comicbooks.com Join Free
Home β€Ί Chameleon
Chameleon

Chameleon

128 appearances Β· Silver Age Β· 1963–2026 Β· 7 key issues
Who is Chameleon?

Dmitri Smerdyakov is a master of disguise who debuted as Spider-Man's very first costumed foe. A bitter, identity-obsessed Russian spy and half-brother of Kraven the Hunter, he uses makeup, masks, and impersonation skills to infiltrate and deceive as the Chameleon.

Few villains can claim the distinction of appearing in the very first issue of The Amazing Spider-Man back in 1963, but Chameleon has that singular honor β€” a Silver Age original conjured by the legendary duo of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko at the very dawn of Marvel's web-slinging era. Over more than six decades of publication, this master of deception has proven remarkably enduring, racking up 128 catalog appearances and seven key issues that any serious Spider-Man collector will want on their shelf. Chameleon keeps dangerous company, sharing pages with the likes of Peter Parker, Kraven the Hunter, J. Jonah Jameson, and Otto Octavius, and his reach extends well beyond the main Amazing Spider-Man title into corners of the Marvel universe as varied as Spider-Man Noir and Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider. If you want to understand the full, rich rogue's gallery that defines Spider-Man's world, Chameleon β€” one of its founding members β€” is absolutely where the story begins.

Identity

Real name. Dmitri Anatoly Nikolaevich Smerdyakov

Teams & affiliations
Fantastic Four
β˜… First appearance
The Amazing Spider-Man #1
Mar 1963

Top series

Covers through the years β€” 1963–2022

The Amazing Spider-Man #1 β˜… 1963
The Amazing Spider-Man #1
The Amazing Spider-Man #80 1970
The Amazing Spider-Man #80
Marvel Team-Up #27 1974
Marvel Team-Up #27
What If? #1 1977
What If? #1
Stan Lee Presents the Marvel Comics Illustrated Version of Spider-Man His Greatest Team-Up Battles #[nn] 1981
Stan Lee Presents the Marvel Comics Illustrated Version of Spider-Man His Greatest Team-Up Battles #[nn]
The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #23 1989
The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #23
Web of Spider-Man #65 β˜… 1990
Web of Spider-Man #65
Sensational Spider-Man '96 #1 1996
Sensational Spider-Man '96 #1
The Amazing Spider-Man #500 2003
The Amazing Spider-Man #500
Marvel Visionaries: Steve Ditko #[nn] 2005
Marvel Visionaries: Steve Ditko #[nn]
Spider-Man: Red-Headed Stranger #[nn] β˜… 2009
Spider-Man: Red-Headed Stranger #[nn]
The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #1 2013
The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #1
Incredible Hulk Epic Collection #2 2017
Incredible Hulk Epic Collection #2
Devil's Reign #3 2022
Devil's Reign #3

Appearances

Fantastic Four (1961)
#29
Tales of Suspense (1959)
#58
Tales to Astonish (1959)
The Amazing Spider-Man [Golden Book and Record Set] (1966)
Smash! (1966)
The Amazing Spider-Man Annual (1964)
Marvel Team-Up (1972)
#27
The Incredible Hulk (1974)
What If? (1977)
Hulk (1978)
#10
Spider-Man Comic (1979)
Stan Lee Presents the Marvel Comics Illustrated Version of Spider-Man His Greatest Team-Up Battles (1981)
The Amazing Spider-Man: Skating on Thin Ice: Double Trouble (1990)
#2
Web of Spider-Man (1985)
Marvel Super-Heroes (1990)
#4
The Amazing Spider-Man: Double Trouble (1993)
#2
Marvel Action Hour, Featuring Iron Man (1994)
#4
Spider-Man Magazine (1994)
#16
Sensational Spider-Man '96 (1996)
#1
Spider-Man Unmasked (1996)
Art of John Romita (1996)
The Spectacular Spider-Man (1976)
Spider-Man: Dead Man's Hand (1997)
#1
Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty (1998)
Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man (1999)
Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk (2003)
Marvel Visionaries: Steve Ditko (2005)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Spider-Man 2005 (2005)
Free Comic Book Day (Marvel Age Spider-Man Team-Up) (2005)
#4
Punisher War Journal (2007)
Marvel Adventures Iron Man (2007)
#10
Spider-Man: Red-Headed Stranger (2009)
Spider-Man Noir (2009)
Spider-Man: New Ways to Die (2009)
Spider-Man: Election Day (2009)
Civil War: Punisher War Journal (2009)
Amazing Spider-Man by JMS Ultimate Collection (2009)
#2
Spider-Man: The Gauntlet (2010)
Spider-Man: Origin of the Species (2011)
Avengers Academy (2010)
#14
Amazing Spider-Man: Big Time (2011)
#1
Spider-Man: The Next Chapter (2011)
#2
Marvel Noir: Spider-Man / Punisher (2013)
The Superior Foes of Spider-Man (2013)
Superior Spider-Man Team-Up: Friendly Fire (2014)
Civil War: Punisher War Journal [Second Edition] (2016)
Civil War II: Kingpin (2016)
Incredible Hulk Epic Collection (2015)
#2
Punisher War Journal by Matt Fraction: The Complete Collection (2018)
#1
Spider-Man / Deadpool (2016)
#30
Spider-Man Noir: The Complete Collection (2019)
Mighty Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man (2021)
Amazing Spider-Man (2018)
Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man: Chameleon Conspiracy (2021)
#1
Marvel Legendary Collection (2022)
#59
Devil's Reign (2022)
The Amazing Spider-Man (Penguin Classics Marvel Collection) (2022)
The Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus (2007)
Amazing Spider-Man No. 1 Facsimile Edition (2022)
Edge of Spider-Verse (2023)
#1
Amazing Spider-Man by Nick Spencer Omnibus (2023)
#2
Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider (2024)
Spider-Man by Michelinie & Bagley Omnibus (2024)
#1
Miles Morales: Spider-Man (2023)
#19
Amazing Spider-Man Modern Era Epic Collection (2025)
#2
Free Marvel Must-Haves: December 2024 (2024)
#1
Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man (2025)
#1
Spider-Man Noir: Omnibus (2025)
Michel Fiffe Portfolio (2016)
#2
Amazing Spider-Man Magazine (2007)
#1