Hobie Brown

Frustrated by dead-end jobs and social inequality, self-taught inventor Hobart Brown built his own high-tech costume — complete with pellet-firing wrist cartridges, pneumatic gauntlets, and a gliding cape — to become the Prowler, debuting as a minor antagonist before becoming a trusted Spider-Man ally.

Hobie Brown has been a compelling presence in Marvel's street-level corner of the universe ever since Archie Goodwin introduced him in the Bronze Age pages of The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu in 1976 — a debut that immediately signals this is a character with range and texture. Nearly five decades of appearances later, with 96 catalog entries and five key issues to his name, Hobie has proven himself one of Marvel's most quietly enduring figures. He's built his legacy sharing pages with the likes of Peter Parker, Venom, Spider-Woman, and even his own multiversal counterpart Spider-Punk, anchoring titles like Spider-Man and Spider-Punk: Arms Race with a grounded, distinctive energy. If you've been sleeping on Hobie Brown, his long run and collector-recognized issues make a compelling case that it's well past time to catch up.