| 680 | * PunnyName: His alias Alex O'Hirn, with O'Hirn being an anagram of "Rhino". |
| 681 | * RhinoRampage: He's a rhino guy whose main method of attack is charging straight ahead. |
| 682 | * RoguesGalleryTransplant: More well-known as a Spider-Man villain, the Rhino nonetheless has been quite the foe for the Hulk and Deadpool as well. |
| 683 | * StrongAsTheyNeedToBe: {{Downplayed|Trope}} but present as a result of him being an opponent of both the Hulk and Spider-Man; While he is almost always portrayed as one of Spidey's most difficult foes physically while comparatively only being a mid-tier foe for the Hulk, the amount of punishment Rhino can take and the exact level of strength he has shows some major disprenancy. In a 70's comic, Rhino once fought the Hulk for three days straight on the outer hull of a spaceship circling the sun, whereas a comic in TheNewTens had him whammied when Miles Morales tricked him into falling a few stories. |
| 684 | * SuperStrength: His limits are around 80 tons without his suit, and over 100 with it. When first hired by the Leader, he had his powers boosted further in preparation for a bout with the Hulk. |
| 685 | * TakingYouWithMe: [[spoiler:Drowns himself and Silver Sable to make Spider-Man break his promise of not letting anyone die.]] |
| 686 | * WeddingSmashers: His first fight with the Hulk had him ruin Betty Ross and Bruce Banner's wedding. |
| 687 | [[/folder]] |
| 688 | |
| 689 | [[folder:Sandman]] |
| 690 | !!Sandman |
| 691 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sandmanspidey_1701.jpg]] |
| 692 | !!!'''Alter Ego:''' William Baker |
| 693 | !!!'''Notable Aliases:''' Flint Marko, Sylvester Mann, the Quarryman |
| 694 | !!!'''Species:''' Human mutate |
| 695 | !!!'''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #4 (September 1963) |
| 696 | |
| 697 | ->''"Enough! You always said I was just some dumb punk. Fine. I'm gonna show you how single-minded I can be! There's only one thought in my head now, wall-crawler! Killin' you! And nothin's more important than that! Nothin'!"'' |
| 698 | \ |
| 699 | William Baker became a crook in his youth, but didn't want his mother to know about it, so went by the alias Flint Marko while doing jobs. One day on the run from his latest heist, he briefly stopped at an empty beach to hide. Unfortunately, the beach was empty because the military was testing a nuclear bomb there. Caught in the explosion, Baker had his body molecules bounded with the sand around him, turning him into a literal sandman. Since then, the grainy villain clashed with Spider-Man many times, though in more recent years, he's gotten away from the supervillain gig, and taken on more heroic stances. |
| 700 | ---- |
| 701 | * AlternateCompanyEquivalent: Franchise/{{Batman}} villain Clayface is usually considered his DC counterpart, being another ground-based shapeshifter. |
| 702 | * AntiHero: Originally a full villain, but these days he's this. |
| 703 | * BlobMonster: Can become soft sand or hard rock. |
| 704 | * BookDumb: Not very well educated but he can be clever in a pinch. |
| 705 | * BrainwashedAndCrazy: Eventually revealed to be the main reason the HeelFaceTurn didn't stick; his old partner, the Wizard, used a device to turn him back into a criminal. |
| 706 | * TheBrute: Frequently employed purely for the fact he can turn his hands into sledgehammers. |
| 707 | * CompleteImmortality: The "Cracked Hourglass" two-parter reveals that Marko has this, or something very near to it. An alternate version of him tried to possess his past self to escape the heat death of the universe, but failed and ended up in an AndIMustScream scenario, left floating in the void. |
| 708 | * DistaffCounterpart: Quicksand has similar powers but is a woman. |
| 709 | * ElementalShapeshifter: True to his codename, Baker can [[SandBlaster freely manipulate sand]], which his entire body is comprised of. The sand functions identically to, and appears to be, normal flesh. However, he can convert all or parts of his body into animated sand at will. |
| 710 | * EnemyMine: Teamed up with Spidey a few times, once concerning his father in ''Friendly Neighborhood''. |
| 711 | * EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Keemia, as of ''Brand New Day'' - they're not actually related, but she thinks of him as a dad. Even before he met her there's his parents, whom he deeply loves. |
| 712 | * FriendlyEnemy: |
| 713 | ** He has a less venomous relationship with Spider-Man than the wallcrawler's other adversaries, even when he's not playing the good guy. Has teamed up with him in the past. |
| 714 | ** Sandman also has a rather cordial relationship with Ben Grimm despite his past as a member of the Frightful Four. The two have been drinking buddies in the past and have even worked together on rare occasions. |
| 715 | * FromASingleCell: Similar to Hydro-Man, his mind is contained within a single grain of sand, which can bring him back if it survives and is exposed to more sand. |
| 716 | * FutureBadass: His alternate future self demonstrates that, aside from near immortality, that he has the potential to overcome his weakness to water and turn himself to glass at will ''and'' lend his sand powers to someone else. |
| 717 | * GlassCannon: Nearly impossible to hurt, but if you bring water or fire into the mix... |
| 718 | * HeelFaceTurn: For most of the 1980s and 1990s, the Sandman got sick of crime and went straight. He actually joined the Avengers as reserve member for a while. That lasted a good twenty years, real world time. |
| 719 | ** HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Then his old teammate the Wizard stuck him in a machine and brainwashed him to be evil again. Since then, he's been in an identity crisis where it seems the good and evil inside him, along with his sanity, can shift as easily as the sand that makes up his body. |
| 720 | * HiddenDepths: One special [[ADayInTheLimelight focused on him]] depicted him with artistic aspirations, with a desire to make something that lasts after seeing his elaborate sandcastles wash away at the beach. |
| 721 | * IconicOutfit: Rarely seen without his green striped shirt and brown pants. |
