Electro

Origin

Maxwell Dillion was born in Endicott, New York where his father was a struggling accountant and had difficulties on keeping a job. Because of this, Maxwell and his family constantly found themselves moving which also caused Maxwell to become a reclusive child seeing how it was hard for him making new friends because his family moving. Maxwell’s father eventually abandoned the family, Maxwell’s mother began to become overprotected over him as he grew into adulthood. Wanting to find some independence within his life, Maxwell wanted to go to college, but his mother would disagree with Maxwell’s choice but suggests that he gets a job as a lineman. At the age of twenty-four, his mother died and Maxwell pursued his goals and later became one of the most notable and well experienced linemen ever known.

Maxwell later was married to woman known as Norma Lynn, who eventually leaves him when deciding to pursue his career as a lineman rather than taking on the responsibilities as a husband. Developing a personality that was both selfish and arrogant, others had trouble requesting Maxwell’s services or favors without him demanding something in return. When a fellow line repairman was knocked unconscious and stuck on a high pole with dangerous wires loose, Maxwell was requested by his employer to save the lineman’s life. Easily saving the unconscious lineman and bringing him to safety, a bolt of lightning struck Maxwell knocking him off the pole seemingly killing him. However, Maxwell later discovered that he gained some form of electric powers.

Maxwell next pursued on not only discovering this new found set of powers, but also trying to increase them as well. This caused Maxwell to find expensive materials that was stolen from Stark Industries and borrowed money to pay for machinery to help goals. It was during this time where Maxwell gained the attention of the mutant terrorist Magneto, who offered Maxwell a position within his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, which Maxwell turned down. Maxwell was then confronted by one of the men he borrowed money from. Threatening to kill Maxwell for not paying back the amount he owed, Maxwell responded to the threat with a deadly bolt of lightning, making his first kill. After this incident, Maxwell had dreams to use his powers to fulfill his selfish needs and goals and decided to take a career as a costumed criminal and to be known as Electro.

Creation

Electro was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #9 (Feb 1964).

Major Story Arcs

A Supervillain Born

Electro started his criminal career by victimizing John J. Jameson by breaking into his safe right in broad daylight and in front of the Jameson’s eyes. Because of this act, Jameson made a bold claim that his nemesis Spider-man and Electro were the same man because of how Electro displayed powers that were somewhat compared to Spider-man’s own. It was because of this claim that instantly hit front page of the Daily Bugle papers that Spider-man decided to prove Jameson’s theory wrong and to defeat this new menace at the same time. After tracking down Electro, Spider-man found himself unaware of Electro’s full extent of powers and because of this it nearly cost him his life. The Second time Spider-man tried taking down Electro, the hero came prepared by wearing a set of protective gloves so that he could touch Electro without receiving another deadly shock. Eventually he defeated Electro by using a nearby hose that gave him a shocking defeat in return. After showing proof that both Electro and Spider-man were not the same man, Electro was sent prison only to find himself later escaping and becoming a major threat for another hero.

Electro would make his way in Hell’s kitchen to encounter Daredevil. When Fantastic Four’s The Thing visited Nelson and Murdock’s law firm to have the blind lawyer Matt Murdock review the lease of the Baxter building while him and the team were away, Electro would catch the news about the Fantastic Four leaving and seeing an opportunity to easily rob the Baxter Building. As Electro broke into the building, he was unaware by a visiting Matt Murdock who quickly responded to Electro’s appearance by changing into Daredevil. Much like his fight with Spider-man, Daredevil’s first encounter with Electro didn’t fare any better. Placing the unconscious hero into one of Reed Richards rockets, Electro hoped to rid the new hero by launching him into space. However, this plan found itself failing when Daredevil regained consciousness and set the coordination’s of the rocket back to earth and managed to physically return to the Baxter Building after performing a series of aerobic stunts as a means of travel. Facing Electro once more, the villain attempted to escape on foot and taking the fight within a nearby theater. Daredevil quickly gained an advantage over Electro when he covered him within a stage curtain, leaving him for the authorities to take Electro away once more.

Team Player

At first Electro was reluctant to be involved within any team or partnership after discovering his powers. But after facing two defeats in the hands of two new heroes’, Electro found himself reconsidering his methods when taking Dr. Octopus’s offer on forming a group known as the Sinister Six and having each villain gain their chance of having their own revenge. Deciding to attack Spider-man individually within a gauntlet, Sadly Electro disagreed with Dr Octopus’s idea after being the first to face Spider-man and to face another defeat with an instant knockout punch. Electro still believed that he could gain his revenge in numbers and attempted to gain his revenge against Daredevil by forming his own group known as The Emissaries of Evil. This group consisted four other Daredevil villains who were also seeking revenge for prior defeats, and Electro decided to attack Daredevil slightly different from Dr. Octopus’s methods. Attacking the hero in pairs and individually within a short gauntlet, Daredevil managed to over each attempt only to find himself facing all members of the group at once. However, Electro’s attempt of bringing down Daredevil with the entire team didn’t succeed and each villain plus Electro found themselves re-incarcerated.

Escape

Somehow, Electro managed to escape his prison stint the right way and find himself released under probation. Serving as an electrician within a studio, Maxwell was almost discovered by Peter Parker after hearing his name being mentioned. Of course Maxwell was far from being finished with his Electro identity and patiently waited for the right opportunity to strike back as Electro without making any prior mistakes when crossing paths with another hero. Opportunity would finally strike when Maxwell watched Jameson criticized Spider-man making a guest appearance on a television show. This gave Electro the idea of offering his services to Jameson and pay him a hefty amount of cash to not only defeat Spider-man but to unmask him on live television. As Jameson agrees to Electros offer, he managed to attack the hero within a studio and gain the upper hand. Yet it would be Spider-man’s cleverness that would cause Electro to accidentally short-circuit himself and defeat the villain once more. After managing to escape prison once more, Electro decided to make his attempt away from New York and move to San Francisco. However, luck would be for the worst when he would run into Daredevil once more and give the villain another defeat as well. Electro would also have his encounter with Captain America when he kidnapped a sick child for a hefty ransom, seeking to rescue the child, both Spider-man and Captain America manged to defeat him and rescue the child.

Electro’s attitude began to change and his confidence slowly began decrease as he realized how unsuccessful he was as a costumed villain. After facing a defeat from the mysterious hero known as Omega, Electro decide to form an alliance with Blizzard as both villains decided to take over the Daily Bugle. Finally, both Daredevil and Spider-man would find themselves going against Electro at the same time and managing to defeat both villains as well. After facing his defeat within the hands of both of his most hated enemies, Electro took his career alongside with other villains from attempting to help a band of criminals escape from the Defenders, teaming with the Frightful Four to help Wizard gain his revenge against Reed Richards, and going against Captain America’s partner the Falcon. His appearance as part of the Wizard’s Frightful Four was in Fantastic Four #218 and he performed quite well indeed. Susan Storm was grabbed by the Sandman, but when she used her force field he was unable to hold onto her. Sue turned invisible and started to flee. However, the blonde girl was in in her pink nightdress, hence her turning invisible proved to be a futile attempt to escape. Electro created an electromagnetic storm around the Invisible Girl, which carbonized the air and imprisoned her within a covering of rock-hard electrocarbon atoms. Electro quite literally had turned Susan Richards into a living statue … Moments later he stunned Mr. Fantastic into unconsciousness by giving him a near lethal jolt of electricity. However, the Frightful Four were eventually beaten and so Electro found himself ultimately defeated as well and landed right back into his rightful spot within prison. Partaking in two more reformations of the Sinister Six with unsuccessful results, it would be these series of unsuccessful attempts that found itself overtaking Electro’s confidence and leaving the villain finding desperate attempts to gain moral later one within his career.

Short retirement

Maxwell’s hopes for costumed villainy eventually found it coming to a supposed ending and once again taking a disliking job after being released from prison. Maxwell just couldn’t find it within him to continue on pursuing his career as Electro until his occupation as a Coney Island sideshow freak managed to get the best of him after constantly being laughed at by the crowd. Returning back to his role as Electro, Maxwell decided to push himself further and absorb all the electricity with Manhattan City. With Electro developing so much power, even Spider-man had no chance of stopping him or restoring Manhattan City back to it’s normal state. Yet Electro’s increased powers quickly found itself giving a great amount of mental stress and fatigue for the villain to where Electro’s mind was at a violent breaking point. It would take Spider-man reasoning with Electro and convincing the villain that it would be best restoring the electricity within Manhattan City. Thankful for Spider-man’s emotional support, Electro returned to prison peacefully to serve the remainder of his sentence.

Even though Maxwell was fully convinced that his career as Electro was finally over, it would take the deaths from certain Spider-man villains in the hands of an insane Spider-man clone known as Kaine to make him return. Once again, Maxwell became Electro and he would join Mysterio’s Sinister Seven to take down Kaine and end his murderous rampage once and for all. However this team found itself short-lived and quickly defeated by both Spider-man and Kaine, causing Electro to retire his criminal ways once more.

The Rebirth of Electro

Retired and trying to lead a normal life once more, Maxwell eventually developed further into depression and began to lose confidence within himself. Remembering how unsuccessful his life was from the very start of his childhood, Maxwell would dwell on the time when he attempted to absorb all the electricity within Manhattan City. Believing that he could indeed absorb the same amount of electricity and fully control it, Maxwell offered his services to the Rose in exchange for more power. Strapped to an electric chair, Maxwell’s power wasn’t only fully restored, but also increased as well. Making him to be more powerful and dangerous than ever before. Returning to his career as Electro once more, Maxwell carried out his deal with Rose acting as an enforcer by quickly eliminating Black Tarantula’s group known as the True Believers. Gaining the attention of Spider-man, the hero found himself unprepared for Electro’s massive increase in power. The villain ultimately defeated Spider-Man after forcing him to beg for mercy.

After Spider-Man’s defeat, Electro found himself relieved from Rose’s deal due to the fact that he couldn’t stand Electro’s arrogance any longer. Still trying to make a name for himself, Electro tried to take on Manhattan City once more by blackmailing it with electric bombs. This found Electro in a rematch with a more prepared Spider-man with assistance from the mutant shaman known as X-man. As both heroes battled Electro, Electro decided instead to succeed where he had failed before: absorbing the city’s electricity. But before he could reach the city generator, Spider-Man manages to cause Electro to overload with power. Failing once again, the villain acted irrationally and attempted suicide by falling into the river. Even though Maxwell was believed to be dead, he found himself barely alive and going into hiding as a wanted man.

Marvel Knights

After fully recovering from his recent battle with Spider-man, Electro returned once more to join the Sandman’s Sinister Six on his attempts to get revenge on Dr Octopus for his recent betrayals against the team. Among the team was Venom, which became Sandman’s greatest mistake by recruiting him when the symbiote monster brutally attacked everybody and nearly killed Electro as well. Electro later reappeared alongside with one of his Sinister Six partners Vulture as both villains were hired by Owl to collect a 20 million dollar debt from the Kingpin. Planning on keeping the money for themselves, Owl would retaliate this deception by lying to Spider-man that both villains were responsible for the kidnapping of Aunt May. This eventually led to another massive battle between Electro and Spider-man that ended with no victor, but with both Spider-man and Electro barely surviving the encounter. Electro would reappear in a new installation of the Sinister Six, now with twelve members who were formed by Norman Osborn, the true kidnapper of Aunt May. Yet as massive and dangerous this team looked, both Spider-man and Black Cat made short work from this group.

Breakout

After the Avengers were no longer a team and his stint within the Sinister Twelve, Electro would try to lay low for a while and also manage to have relationship with a waitress during this time. Still reluctant to pursue his goals as a costumed criminal for hire, his services were taken by the Skrull Pagon to break Karl Lykos from the Raft. Instantly breaking in and doing as requested, Electro set up a diversion by busting out all of the inmates while he makes his getaway. Successfully freeing Lykos, Electro learned that the authorities were looking for him and before he could do anything, Captain America’s new team of Avengers quickly captured him before recapturing Carl Lykos within the Savage Land.

Civil War

After Spider-man publicly revealed his identity as Peter Parker, Chameleon took an advantage of this by forming his own group known as the Exterminators to get his revenge against Spider-man and his family as well. Electro joined this group that quickly found itself unsuccessful. Later Electro joined a massive army of Hammerheads super villain army only to find that group unsuccessful as well when they were tricked into fighting Iron Man and S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Gauntlet

After the Peter Parker bargained with Mephisto to save his dying Aunt May, Electro would be among everybody else who held no memory of Spider-man’s secret identity. Even though major changes occurred within Spider-man’s life, Maxwell didn’t find himself to be lucky when he slowly became a victim towards his uncontrollable powers as he began to age. Becoming nothing more than a mere disaster, Electro couldn’t help but draw attention after accidentally burning a woman. Powerless and growing more weak by the day, Electro found himself bargaining with Mad Thinker on trying to regain and fully control his powers once more. Even Electro’s luck failed there when Mad Thinker’s steep price was too much for the villain who had absolutely no money left under his name.

Depressed and angered as to how he managed to be nothing more than a walking disaster who ultimately failed at life, Electro decided to take his anger out on the new and selfish Daily Bugle owner Dexter Bennett. Publicly causing a rant onto live television, Electro found himself raising an army of angered protestors and caused a riot onto the very steps of the DB. As people with Manhattan City sided with Electro’s crusade against Bennett, it would be the people themselves who would save Electro from another defeat within the hands of Spiderman as the villain barely managed to escape. As a result of using too much of his powers against the Wall-Crawler, Electro found himself suffering and in need of Mad Thinkers assistance. Even a dying Electro couldn’t convince the Mad Thinker to change his price, which forced Electro to get the money from Dexter Bennett. Breaking into his apartment, Electro offered to call off his strike if Bennett would pay him a large amount of money, enough to get his powers back and possibly save his life. As Bennett agreed to Electro’s terms and paid the amount, Electro not only successfully regained his powers, but also became a living lightening bolt as well.

This new display of powers found Electro quickly defeating Spider-man and next focusing onto his original goals, which was going after Dexter Bennett. With the people on his side, Electro managed to gain more power as the citizens within Manhattan City turned off all their lights and electrical appliances, causing Electro to become more powerful as he directly attacked the Daily Bugle looking for Bennett. As Spider-man returned just in time to prevent Electro from killing Bennett, both of them would find themselves in an intense battle that would cause the Daily Bugle to collapse. Even though Spider-man knocked out him out, he managed to escape to help the Kravinoff family to help revive Kraven the Hunter from the dead. Also working as an assistant, Electro would also attempt to recruit the new Vulture into the Kravinoff’s scheme after breaking him out of prison. However, this plan didn’t quite work out as Vulture quickly flew away before Electro could explain anything. After performing his deed for the Kravinoffs for breaking him out of prison, Electro quickly departed and continued on his own way.

Out of Control

More recently, Electro’s powers starting acting strangely. He had become more powerfull then ever before, but with no way of controlling his powers. His powers received him the attention of the authorities and the superhero community. He went to see a long time girl-friend Francine Frye, whom he asked for help. It was however that when he kissed her, his powers started acting up strangely again, frying and killing Francine in the process. Angered and upset, he was taken in by the Black Cat, whom had returned to villany more recently. They formed an aliance for some time, untill Electro was captured by Spider-Man. He was taken in and sent towards a prison where Spider-Man’ alter-ego Peter Parker managed to cure Electro of his powers, making him plain old Max Dillon. He was then sent to prison for his crimes.

Escape from prison and Death

Max was in prison for his crimes for a number of months, until he was freed by Rhino and the Lizard, whom now worked for a mysterious benefactor whom turned out to be the Jackal. Jackal promised Max to get him his powers back, working in good order. At first Max was happy and worked with him, but eventually he started doubting. This all changed when Jackal revealed that he had brought back Max’s lover Francine Frye. Because of this, Max promised to keep working with him. Eventually, he was hooked up on a machine, wearing an exco-suit that should restart his powers. However, after the procedure, nothing changed. That is until Max walked up to Francine. The suit Max was wearing released electricity towards her. She became a sponge and took all the electricity in Max’s suit, but eventually wanted more, kissed him and drained Max himself dry, frying and killing him. Francine requested the Jackal if he could also revive Max, but Jackal has made no promises so far.

Sinister War

Under the influence of Kindred, Doctor Octopus revived Electro for a new Sinister Six. He accompanied the rest of the team to recruit their sixth member, Mysterio, only to be confronted by The Savage Six at the premiere of Mysterio’s movie.

