Steel Spider (Oliver "Ollie" Osnick) is a

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 ...

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 ...

. Oliver Osnnick started out as a teenager who idolized

Doctor Octopus Doctor Octopus (Dr. Otto Octavius), also known as Doc Ock for short, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in ''The Amazin ...

until Spider-Man saved him following a misunderstanding and he took up a path that led to him becoming Steel Spider and even started improving his appearance and gadgets that are associated with his Steel Spider alias.

Publication history

Ollie Osnick first appeared in '' The Spectacular Spider-Man'' #72 as Kid Ock and was created by

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

Ed Hannigan Edward Hannigan (born August 6, 1951) is an Americans, American comics artist, writer, and editor for both Marvel Comics and DC Comics. Career Ed Hannigan's first credited comics story was published in Marvel Comics' Brand licensing, licensed ' ...

. He first appeared as Spider-Kid 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 ...

'' #263, and as Steel Spider in '' Spider-Man Unlimited'' #5.

Fictional character biography

Origin

Ollie Osnick is a teenager who idolized

and built a set of mechanical tentacles to emulate him. As Kid Ock, he battles Spider-Man, who mistakes him for Doctor Octopus before learning the truth. Impressed with Spider-Man, Ollie modifies his tentacles into spider-legs and dons a Spider-Man

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

costume, calling himself the Spider-Kid. He joins a short-lived team called the Misfits alongside Frog-Man and

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 ...

before being convinced to retire. While in college, Ollie, now physically fit, becomes the Steel Spider to get revenge on a gangbanger who paralyzed his girlfriend Jane with a stray bullet during a confrontation with a rival gangster. However, he ultimately reconsiders his motives after beating the man to near-death and retires to spend time with Jane. When Onslaught attacks

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, Steel Spider works with

Darkhawk Darkhawk (Christopher Powell) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in ''Darkhawk'' #1 (March 1991), and was created by writer Tom DeFalco and artist Mike Manley. The character a ...

and the

New Warriors The New Warriors are a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They traditionally consisted of teenage and young adult heroes, and were often seen to serve as a junior counterpart to Avengers (comics) ...

to retake the

Brooklyn Bridge The Brooklyn Bridge is a cable-stayed suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River. It w ...

from the Sentinels. During the "

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 ...

" storyline, the Thunderbolts attack Steel Spider due to him not being registered under the

Superhero Registration Act Superhero fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction examining the adventures, personalities and ethics of costumed crime fighters known as superheroes, who often possess superhuman powers and battle similarly powered criminals known as sup ...

. He loses his left arm to

Venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

and is imprisoned in

Negative Zone Prison Alpha 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 ...

after Radioactive Man cauterizes the wound. During the " Heroic Age" storyline, following

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 ...

's defeat during the Siege of Asgard,

Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...

researches Steel Spider and considers freeing him from prison.

Powers and abilities

Ollie Osnick has no superpowers, but he is a gifted inventor with a genius-level intellect. His suit has mechanical spider legs as well as gauntlets that contain a grappling hook launcher and

pepper spray Pepper spray, oleoresin capsicum spray, OC spray, capsaicin spray, mace, or capsicum spray is a Tear gas, lachrymator (tear gas) product containing as its active ingredient the chemical compound capsaicin, which irritates the eyes with burning ...

blasters.

Other versions

A possible future variant of Ollie Osnick / Steel Spider appears in the MC2 story ''

Spider-Girl Spider-Girl is the code name of several fictional Character (arts), characters in American comic book, comic books published by Marvel Comics. The most prominent version and first to receive an ongoing series is Mayday Parker from the Marvel Co ...

'' #32. Having retained the use of the Steel Spider identity, he modifies his suit into a powerful exoskeleton and becomes a highly respected superhero. However, his wife leaves him, leading to him taking out his frustrations on criminals. After helping

and

American Dream The "American Dream" is a phrase referring to a purported national ethos of the United States: that every person has the freedom and opportunity to succeed and attain a better life. The phrase was popularized by James Truslow Adams during the ...

defeat the Sons of the Serpent, Osnick reforms and sets about rebuilding his personal life.''Spider-Girl'' #32. Marvel Comics.

In other media

Television

* Ollie Osnick / Steel Spider appears in ''

Ultimate Spider-Man ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate Ma ...

'', voiced by

Jason Marsden Jason Christopher Marsden (born January 3, 1975) is an American actor, director and producer, who has done numerous voice roles in animated films, as well as various television series and video games. He is best known for his voice roles as the ...

. 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. This version is a teenage prodigy from

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

and a fan of Spider-Man who later becomes a student at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy. * Steel Spider appears in ''

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 ...

'', voiced by Josh Keaton. This version is a student at the Osborn Academy. After joining their Osborn Commandos, Doctor Octopus brainwashes them and Spider-Man to form the Sinister Six, only to be thwarted by

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 ...

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 ...

Video games

Steel Spider appears as a playable character in '' Spider-Man Unlimited''.

References

External links

Steel Spider
at Marvel Wiki {{Spider-Man characters Characters created by Bill Mantlo Comics characters introduced in 1982 Comics characters introduced in 1985 Comics characters introduced in 1994 Fictional amputees Fictional engineers Fictional inventors in comics Marvel Comics 2 Marvel Comics male superheroes Marvel Comics scientists Marvel Comics superheroes Spider-Man characters Vigilante characters in comics