The Human Fly is the name of three fictional characters appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. One is a

supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

that was an occasional

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...

, and the other two were

superheroes A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

, one of which was the title of a short-lived series in the late 1950s reprinting some of

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

Blue Beetle Blue Beetle is the name of three superheroes appearing in a number of American comic books published by a variety of companies since 1939. The most recent of the companies to own rights to Blue Beetle is DC Comics, which bought the rights to the ...

strips from the 1940s. It was published by Super Comics.

Publication history

The Human Fly first appeared in ''

The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American superhero American comic book, comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its title character and main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of t ...

Annual'' #10 (January 1976), and was created by

Len Wein Leonard Norman Wein (; June 12, 1948 – September 10, 2017) was an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine (character), Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel sup ...

Bill Mantlo William Timothy Mantlo (born November 9, 1951) is an American comic book writer, primarily at Marvel Comics. He is best known for his work on two licensed toy properties whose adventures occurred in the Marvel Universe: '' Micronauts'' and '' R ...

, and

Gil Kane Gil Kane (; born Eli Katz , ; April 6, 1926 – January 31, 2000) was a Latvian-born American comics artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and virtually every major comics company and character. Kane co-created the modern-day vers ...

. The character subsequently appears in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #192–193 (May–June 1979), ''

Spider-Woman Spider-Woman is the code name of several fictional characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first major version is Jessica Drew (and later impersonated by Veranke), the second major version is Julia Carpenter, and the third m ...

'' #30 (September 1980), ''

Moon Knight Moon Knight is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Doug Moench and artist Don Perlin, the character first appeared in ''Werewolf by Night'' #32 (August 1975). The son of a rabbi, Marc S ...

'' #35 (January 1984), ''Peter Parker, the

Spectacular Spider-Man ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' is a comic book and magazine series starring Spider-Man and published by Marvel Comics. Following the success of Spider-Man's original series, ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', Marvel felt the character could support ...

'' #86 (January 1984), and ''The

Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American superhero American comic book, comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its title character and main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of t ...

'' #276 (May 1986), in which he was killed by the

Scourge of the Underworld The Scourge of the Underworld is the name of a series of fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Writer/editor Mark Gruenwald originally created the Scourge in 1985 as a plot device intended to thin the ...

. The story of the Fly in ''Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man'' #86 was drawn by

Fred Hembeck Fred Hembeck (born January 30, 1953) is an American cartoonist best known for his parodies of characters from major American comic book publishers. His work has frequently been published by the firms whose characters he spoofs. His characters are ...

, who (in his personal caricature form) had a guest appearance in that particular issue. The Fly received an entry in the original ''The

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe The ''Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe'' is an encyclopedic Guide book, guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications. The original 15-volume series was published in comic book format in 1982, followed b ...

'' #4, and ''The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Spider-Man'' #1 (2005). The superhero version of Human Fly starred in Marvel Comics' ''The Human Fly'' #1–19 (September 1977 – March 1979).

Fictional character biography

Richard Deacon

Richard Deacon, born in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, was a small-time criminal who was shot by the police and left for dead after an unsuccessful kidnapping attempt which was foiled by

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...

. Stumbling into the laboratory of Dr. Harlan Stillwell (whose brother

Farley Stillwell Farley Stillwell is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a scientist best known for transforming Mac Gargan into the Scorpion. Publication history Stillwell first appeared in ''The Amazing Spi ...

created the

Scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...

for

J. Jonah Jameson John Jonah Jameson Jr., known as J. Jonah Jameson, is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist St ...

), Deacon coerces the scientist into saving his life. Overhearing an offer Jameson made with Stillwell to fund the creation of a new superhero, Deacon insists he be the subject of the experiment. Stillwell imprints the genetic coding of a

housefly The housefly (''Musca domestica'') is a fly of the suborder Cyclorrhapha. It possibly originated in the Middle East, and Cosmopolitan distribution, spread around the world as a commensal of humans. Adults are gray to black, with four dark, lo ...

onto Deacon, empowering him and healing him of his bullet wounds. Deacon then kills Harlan Stillwell after he served his purpose and uses his newfound powers to further his criminal ambitions. He first uses Jameson as bait to get revenge on Spider-Man. Due to his inexperience, the Fly is no match for him and is defeated. Some time later, Human Fly begins to display fly-like tendencies like eating garbage.''Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man'' #86. Marvel Comics. He also develops physical mutations, including facet eyes.''Spider-Woman'' #30. Marvel Comics. Human Fly attacks Spider-Man after

Spencer Smythe Spencer Smythe () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an adversary of the superhero Spider-Man as well as the father of Alistair Smythe. A scientist researching robot ...

handcuffed him—along with Jameson—to a bomb. Human Fly hurls the two from a rooftop and leaves them for dead. Once freed from the shackle, Spider-Man tries to stop Human Fly from stealing an art exhibit, but the villain knocks him down and escapes. Soon afterwards, the police catch the Fly using

S.H.I.E.L.D. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism government agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, this agency first appeared in ''Strange Tal ...

equipment. Traveling to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, the Fly seeks out Dr.

Karl Malus Dr. Karl Malus () is a fictional mad scientist and criminal appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He played a part in the origins of Armadillo, Hornet, Falcon II, and many other characters. Dr. Karl Malus appeared in th ...

, who confirms that his powers are fading and he will soon be powerless. Malus recommends that he get a new set of powers using a blood transfusion from another superbeing, which would most conveniently be the locally operating

. With his powers already at less than a third their usual strength however, he is unable to defeat her and is apprehended. Afterwards, Malus uses some of Human Fly's DNA to temporarily mutate Scotty McDowell into the similarly powered

Hornet Hornets (insects in the genus ''Vespa'') are the largest of the Eusociality, eusocial wasps, and are similar in appearance to yellowjackets, their close relatives. Some species can reach up to in length. They are distinguished from other Vespi ...

. Human Fly is freed from prison and his powers restored by untold means. He subsequently battles

, leaving the hero temporarily paralyzed, and again seeks revenge against Jameson and Spider-Man. Partnered with the

Black Cat A black cat is a Cat, domestic cat with black fur. They may be a specific Purebred, breed, or a common domestic cat of no particular or mixed breed. Most black cats have golden iris (anatomy), irises due to their high melanin pigment content. Bl ...

, Spider-Man once more defeats the Fly. Over time, Deacon's mutation increases. After escaping from a mental institution, Deacon is killed by a

(who was disguised as a

garbage man A waste collector, also known as a garbage man, garbage collector, trashman (in the U.S), binman or dustman (in the UK), is a person employed by a public or private enterprise to collect and dispose of municipal solid waste (refuse) and recycl ...

) while trying to take revenge on Spider-Man. During the " Dark Reign" storyline, the Human Fly is among the eighteen criminals that were murdered by Scourge of the Underworld to be resurrected by

Hood Hood may refer to: Covering Apparel * Hood (headgear), type of head covering ** Article of academic dress ** Bondage hood, sex toy * Hoodie, hooded sweatshirt Anatomy * Clitoral hood, a hood of skin surrounding the clitoris * Hood, a flap of ...

using the power of

Dormammu Dormammu () is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #126 (November 1964). He is the extra and inter-dimensional demonic e ...

as part of a squad assembled to eliminate the

Punisher The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher ma ...

. He now has acidic vomit that can melt steel and wings strong enough to deflect cannon fire and sharp enough to cut a dump truck in two. The Fly, now craving human flesh, devours a prostitute in a private room, and then fights a group of armed guards who burst in, vomiting deadly acid on them. When he assaults another woman in the hallway, the Punisher confronts him. Punisher uses his knife to cut one of Human Fly's wings in half. A group of his fellow criminals (disguised as Avengers from another time and place) intervene as

Bird-Man Bagheera Bagheera is a black panther, based upon ''The Jungle Book'' character of the same name. Nakia Bahadir Nakia Bahadir is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a Turkish girl and friend ...

manages to get Human Fly to safety. His wing regenerates rather quickly. He battles the Punisher again with Letha and Lascivious, and is defeated when the Punisher throws him into Lascivious. Human Fly is apprehended by

Agent Venom Eugene "Flash" Thompson is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962). Flash Thompson is a sta ...

, but he is able to escape a prisoner transport to the Raft when the

Hobgoblin A hobgoblin is a household spirit, appearing in English folklore, once considered helpful, but which since the spread of Christianity has often been considered mischievous. Shakespeare identifies the character of Puck in his '' A Midsummer Nigh ...

attacks the transport trying to kill the Human Fly for stealing money from the Kingpin. Human Fly is later recruited by the third

Crime Master Tatiana Caban Bethany Cabe Caber Caber is a character in Marvel Comics. Caber is one of the Celtic gods of Avalon, a warrior god. Caber is a friend of Leir and usually accompanies him in battle. Cable Danielle Cage Danielle "Dani" C ...

to become a member of his

Savage Six The Savage Six is the name of two different supervillain groups appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history The Earth-982 version of the Savage Six first appeared in ''Spider-Girl (comic book), Spider-Girl'' # ...