| 722 | * {{Jerkass}}: He's often a selfish, greedy thug. Sometimes he's a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, but that depends on the writer. |
| 723 | * LanternJawOfJustice: Mostly of injustice but he did try to go straight for a time with Silver Sable's Wild Pack. |
| 724 | * LogicalWeakness: He can be turned to mud or glass by water or extreme heat. |
| 725 | * MesACrowd: He seems to have taken a page from Agent Smith: the drawback is that his different bodies can act out subconscious urges without him even being aware of it. |
| 726 | * MySuitIsAlsoSuper: The reason he always wears that green striped shirt and brown pants ensemble is that they're what he was wearing when he got his powers. They're effectively part of him now, and he can shapeshift and re-form them at will. For a while in the Silver Age, he did wear a custom-made costume made of unstable molecules that could shapeshift with him (provided by the Wizard), but he eventually stopped using it. |
| 727 | * NighInvulnerability: He could change the density of his body so that one moment he was hard as a rock and the next moment Spider-Man's punches just hit loose sand. |
| 728 | * NobleDemon: Pretty nice and reasonable when you get to know him, and very caring towards his family even when he's playing the bad guy. |
| 729 | * PalatialSandcastle; Showcased the ability to do this for Keemi when they meet on the beach, able to use the excess sand to raise a huge structure. |
| 730 | * ParentalSubstitute: Towards Keemia, who views him as her adoptive father. |
| 731 | * RoguesGalleryTransplant: After Spider-Man, he fought The FF for some time with the Frightful Four and Hulk in the 1970s. |
| 732 | * SandBlaster: As his name implies, the Sandman can transform into sand and manipulate his body in this state. He can also absorb or merge with sand in his vicinity. |
| 733 | * SentientSands: He is made out of sand (you might have guessed it from his name), stemming from when he hid out on a beach to evade the law, only for said beach to become the test site of a nuclear bomb, with the radiation bonding his molecules to the sand around him. |
| 734 | * SingleSubstanceManipulation: He has very limited telekinetic abilities over sand. He can draw sand from his immediate area towards himself, and then absorb it to increase his mass and strength. |
| 735 | * StrongFamilyResemblance: ''ComicBook/SpiderManChapterOne'' retconned him into being Norman Osborn's cousin as a way of explaining their similar ''hairstyles''. This was quickly rendered CanonDiscontinuity, but was mentioned in the walkthrough guide for ''VideoGame/SpiderMan2EnterElectro''. |
| 736 | * SuperEmpowering: The "Cracked Hourglass" two-parter reaches a climax when he learns centuries earlier than his alternate future self that he can lend his sand controlling powers to someone else. |
| 737 | * SuperhumanTransfusion: Betty Ross once inadvertently received a blood transfusion from him. [[TakenForGranite It turned her into a glass statue]]. |
| 738 | * SuperStrength: As a consequence of having a body composed of animated sand, he possesses phenomenal superhuman strength, able to lift up to 85 tons under optimal conditions. |
| 739 | * TechnicallyNakedShapeshifter: He can alter the color of his sandy body to resemble clothes, although it's largely cosmetic and not detailed enough to make a convincing disguise. |
| 740 | * UnderestimatingBadassery: Has been on both sides of this trope. Sometimes its heroes thinking someone who dukes it out with a spider guy can't be ''that'' tough. Other times its things like getting bitten by Venom and temporally dying. |
| 741 | * VoluntaryShapeshifting: He can shape his sand-state body into any continuous shape he can imagine, including his forearms into weapons like hammers, spiked maces, and large fists, stretching, elongating, deforming, expanding, flattening, or compressing all or portions of his body at will, like Mr. Fantastic, phase through small openings, etc. |
| 742 | * WeaksauceWeakness: First defeated by a power vacuum. Water can ''really'' slow him down, and intense heat turns him to glass. |
| 743 | * WhoWantsToLiveForever: High chance he will live to the heat death of the universe, which is something he acknowledges as pretty heavy. He figures this out after already facing his mortality when he has trouble maintaining his human form, but this turns out to be his human form itself dying. |
| 744 | [[/folder]] |
| 745 | |
| 746 | [[folder:Scorpion]] |
| 747 | -> See [[Characters/MarvelComicsMacGargan Mac Gargan]] |
| 748 | [[/folder]] |
| 749 | |
| 750 | [[folder:Shocker]] |
| 751 | !!Shocker |
| 752 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shockerspidey_3787.jpg]] |
| 753 | !!!'''Alter Ego:''' Herman Schultz |
| 754 | !!!'''Notable Aliases:''' Quilty |
| 755 | !!!'''Species:''' Human |
| 756 | !!!'''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #46 (March 1967) |
| 757 | |
| 758 | ->''"No! I said, no! You think you can come here and just give orders -- you think -- you all think -- I'm some kind of loser, someone you can just push around whenever you feel like it! Well that's not how it's gonna be anymore! I came here to get mine and I'm not leaving until I do! One way or another, you're all gonna learn -- [[http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/919/015/341.jpg don't mock the Shocker!]]"'' |
| 759 | \ |
| 760 | A career bank robber, Herman Schultz built a DIY battle suit for himself using a set of "Vibro-Shock Gauntlets" that could launch blasts of concentrated air vibrated to high frequencies. Despite defeating Spider-Man in their first encounter -- mostly because [[WorfHadTheFlu Peter had a broken arm]] -- Shocker remained a thief and mercenary, acting as a subordinate to more megalomaniacal villains. |
| 761 | ---- |
| 762 | * ADayInTheLimelight: The Superior Foes of Spider-Man story line is this for him as he is a main character there. |
| 763 | * AffablyEvil: Tends to be pretty friendly off the clock. This doesn't mean he doesn't do dangerous crimes when on the clock. |
| 764 | * AntiVillain: Just how much he falls into this varies DependingOnTheWriter, but he's generally one of the most sympathetic rogues. He also has his own sense of honor and is surprisingly willing to ally with the heroes against a greater threat, even going against his usual sense of PragmaticVillainy to help. |
