Electro (Marvel)
Electro is a male comic supervillain who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Maxwell "Max" Dillon was a male human born in Endicott, New York as the son of Jonathan Dillon and his wife Anita Dillon. As a young boy, much of Max's life involved the family moving from one home to another because his father would often get fired forcing him to take work somewhere else. It was shown that Jonathan Dillon would be abusive where he would strike his wife on occasion with Max attempting to stand up for his mother. Eventually, his father came to leave the family when Max was around 8 years old. With only her son in her life, Anita Dillon came to be an overprotective mother where she wanted what was best for her son but this often led to him being unable to have fun or play with other children. Whilst growing up, he intended to go to college to become an electrical engineer or scientist with him taking some catalogs back home with him. This would have meant for him to stay at a dorm and eat at a cafeteria with his mother believing that her son could not survive on his own thus forbidding him from leaving home. Instead, she threw away the catalogs where she said that he could apply to the local electrical company but preferred he chose a safer more stable profession with her suggesting Max become an accountant like his father. By adulthood, he came to work for the electric company where his mother came to pass away three weeks before Maxwell's 25th birthday. In this time, he came to meet Norma Lynn who worked as the secretary for one of the boss's of the company. Within six months, the pair got married but marital strife came to affect the couple when Max drifted from one job to another until he looked to settle as a lineman. Norma believed that Maxwell should have been more ambitious and apply for a management position but Dillon claimed he could not handle the pressure nor was he fit for the role. Unable to settle, Norma decided to leave Max making him see that the job was all he had in his life. Whilst working as a lineman, he refused to risk his life for others and simply was content to perform his job. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #422)
One day, another lineman got in trouble and Dillon agreed to save him, but only after the co-worker would expressly remark to the electric company about Dillon's heroism, which would auger well for his chances of getting promoted. However, a freak lightning storm hit and caused the lineman in distress to lose his balance and fall to his death. In the process Max Dillon gained superpowers when he was struck by lightning while in contact with power lines still connected to their spool. The unusually configured magnetic field generated by the wound spool of cable and live, high-tension wires induced a body-wide mutagenic change to his nervous system. Dillon found himself transformed into a living electrical capacitor, powered by the micro-fine rhythmic muscle contractions that normally regulate body temperature. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #9) At first, his powers were shown to be weak and he spent some time stealing electrical equipment from Stark Industries to charge himself. During this time, he was approached by the Mutant Magneto who had considered Dillon a potential recruit for his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. The Master of Magnetism had claimed that Dillon's power rivalled his own but Max ultimately refused the offer. The following day, Dillon was confronted by a small-time thug from whom he was borrowing money to pay for the machinery he needed. When the thug draws a gun on him because he did not pay back the money yet, he responded by shooting a blast of lightning through the thug's chest—the first time Dillon ever kills anybody. (Web of Spider-Man v2 #2)
Electro
Immediately, he realized he could use this power for all the money he ever wanted. Soon taking the name Electro, he turned to a life of a professional crime with his first victim being J. Jonah Jameson. Electro breaks into the Daily Bugle Building and stole from Jameson's safe right in front of him. Jameson, however, became convinced that Electro was really Spider-Man after he was robbed at the Forest Hills bank. He believed this because Electro recognized him and made his escape by crawling up the side of a building. At the same time, May Parker was in the hospital and Peter needed money to pay for an operation that she needed. He asked Jameson for a loan and was quickly thrown out of his office, being told that if he wanted money, then bring proof that Spider-Man was Electro. Peter took it as good advice and went after the criminal but was soon beaten. Electro caused a break out at a prison shortly after he tumbled with Spider-Man, figuring the prisoners would be his goons from then on in. Facing him inside the prison, Spider-Man used rubber gloves and socks to be able to hit Electro without getting shocked. After a huge rumble, Spider-Man used a hose and soaked Electro, short-circuiting him. He was then shocked to learn he had never seen Max before after unmasking him. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #9)
Upgrade
Breakout
He was later seemingly paid by Elektra and the Hand to attack the Raft and free Karl Lykos from the prison. (Mighty Avengers v1 #16)
Electro flew away with his target, leaving Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Luke Cage and Spider-Woman Jessica Drew to handle the scores of escaped inmates. (New Avengers v1 #2) After all of the prisoners were returned to their cells, the Avengers looked over security cameras and noticed Electro's distinctive costume on the footage. Checking Dillon's bank account, they found that a large amount of cash had been wired to him in Boston. Arriving in Boston, the Avengers arrested Dillon by putting him in an electric proof bubble. He then passed out after Luke Cage threatened him. (New Avengers v1 #4) He managed to use Spider-Man's sticking ability against him in a battle. Peter could not take his hands off anything, meaning he had to take slabs of pavement and a poodle he fell on top of home with him. Spider-Man caught Electro a bit later in a battle with The Thing and the Human Torch. Peter knocked Max out by planting the Thing on him. (Spider-Man Unlimited v3 #9) He next appeared at a bar and watched a live, televised fight between Spider-Man and the Hulk. The other bar patrons bet money that the Hulk would win, while Dillon put money on Spider-Man. Not only did Dillon win the bet, but he was even able to guess how Spider-Man would move next during the fight. He then went out for a robbery but was caught by Spider-Man. (Spider-Man Unlimited v3 #11)
Overview
Personality and attributes
After making a costume for himself, he decided to name himself Electro for his command over electricity. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #9)
It was revealed that his lack of confidence stemmed from his overprotective mother who believed Max was not smart enough to accomplish much in life nor was he capable of surviving on his own. Thus, he lacked ambition and initially believed he was incapable of taking on more important jobs. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #422)
Max Dillon was the son of Jonathan Dillon who was an accountant and who was married to his wife Anita Dillon. As a young boy, he came to witness his father's abusive tantrums which he took out on his wife in front of their child. Max would attempt to stand up for his mother but was unable to stop his father who considered his wife and child to be useless. He later walked out on his wife and son when Max was only 8 years old. Max wanted to cheer when his father left but saw that his mother had taken the incident pretty badly. She came to tell her son that he was all that she had in her life with those words coming to haunt Maxwell in his life. This was because she was overprotective thus preventing Max from ever having fun in his life. However, he did note that she only did what was best for him but this left Max suffering an unhappy childhood. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #422)
By adulthood, he came to be involved with Norma Lynn who had been a secretary for one of the boss's at the electrical company. After six months of dating, the two got married but Norma Lynn was ambitious and wanted Max to apply for management positions as well as fulfil his dream of becoming an engineer. However, Maxwell did not think he was fit enough and instead was happy to settle for being a lineman. This eventually led to Norma Lynn walking out on him as she could not stay with a man willing to settle for things in his life. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #422)
He was later involved with Francine Frye who was his girlfriend. She was a New Yorker who was obsessed with supervillains as a form of escapism from the real world with her being a regular accomplice of Electro. (Amazing Spider-Man v4 #17)
Originally, he was anxious to meet Spider-Man in order to prove his power greater than that of the hero. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #9)
Powers and abilities
Max Dillon was born an ordinary human being with no special powers from birth. As a child, he expressed an interest in becoming an electrical engineer or a scientist with these having been his dream. However, his career prospects were curtailed when his mother refused to allow him to study away from home at a college. By adulthood, he came to learn to be a lineman at an electrical company where he performed his job adequately and became very good at it. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #422)
Originally, he crafted an elaborate suit and equipment that stored an electric charge within it. He could use electric rays to hold onto iron beams similar to a magnet allowing him to scale a building with ease. With his electrical powers, he could use them like a mine detector allowing him to locate hidden safes. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #9)
With it, he was able to control electricity and could use it to fire electric shocks at targets. He could fire a low-powered bolt of electricity that could render a person unconscious. Electro was able to use his electric rays to burn away obstructions such as webbing. Such was his control that he could surround targets in a ring of electricity to pen them in. For defence, he was able to shock anyone that tried to make physical contact with him. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #9)
In addition, he could control anything that operated on machinery allowing him to take over machines. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #9)
Notes
- Electro was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko where he made his first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man v1 #9 (February, 1964).
Alternate Versions
- In Ultimate Spider-Man v1 #10 (2001), an alternate version of Electro appeared in the Ultimate Marvel reality that was designated as Earth-1610 in the Multiverse.
- In Spider-Man: House of M v1 #3 (2005), an alternate version of Electro appeared in the House of M reality that was designated as Earth-58163 in the Multiverse.
- In Amazing Spider-Man v4 #1 (2015), an alternate version of Electro appeared in the Marvel 1602 reality that was designated as Earth-311 in the Multiverse.
- In Spider-Gwen v2 #9 (2016), an alternate version of Electro appeared in the Spider-Gwen reality that was designated as Earth-65 in the Multiverse.