. He is then hired by

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool typically constructed with airfoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight, designed to return to the thrower. The origin of the word is from Australian Aborigin ...

and

Owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

to become a member of the

Sinister Six The Sinister Six are a group of supervillains in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, mainly those featuring Spider-Man. The members are drawn from the character's list of enemies, with the original members forming the team in ''T ...

teen. During the " Hunted" storyline, Human Fly is among the animal-themed characters that were captured by Taskmaster and Black Ant for

Kraven the Hunter Kraven the Hunter (Sergei Nikolaevich Kravinoff; Russian: Сергей Николаевич Кравинов) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, th ...

's Great Hunt which is sponsored by

Arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated video, pinball, electro-mechanical, redemption, etc., game ** Arcade video game, a coin-operated video game ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade video game's hardware ** Arcad ...

's company Arcade Industries. He was seen at a gathering held by

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...

. When the Great Hunt was over, Human Fly was present when

Razorback A feral pig is a pig, domestic pig which has gone feral, meaning it lives in the wild. The term feral pig has also been applied to wild boars, which can interbreed with domestic pigs. They are found mostly in the Americas and Australia. Razorb ...

Toad Toad (also known as a hoptoad) is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. In popular culture (folk taxonomy ...

White Rabbit The White Rabbit is a fictional and anthropomorphic character in Lewis Carroll's 1865 book ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''. He appears at the very beginning of the book, in chapter one, wearing a waistcoat, and muttering "Oh dear! Oh dea ...

, and

Yellowjacket Yellowjacket or yellowjacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genus, genera ''Vespula'' and ''Dolichovespula''. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries. Most of ...

planned to take revenge on Black Ant only for Taskmaster to make off with Black Ant.

Human Fly (superhero)

The second Human Fly was a young man of unknown identity who was severely injured during a car crash. After a long hospitalization, including a number of reconstructive surgeries in which much of his skeleton was replaced by steel, he took on the masked identity of the Human Fly. As the Human Fly, he performed daredevil stunts to benefit various charities, especially those helping children with disabilities. His activities often drew him into conflict with criminals, who were often seeking to rob the charity events at which he performed. Additionally, he drew the attention of

, who thought he might be the villain of the same name. The character was based on real-life

stuntman A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...

Rick Rojatt. The comic book carried the tag line "The Wildest Super-Hero Ever – Because He's Real!", and photographs of Rojatt in a Human Fly costume appeared in the books.

Powers and abilities

The Richard Deacon version of Human Fly has inhuman physical attributes,

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

ed flight, and surface scaling. His compound eyes enable him to see in all directions at once. By vibrating his wings, he can create powerful shockwaves with concussive force. Following his revival at the Hood's hands, Deacon is able to vomit acid capable of dissolving flesh or metal, as well as wings that are regenerative and bladed. The superhero version of Human Fly had his bone structure replaced by 60% steel, which allows him to withstand any injury that normal humans cannot. He is a master

aerialist Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acro d ...

, unarmed combatant, and stuntman. The Human Fly utilizes a variety of specialized

gadgets A gadget is a mechanical device or any ingenious article. Gadgets are sometimes referred to as '' gizmos''. History The etymology of the word is disputed. The word first appears as reference to an 18th-century tool in glassmaking that was dev ...

that helps him in his performances, depending on the stunt.

Reception

* In 2020, ''

CBR.com ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...

'' ranked Human Fly 9th in their "Spider-Man: 10 Weirdest Animal Villains From The Comics That We'd Like To See In The MCU" list.

In other media

Television

* An original incarnation of the Human Fly, Dr. Hagel, appears in the ''

'' episode "Spider-Woman and the Fly", voiced by Lou Krugman. This version is a scientist and former assistant to Spider-Woman's father, Alex Drew, who was mutated in a lab accident. He also deduces

's secret identity, but forgets it after being returned to normal. * An unidentified Human Fly makes a non-speaking cameo appearance on the ''

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends ''Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends'' is a 1981–1983 American animated television series produced by Marvel Productions, considered to be a crossover series connected to the 1981 ''Spider-Man'' series. The show stars already-established Marve ...

'' episode "Attack of the Arachnoid" as an inmate on Ryker's Island.

Video games

* The Richard Deacon incarnation of Human Fly appears as a playable character in ''

Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 ''Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on 14 November 2017 and ...

'' via '' Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp'' DLC pack.

References

External links

* *
A satirical discussion of Marvel's series on the Human Fly/Rick Rojatt
{{Spider-Man characters Groups of fictional characters Characters created by Bill Mantlo Characters created by Gil Kane Characters created by Len Wein Comics characters introduced in 1976 Comics characters introduced in 1977 Fictional cannibals Fictional flies Fictional stunt performers Fictional characters from New Jersey Marvel Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Marvel Comics hybrids Marvel Comics male superheroes Marvel Comics male supervillains Marvel Comics mutates Marvel Comics superheroes Marvel Comics supervillains Marvel Comics titles Spider-Man characters