Spencer Smythe () 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 ...

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 ...

. The character is usually depicted as an

adversary An adversary is generally considered to be a person, group, or force that opposes and/or attacks. Adversary may also refer to: * Satan ("adversary" in Hebrew), in Abrahamic religions Entertainment Fiction * Adversary (comics), villain from t ...

of the

superhero 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 ...

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 ...

as well as the father of

Alistair Smythe Alistair Alphonso Smythe () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an enemy of the superhero Spider-Man, and the son of Spencer Smythe. After his father dedicated his li ...

. A scientist researching

robotics Robotics is the interdisciplinary study and practice of the design, construction, operation, and use of robots. Within mechanical engineering, robotics is the design and construction of the physical structures of robots, while in computer s ...

and

arachnids Arachnids are arthropods in the class Arachnida () of the subphylum Chelicerata. Arachnida includes, among others, spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites, pseudoscorpions, harvestmen, camel spiders, whip spiders and vinegaroons. Adult arachnids ...

, he turned to crime to finance his research, and dedicated his life to capturing Spider-Man. He is best known for creating the Spider-Slayers, robots designed specifically to hunt down, capture, or kill the web-slinger. The character has appeared in several ''Spider-Man'' adaptations, including animated series and video games.

Publication history

Spencer Smythe and the Spider-Slayers 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 ...

'' #25 (June 1965), and were created by writer

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...

and artist

Steve Ditko Stephen John Ditko. Page contains two reproductions from school yearbooks. A 1943 Garfield Junior High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen Ditko". A 1945 Johnstown High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen J. Ditko" under extracurricular ac ...

Fictional character biography

Spencer Smythe is an expert in robotics and arachnids who asked J. Jonah Jameson to fund his projects, having been convinced by Jameson's editorials that

was a menace. After watching a demonstration showing that Smythe's robot could sense and track spiders, Jameson hired Smythe to capture Spider-Man. Jameson himself controlled the robot, meaning that Spider-Man was chased by a machine with Jameson's face. However, the web-slinger escaped by leaving the Spider-Man suit wrapped in the robot's tentacles. Annoyed at his robot's inability to capture Spider-Man, Smythe began to obsess over Spider-Man, turning to crime to finance his research and constantly improving his robots which he dubbed Spider-Slayers. But his creations, no matter how deadly or powerful he made, were always defeated by Spider-Man utilizing a key flaw in their designs. Eventually, Smythe is fatally poisoned by the radioactive materials used in the robots' manufacturing and attempts to kill Spider-Man and Jameson with a bomb. However, Spider-Man stops the bomb by freezing its controls moments before its detonation. During the '' Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy'' storyline, Spencer is resurrected in a clone body by

Ben Reilly Benjamin "Ben" Reilly (), also known as the Scarlet Spider, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Grown in a lab by Jackal (Marvel Comics character), Miles Warren/Jackal, he is a Human cloning, clone of Spi ...

's company New U Technologies, but is later killed again.''Spine-Tingling Spider-Man'' #4 (December 2021)

Skills and abilities

Spencer Smythe is quite intelligent, capable of designing advanced robots that could pursue solitary targets. These robots were physically dangerous enough to overpower Spider-Man at multiple points, but lacked A.I. software.

In other media

Television

* Spencer Smythe, renamed Henry Smythe, appears in the ''

'' (1967) episode "Captured by J. Jonah Jameson", voiced by Henry Ramer. * Spencer Smythe appears in ''

'' (1994), voiced by Edward Mulhare. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. After being enlisted by

Norman Osborn Norman Virgil Osborn is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, he first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #14 (July 1964) as the first and best-known incarnation of th ...

to capture Spider-Man in exchange for building a hover-chair for his paralyzed son

, Spencer creates his first Spider-Slayer, the Black Widow, to achieve this. However, its fight with Spider-Man leads to a fire at

Oscorp Oscorp (sometimes stylized as OsCorp), also known as Oscorp Industries, is a fictional multibillion-dollar multinational corporation appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, predominantly in stories about Spider-Man. The compa ...

. With Osborn's negative reinforcement, Spencer stays behind to ensure Spider-Man dies and Alistair gets the hover-chair, but is seemingly killed when Oscorp explodes. Later in the series, it is revealed that Spencer survived and was put into cryogenic suspension by the Kingpin to ensure Alistair's loyalty. Alistair eventually discovers Spencer and recovers him with Spider-Man's help before working for various individuals to revive his father. * Spencer Smythe appears in ''

'' (2017), voiced by

Benjamin Diskin Benjamin Diskin (born August 25, 1982) is an American actor. Early life Diskin was born on August 25, 1982 in Los Angeles County, California to a Jewish family. Career In 1991, Diskin won the "Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast in a Motion Pictur ...

. This version is a strict science teacher at Midtown High School and Alistair Smythe's estranged father. Throughout the series, he is hired by Norman Osborn to sabotage

Anya Corazon Aña "Anya" Sofia Corazón (surname alternatively shown without diacritic, Corazon, over the years) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada, writer Fiona Avery, ...

's experiment and frame

Harry Osborn Harold Theopolis "Harry" Osborn is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''The Amazing ...

to get him suspended from Midtown High and attempts to steal Harry's work with the

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 ...

's help, only for Spider-Man to destroy it. Norman reneges on their deal, leading to Spencer working with Raymond Warren to steal Oscorp's genetically modified spiders. After one specimen escapes, bites

Miles Morales Spider-Man (Miles Gonzalo MoralesAhmed, Saladin (w), Garrón, Javier (a). ''Miles Morales: Spider-Man'' #1 (2018) Marvel Comics (New York). ) is a superhero and the third predominant Spider-Man to appear in American comic books published by M ...

, and turns him into the Ultimate Spider-Man, Spencer fights Alistair to capture him. Both are defeated by the two Spider-Men, though only Spencer is arrested while his son escapes.

Video games

* Spencer Smythe appears in the

PS2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 November, in Australia on 30 November, ...

and PSP versions of '' Spider-Man: Web of Shadows''. This version is aligned with A.I.M. and the

Jackal Jackals are Canidae, canids native to Africa and Eurasia. While the word has historically been used for many canines of the subtribe Canina (subtribe), canina, in modern use it most commonly refers to three species: the closely related black-b ...

, with the former helping him in his secret experiments and the latter eventually betraying him upon learning Smythe intends to find a way to control invading symbiotes. * Spencer Smythe appears in '' Marvel Heroes''. * Spencer Smythe appears in the

Nintendo 3DS The is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console produced by Nintendo. Announced in March 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS, the console was released originally on February 26, 2011 and went through various revisions in its lifetime, ...

version of ''

''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smythe, Spencer Characters created by Stan Lee Characters created by Steve Ditko Comics characters introduced in 1965 Fictional cryonically preserved characters in comics Fictional inventors in comics Marvel Comics male supervillains Marvel Comics scientists Spider-Man characters