| 765 | * BadassBookworm: He's a smart guy and puts up a good fight, and has updated and improved his costume and blast gauntlets based upon past encounters with Spider-Man. |
| 766 | * BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: When She-Hulk visited him in his home and not only did she not simply beat answers out of him, she bought him Chinese for dinner, Herman was willing to blast himself in the head with his own gauntlets in order to jolt his memories a bit. |
| 767 | * BeneathNotice: He deliberately avoids cultivating notoriety as a supervillain in order to avoid the attention of any hero who could easily crush him or would go for the kill. |
| 768 | * BewareTheNiceOnes: After getting bullied around by Boomerang once too often, [[spoiler: he snapped and went rogue, beat the rest of the Sinister Six within an inch of their lives, and used Silvermane's head to become head of the Maggia]]. |
| 769 | * BewareTheSillyOnes: While his outfit looks rather dumb and he often comes off as TheChewToy, he's not someone you should take lightly. |
| 770 | * ButtMonkey: Nowadays he's not very highly regarded, despite the fact he's actually one of Spider-Man's more successful foes. The only person that seems to give him any respect is ComicBook/TheHood, though Spidey and Daredevil are quite aware that he's the real deal and are smart enough to tread carefully around him. |
| 771 | * TheChewToy: Is a C-list villain who is rarely taken seriously anymore. In his case, he doesn't particularly mind his reputation as long as it keeps other heroes off his back and/or (in the case of the Punisher) from putting a bullet through his head. |
| 772 | * ClothesMakeTheSuperman: His gauntlets and insulated suit are what give him his powers, especially later reiterations of the suit; Schultz redesigns his equipment regularly, and after working with minor X-men villain Unus the Untouchable, he got the idea to insert "contact plates", which trigger sharp bursts of pressure on detecting impact. This deflects physical strikes, makes him very difficult to get a grip on, and makes his physical attacks extra powerful due to trip-hammer vibration. |
| 773 | * ConsummateProfessional: Compared to other supervillains, he behaves more like a professional career criminal rather than the typical madman. |
| 774 | * CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: He may not seem like much, but he's a skilled fighter, engineer, and a veteran supervillain. Shocker actually exploits this; if nobody takes you seriously, then you have the element of surprise and aren't being actively targeted by the heroes. So ''many'' people overlook his long career, the fact that he's actually good at what he does, and he's even better at flying under the radar. You could count on one hand the number of times he's been imprisoned. Lastly, Spider-Man regards him as a legitimate threat and knows to be extremely careful when fighting him. Interestingly, Shocker regards Spider-Man and any other heroes he encounters as occupational hazards of the life he's chosen and never makes it personal. Only his so-called "teammates" have made the mistake of pissing him off enough for the badass to really come out. |
| 775 | * CutLexLuthorACheck: Addressed in Venom's 2016 series. When being interviewed in jail about why he didn't use his engineering knowledge to attain a legitimate fortune, Herman quickly points out that since his criminal record predated his more impressive engineering feats, the taint of it would sabotage most attempts to find legitimate work, despite his impressive talents. Thus, career bank robbery seems the most pragmatic way to go. |
| 776 | * DependingOnTheWriter: Obviously, being a comic book character, but as this trope page indicates, in modern times there's a bit of a split between those writers who want to lean into Schultz's characterization as a ConsummateProfessional rational career criminal and those writers who want to go in a wackier direction and treat the Shocker as a bit of a petty, ridiculous loser. |
| 777 | * TheDon: After the events of ''Superior Foes'', he became the boss of the Maggia crime family. This is dropped later on, which is helped by that story being told an UnreliableNarrator. |
| 778 | * EmbarrassingButEmpoweringOutfit: His quilted, padded outfit is pretty dumb-looking and makes him the subject of a lot of jokes, despite the fact that it has a functional and necessary purpose. |
| 779 | * FriendlyEnemy: "Friendly" is a stretch, but he has absolutely nothing against Spider-Man, Daredevil, or the vast majority of the other heroes he runs into and views run-ins with them as part of the job description and little else. The Punisher is the only exception, purely because Shocker is entirely aware that Frank will shoot him without a second thought and will pursue him to the ends of the earth if he ever takes an interest in him. |
| 780 | ** He actually ends up becoming friends with Star-Lord when the Guardians of the Galaxy end up stranded on Earth for a while. This is aided by the fact that since Peter is a cosmic based hero, the odds of him ever actually opposing Shocker were slim to none. Him admitting to being a thief as well also helped Shocker trust him despite being a hero. |
| 781 | * GeniusBruiser: Is a self-taught engineer who built his weapons and suit himself. |
| 782 | * HaveAGayOldTime: People mock his name a little more these days. |
| 783 | * HonorAmongThieves: He believes in this to an extent, which was why Boomerang's version of the Sinister Six was able to manipulate and backstab him so frequently. Granted this mindset has earned him the trust and respect of some powerful figures in the underworld, including Silvermane and Javelyn as well as a few loyal friends in the villain community. |
| 784 | * IneffectualSympatheticVillain: He wears a somewhat ridiculous looking yellow-and-brown costume, and has no superpowers without his gauntlets. |
| 785 | * LaughablyEvil: In one issue of ''ComicBook/MsMarvel2014'' he crosses the Hudson River and tries to set up shop in Jersey City, where Ms. Marvel, who is decidedly less powerful and experienced than the average hero in Manhattan, is the only cape known to regularly patrol the streets. He has a blast, openly strutting around and making use of a rickety treehouse like structure for his "aboveground lair". |
