I'm a sucker for a loser-going-good kind of character, and this week's Z-Lister is a prime example of that kind of story. Today I present to you one of the many Spider-Man villains nobody talks about, Humbug!
Created in 1986 in "Web of Spider-Man #19" by David Michelinie and Marc Silvestri, Buck Mitty was once a entomology professor at Empire State University who's funding was cut off and resorted to crime to fund his studies on insects. He donned the mantle of "Humbug" and tried committing petty crimes, only to fail over and over and eventually be fought by Spider-Man. Though he had sonic devices that could manipulate sound and communicate with insects, Humbug wasn't equip to battle Spider-Man. When he eventually got out, Humbug tried taking revenge on ESU for cutting his funding, but failed again as he tried to steal from the school's art exhibit and failed to learn it had been moved and replaced with a woman's locker room. When Spider-Man tracked Humbug down again, the insect-themed villain had taken a hostage. Spider-Man realized the villain's obsession and threatened to kill a jar of ants if Humbug didn't let the hostage go. This proved successful and Humbug was caught yet again.
Humbug returned to steal from a museum he failed to rob before, but was stopped by the mercenary Deadpool who was hired to protect the museum and defeated Humbug by covering him in honey and tossing a jar of South African fire ants at him. Though Deadpool thought he was dead, Humbug had made a deal with the ants after they ate most of his skin to find fresher victims for them.
Humbug reappeared years later-healed from his experiences-to join The Heroes For Hire and redeem himself. After a mission in Antarctica, the thought-dead Humbug returned with a suit created from the insects of Earth that granted him new powers. This "hive suit" aided himself and the Heroes For Hire during an alien invasion, but when Humbug became the human nest for alien eggs, he begged fellow hero Shang-Chi to mercy kill him. Thus ending Humbug's story.
Characters like Spider-Man and Ant-Man are very much committed to their themes, but it is only villains like Humbug who fully dive into the personas they create. Humbug didn't control bugs, he talked to them, and-as a possible reward-the bugs spared the moment to devour him and gave him power beyond what people thought possible for such a lame villain. Another case of the loser dying a hero, Humbug is one little insect that doesn't go unnoticed for The Marvel Universe.
Thanks for reading.
Humbug returned to steal from a museum he failed to rob before, but was stopped by the mercenary Deadpool who was hired to protect the museum and defeated Humbug by covering him in honey and tossing a jar of South African fire ants at him. Though Deadpool thought he was dead, Humbug had made a deal with the ants after they ate most of his skin to find fresher victims for them.
Humbug reappeared years later-healed from his experiences-to join The Heroes For Hire and redeem himself. After a mission in Antarctica, the thought-dead Humbug returned with a suit created from the insects of Earth that granted him new powers. This "hive suit" aided himself and the Heroes For Hire during an alien invasion, but when Humbug became the human nest for alien eggs, he begged fellow hero Shang-Chi to mercy kill him. Thus ending Humbug's story.
Characters like Spider-Man and Ant-Man are very much committed to their themes, but it is only villains like Humbug who fully dive into the personas they create. Humbug didn't control bugs, he talked to them, and-as a possible reward-the bugs spared the moment to devour him and gave him power beyond what people thought possible for such a lame villain. Another case of the loser dying a hero, Humbug is one little insect that doesn't go unnoticed for The Marvel Universe.
Thanks for reading.
Facebook: The Panel Biter
Twitter: @ThePanelBiter
Podbean: Panelbiter.podbean.com
No comments:
Post a Comment