Their fight spilled over to a graveyard with more supervillains all fighting for the chance to kill Spider-Man. Eventually, Doc Ock uses a piece of Black Ant’s helmet to knock everyone, including Max, out through the ear centipedes Kindred was using to control them.

Sinister Adaptoid

After going their separate ways, The Living Brain kidnapped Electro and five other foes of Spider-Man’s. He was using them to program a new Super Adaptoid to hunt down and defeat Spider-Man so that the Living Brain could fulfill its original purpose, answer the question “Who is Spider-Man?”

In a fight with this Sinister Adaptoid in the Living Brain’s lab, Spider-Man uncovered his villains in shackles. Against his better judgment, he decided to release them so that they would aid him in defeating both the Super Adaptoid and the Living Brain. When they found the Living Brain’s control center, the Sinister Six wanted to kill it.

Believing it to be alive, Spider-Man defended the Living Brain’s life. Seeing Spider-Man put his life on the line for an enemy whose life Spider-Man considered equally valuable satisfied the “Who is Spider-Man?” question. Thus, the Living Brain trapped the Sinister Six and agreed to Spider-Man’s demands that it be temporarily taken offline and given to proper authorities.

Maxed Out

Max was meeting a friend of his from when he was an electrician. His friend wanted to pitch a heist to Max, robbing a number of high end vaults that they can break open by overloading the local power grid they were all on. Max killed him and stole the plans for himself. While overloading the power grid, he inadvertently overcharged some power lines that broke away from their base and shocked Spider-Man, enhancing his spider-sense to an overwhelming degree. This allowed Spidey to sense the goon squad Max had hired to help him move the loot.

Unfortunately, with Spidey overwhelmed by his senses and Electro maxed out on power, Electro was able to get the best of Spidey. It required the intervention of Spider-Boy, a sidekick of Spider-Man who was erased from and rewritten into reality during a Spider-Verse event, resulting in no one remembering who he was. Max eventually succumbed to Spider-Boy’s paralyzing spider bite.

Spider-Goblin

Doctor Octopus reunited the Sinister Six so that they may have their vengeance on the Living Brain. Unfortunately, Osborn, who had been using the Brain for his own science, was on to them. Now being overwhelmed by the Goblin identity yet again, Osborn used Hobgoblin’s Winkler Device to alter Spider-Man’s brain into having his own goblin identity. He then released this Spider-Goblin on the Sinister Six. With Osborn’s ingenuity, Spider-Goblin was able to overpower Electro and throw him into Sandman. Electro’s lightning turned Flint into a glass prison.

Powers

One of the most powerful individuals within the Marvel Universe, Electro is very well known for his ability to control, manipulate, and project electricity by command. After his accident, Electro’s body has mysteriously developed itself into a transformer that could store and discharge electricity at his command. This also altered Electro’s internal chemical energy to higher levels, causing his body to produce electricity with no outside sources, and by performing this Electro would find himself naturally in a weakened state. When absorbing electricity from an outside source, Electro would also find himself increasing his physique, stamina, and health at greater levels depending on the amount of electricity he’s absorbing.

At normal levels, Electro can easily discharge and manipulate the flow of electricity that his body gives off. He usually does this by the combination of thought and muscle control, and by simply snapping his fingers causing a devastating lightening bolt. Normally Electro doesn’t have any coordination of the electricity he produces, even though he chooses a specific location or a target, chances of Electro hitting a narrow and direct spot varies due to the possible interference from objects or other materials that attracts lightning. But it would be after years of experience and practice to where Electro has learned to use and harness his powers making him a deadly opponent. At this level or higher, Electro’s body weight would find itself weightless when using his powers. Because of this, Electro could easily travel on power lines, ride pure electricity, and even levitate with some flight. When Electro’s powers reach at a higher level, his body finds itself generating and giving off more electricity than before. At this state, Electro’s manipulation over electricity increases to where he could even tamper with the minds of humans, mutants, and even those with psychic abilities. When Electro performs this move, his victims would find themselves in an agonizing state of sheer pain, even powerful psychics have also fallen victim to this as well. Another factor is that Electro’s body becomes fully electric to where if he were to be physically touched, the amount of absorbed electricity would carry forward to the individual who’s touching him, causing a deadly shock that would kill a normal human being.