| 786 | * LethalJokeCharacter: Half of the real world population seems to think he's just a joke character... but more people need to remember that he's got one of the best records of fighting Spider-Man. His victories rival those of Doc Ock! One time he even defeated Spidey with the help of fellow LethalJokeCharacter Trapster (a.k.a. Paste Pot Pete). The only reason they let him live was that their employer told them he'd double their pay if they let him go. |
| 787 | %%* NiceGuy: Known for being very affable and friendly when off the clock. |
| 788 | * NobleDemon: He has a sense of ethics even outside of his PragmaticVillainy. He's very loyal, firmly believes in HonorAmongThieves, and sometimes proves an astonishingly helpful ally to superheroes whenever a greater threat arises. |
| 789 | * NonIndicativeName: His suit does not allow him to use electricity. He creates ''shock''waves. |
| 790 | * NoRespectGuy: Not many people take him as seriously as they probably should. Shocker doesn't mind, as it means he doesn't end up as a target for bigger superheroes like the Avengers or psycho vigilantes like the Punisher. |
| 791 | * NormalFishInATinyPond: Invoked by Shocker himself. The reason he moves to New Jersey is due to the surplus of heroes and villains in New York while he's considered a C-List villain there. But since New Jersey hardly has any heroes, he could easily become a threat here. |
| 792 | * NothingPersonal: Shocker's only interested in money, not petty things like revenge. Spidey, Daredevil, and anyone else trying to scrap with him is merely an occupational hazard and nothing more. |
| 793 | * NotSoHarmlessVillain: Shocker may seem like he's not much of a threat, and people generally don't take him very seriously, but Spidey and Daredevil know he's actually pretty dangerous. |
| 794 | * OnlySaneMan: For Spidey's rogues gallery in general. |
| 795 | * PragmaticVillainy: A big part of his character. He has a very businesslike approach to his work, which means that he avoids holding or acting on grudges (because there's no money in going after Spidey, Daredevil, or someone else while off the clock, and unless he's getting paid to do it, he's not going to go beyond doing what it takes to get them off his ass), keeps a low profile (because making too big a name for yourself tends to put you on the Punisher's radar), and sticks to activities that are relatively low-risk and have good returns. |
| 796 | * PunchClockVillain: He simply treats supervillainy as a job and generally has no grand ambition other than trying to get by and make some money. |
| 797 | * RoguesGalleryTransplant: At one point he moved to New Jersey and antagonized [[ComicBook/MsMarvel2014 Ms. Marvel]] after he felt New York had too many superheroes. |
| 798 | * SayMyName: One of his more memorable schemes involved causing mass blackouts in Manhattan that when viewed from above spelled out SHOCKER. |
| 799 | * ScrewThisImOuttaHere: How his tenure on the Thunderbolts ended; upon seeing how [[BloodKnight violent]] Mr. Hyde and Troll were and having the nanites controlling him disabled, he decided to run while he still could. |
| 800 | * SmallNameBigEgo: He shows signs of this during his fights with Ms. Marvel, the most notable being when he brags about his SupervillainLair, which is pretty much a glorified tree fort. |
| 801 | * TookALevelInBadass: That time he upgraded. |
| 802 | --> '''Shocker:''' I've made a few changes to my entire vibro-shock system. I miniaturized the vibro units and spread them all over my costume. At the first hint of a sneak attack, the vibration shield is thrown up and... well... I'm sure you're feeling the results right through your fillings just about now. Needless to say, but I will anyway, I also increased the power of the units. For years I spent so much time moaning about always losing to guys like you, and then, one day, it came to me. I think I was watching some infomercial about taking charge of the power within... or something like that. Anyway... I realized that I hadn't bothered to update my vibro technology since I first started out with this gig. As you can probably tell... I was successful when I tried. I like to think my mother would have been proud of her boy. What do you think? Don't worry. You can get back to me on that. |
| 803 | * VibrationManipulation: His Vibro-Shock Gauntlets work by sucking in and compacting air, then vibrating it rapidly inside the gauntlets' interior. Once it's built up the right level of vibrations/pressure, he expels it as a concussive force blast. It's often mistakenly [[AdaptationalSuperpowerChange portrayed as an electrical attack in animated media]], no doubt due to his choice of moniker. |
| 804 | * VillainDecay: Sadly happened to him nowadays where current day is more of a jobber. |
| 805 | * VillainousFriendship: Used to have one with Hydro-Man, but after Morris screwed up several jobs for the duo and sold Shocker out to Hammerhead for money, Herman no longer works with him. He also appears to be friendly with Diamondhead and the second 8-Ball. |
| 806 | * WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: For a long time in the 90s, he was terrified of Scourge, believing the notorious villain-killing vigilante was hiding in every shadow waiting to gun him down, and that ''everyone'' who spoke to him could be Scourge in disguise. The Kingpin was even able to make him flee in terror in the middle of a battle ''he was winning'' simply by having a henchman shout Scourge's catchphrase. Ironically, there's no proof at all that he was ever on Scourge's hit list at all. He's also justifiably afraid of the Punisher and has had encounters with him (and lived to tell the tale), but while he does take pains to stay off his radar, he's never been anywhere near as paranoid as he was with Scourge. |
| 807 | [[/folder]] |
| 808 | |
| 809 | [[folder:Spider-Slayer]] |
| 810 | !!Spider-Slayer |
| 811 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/asmythe_5049.jpg]] |
| 812 | !!!'''Alter Ego:''' Alistair Alphonso Smythe |
| 813 | !!!'''Notable Aliases:''' The Ultimate Spider Slayer |
| 814 | !!!'''Species:''' Human cyborg |
