Silvermane

Silvermane
Silvermane as depicted in Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #96 (August 1984). Art by Al Milgrom.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	The Amazing Spider-Man #73 (June 1969)
Created by	Stan Lee (writer) John Buscema (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Silvio Manfredi
Species	Human cyborg
Team affiliations	The Maggia HYDRA
Notable aliases	Supreme Hydra
Abilities	Keen intellect Superhuman strength, stamina, durability, speed, longevity, and senses Use of various handguns

Silvermane (Silvio Manfredi) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A notorious crime boss and prominent figure in the Maggia, a fictional organized crime syndicate, he is usually depicted as an adversary of the superhero Spider-Man and the father of Joseph Manfredi.^[1] Silvermane later became a cyborg in an attempt to extend his lifespan.

The character has made appearances in several forms of media outside of comics, including animated series and video games.

Publication history

He first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #73^[2] and was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema.

The character's original storyline was about a mysterious stone tablet coveted by several Spider-Man villains. The "Tablet Saga" proved popular, although artist

In his first appearance, an elderly Silvermane forced Curt Connors to make a potion from an ancient clay tablet to grant himself immortality. He first crossed paths with Connors' alter-ego, the Lizard, and Spider-Man during this scheme. Drinking the serum made Silvermane younger, but its effects caused him to de-age further and further until he was an infant before completely disappearing.^[4] Silvermane eventually reappeared, revealing that he had mystically aged to his forties. He started a new career and again quickly rose through the Maggia's ranks until he regained control of his family, the sought to form an alliance with Hydra, determined to take over the world as their leader, the Supreme Hydra. He was defeated by Daredevil, Nick Fury, and S.H.I.E.L.D.^[5] Silvermane reappeared in New York in an attempt to unite all of New York's gangs under his leadership and take over the criminal underworld, but his plans were complicated by the Green Goblin, who opposed him. During a confrontation between the Goblin, Silvermane and Spider-Man, Silvermane fell from a great height but survived.^[6]

Silvermane has worked with many super-villains, such as

In his old age, Silvermane's injuries caused his youth serum to wear off, rendering him an invalid. Though bedridden, he continued to run his criminal empire until Dagger nearly killed him. Silvermane attempted to prolong his life by transforming himself into a cyborg.^[10] Kingpin gained control of his cyborg body until Dagger restored his life energy to him.^[11] His cyborg body was badly damaged by the first Jack O'Lantern during a gang war between Hammerhead and the Kingpin.^[12] Silvermane used a remote-controlled android doppelganger to battle Spider-Man. This was part of an attempt to boost the power of his remaining organic parts by harvesting new ones from Spider-Man's body. He attempted to drain his nemesis's radioactive blood to power a new, much stronger cyborg body.^[13] Silvermane also confronted Deathlok and the Punisher while setting up a major drug operation outside a grammar school.^[14] Even though he is no longer technically human, he has continued to remain active in the Maggia.

Silvermane attempted to take part in a meetup of various criminal warlords, during a time when Wilson Fisk had fallen from power. The meeting's goal was to divide up Fisk's territory and assets, but it did not go well. Silvermane was caught in the crossfire between the Secret Empire's forces and the Punisher. This was purely by coincidence as he was simply staying at the same motel as Punisher was. Silvermane used the resources of his personal semi-trailer and the cyborg bodies stored within to battle his way through the attackers and escape.^[15]

It was revealed some time later that Silvermane was killed during a shootout with Owl's gang at a New York City scrap yard. He was picked up by a magnet and dropped into a garbage compactor, crushing him to death and leaving his already weakened criminal syndicate without a leader. Months later, he apparently returns along with other deceased members of his gang during the Maggia's losing battle with the forces of Mister Negative. However, this is later revealed to be a ruse orchestrated by a mobster named Carmine: "Silvermane" is actually a lifelike robotic duplicate controlled by a hired Mysterio to give Carmine more influence within the Maggia and position him to take over. The tables are turned on Carmine when Mysterio uses the duplicate to murder him, seemingly as a plot to take over the Maggia himself.^[16]

Silvermane's head is shown to still be alive as it was found by a young boy when he traveled into the scrap yard, before then being stolen by the

Silvermane is among the crime lords competing with Mister Negative in obtaining the Tablet of Life and Destiny to win the favor of Mayor Wilson Fisk.[19]

During the "

Silvermane was considered to be one of the Maggia's most legendary bosses. He is an excellent unarmed combatant and marksman, as well as a brilliant planner, organizer, and strategist. The magic potions he uses temporarily grant him a form of immortality, appearing in his early-to-mid 40s.

His preferred weapons are numerous machine guns, especially the Thompson .45 caliber.

Later, Silvermane's brain, vital organs, and head were transplanted into a robotic body, thus increasing his physical attributes to abnormal levels. However, his remaining biological parts needs careful protection because of their extreme vulnerability.^[26]

Other versions

House of M

Silvermane appeared in the House of M reality, portrayed as a younger crime boss and one of dozens of mobsters captured by the NYPD's elite Brotherhood unit.^[27]

Ultimate Marvel

The Ultimate Marvel version of Silvermane had a brief cameo. With Wilson Fisk lying low due to legal problems, Silvermane, his chief rival, decided to work with fellow mobster Hammerhead to remove the Kingpin from power. He told Hammerhead that all he needed was a little "up here" (referring to his intelligence). Hammerhead, however, wasn't interested in sharing power, breaking Silvermane's neck while saying "I think I got enough up here already."^[28] Silvermane was also mentioned as a leader of a mob family which included Hammerhead and that he owed a debt to Nathaniel Essex.^[29] The Ultimate incarnation's real name is shown in the Daily Bugle as Allan Silvermane, though this is likely an alias as he is also referred to as Silvio Manfredi.^[28]

In other media

Television

• Silvermane appears in the Spider-Man (1981) episode "Wrath of the Sub-Mariner", voiced by Paul Winchell.^[30]
• Silvermane appears in
  neogenic technology to switch bodies with the web-slinger. During the procedure however, the Vulture
  interferes and takes Spider-Man's place, allowing the web-slinger, Black Cat, and Scorpion to escape. Following this, Silvermane returns to his original age.
• Silvermane appears in
  Vault. Though he is released by the Green Goblin to kill Spider-Man while the web-slinger was there to test the prison's security system, Walter Hardy
  releases sleeping gas to subdue the prisoners.
• Silvermane appears in Spider-Man (2017), voiced by Nolan North.^[30][34] In his most notable appearance in the episode "Goblin War" Pt. 3, Silvermane became the leader of the Goblin Nation's Cyber Goblins before he is defeated by Spider-Man and the Hobgoblin.
• Silvermane appears in the Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur episode "Family Matters", voiced by Jonathan Banks.^{[citation needed]} This version is the arch-enemy of Turbo and wants to claim her suit for his own ends. He is ultimately defeated by Turbo and Moon Girl, who trick him into downloading his consciousness into a teddy bear.^[35]