In other media
Television
- In Spider-Man, Electro appeared in the setting of the 1960s animated television series where he was voiced by actor Tom Harvey. Maxwell Dillon was a professional criminal who had the power of electricity. He committed crimes including robbing banks and jewellery shops. He even framed Spider-Man in lots of different ways, including leaving his Spider-Tracer in a jewellery store, and Spider-Man following it. When arriving there, the police saw Spider-Man, but Electro had escaped, making it look like Spider-Man committed the robbery. He also often tried to power-up, using power generators and trapping anyone trying to stop him in them. He was so desperate to stop Spider-Man that he often teamed up with over villains, including Green Goblin, Vulture and Dr. Noah Boddy.
- In Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Electro appeared in the setting of the 1980s animated television series where he was voiced by actor Allan Melvin. Electro was the main villain in the Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends episode Videoman voiced by Allan Melvin. He later made a cameo appearance in Attack of the Arachnoid.
- In Spider-Man, Electro appeared in the setting of the 1990s animated television series in the episode where he was voiced by actor "Six Forgotten Warriors", voiced by Philip Proctor. This version was given a different backstory as Rheinholt Schmidt, a German Nazi who masqueraded as Russian police chief Rheinholt Kragov for most of his life while searching for and impersonating his father, the Red Skull, in an attempt to gain control of his doomsday device. Once Spider-Man, the Kingpin, and the Insidious Six retrieve the keys and box needed to access it, Rheinholt traps them except for his step-brother, the Chameleon, who betrays the Kingpin to help Rheinholt access the doomsday device and free the Red Skull from his energy vortex prison. The Red Skull subsequently uses the weapon on Rheinholt, turning him into Electro, but the latter betrays him for risking his life and tries to take over the world for himself, but Spider-Man tricks him into trapping himself in the energy vortex before destroying the machine.
Films
- In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Electro appeared in the setting of the 2014 live-action film where he was portrayed by actor Jamie Foxx. While fixing a power line on his birthday, Dillon is electrocuted and falls into a tank of genetically engineered electric eels, which grant him electrical powers. Surviving the ordeal, a disfigured but drained Dillon heads to Times Square to "charge" himself with more electricity, but is confronted by Spider-Man. Initially excited, a stray shot from an NYPD sniper causes Dillon to believe Spider-Man set him up before attacking him, only to be subdued and sent to Ravencroft for study. Taking the name "Electro", he is broken out by Harry Osborn, who requires his help in breaking into Oscorp to find a cure for his terminal illness. Electro agrees and is given a new suit to control his powers. After they successfully break in, Harry allows Electro to take over the electrical grid he designed and take control of New York's electricity. Magnetizing his web-shooters to protect them from Electro, Spider-Man confronts him once more and repairs the damaged electrical grid so Gwen Stacy can reactivate it; allowing the web-slinger to overload Electro with his own electricity.
- In Spider-Man: No Way Home, the Amazing Spider-Man version of Electro appeared in the setting of the live-action film set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe where he was portrayed once again by actor Jamie Foxx. Prior to becoming pure energy, he is transported to another universe and absorbs its electricity, which restores his human form. He is subsequently confronted by Sandman and the native Spider-Man (later dubbed 'Peter-One') before they are brought to the New York Sanctum along with other dimensionally-displaced supervillains. Peter-One later breaks the villains out and persuades them to let him cure them and avert their original fates. However, the Green Goblin sabotages the experiment, allowing Electro and the other villains to escape. After gaining power from an Arc Reactor, Electro fights three Spider-Men until Doctor Octopus cures him. Dillon laments losing his powers, but his Spider-Man assures him that he is not a nobody and convinces him to abandon his villainy before Doctor Strange returns Dillon and the dimensionally-displaced individuals to their respective universes.
Video games
- In Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro, Electro appeared in the setting of the video game where he was voiced by actor Dee Bradley Baker. He intended to use the Bio-Nexus Device, a mechanism that can enhance a person's bioelectric field, to become a god. Working with Shocker, Sandman, the Beetle, and Hammerhead, Electro abducts Dr. Watts, the creator of the device, and fights Spider-Man over its possession. Electro eventually uses the device to become a being of pure energy dubbed "Hyper-Electro", but was ultimately de-powered and defeated by Spider-Man and imprisoned.
- In Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, the Max Dillon Electro appeared as a boss and playable character in the PSP version of the video game where he was voiced by actor David Kaye. Mysterio captured and placed him under mind control before sending him to an island in the Mediterranean Sea to retrieve a meteor shard. After Spider-Man defeated and destroyed his mind-control device whereupon Electro joined forces with him to exact revenge on Mysterio.
Appearances
- Amazing Spider-Man v1: (1964)
- New Avengers v1:
- Web of Spider-Man v2:
- Mighty Avengers v1:
- Amazing Spider-Man v4:
- Amazing Spider-Man v5:
- Spider-Man v3:
External Links
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