| 815 | !!!'''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man Annual'' #19 (November 1985) |
| 816 | |
| 817 | ->''"For all you have done to the Smythe family. My family. And to every member of my Slayer Swarm. Everyone you ever loved -- anyone foolish enough to call you friend -- will find my wrath raining down upon them."'' |
| 818 | \ |
| 819 | The son of Spencer Smythe, Alistair Smythe picked up where his father left off, targeting Spider-Man, Jameson, and their loved ones with his own Spider-Slayers in an attempt to avenge Spencer's death. Alistair initially worked for the Kingpin, but his vendetta resulted in him being paralyzed from the waist down. Realizing his robots were not enough, Alistair constructed a suit of PoweredArmor and called himself the Ultimate Spider-Slayer. He was defeated but broke out of jail and continued improving the Spider-Slayer robots and his own armor. Alistair eventually assembled a group of supervillains with grudges against Spider-Man and Jameson and equipped them with advanced powered armor, succeeding in killing Jameson's wife. He was sentenced to death, but broke free with help from his Spider-Slayers. Mortally wounded by Jameson and Spider-Man, he attempted to transfer his consciousness into the latter's body, only to die discovering [[ComicBook/DoctorOctopus another supervillain]] had beaten him to it. |
| 820 | ---- |
| 821 | * AttackDrone: The Spider Slayers are some of the few major Marvel robots to not be sentient in anyway, as most are piloted remotely, occasionally with [[TVHeadRobot the user's face transmitting on a built in screen.]] |
| 822 | * AvengingTheVillain: His entire motivation is avenging his father Spencer's death. |
| 823 | * BladeBelowTheShoulder: His armor was equipped with claws and arm-blades. |
| 824 | * {{Cyborg}}: As the Ultimate Spider-Slayer, he has physically enhancing cybernetics implanted in his flesh. |
| 825 | * DeadGuyJunior: Like his father, he's a genius at mechanical engineering. |
| 826 | * EvilCripple: DownplayedTrope. He was paralyzed while trying to kill Spider-Man. |
| 827 | * FreudianExcuse: He's got pretty good reason to be angry at Jameson, given how the latter and Spiderman were indirectly responsible for his father's madness and death, leaving him and his mother all alone. |
| 828 | * GrandTheftMe: ''Tried'' to pull one on Spider-Man before dying but discovered Otto Octavius had beaten him to it. |
| 829 | * KilledOffForReal: At the hands of the Superior Spider-Man. |
| 830 | * KillerRobot: The earlier Spider Slayers were initially designed to capture Spider-Man, but the newer models were built as lethal as possible by Alistair. |
| 831 | * LegacyCharacter: A variation. He took over from his father Spencer as the master of the Spider Slayers and eventually gave himself the Spider Slayer Moniker. |
| 832 | * MechaMooks: The Spider Slayers. Unlike the Sentinels, the don't possess advanced A.I and serve as weaponized drones for anyone behind the controls. |
| 833 | * PoweredArmor: After being crippled he built himself a suit of cybernetic armor. He later upgraded to a biomechanical version. |
| 834 | * ProgressivelyPrettier: He lost a lot of weight between his first and second appearances and managed to shave the beard and get a haircut before the third story that he was part of. Nowadays, he looks genuinely attractive under his armor. |
| 835 | * RobotMaster: Like father, like son. |
| 836 | * ShouldersOfDoom: His armor had a pair of forward-facing blades on them. |
| 837 | * SketchySuccessor: Doc Ock believes he is not even half the plotter his father was. |
| 838 | [[/folder]] |
| 839 | |
| 840 | [[folder:Tinkerer]] |
| 841 | !!Tinkerer |
| 842 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tinkerer_8749.jpg]] |
| 843 | !!!'''Alter Ego:''' Phineas Mason |
| 844 | !!!'''Notable Aliases:''' Dr. Walker, Hophni Mason, Mr. Fixit, The Terrible Tinkerer, Tink |
| 845 | !!!'''Species:''' Human |
| 846 | !!!'''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #2 (May, 1963) |
| 847 | |
| 848 | ->''"How many times have I told you? No costumes through the front door! I swear, Goblin, if I have to change shops again--"'' |
| 849 | \ |
| 850 | A technological genius, the elderly Phineas Mason serves the underworld as the Tinkerer, creating and repairing the gear of innumerable supervillains. Preferring to remain in the background, the Tinkerer rarely commits or becomes involved in schemes that will bring him into direct conflict with superheroes and the authorities. |
| 851 | ---- |
| 852 | * AuctionOfEvil: He holds these and sold the ComicBook/{{Venom}} symbiote at one. |
| 853 | * BallisticDiscount: Don't you dare try that with the weapons he makes for you; he engineers special fail-safes in his products for idiots who do. |
| 854 | * CarFu: After being hired by ComicBook/TheKingpin to kill Spider-Man, he tried to do it by weaponizing and remotely controlling the [[ThemeMobile Spider-Mobile]]. |
| 855 | * CoolOldGuy: If you keep on his good side. |
| 856 | * CruelMercy: ComicBook/ThePunisher let him off "light" by damaging his spine, leaving him confined to a wheelchair for a few months. |
| 857 | * CutLexLuthorACheck: It's revealed in ''ComicBook/SecretWar2004'' that he was being paid to create supervillains by Latveria, as a means of causing mayhem in the United States. He also does legitimate repair work for people's appliances and electronics in his spare time and is willing to help almost anyone who pays him, including the government and heroes like Black Cat. |
| 858 | * DeadpanSnarker[=/=]GrumpyOldMan: Tact is not one of his strongpoints. |
| 859 | * TheDragon: For a while, he had one known as Toy, a ScaryBlackMan who turned out to be JustAMachine. |
| 860 | * EnemyMine: After his son was infected by the Carrion virus, Phineas helped Spider-Man work on a cure for the disease. |
| 861 | * EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He deeply cares for his family, and wept when Toy was destroyed by Spider-Man. |
| 862 | --> '''Tinkerer:''' Don't go away Toy -- I need you! Friends don't leave each other! If you go away, I'll be all alone... I don't want to be alone... I don't want to be alone... |
