Electro
- For the heroic robot, see Electro (robot).
Electro, born Max Dillon, is an American villain and former electric lineman in New York City. After being struck by lightning while on a power line, Dillon found that he had an excess of electricity throughout his body. He developed some gear to harness his powers, allowing him to use the electricity as a weapon and a tool.
Biography
Electro made his debut as a criminal in 1964, using his mastery of electricity to rob banks and perform other basic felonies. He was soon opposed by the hero Spider-Man, but the latter's mental state proved to be his downfall, and he was knocked unconscious by an electric blast. Electro left Spider-Man for dead and soon set his sights on a nearby prison, aiming to break out the criminals inside and take them as his henchmen. The prison break went off as planned, but Spider-Man soon arrived once more, this time fully prepared. Armed with rubber gloves and boots, Spider-Man fought back Electro's new cronies and took down the villain himself with a well-timed water-hose blast. Electro was taken into custody.[1] A few months later, Electro was out of prison and looking for another score. He set his sights on the Baxter Building, headquarters of the Fantastic Four, who were out of town accepting an award. He used his electric powers to bypass the building's advanced security systems, setting up shop in its control room and trying to decide which of the Four's many valuable pieces of technology he wanted to take. The building was soon entered by the hero Daredevil, but Electro got the jump on him with his electric powers and the Four's gadgetry. Electro took the unconscious Daredevil and placed him on a spaceship elsewhere in the Baxter Building, launching him out into space. But Daredevil incredibly landed the rocket and made his way back to Electro, bursting in through the Baxter Building's skylight as he was stealing invaluable papers from Mr. Fantastic's safe. Daredevil chased Electro to the ground floor, through the streets, and into a cabaret, where he was able to get the better of him and hand him over to the police.[2]
After getting free several months later (it is unclear whether he escaped or was released), Electro was brought into a team formed by Doctor Octopus called the Sinister Six, alongside Mysterio, the Vulture, the Sandman, and Kraven the Hunter. The Six consisted of some of Spider-Man's greatest foes, but were nonetheless unable to defeat him in a series of individual battles, and were incarcerated once more.[3] By the following year, Electro was out of prison, and quickly found himself alongside another, even larger group of villains when he was coerced by Doctor Doom's emotion machine into attacking the Baxter Building on the day of the wedding of Reed Richards and Sue Storm. A veritable legion of villains fought a similarly powerful force of heroes defending the Baxter Building. In the end, Reed Richards used a device provided by Uatu to transport all of the villains back slightly in time and wipe their memories of these events. Reed and Sue Storm were thus successfully and peacefully married.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ The Amazing Spider-Man #9: "The Man Called Electro!" (February 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Ditko, Steve (art), Simek, Artie (let).
- ↑ Daredevil #2: "The Evil Menace of Electro!" (June 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Orlando, Joe (p), Colletta, Vince (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
- ↑ The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1: "The Sinister Six!" (October 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Ditko, Steve (art), Rosen, Sam (let).
- ↑ Fantastic Four Annual #3a: "Bedlam at the Baxter Building!" (October 1965) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Colletta, Vince (i), Simek, Artie (let).