Let’s conclude this not-so-electrifying chronology on Electro: after these stories, he returns to being a full time Spider-Man villain and therefore outside of the main focus of this retrospective.
Will his last attempts to fight anyone else be less embarrassing than the previous 5 parts?
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #66 (1982)
by Bill Mantlo & Ed Hannigan
I still can’t believe that this is only the THIRD time we have a story where Electro is the only villain and Spider-Man is the only hero.
Every single other time they’ve met before there was either a supervillain team-up or a superhero.
Bill Mantlo sure loves opening his stories with scenes where a supervillain is shown to be incredibly dangerous even when imprisoned; we’ve seen him do it with Cobra, but to his credit I buy it with Electro.
Unless he confused him with Magneto, because it treats Electro as if his strength comes from metals.
Also, up to this point the comics have been surprisingly consistent in showing that Electro really needs an external power source to recharge: he’s not THAT dangerous on his own.
But apparently all he needs to recharge and take control of the entire prison is a tiny spark.
Behold: a rare acknowledgement of Electro being in any team besides the Sinister Six!
Enjoy the moment, it will likely never happen again.
The focus of this chronology is Electro fighting other heroes, so I’m skipping most of this story.
But I have to mention a couple of things. One of which is the way Mantlo handles one of the many botched love interests introduced in this period… Marcy Kane.
If you’re wondering what happened to Marcy… she fell in love with Jack of Hearts in a Marvel Team-Up story the following year…
…and in 1983, she’s revealed to be an alien in a Jack of Hearts miniseries.
I should note that both Marvel Team-Up and the miniseries were also written by Mantlo.
What was I talking about? Oh, right, Electro kills Spider-Man.
Come on, who could possibly be dumb enough to believe that?
Tip to writers: this is exactly how you’re NOT supposed to write Jonah.
The only notable part of the story is that it’s an early example of Spider-Man creating a specialized costume.
Historical significance: 0/10
Entirely forgettable.
Silver Age-ness: N/A
Does it stand the test of time? N/A
Not a real review so no scores, but as far as Electro stories go… this is one of the most boring.
Avengers #236 (1983)
by Roger Stern & Al Milgrom
Spider-Man joining the Avengers? Like that could ever be popular.
Spider-Man is trying to join the Avengers because he heard they are paid 1,000 dollars (that would be equivalent to 3,343 dollars in 2026).
She-Hulk being in the team was just a bonus.
Spider-Man joins the Avengers (without their approval) in an adventure at Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S, where evidently Electro has been jailed again, and he escapes with other supervillains.
Avengers #237 (1983)
by Roger Stern & Al Milgrom
This is actually the first time Electro and Rhino meet. Isn’t that weird?
Moonstone is the one leading this unnamed supervillain team, because of course she is.
The guy who looks like a botched Electro is Blackout: despite his look, his powers have NOTHING to do with electricity.
Much like Darkstar he’s able to control the physics-breaking Darkforce, although it’s not named yet.
You might have noticed that Electro got himself a power booster, courtesy of some of the tech taken from the place. It doesn’t last long.
And speaking of physics-breaking, he’s taken down by Scarlet Witch.
Things you can use to defeat Electro:
J) carbon dioxide
At the end, Spider-Man is unable to join the Avengers due to editorial interference politics.
Historical significance: 9/10
This is actually QUITE significant for the Avengers, as the alliance between Moonstone and Blackout will be EXTREMELY important in the Stern masterpiece of the “Under Siege” saga.
But this is also where Starfox’s secret power begins its introduction introduced. It will have far-reaching consequences for him, most notably the character assassination he will receive in the 2000s… despite what Dan Slott and later writers say, he’s not a rapist!
Silver Age-ness: N/A
Does it stand the test of time? N/A
Once again no scores because this isn’t a real review, but… it’s the Stern run of Avengers! READ IT AS SOON AS YOU CAN!!!
Falcon #3 (1984)
by Christopher Priest & Mark Bright
cover by Alan Kupperberg
This 4-issue miniseries is the debut of Christopher Priest (perhaps best known for his Black Panther run), who was still signing as Jim Owsley at the time (you might recognize the name from his years as a Spider-Man editor).
It’s also one of the earliest works by Mark Bright, before his acclaimed Iron Man run.
In the miniseries, Falcon has to deal with the criminal gang called The Legion (no relation).
Turns out that Electro has been hiding in Falcon’s neighborhood.
The miniseries also introduced Sgt. Tork, the no-nonsense policeman who always carries around a shotgun, and who you might recognize for his appearances in several Owsley/Priest books.
I did wonder where he came from when I was reading Spider-Man, as he felt like a pre-existing character… turns out he WAS.
This is a rather solid series, but we’re here for Electro.
As usual, Electro doesn’t think much of his opponent…
…but he’s not used to fighting someone who can fly.
Too bad Falcon has to EVENTUALLY land.