| 863 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: He usually abhors killing, regarding it as an absolute last resort. After accidentally shooting a couple he irrationally blamed for his son's supposed death, Phineas resuscitated the husband, but was unable to save the wife. When the man, who had become a supernatural vigilante known as the Judge, tried to get even, his powers failed to work on the Tinkerer because Phineas was genuinely wracked with guilt and remorse over what he had done. |
| 864 | * EvilOldFolks: He appears to be about the same age as the Vulture, whom he debuted alongside. |
| 865 | * FamilyThemeNaming: Invoked when [[spoiler: he fakes having a good sibling named [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hophni_and_Phinehas Hophni Mason]], who is actually a robot suit so he can gather intel on heroes and villains.]] |
| 866 | * GadgeteerGenius: A premier one of the Marvel Universe. Since he cobbles most of his inventions together from scraps and junk, he has a fairly low overhead and thus is a go-to guy for the budget conscious super-villain. |
| 867 | * HeelFaceDoorSlam: He was arrested and imprisoned in the Negative Zone during the ComicBook/{{Civil War|2006}}... despite being in retirement, which he promptly came out of. |
| 868 | --> '''Tinkerer:''' When I was arrested for not being registered, I was committing the unforgivable crime of taking my grandchildren out for ice cream. When I tried telling the gestapo that I had retired from tinkering after that so-called Secret War, they accused me of rabble-rousing and dragged me to this hellhole without due process. I've been in this jail your friend and leader designed ever since. |
| 869 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: About the only time it surfaces is if the situation involves someone close to him. |
| 870 | * MyLittlePanzer: Destructive toys are among the objects in his arsenal. |
| 871 | * ScoobyDooHoax: In his first appearance, he was working alongside extraterrestrials and was implied to be one of them. Years later it was revealed that the "aliens" were just men (including a pre-Mysterio Quentin Beck) in costumes. Subverted later [[spoiler: after it turns out he really was in contact with alien [=AIs=] called the Vedomi and sold out the Earth after losing his faith in humanity]]. |
| 872 | * StarterVillain: One of the first two villains to face Spider-Man, the other being the Vulture. It took longer for him to return, though. |
| 873 | * TokenMotivationalNemesis: Was this for the Judge, being the one who killed him and his wife. |
| 874 | * VillainousBreakdown: After the deaths of his son (who was retconned into still being alive in a later story) and one of his grandchildren, he lost the will to live, but was snapped out of it by Franklin Richards. |
| 875 | [[/folder]] |
| 876 | |
| 877 | [[folder:Tombstone]] |
| 878 | !!Tombstone |
| 879 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tombstonespidey_1859.jpg]] |
| 880 | !!!'''Alter Ego:''' Alonzo "Lonnie" Thompson Lincoln |
| 881 | !!!'''Notable Aliases:''' Lonnie Tombstone |
| 882 | !!!'''Species:''' Human mutate |
| 883 | !!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Web of Spider-Man'' #36 (March 1988) |
| 884 | |
| 885 | ->''"Hammerhead isn't boss around here anymore, Robbie -- pal. There's been a shift of administration -- and I wanted my old high school buddy to be the first to know: New York City is Tombstone territory."'' |
| 886 | \ |
| 887 | Born in Harlem, Lonnie Lincoln was bullied for his albinism, and in-turn bullied Joe "Robbie" Robertson into becoming his friend. After high school, Lonnie took to crime, becoming a criminal called Tombstone. As Lonnie worked his way up the criminal underworld, Robbie took a job at the ''Daily Bugle''. When Tombstone murdered a New York mob boss, Robbie was terrified at the idea of confronting him, but after twenty years found the courage to testify. When Robbie confronted him, Tombstone snapped Robbie's spine, an act which brought him into conflict with Spider-Man. Breaking out of jail and abducting Robbie, Tombstone acquired superhuman abilities after being exposed to an experimental chemical, Diox-3, at an Oscorp plant during a fight with Spider-Man. Tombstone has since worked for the Kingpin and Hammerhead, has been a member of the Norman Osborn's Sinister Twelve, and a powerful crime boss in his own right based in Brooklyn, where he's caused [[Characters/MarvelComicsMilesMorales the local Spidey]] some grief. |
| 888 | ---- |
| 889 | * AdaptationalBadass: In most continuities, he's a brutal enforcer who does other people's dirty work. He assumes the role of the Kingpin in ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'' due to legal issues (and it ''works''). |
| 890 | * AlbinosAreFreaks: Tombstone is an albino African-American and was regularly bullied in his youth due to his albinism. |
| 891 | * BadassNormal: His original role in the comics. |
| 892 | ** EmpoweredBadassNormal: Until he got actual superpowers. |
| 893 | * TheBully: He was both a bully in high school who [[SchoolyardBullyAllGrownUp never grew out of it]] and a victim of bullying himself. He would always exploit or take advantage of those weaker than him while his own bullying was the result of being an Afro-albino. |
| 894 | * EmbarrassingFirstName: Robbie reveals in [[ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderMan2022 the 2022 series]] that Lonnie's full given name is actually Alonzo. |
| 895 | * EnemyMine: More than once he has teamed up with heroic figures like Daredevil or Robbie to face down worse threats. |
| 896 | * EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He's actually very close to his daughter, even if he objects to her desire to be a supervillain (instead encouraging her to be an AmoralAttorney). |
| 897 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: {{Averted|Trope}}. His old associate Aaron Davis (previously the criminal Prowler) claims that Lincoln ''used to'' respect the code but hasn't for a very long time. |
| 898 | ** Later partially restored -- after he and Robbie try to break their children up, they both accept the relationship and agree to "leave the kids out of it". |
| 899 | * EvilCannotComprehendGood: When Spider-Man expresses sympathy for Tombstone's bad childhood, Tombstone's response is a blunt, "You're a weird dude. Get out of my house." |
