Electro (Marvel Comics)

Electro
Textless variant cover art of The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 3 #2 (May 2014).
Art by Humberto Ramos
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceThe Amazing Spider-Man #9 (Feb. 1964)[1][2]
Created byStan Lee
Steve Ditko
In-story information
Alter egoMaxwell "Max" Dillon
SpeciesHuman mutate
Place of originEndicott, New York
Team affiliationsSinister Six
Emissaries of Evil
Frightful Four
Exterminators[3]
Sinister Twelve
Legion Accursed
Notable aliasesMaster of Electricity
Jolt
Abilities

Electro (/ɪˈlɛktr/) is the name of two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the Maxwell "Max" Dillon version of Electro was introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #9 (Feb. 1964) as an adversary to the superhero Spider-Man. Electro has since endured as one of the web-slinger's most prominent foes, though he has also come into conflict with other heroes, most notably Daredevil. He is a founding member of the Sinister Six, and the leader of the original incarnation of the Emissaries of Evil, the first supervillain teams to oppose Spider-Man and Daredevil, respectively. In the original version of the story, Max Dillon was a lineman for an electric company who turned to a life of crime after being struck by lightning while working on a power line and becoming a living electric capacitor. Electro's superpowers revolve around controlling electricity, which he can absorb to "charge" himself and become more powerful, gaining additional abilities such as flight and enhanced physical attributes. Since his conception, the character has undergone several design changes, from his original green and yellow costume, to his modern look with blue skin and a bald head.

During the time that Max Dillon was dead between 2016 and 2021, a second Electro named Francine Frye was introduced.

Outside of comics, both Dillon and Frye have been featured in various media adaptations of Spider-Man, including feature films, television series, and video games. In particular, Jamie Foxx portrayed Dillon in the live-action films The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).

  1. ^ Misiroglu, Gina Renée; Eury, Michael (2006). The Supervillain Book: The Evil Side of Comics and Hollywood. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 9780780809772.
  2. ^ Conroy, Mike (2004). 500 Comicbook Villains. Collins & Brown. ISBN 1-84340-205-X.
  3. ^ "Exterminators (Spider-Man foes)". www.marvunapp.com.