Much like Magneto’s powers, Electro also share the same capabilities with his control over magnetism. Even though Electro has rarely been seen using this display of powers and tends to use it at a lower level, it’s possible that he may have the same power levels as Magneto himself (which Magneto suspected when trying to recruit Electro into his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants).

However, Electro’s greatest flaw is that he isn’t fully aware of the capabilities and precautions of his powers, which sometimes tend to backfire against him. When he reaches his highest level he becomes more vulnerable towards water or anything else that could short-circuit him. However, Electro does have a limitation when absorbing a certain amount of high levels that could cause serious mental fatigue and stress. As a response to this flaw, Electro realized that this was a lack of mental focus and has been increasing his tolerance to it’s fullest potential. Another great flaw is that Electro’s body carries a balance of dependency for the electricity he absorbs, to where if he precedes over his normal limits, his body finds itself adapting towards that limit. When Electro decreases the amount of contained electricity and/or neglects absorbing any more energy for a great amount of time, he will find himself weakened and his body at a desperate state for more energy in order to reach the recent level of power he once had. Still having somewhat of a human physiology, age also reacts towards Electro’s powers and stability with negative effects as well as he begins to grow older. When Electro is in this state, his body becomes desperate for more intake of electricity to where it reacts against Electro’s will. Even though Electro is still capable of producing, absorbing, and manipulating electricity, by doing this would cause him great amounts of pain and fatigue. Currently, due to the lack of normal power, Electro’s body seems to have shown scar damage around the face that was possibly from the mask he wears. It’s unclear if Electro would perish or his powers would cease to function if he continues to be in this weakened state and possibly revert back to a normal human being.

Electro is also known to have super strength and super speed when he is fully charged.

Costume

Even though Electro’s costume is custom deigned and is seen to be very flashy, just about each costume version does serve as an advantage for Electro harnessing his powers. Just about all versions that Electro wore were made of stretch fabric materials that were repellent towards electrical damage and fire. His first costume consisted of wires all around his body and lined within the costume. After later modifications, Electro added other materials mostly around the hands, feet, and head (the yellow parts of Electro’s costume). This type of unspecified materials gave Electro much more control and steering abilities towards his powers. Such as giving him easier capabilities to throw a lightening bolt, ride on electricity, or have better coordination as to where a lightening bolt would mostly strike. The mask that Electro wears also serves its capabilities of helping to produce area damage with its five-point flap design. Mostly the mask with Electros costume has been modified and changed numerous times to where the flaps have been shortened, enlarged, or fully attached to the rest of his mask. Currently Electro isn’t wearing the mask anymore because of the electrical scarring he gained from the mask when his powers started to turn against him.

Another costume version that Electro temporarily wore was a blue and white design that seemed to carry the same probabilities and advantages as his original, however Electro quickly reverted back to his primary original costume.

Statistics

• Height: 5′ 11″
• Weight: 165 lbs
• Eyes: Blue
• Hair: Reddish-Brown (formerly), None (currently)

Alternate Versions

Ultimate Universe

Ultimate Electro was the product of bioengineering by Justin Hammer. Hammer sold Electro to Kingpin for a real-estate development contract. Kingpin sends out Electro and Electro is defeated by Spider-Man. Electro eventually broke out of jail but he was captured again and put into SHIELD custody. While in custody, he met up with four of Spider-Man’s enemies. Together they formed the Ultimate Six and they went to the White House. They fought Spider-Man and the Ultimates there. Unfortunately for Electro, he was defeated by Thor and was put into the Triskelion. When Norman Osborn (Green Goblin) breaks out of jail, many other criminals escape as well. Electro was broken out too and he began working for Osborn. He was sent to Osborn’s penthouse to wait for instructions. There he ran into Spider-Man, the two fought and eventually SHIELD got involved. SHIELD and Spider-Man defeated Electro and got him back into custody.

In “The Death of Spider-Man”, Electro joined Osborn once again after breaking out of the Triskelion, along with Kraven the Hunter, Vulture, Doctor Octopus, and Sandman to kill Spider-Man. He is killed when Aunt May shots him through the chest several times when threatening a wounded Peter. It was later revealed he had survived due to the fact that when Electro is in full electricity mode, it makes his body intangible allowing him to survive direct attacks from gunfire and the like. He was imprisoned in the Trisklon where he eventually recovered enough to try and escape. A combine effort by both Nick Fury and the “new” Spider-man, Miles Morales lead to his defeat and returned to his cell.