| 900 | * EvilParentsWantGoodKids: {{Subverted|Trope}}, as Tombstone objects to his daughter's dreams of becoming a supervillain since he thinks that as a Columbia Law School graduate, she's much too intelligent for such things and would be better off as a [[AmoralAttorney corrupt lawyer]], which he considers crime that you can't get arrested for. |
| 901 | * EvilSoundsRaspy: He often whispers when he talks, mostly in the comics. Whether he does it intentionally or whether he can't speak up for some physical reason seems to be DependingOnTheWriter. [[ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderMan2022 The 2022 series]] had Tombstone explain that he speaks softly to get people to lean in close to better hear what he is saying, making them more vulnerable to attack, especially from his ScaryTeeth. |
| 902 | * FauxAffablyEvil: He was like this originally, especially when dealing with his "friend" Joe Robertson. After calling it "quits" between them, he dropped the act. |
| 903 | * FreudianExcuse: His albinism lead to him being ostracized and bullied by everyone around him as a child, until he finally realized that he had to toughen up and become a "man-eater" to get by in life. He even calls Spider-Man out for stereotyping him as nothing but a "bad guy" without giving any thought to the cruel past he had gone through. |
| 904 | * GoodParents: As far as supervillains go, Tombstone was for the most part a great father towards Janice, even though he was also a horrible influence. |
| 905 | * PapaWolf: To his daughter Janice, a.k.a. Beetle II. |
| 906 | * ProfessionalKiller: His job in his earliest appearances. He tended to broaden his repertoire as a villain later. |
| 907 | * ScaryBlackMan: A rather bizarre example, as, despite being technically black, he's an albino, meaning that his skin is chalk white. |
| 908 | * ScaryTeeth: Lonnie files his down to shark-like points. |
| 909 | * SchoolyardBullyAllGrownUp: Tombstone bullied Robbie Robertson when they were at school together -- later, even after becoming a full-fledged supervillain, Tombstone still took every opportunity he could to cajole and intimidate Robbie. |
| 910 | * SoftSpokenSadist: Tombstone is vicious enough to hold his own against Marvel's other colorful gangsters, strong enough to fight Spider-Man, and his dialogue balloons are always edged with a dotted line to underscore how soft his voice is. |
| 911 | * TheStarscream: He once worked for Hammerhead and decided to take over shortly after becoming an EmpoweredBadassNormal; it didn't last long, but he came back later and took over Hammerhead's gang by force a second time. It lasted a little longer that time, but not by much. |
| 912 | * VillainRespect: He's always willing to praise even his foes like Spider-Man or Bruiser for facing him down without fear, or begging for their lives when he's about to kill them. |
| 913 | * WhatTheHellHero: He delivers a harsh retort to Spider-Man when the latter tries to chalk him up as a cliche supervillain, pointing out that while people realize that aggressive animals in nature must have a reasoning for their actions, heroes like Spidey will brush off the trauma of "bad guys" to make themselves feel better. It affects Spider-Man so much that he actually apologies to Tombstone for what he went through. |
| 914 | * WhiteHairBlackHeart: Thanks to his albinism, Tombstone's hair is as white as his skin, and he's a ruthless supervillain with a lot of death on his hands. |
| 915 | * WouldHurtAChild: |
| 916 | ** When he meets the Snatcher, a psychic who specializes in mind controlling children, he enthusiastically begins a business partnership to give him a [[ChildSoldiers steady supply of minions]]. |
| 917 | ** Starling, who can't be any older than eighteen, mentions a friend of hers who was killed by Tombstone. |
| 918 | [[/folder]] |
| 919 | |
| 920 | [[folder:Venom]] |
| 921 | -> See [[Characters/MarvelComicsVenom Venom]] and [[Characters/MarvelComicsEddieBrock Eddie Brock]] |
| 922 | [[/folder]] |
| 923 | |
| 924 | [[folder:Vulture]] |
| 925 | !!Vulture |
| 926 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vulturespidey_5601.jpg]] |
| 927 | |
| 928 | !!!'''Alter Ego:''' Adrian Toomes |
| 929 | !!!'''Notable Aliases:''' Falcon |
| 930 | !!!'''Species:''' Human |
| 931 | !!!'''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #2 (May 1963) |
| 932 | |
| 933 | ->''"Spider-Man lacks the strength to use his powers for their greatest potential... to help a world that despises him? Seek approval from those that hate him? It's masochistic. It's pointless. Weak."'' |
| 934 | \ |
| 935 | All Adrian Toomes wanted was to get rich off his inventions. However, his business partner swindled him out of the fortune that would've been his. One thing his partner didn't take from him was his ultimate invention: an electromagnetic harness that allows the user to fly. Finishing the harness, Toomes sought revenge on his ex-partner as The Vulture, but Spider-Man stopped him, leading Toomes to swearing vengeance on the hero instead. |
| 936 | ---- |
| 937 | * AffirmativeActionLegacy: He mentored his biracial granddaughter Tiana Toomes / Starling, an up-and-coming anti-heroine who uses a similar flight suit, but with [[RedIsHeroic feathery red wings]] instead of her granddad's [[SecondaryColorNemesis metallic green ones]]. |
| 938 | * BadassBookworm: He makes powered armor and goes toe to toe with Spidey. |
| 939 | * BaldOfEvil: Toomes, like the bird he's named after, has a bald head. |
| 940 | * BerserkButton: Being copied, even if Toomes himself was the one who gave the rip-offs their knowledge and gear (though he's made an exception for his granddaughter, Starling). |
| 941 | * CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Going by official Marvel stats, which may or may not be outdated at this point, he's able to lift up to 700 pounds, which is a lot by real life standards but still within the capability of humans who are big enough to handle it. Going by all the things he's been able to do over the decades, from taking hits from the superhuman Spider-Man to smashing through solid concrete to knocking over giant trucks with a single kick... you'd think he was legitimately superhuman. |
