Hammerhead

Origin

Originally the son of a Russian mechanic he lies to a young school girl claiming to be Italian (both are school age at this time) and a bully interrupts and pummels him. The girl and the bully leave and go see a movie. Hammerhead follows, and when he believes there is no one to witness his acts, he bashes the couple’s skulls in. Rather than leaving the cinema right away he sits and watches the movie, a gangster film about Al Capone. Hammerhead was not the only person left in the theater. The murders had been witnessed by a member of the local Mafia who recruits him for work. Next we see the gang torturing his father, who had refused to pay extortion money. Hammerhead steps up and delivers the kill shot after telling his father he was denying him, claiming his father was from Sicily and had died in the war.

Creation

Hammerhead was created by Gerry Conway and Jim Starlin and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #113 (1972).

Major Story Arcs

The Hammer Rises

Hammerhead then went on to be a small two-bit crook. During a criminal gang fight, he was left severely injured. It was the criminal doctor Jonas Harrow that found him and experimented on him. Harrow reconstructed Hammerhead’s shattered skull and made it as hard as steel. Thus, was the birth of Hammerhead.

Upon awakening, Hammerhead had no memories of his past life. All he could remember was being a criminal. He took his inspiration from an old Al Capone movie since before he had passed out due to the head trauma, he’d seen a poster for the movie. He returned to New York and was determined to take over the criminal underworld. He would use any violent means to take down anyone that opposed him.

The Hammer Strikes

It was Hammerhead’s violent methods that brought him and his branch of the Maggia into conflict with Doctor Octopus and his criminal empire, with Spider-Man caught in the middle. Their gangwar brought them to an island where May Parker had inherited a nuclear reactor, one of the reasons Doc Ock had tried to marry the elderly woman. Their battle culminated with the destruction of the nuclear reactor while Spider-Man and his Aunt may made their escape. While Doctor Octopus managed to save himself as well, Hammerhead was not so lucky. Hammerhead was now a ghost, out of tune with his own dimension that began to haunt Doc Ock. In an ironic twist of fate, it was Doctor Octopus himself who managed to bring Hammerhead back to his human form.

Over the years, Hammerhead has participated in many gang wars in an attempt to seize control of New York City’s criminal underworld. He has made allies such as the Chameleon and Tombstone, and many enemies in addition to Doc Ock and Spider-Man, the Kingpin and Punisher being chief among them. He was also called upon by Norman Osborn to join his Sinister Twelve.

The Hammer Falls

During the Superhuman Civil War, Hammerhead tried to take control yet again of the criminal element in New York City, thanks in part to the Kingpin having been jailed. However, Fisk manipulated a number of events to see to it that Hammerhead never achieved his goal. He was able to get Iron Man and SHIELD to break up Hammerhead’s gathering of forces and managed to have a hitman by the name of Underworld try to take him out with adamantium bullets.

While Hammerhead managed to survive, he hung on by a thread. He was then taken away by Mr. Negative from the hospital to be saved and repaired by Doctor Tramma. Hammerhead was given a new partial adamantium skeleton in exchange for loyalty to Mr. Negative, which Hammerhead agreed to in thanks for saving his life.

The Hammer Strikes Again

Since having joined Mr. Negative’s forces, he has battled his old nemesis Spider-Man again, fought the Hood and his gang, and other minor gangs within the city. However, when a Silvermane robot imposter of Mysterio’s reared its ugly head, Hammerhead began to have conflicting doubt about where his loyalties lie. In order to refresh his memory, Mr. Negative triggered a chip implanted within Hammerhead’s skull that had been placed there during his surgery, thus sending waves of painful electrical shocks throughout his body. Later, Hammerhead and his boss Mr. Negative were contacted by Doctor Octopus in conjunction with other supervillains to located the newborn child of Lily Hollister in exchange for whatever they desired. They were unsuccessful, however, thanks to the efforts of Spider-Man.

Powers and skills

Hammerhead skull and skeleton is made of Secondary adamantium, which makes him impervious to all types of damage, unless the weapons are made of adamantium as well. Hammerhead use to have the strength of a normal human until he had upgrades from Mister Negative which made him able to lift 10 tons.

Abilities

Hammerhead has run multiple criminal organizations and is a great hand to hand combatant.

Equipment

Hammerhead sometimes used and exoskeleton invented by tinkerer.

