Mac Gargan

Hired by J. Jonah Jameson to uncover Spider-Man's secret identity, private investigator Mac Gargan was instead recruited for an experimental procedure funded by Jameson, which subjected him to a painful mutagenic process that bonded him to a high-tech cybernetic scorpion suit — granting superhuman strength, speed, and a deadly mechanical tail.

Few characters in Marvel's Silver Age have had a wilder ride through the decades than Mac Gargan — a name that first surfaced in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man #19 back in 1964, born from the legendary creative partnership of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko at the very height of their powers. Over 62 years and 352 catalogued appearances, Gargan has proven himself one of Marvel's most persistently compelling figures, racking up 12 key-issue appearances that any serious collector will want on their shelf. His world is a rich one — he shares pages with the likes of Peter Parker, Norman Osborn, Wolverine, and Ms. Marvel, and his presence across The Amazing Spider-Man, Dark Avengers, and Miles Morales: Spider-Man speaks to a character who refuses to be confined to any single corner of the Marvel Universe. If you're tracing the tangled, thrilling history of Marvel villainy from the Silver Age straight into the modern era, Mac Gargan is absolutely essential reading.