Trapster
The Trapster is a male comic supervillain who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Peter Petruski
As an adult, he worked as a research scientist in New York City for a major corporation. While working there, he patented a multi-polymer adhesive that made him very wealthy and made him the top of his profession. However, instead of continuing his successful career Petruski decided to turn his skills toward a life of crime which was a move he believed would be more lucrative. (Spider-Man v1 #91)
Initially, he adopted the name of Paste-Pot Pete where he made use of a costume and a paste-gun for his crimes. Despite his garb and weapon, he not only succeeded in robbing the Glennville bank, but also managed to evade the novice hero known as the Human Torch of the famous Fantastic Four. Deciding to raise the stakes, Paste-Pot Pete attempted to steal a Delta Cosmic Missile from the military in the hopes of selling it to the highest bidder, unconcerned if it was sold back to the United States military or a foreign power. He was chased by the Torch who managed to recover the missile, Pete then fled the scene by using his paste gun to grab hold of a passing commercial airliner and dropping into international waters where a hired boat waited for him. With his first mission a humiliating defeat, Pete fled the country in the hopes of evading the authorities. (Strange Tales v1 #104) Smuggling himself back into the country, Pete sought to get revenge against the Human Torch. Learning that the Torch had recently apprehended the criminal genius known as the Wizard, Pete broke him out of prison. Although the pair formed a rocky alliance, they succeeded in framing the Torch for various petty crimes as well as acts of treason. But, they fell for a trap set by the Torch when the young hero disguised himself as a wealthy British actor. The Wizard and Pete succeeded in luring the Torch into a series of traps, but the youth's flame powers proved too much for the two criminals and they were quickly apprehended and incarcerated. (Strange Tales v1 #110)
Later on, Baron Heinrich Zemo and his Masters of Evil terrorized New York City with Zemo's Adhesive X leading to the Avengers seeking out Paste-Pot Pete's expertise with adhesives to combat Zemo's powerful solvents. With the help of a counter agent created by Pete, the Avengers were able to defeat the Masters of Evil. (Avengers v1 #6) Pete was released from prison as the authorities believed he had reformed. Pete had no intentions of going straight and instead focused on getting revenge against the Torch once more. Developing a new costume and weapons he attacked the Torch's teammate the Thing and took him prisoner. When the Torch came to rescue his friend he was also briefly captured, but the Thing managed to break free. Outmatched by the two heroes powers, Paste-Pot Pete surrendered to them and was arrested once again. (Strange Tales v1 #124)
Pete and the Sandman would come to escape from prison by hijacking a plane. Whilst flying through the air, they came to encounter the Wizard who had been trapped high up in the sky. The two escapees came to rescue him and thus save him from suffocation in the upper atmosphere. During their meeting, they all came to showcase their unique powers along with a mutual hatred of the Fantastic Four. It was then that the Wizard suggested that they team up together and be an evil counterpart to those heroes. For a fourth member, the Wizard introduced a mysterious woman named Madame Medusa who was hiding out on a remote island in the Mediterranean with complete control over her hair. Joining their ranks, the four individuals formed a supervillain team called the Frightful Four. The Frightful Four's formation came just after the Fantastic Four's Mister Fantastic and Invisible Girl had announced that they were engaged to be married. After an engagement party, the Frightful Four attacked the Fantastic Four's Baxter Building headquarters. Although they incapacitated the Thing, Mister Fantastic, and the Invisible Girl they were too late to stop the Thing's girlfriend Alicia Masters from sending out a signal flare to the Human Torch who was away from the building at the time. Although the Frightful Four used anti-gravity disks to end the Fantastic Four in the same way the Wizard almost perished, the Torch came to their rescue. Outclassed by the veteran heroes, the Frightful Four decided to retreat in the ensuing battle, setting their anti-gravity craft to self-destruct providing cover for the group to escape. (Fantastic Four v1 #36)
Overview
Personality and attributes
He claimed to had run across the Hand's ninjas several times over the years and said he was not overly impressed with them. (Spider-Man v1 #91)
Powers and abilities
He also created a dust capable of rendering Mister Fantastic's unstable molecules inert. (Fantastic Four v3 #10)
Notes
- Paste-Pot Pete was created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby where he made his first appearance in Strange Tales v1 #104 (January, 1963).
- He later debuted as the Trapster in Fantastic Four v1 #38 (May, 1965).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
Other
Appearances
- Strange Tales v1: (1963)
- Fantastic Four v1:
- Spider-Man v1:
External Links
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