Spymaster is the name of several

supervillains 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 ...

, primarily as enemies of

Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...

. The first Spymaster debuted in ''

'' #33 (January 1971), and was created by Allyn Brodsky,

Don Heck Donald L. HeckDonald L. Heck
at the Social Security Death Index. Retrieved on Septem ...

, and

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 ...

Fictional character biography

Original Spymaster

The original Spymaster is a costumed freelance industrial spy, saboteur, and assassin with advanced weaponry. He and his team of assistants, the Espionage Elite, battle Iron Man and other heroes on numerous occasions. Spymaster last appears after coming into conflict with the

Ghost In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...

, who kills him by phasing him into a wall. ''

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 ...

'' reveals that the Spymaster who died is a separate individual named Mark Sharen. In the ''

Infinity Infinity is something which is boundless, endless, or larger than any natural number. It is denoted by \infty, called the infinity symbol. From the time of the Ancient Greek mathematics, ancient Greeks, the Infinity (philosophy), philosophic ...

'' storyline, Spymaster recruits

Blizzard A blizzard is a severe Winter storm, snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow th ...

, Constrictor, Firebrand,

Unicorn The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since Classical antiquity, antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn (anatomy), horn projecting from its forehead. In European literature and art, the unico ...

, Whiplash, and

Whirlwind A whirlwind is a phenomenon in which a vortex of wind (a vertically oriented rotating column of air) forms due to instabilities and turbulence created by heating and flow ( current) gradients. Whirlwinds can vary in size and last from a cou ...

to attack

Stark Tower The Stark Tower Complex is a high-rise building complex appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, USA, the complex is named after its owner Tony Stark, who is the alter ego of the su ...

Nathan Lemon

The second Spymaster, Nathan Lemon, is an accomplished student of the Taskmaster who assumes the Spymaster mantle after killing all other contenders in a battleground simulator. Additionally, he learns Iron Man's secret identity after spying on him and

Pepper Potts Virginia "Pepper" Potts is a Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writers Stan Lee and Robert Bernstein (comics), Robert Bernstein, and designed by artist Don Heck, the character Firs ...

. In ''Iron Man: Inevitable'', Lemon is killed by Sinclair Abbot, who becomes Spymaster.

Sinclair Abbot

Sinclair Abbot, a wealthy industrialist, is the latest person to hold the Spymaster mantle. He achieved this by having Nathan Lemon arrested, beaten in jail, and then killed by his wife. Unlike the previous Spymasters, he does not battle Iron Man directly. During ''

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

'', the Spymaster is hired by World Islamic Peace Coalition chairman Karim Najeeb to kill Iron Man. Happy Hogan attacks Spymaster and sustains severe injuries that he later dies from. After being defeated and rendered powerless during an attempted assault on Stark Resilient, Spymaster commits "

suicide by cop Suicide by cop (SbC), also known as suicide by police or law-enforcement-assisted suicide, is a suicide method in which a suicidal individual deliberately behaves in a threatening manner with intent to provoke a lethal response from a public sa ...

" and is shot by the policemen guarding him. He is later revealed to be alive and battles Iron Man and Ironheart, who uses one of Mandarin's rings to banish him to the

Darkforce The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. There follows a list of those features. Places Certain places fe ...

Dimension.''Iron Man'' (vol. 6) #24 (December 2022)

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 Taskmaster's Academy. Each is also an extraordinary industrial spy and saboteur, master of disguise, a superb actor, a highly agile and skilled athlete, and greatly skilled in the uses of virtually any kind of gun. Spymaster has access to cutting-edge technology for a number of espionage-related devices and weapons, both of his own design and those of

Justin Hammer Justin Hammer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as a villainous entrepreneur, head of Hammer Industries and a frequent adversary of the superhero Iron Man. He is the ...

's. The original Spymaster used various special devices including, devices in his gloves and mask that projected concussive energy blasts, small and powerful hovering electromagnets, incendiary missiles, "razor-discs" that could pierce Iron Man's armor, devices that enabled him to absorb Iron Man's repulsor energy, stunguns, sleep inducing "somnu-gas", boot jets that allowed flight, and a device in his belt buckle that summoned an advanced model hovercraft that could operate automatically according to pre-programmed instructions. Both the first and second Spymasters have employed electronically amplified nun-chakas that can damage Iron Man's armor. The Spymaster wears bulletproof

Kevlar Kevlar (para-aramid) is a strong, heat-resistant synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed by Stephanie Kwolek at DuPont in 1965, the high-strength material was first used commercially in the early 1970s as ...

body armor which provides some protection from physical attacks, and contains various pockets for holding weaponry.

In other media

An unidentified Spymaster appears in ''

The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book ...

'' episode "Prisoner of the Monster".

References

External links

Spymaster I
at Marvel.com
Spymaster II
at Marvel.com
Spymaster III
at Marvel.com {{Stan Lee Characters created by Don Heck Characters created by Stan Lee Comics characters introduced in 1971 Comics characters introduced in 1987 Comics characters introduced in 1990 Comics characters introduced in 2006 Fictional boxers Marvel Comics businesspeople Marvel Comics male supervillains Marvel Comics martial artists Marvel Comics spies