MC2

In the MC2 universe Max has a daughter named Allison Dillon, who is emotionally troubled by not having a stable relationship with her father. She decided to follow in his footsteps on becoming a villain named Aftershock. Knowing this, Max called Spider-Man and Spider-Girl for help. Aftershock faced the father-daughter duo and the super-hero team A-Next, but after seeing her father, Max promised to Allison that he will be a better father. Because Max powers release a different aura from Allison, when they touch, they cause extreme pain with each other.

Spider-Man: Reign

Electro is one of the villains in a group named the Sinner Six, assembled by Edward (Venom). He was later killed by Spider-Man by getting knocked on to Hydro-Man causing him to short circuit.

Spider-Man manga

In the Japanese Spider-Man series by Ryoichi Ikegami, Electro appears as the first supervillain faced by Spidey. This version of the character is the older brother of Rumiko Shiraishi, Spider-Man’s love interest. After accidentally hitting a child with his truck, he was forced to pay a hefty settlement by the court. Realizing he would never be able to legally pay off the settlement, he underwent experiments from a scientist, which transformed him into Electro. Together, the two begin a crime spree, with the scientist acting as Electro’s getaway driver. During his first encounter with Spider-Man, Electro manages to emerge victorious. It is revealed that this version of Electro is unable to turn off his powers, and can only return to normal with the scientist’s help.

During the rematch, Electro accidentally kills the scientist while trying to hit Spider-Man. Realizing that he’ll never be able to find love or live a normal life, Electro goes berserk and tries to kill Spider-Man. In the ensuing battle, he is accidentally killed. Though initially Rumiko claims that she does not blame Spider-Man for what happened, she later reveals that she actually does.

Marvel Zombies

Electro appears as one of the undead villains alongside Sandman battling the living Marvel superheroes.

House Of M

Electro is one of Rhino’s friends who helped him attack and detain the Green Goblin for ruining the best chance at a good life Rhino ever had

Other Media

Television

The Marvel Super Heroes

Electro made a cameo appearance in the Sub-Mariner segment “Dr. Doom’s Day.”

Spider-Man

He first appears in the episode “Electro the Human Lightning Bolt.” Spider-Man is set up numerous times by Electro’s robberies. Spider-Man develops a new web to catch Electro. He captures Electro in an amusement park and cleans his slate.

A doctor by the name of Noah Buddy releases Electro, Green Goblin, and Vulture from prison to get revenge on Spider-man. They were able to disable Spider-Man’s powers and arranges a meeting with Spidey at midnight on the docks. Their egos turned out to be their downfall as the 3 villains argued. Spider-Man used it to his to beat his arch nemesis. He was voiced by Tom Harvey.

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends

Electro was the main villain in the episode “Videoman“, and made a cameo appearance in “Attack of the Arachnoid.” He was voiced by Allan Melvin.

Spider-Man: The Animated Series

Electro appears in Season 5 in a storyline called “Six Forgotten Warriors”. This Electro is not Max Dillion, but someone else named Rheinholt Schmidt, the son of the Red Skull.

He was voiced by Philip Proctor.

Spider-Man: The New Animated Series

Electro/Max Dillion first appears in the episode “Head over Heels” and then “The Party,” and “When Sparks Fly” as the main antagonist. In the series , Max Dillion (spelled Dylan in the series) is an Empire State University (ESU) student whose only friend is Peter Parker. In his second appearance, Max is kidnapped by fraternity leader Doug Reisman and his friends as part of a bogus hazing initiation resulting in Max gaining control of the wheel of the car and Spider-Man having to save from death. As he doesn’t know who kidnapped him, Max tries to earn the friendship of Doug and his frat brothers against Peter’s advice and is invited to a party hosted by Doug.