| 942 | * ClothesMakeTheSuperman: Without his suit, he's a normal old man. |
| 943 | * CutLexLuthorACheck: One of the subversions who started out trying to use his inventions to make money legally. However, he was cheated out of his rightful share of the profits by his CorruptCorporateExecutive partner, so he used his flight suit to make money as a criminal. |
| 944 | * DarkerAndEdgier: |
| 945 | ** In the Mark Millar twelve-parter, his costume is black and red... and it actually works! |
| 946 | ** Three new Vultures (Blackie Drago, Clifton Shallot, and Jimmy Natale) were introduced over the years, intended to be more formidable replacements. Adrian outlasted them all, and in the case of Drago, defeated him so badly as payback for Drago stealing his gear and gimmick that the man retired from villainy. Shallot was last seen being sent to jail, and Natale made the mistake of [[KilledOffForReal agreeing to kill the Punisher]]. |
| 947 | * EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Toomes has a big extended family and genuinely cares about at least some of them. |
| 948 | ** In 1980, he had a nephew who was loyal to him. When he was shot by a gangster they were trying to kill, he wept and then went berserk at seeing the one family member who cared about him die. Later in 2004, he learned he had a sickly grandson and went on a crime spree to pay for his treatment. |
| 949 | ** Another grandchild, Tiana Toomes, was introduced in 2019. Per her backstory, Adrian has been an active part of Tiana's life since she was very young. He saved her and her mother from financial ruin after his son walked out on them, taught her to fly as a teenager, and generally encourages her to [[EvilParentsWantGoodKids be a better person than he is]]. |
| 950 | ** An Aryan gang leader who was in the same prison as Toomes threatened his daughter's family to force Toomes to build him a flight suit so he could escape. Toomes lived up to his end of the bargain...but the flight suit eventually took the gang leader so high into the air that he suffocated, even as Toomes arranged for a gang of black guys who were the [[ArchEnemy Arch Enemies]] of the Aryan goons to gun them down as they were about to murder Toomes' family. |
| 951 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: He is disgusted when his son Frankie walked out on his wife and daughter and took care to provide for Lenora and little Tiana in Detroit even as he menaces New York. |
| 952 | * EvilCannotComprehendGood: See quote. |
| 953 | * EvilOldFolks: Toomes is a geriatric supervillain who wears a bird-themed flight suit. |
| 954 | * TheFagin: Post-''Spider-Island'', he uses children to steal for him. |
| 955 | * FantasticRacism: Turns out, he’s not a fan of mutants and he joins Orchis during ''ComicBook/FallOfX'', where he performs horrific experiments on mutants. |
| 956 | * GreenAndMean: Like many other enemies of Spider-Man, his suit is green. |
| 957 | * GrumpyOldMan: His default mood. |
| 958 | * InformedAbility: A lot of official Marvel stats place his strength level as being able to lift up to 700 pounds. However, a lot of his feats of strength seem to suggest that he's actually superhuman and far above any human-level weightlifter. |
| 959 | * KickTheDog: In the ''Lifetheft'' story, he drains the life out of Mary Parker's clone, killing her and causing an enraged Spider-Man to beat him unconscious. This is treated with the same gravity as if he had actually murdered Peter's real mother. |
| 960 | * ManOfWealthAndTaste: Post-''Spider-Island'' he takes to using children as a go-between for his crimes and keeps the riches for himself. |
| 961 | * MoralityPet: As far as his granddaughter Tiana can recall, Adrian has never been anything but a kind, supportive granddad who looked after her and her mom after her father abandoned the family. Adrian guaranteed that every cent of monetary aid he gave Tiana and her mom came from a legitimate source, and even taught Tiana to fly, which is a huge change of tune given his usual disdain for copycats. When she cuts off contact after learning of his murderous past, he gets so royally ''pissed'' that he immediately and near successfully tries to murder Spider-Man. |
| 962 | * NeverMyFault: He blames Spider-Man for Tiana finding out about his past and cutting ties with him for murdering people. As Spidey points out after narrowly defeating him, his reaction to this wasn't introspection but to go out and murder some more. Ironically enough, she only found out because he freaked out seeing Spider-Man while in civilian garb and she confronted Peter trying to protect him based on all the lies he fed her. |
| 963 | * OnlySaneMan: In the very first Sinister Six team-up, the Vulture was the only one who advocated that all six of them attack Spider-Man together, as opposed to making him fight them one at a time. After he was outvoted, and his turn did come up, he forced Spidey to remove his web-shooters before the fight ("otherwise I'll just fly away") as he knew the webs were the only reason Spidey won last time. |
| 964 | * PetTheDog: See EvenEvilHasLovedOnes. |
| 965 | ** In "Hunted", he stops Rhino from killing Spider-Man, telling him that they are on the same side and will face a better chance of survival if they stick together. |
| 966 | * PoweredArmor: Even his original costume qualified, but in recent decades, it has become more metallic. |
| 967 | * PowerParasite: DependingOnTheWriter, he can drain his victims' youth as a result of stealing their abilities. |
| 968 | * StarterVillain: The first real recurring enemy for Spidey. Though he shared his first appearance with the Tinkerer, he was the first villain to take Spidey on twice when came back after just five issues. |
| 969 | * TookALevelInBadass: Post ''Spider-Island'', he's become TheFagin whose new harness gives him [[GravityMaster limited control over gravity]], giving him {{Flight}} and SuperStrength. |
| 970 | -->'''Vulture:''' I fought ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}. I was in the Sinister Six. I'm faster, stronger, and smarter than a hundred men my age. No flunky with a pistol gets the drop on me. |
| 971 | [[/folder]] |
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