Falcon #4 (1984)
by Christopher Priest & Mark Bright
How weird is it that by this point, Captain America is right behind Spider-Man as the hero who has met Electro the most?
One of the plots of the miniseries is that The Legion… which I remind you is a street gang… has kidnapped the President of the United States.
So Electro is recruited to save him.
Missed opportunity to have this plot on Daredevil and have The Hand as the villains.
You only get 1 guess on who else is recruited to rescue the President.
Even the comic doesn’t believe The Legion actually pulled off the kidnapping.
But yes, they DO have the President.
Cap would most likely rescue the President, but he didn’t know Electro would show up.
We have the final rematch between Electro and Falcon… with the latter losing his main advantage.
But Electro is eventually defeated by a combination of Redwing (Falcon’s falcon) and water.
Things you can use to defeat Electro:
K) birds
Look, I like Falcon. But if you have the power to shoot lightning and you lose to Falcon without his wings, that’s ALMOST as embarrassing as losing to a Daredevil who doesn’t have super-senses.
The story ends with Falcon convincing the gang members to talk directly to Ronald Reagan about how his politics ruined the neighborhood.
And the story ends with Ronald Reagan listening to their grievances and pushing legislation to fix the ghetto.
For a series focusing on a guy who communicates telepathically with his bird and who in the second issue fought giant killer robots, this is the most unrealistic part.
Historical significance: 2/10
Aside from the introduction of Sgt. Tork, who is basically relevant to other Priest stories only, not really.
Silver Age-ness: N/A
Does it stand the test of time? N/A
I’m not the biggest Priest fan, but this one was really solid and a little unknown gem; I think I actually like his writing more here than anywhere else.
And of course the artwork is AMAZING.
Too bad that for a miniseries that is trying its best to tackle real world problems in a realistic way, it ends up botching the finale… although considering Priest’s positions in later years, I wonder if the ending is due to editorial mandate.
Larry Hama being the editor is what makes it a possibility for me.
There’s also the problem of trying to write a street-level hero facing real life issues… and then using as villains a guy in a power armor in the first issue, THE SENTINELS in the second, and Electro in the final two.
Marvel Fanfare #22 (1985)
by Roger McKenzie & Ken Steacy
Let’s close the chronology with an oddity: a passion project by Ken Steacy, who hasn’t done a lot of mainstream comics.
And yes, he did BASICALLY EVERYTHING in this.
This is mostly about Iron Man fighting Doctor Octopus… which sounds like a cakewalk for Tony until you realize that at this time the tentacles were made of Adamantium.
Octopus frees three supervillains to help him: his old pals Electro and Sandman, plus Grey Gargoyle.
That’s a bad combination, because first Electro is blinded when Sandman is blasted by Iron Man…
Things you can use to defeat Electro:
L) sand
…and an angry Grey Gargoyle turns him to stone.
That’s it for Electro. But Doctor Octopus is the real star here, and he’s TERRIFYING.
Marvel Fanfare #23 (1985)
by Roger McKenzie & Ken Steacy
The follow-up focuses on just Doctor Octopus and Iron Man, but it’s still a great story.
Historical significance: 3/10
You would think Doctor Octopus and Iron Man would never cross paths again… and you’d be right until 2011, where he was a major villain in the Matt Fraction run.
In fact, Tony straight up loses that time too: Octopus manages to make him beg to avoid a nuclear bomb from going off…
…when there IS no bomb!
Silver Age-ness: N/A
Does it stand the test of time? N/A
Sensing a theme? This is a very weird two-parter, but I recommend checking it out. The artwork is truly unique, and while it doesn’t always work… this is probably the scariest Doctor Octopus I have ever seen.
Superheroes Electro has fought: 19
Adding the members of the Avengers, Falcon and Iron Man, bringing the final list to:
-Spider-Man
-Daredevil
-Iceman
-Black Widow
-Omega
-Hulk
-Iron Fist
-Hellcat
-Captain America
-Human Torch
-Thing
-Mister Fantastic
-Invisible Girl
-She-Hulk
-Wasp
-Captain Marvel
-Starfox
-Falcon
-Iron Man
Things you can use to defeat Electro:
A) water
B) curtains
C) his feet
D) throwing something in his face really hard
E) YOUR feet
F) a solid punch
G) trash
H) telepathy
I) a rubber hose
J) carbon dioxide
K) birds
L) sand
1963-1985
Times Electro has fought Spider-Man on his own: 3
Times Electro has fought Spider-Man and another hero: 3
Times Electro has fought Spider-Man overall: 8
And that’s a wrap on the chronology of Electro. For a guy who is very firmly established as a mainstay of Spider-Man’s rogues gallery, for the longest time he really wasn’t that big of a deal.
The next chronology will follow a character who is definitely a much bigger threat… and much, MUCH hungrier.
Prepare to witness some of the most epic Marvel stories ever told… and some of the dumbest.
