The Natural Enemy of the Spider is ...
February 24, 2020 3:01 PM   Subscribe

Fifty-five years ago, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko created a character named Mac Gargan. J. Jonah Jameson, Spider-Man's boss, originally hired Gargan to find out exactly how Peter Parker got those great photographs of Spider-Man. When he failed, Jameson set him up with a mad doctor who gave Gargan the skills and an outfit of the natural enemy of the spider. He is ... the Scorpion.

(In the various animated series, he was voiced by both Martin Landau and Richard Moll (Night Court's Bull)!)
posted by WCityMike (19 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: Poster's Request -- loup



 
What is with all the scorpion stuff on here today?
posted by chinese_fashion at 3:06 PM on February 24, 2020


According to Wikipedia: "In 2019, a molecular phylogenetic study also placed horseshoe crabs in Arachnida."

If this information had been available 55 years ago, imagine how differently comics history might have gone.
posted by Nerd of the North at 3:07 PM on February 24, 2020 [5 favorites]


chinese_fashion, MetaFilter has had runs like these before, and today's was blessed.
posted by cgc373 at 3:11 PM on February 24, 2020 [2 favorites]


In Dark Avengers Mac Gargan temp gets the Venom Symbiote and it is gory AF.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 3:13 PM on February 24, 2020 [1 favorite]


He eats people!
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 3:15 PM on February 24, 2020 [1 favorite]


That's one thing I don't get about all the superhero movies, joker, joker, joker, where did all the really fun supervillians go? Where's the penguin, riddler, mr freeze, snakegirl, sneezeboo, the critch, The Infamous Kripple Man, Mister Mxyzptlk, ratman, cheetawoman, dogirl, whipplesnatcher, brass monkey, bungie, bunny, Mysterio, Crime Master!, silvermane, hammerhead, mindworm, Morlun, and the best: WhiteRabbit.
posted by sammyo at 3:16 PM on February 24, 2020 [6 favorites]


Shhh, so as to not make the serious super villain aficionados too crazy, one of the previous list is made up, sorry;-)
posted by sammyo at 3:18 PM on February 24, 2020


As a kid I thought Jameson's grey sides were some weird style thing.

Now I have them. Huh.
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 3:25 PM on February 24, 2020 [4 favorites]


When Gargan failed to find any clues, Jameson paid him another $10,000 to be Dr Stillwell's guinea pig. The experiment gave Mac Gargan super human strength but the cost was the loss of Gargan's sanity.

And here I didn’t even get the $10K!
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:42 PM on February 24, 2020 [1 favorite]


Having read Spidey off and on for a bit more than thirty years, it's interesting how many different genres the character and his world can contain. Certainly lots of superheroes can span different styles and motifs, but Spidey and his costars really run the gamut. Scorpion sorta fits in the animal-totem world that Straczynski tried to establish along with Rhino, Doc Ock, the Vulture, and others. Plus they are almost all "technology gone mad" characters as each of them are much more afflicted by their animal costume than Spidey usually is by his (symbiote notwithstanding).

Then, you can have potboiler crime stuff with Kingpin, Tombstone, Hammerhead or Man Mountain Marko.

Then you can have some pretty gruesome (at least in theme) stuff with Vermin, Morbius or Carnage.
posted by Slothrop at 4:01 PM on February 24, 2020 [2 favorites]


That's one thing I don't get about all the superhero movies, joker, joker, joker, where did all the really fun supervillians go? Where's the penguin, riddler, mr freeze, snakegirl, sneezeboo, the critch, The Infamous Kripple Man, Mister Mxyzptlk, ratman, cheetawoman, dogirl, whipplesnatcher, brass monkey, bungie, bunny, Mysterio, Crime Master!, silvermane, hammerhead, mindworm, Morlun, and the best: WhiteRabbit.

Well, to be fair both Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Riddler, and Mysterio have appeared in said movies (though the first three haven't been in the most recent flicks). Surprised Kraven hasn't shown up yet, but he's probably on the short list at this point.
posted by gtrwolf at 4:16 PM on February 24, 2020


God willing, they're saving him for Squirrel Girl.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 4:17 PM on February 24, 2020 [3 favorites]


Kraven's been in Squirrel Girl a ton
posted by aubilenon at 4:56 PM on February 24, 2020 [1 favorite]


Exactly, I want a Squirrel Girl series/movie where he features prominently.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 5:37 PM on February 24, 2020


Isn't.. isn't the natural enemy of the spider the rolled up newspaper?

That's why J.J.J. is Spidey's real nemesis.

'Scuse me, I have to go to the red yarn store..
posted by Horkus at 6:45 PM on February 24, 2020 [9 favorites]


Spidey's enemies are all natural enemies of the spider: sand, octopuses, goblins on a glider, fat bald mafiosi, werewolf astronauts....
posted by Quindar Beep at 7:14 AM on February 25, 2020 [3 favorites]


That's one thing I don't get about all the superhero movies, joker, joker, joker, where did all the really fun supervillians go?

Into the Lego Batman Movie. "Okay, are you making some of those up?"
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 7:22 AM on February 25, 2020 [1 favorite]


supervillians

People from Superville.
posted by Grangousier at 7:39 AM on February 25, 2020 [1 favorite]


It’s like these people have never heard of wasps.
posted by notoriety public at 11:39 AM on February 25, 2020


« Older Crop Is On! I Sop Corn!   |   Justice has a nasty sting! Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments