Hypno-Hustler

The Hypno-Hustler is a minor Marvel villain with a campy, tongue-in-cheek reputation who uses music and hypnosis-based tricks to commit crimes, bringing him into conflict with street-level heroes like Spider-Man and Spider-Woman.

Few villains in Marvel's Copper Age arrive with quite the campy, irresistible energy of the Hypno-Hustler, a Fred Hembeck creation who spun out of Web of Spider-Man Annual #5 in 1989 with his tongue planted firmly in cheek. Over a surprisingly durable stretch running into 2016, this minor-league menace has crossed paths with heavy hitters like Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, and even the cosmic observer Uatu — rarefied company for someone with such a delightfully low-rent reputation. His appearances across Avenging Spider-Man, Power Man and Iron Fist, and Fin Fang Four Return! paint the picture of a character Marvel clearly has a soft spot for, trotting him out whenever they want to remind readers that superhero comics can still be gloriously fun. With a key issue to his name and a cult following among fans who love their villains with a wink, the Hypno-Hustler is exactly the kind of oddball treasure that makes digging through Marvel's back catalog so rewarding.