Spymaster (character)
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Spymaster | |
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Partnerships | Justin Hammer |
Notable aliases | I: Cobalt Man, Iron Knight, Hogan Potts, Spare Parts Man, Golden Avenger, Shellhead, Ted Calloway, Jake Jordan, Anthony Stark II: Number One, Santa Claus, Harmon Taylor |
Abilities | Exceptional strategist Excellent hand to hand combatant Extraordinary industrial spy and saboteur Master of disguise Superb actor Highly agile and skilled athlete Greatly skilled in the uses of virtually any kind of gun Access to cutting-edge technology Use of electronically amplified nun-chakas Wears bulletproof battlesuit that grants: Minimal protection from physical attacks Various pockets for holding weaponry |
Spymaster is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2012) |
Spymaster is a supervillain and recurring foe to Iron Man. He is a master of industrial espionage. His identity has changed several times over the years.[1]
The first appearance of the character is in Iron Man #33 (Jan 1971), and he was created by Allyn Brodsky, Don Heck, and Stan Lee.[2]
Fictional character biography
Original Spymaster
The original Spymaster was a costumed freelance industrial spy, saboteur, and assassin with advanced weaponry. He was a master of espionage, and died without revealing his true identity, although it is known that he was once a boxer. He and his team of assistants, the Espionage Elite, were hired by the criminal organization the
Spymaster came into conflict with Iron Man several more times, and on one occasion with the masked hero Daredevil.[volume & issue needed] At one point Spymaster apparently succeeded in assassinating Tony Stark, but in reality it was a Life Model Decoy.[volume & issue needed] He also succeeded in stealing many of Stark's Iron Man designs, giving them over to Stark's rival Justin Hammer, sparking the Armor Wars event. Stark believes that Spymaster may have found out his secret identity, but that Spymaster kept it to himself.[6]
The first Spymaster last appeared after coming into conflict with fellow Iron Man villain the Ghost, who has technology enabling him to become intangible. After Spymaster attempted to assassinate the Ghost in Los Angeles under orders from Roxxon, Iron Man arrived, causing the two villains to attempt an escape. The Ghost offered Spymaster one of his intangibility devices, and Spymaster used the device to pass through a wall. The Ghost removed the device from Spymaster's chest while he was still phasing halfway through a wall, causing him to rematerialize partially inside the wall and killing him instantly.[7]
During the Dark Reign storyline, it is revealed that he actually faked his own death and has been living in deep cover ever since until he is found by Norman Osborn. Spymaster is hired to steal a treasured photograph of Tony Stark's parents, which Norman Osborn then burns.[8]
During the
Nathan Lemon
The second Spymaster was an accomplished student of the
Sinclair Abbot
Sinclair Abbot, a wealthy industrialist, is the latest person to hold the Spymaster mantle. He achieved this by having the previous one arrested, severely beaten in jail, and then killed in intensive care by his wife. His debut was in the miniseries Iron Man: The Inevitable. He has yet to attempt any direct action against Iron Man, choosing to send Ghost against him, and playing mind-games with Stark at public events, subtly jabbing him about his alcoholism and former military contracts. Abbot feels that to be a true supervillain, he needs to prove his mettle against Iron Man, while at the same time, to humble Iron Man; it has been an extended period of time since Iron Man has fought a "supervillain" in the classical sense, and Abbot resents the apparent indication that Iron Man is "too good" for supervillains, as if he is above that station.[13]
With the
Spymaster later resurfaced where he has a bomb planted in him by
After being defeated and rendered powerless during an attempted assault on Stark Resilient (deprived of his suit and weaponry while awaiting transfer to a Supermax prison), he apparently commits "Suicide by cop" and is shot multiple times by the policemen guarding him.[16]
Powers and abilities
Each Spymaster has no superhuman abilities. However, each is an exceptional fighter and strategist. The first Spymaster was an excellent hand-to-hand combatant, with formal training in boxing and various martial arts. The second Spymaster is also an excellent hand-to-hand combatant, having been trained at the
In other media
Television
- Spymaster appears in The Incredible Hulk episode "Prisoner of the Monster". This version is an overweight man with black hair and a white suit.
References
- ISBN 978-1465455505.
- ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
- ^ Iron Man 33-34, 35; Daredevil #73; Iron Man #36
- ^ Iron Man #113, 115-117
- ^ Iron Man #138-139 (Sept. - Oct. 1980)
- ^ Iron Man #225
- ^ Iron Man #220
- ^ Dark Reign: Made Men 2009
- ^ Infinity: Heist #1
- ^ Iron Man #254
- ^ Iron Man (3rd series) #8
- ^ Iron Man: The Inevitable #1-5
- ^ Iron Man: The Inevitable #1-6 (2005)
- ^ Iron Man (4th series) #13
- ^ Invincible Iron Man #516
- ^ Invincible Iron Man #519
External links
- Spymaster I at Marvel.com
- Spymaster II at Marvel.com
- Spymaster III at Marvel.com