Alternate Versions

• In the Cage limited series, Hammerhead was reimagined as a gangster named Sonny “The Hammer” Caputo. This version of the character seemed to lack any superpowers, and merely suffered from a medical condition that gave him a severely disfigured skull.
• In the Ultimate Marvel Universe, Hammerhead was once again a New York gangster. The source of his powers is unrevealed, but he is rumored that he may be a mutant. While pursuing a young girl whose parents he murdered, Hammerhead ends up crossing paths with the young mutant Gambit, who has become the girl’s protector. Gambit seemingly kills Hammerhead by using kinetic energy to make his skull explode. Despite this, Hammerhead later returns (merely saying that being dead “sucked,” which prompted him to come back) and starts a gang war with the Kingpin. The conflict soon escalates, resulting in Black Cat, Elektra and heroes like Spider-Man, Moon Knight, Shang-Chi and Iron Fist getting involved. The gang war ultimately ends when Elektra repeatedly stabs Hammerhead and then sends him out of a window, which leaves him comatose.
• In the Age of Ultron universe, Hammerhead was seen as one of the surviving humans in the aftermath of Ultron‘s massacre of New York City. He and the Owl captured the Superior Spider-Man and attempted to turn him over to Ultron, but were both presumably killed when Ultron’s drones destroyed the building the gangsters were operating out of.

Other Media

Television

• Spider-Man – Hammerhead appears in the 1981 series during the episode “Wrath of the Sub-Mariner.” It is said that Hammerhead maintains a criminal group in the Midwest. Hammerhead alongside Silvermane and Caesar Cicero meet with the Kingpin when his scientist Dr. Everett has created a dissolving fluid. He is webbed up by Spider-Man and defeated. He was voiced by William Boyett
• Spider-Man: The Animated Series – Hammerhead appears throughout the series normally working for different crime lords. In this version, his head is laced with Adamantium. At first Hammerhead worked for Silvermane’s group, but after failing to protect the Tablet of Time, Silvermane promised to hire someone better and Hammerhead began working for the Kingpin. He was voiced by Nicky Blair.
• The Spectacular Spider-Man – Voice by John Dimaggio, Hammerhead appears as the assistant and point man for “The Big Man” aka Tombstone. Hammerhead is usually the source of Osborn and Octavius‘ guinea pigs for their experiments, providing them with Rhino and Sandman. Hammerhead eventually betrayed Tombstone at the suggestion of the Green Goblin. He was voiced by John DiMaggio.
• Ultimate Spider-Man – An alternate version of Hammerhead appears in the Marvel Noir universe as a gangland rival of Joe Fixit. He was voiced by character actor Jon Polito in one of his final roles.
• Marvel’s Spider-Man – Hammerhead appears in the series, where he is responsible for Flint Marko’s transformation into Sandman. He was voiced by Jim Cummings.

Video Games

• Spider-Man: The Animated Series Video Game – Hammerhead appears in the Super NES game, as a boss in the Construction Zone only on Hard Mode.
• Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro – Hammerhead appears as a boss in game. He is seen working with Electro, Sandman, Shocker, and Beetle. Hammerhead and his henchmen hold up the New York City Science Industry Ball in order to kidnap Dr. Watts. After Spider-Man buys some time for Dr. Watts to escape, Hammerhead has his men track down the Doctor while he battles Spider-Man. Spider-Man defeats him by making him run into walls and pummeling him into unconsciousness while he is stunned.
• Spider-Man: Mysterio’s Menace – Hammerhead briefly appears in the GBA game. He is seen aiding Mysterio by aqcuiring for him some holographic technology with Big Wheel, Electro, Rhino, and Scorpion.
• Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions – Hammerhead appears in the Film Noir Universe as the first act boss. While Hammerhead never appeared in the Noir comics, the developers felt he fit in the 1930’s style universe. Hammerhead is seen working for “ The Goblin“, by providing armed transport for one of the tablet fragments. As Spider-Man Noir you stock Hammerhead through a train yard, having a boss battle with Hammerhead using a gattling gun. This culminates in Hammerhead using the tablet to fuse his guns to his arms and become magically empowered. Spider-Man Noir defeats Hammerhead by using steam as a cover to perform stealth take downs.
• The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – Hammerhead appears as a boss character in the video game adaptation of The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
• Spider-Man Unlimited – A symbiote-infected version of Hammerhead appears as a playable character.
• Spider-Man (2018) – Hammerhead appears in the 2018 video game from Paradox, voiced by Keith Silverstein. He is the main antagonist of the “City that Never Sleeps” DLC trilogy, where he and his crime family take part in the gang war caused by the arrests of the Kingpin and Mr. Negative.

Theatre

• Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark – Hammerhead appears alongside the Kingpin in the play when Spider-man breaks up a bank robbery.

Merchandise

• Hammerhead was featured in the HeroClix figure game.
• Hammerhead was featured in The Classic Marvel Figurine Collection from Eaglemoss Publications.
• Hammerhead was featured in the Marvel Minimates line from Diamond Select as part of a two-pack with Venom.
• Hasbro released a figure of Chameleon in the Marvel Legends line, which came with an alternate head that could be used to transform the figure into Hammerhead.
• Hasbro later produced a proper Hammerhead figure as part of the Marvel Legends Retro line, based on his classic comic appearance.