This turns out to be a trap to publicly embarrass Max who is pelted by paintballs and party goers laugh and mock him. After being shamed, Max runs outside and trying to vent his frustration throws a beer bottle at an electrical billboard, turning him into a being of pure electricity. He then goes back to the party and murders Doug and tries to kill everyone else except his crush, Sally who he unintentionally injuries. After a fierce fight with Spider-Man, Max is defeated and killed. However, in the final scene he is shown to be alive where he is heard laughing at Doug Reisman’s grave.

In his final appearance Electro is shown to be alive and living in the city’s electrical grid. His actions include trying to murder two teenagers and almost killing his old professor. His end game, however, is to turn Sally into an electrical being such as himself. However, he is defeated by Spider-Man and effectively killed when he trapped in a voltage box and thrown into the river.

He was voiced by Ethan Embry.

Spectacular Spider-Man

Max Dillon first appears in the episode “Interactions.” He is a kindly electrician who is transformed into a being of energy after a horrible accident involving electric eels. He is forced to wear an insulated bodysuit to contain his power, and eventually becomes the villainous Electro. Electro subsequently reappears in the episodes “Group Therapy,” “Reinforcements” and “Growing Pains.”

He was voiced by Crispin Freeman.

Ultimate Spider-Man

Electro appears in the episode “Electro,” voiced by Christopher Daniel Barnes. He is established as being a minor villain Spider-Man has already beaten multiple times, and something of a joke. However, after an accident involving Spider-Man’s taser-webbing, Electro becomes much more powerful and morphs into a new form similar to his Ultimate incarnation. He returns in “The Sinister 6” as a member of the titular group. He plays a major role in the “Spider-Verse” arc in Season 3, and returns as a member of the Sinister 6 in Season 4.

Movies

James Cameron’s Spider-Man (unproduced)

Electro was featured in James Cameron’s unmade Spider-Man movie treatment, acting as the main antagonist. This version of the character is Carlton Strand, a former smalltime crook who gains electrical abilities from an accident. Using his powers to steal and manipulate data, Strand becomes a wealthy business tycoon, eliminating all those who stand in his way. After learning of Spider-Man, he attempts to recruit the boy to join him. When Spider-Man refuses, Strand kidnaps Mary Jane, leading to a final battle atop the World Trade Center. Strand is ultimately killed after falling from the towers.

Cameron opted for a more realistic take on the character, with the name “Electro” never being used and Strand not wearing a costume.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

Electro is played by Jamie Foxx.

Max Dillon is an electrical engineer in Oscorp who idolized Spider-Man after being saved by him during the battle with Rhino. Max was transformed in an accident while attempting to fix a power line; he was electrocuted and fell into a tank full of electric eels. Dillon becomes mentally unstable after the face-off with Spider-Man in Times Square; he realizes that his idol doesn’t remember who he was, and fails to protect him from the police attack. Spider-Man subdued him using the water hose.

Electro is held captive in Ravencroft institute, where he is being experimented on. Later Harry Osborn breaks him out, because he needs Electro’s powers to break back into Oscorp. Electro takes over the electrical grid he designed and causes a blackout. Spider-Man finally stops Electro with the help of Gwen Stacy, by overloading Dillon with his own electricity, causing him to explode and seemingly killing him.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

After his identity is revealed, the MCU Peter Parker (as played by Tom Holland) asks Doctor Strange to cast a spell that would cause everyone to forget his identity. While trying to include exceptions for his friends and family that he wants to know, he caused Strange to lose concentration thus allowing the spell to backfire. Instead, people who knew Spider-Man was Peter Parker were drawn into the MCU, including Electro as played by Jamie Foxx.

This Electro first shows up as a wild electrical energy that gradually assembles himself. The blue coloring is gone, and the instability is arguably gone. Holland’s Peter promises to cure Electro and the other villains so that when they were returned to their home universe, they wouldn’t need to fight Spider-Man and ultimately die (as was their fate). Electro was reluctant about losing his power and ultimately stole a Stark Industries arc reactor to charge himself up.

Holland’s Peter needed to team up with other Peter Parker’s (as played by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield) to finally cure and send the villains home.

Video Games

Spider-Man: The Video Game

Electro is a boss in this game.

Spider-Man: Mysterio’s Menace

In this GBA game he is also a boss.

Spider-Man: Return of the Sinister Six

Also in this game he is a minor boss.

The Amazing Spider-Man vs The Kingpin

At a level set in a power station he is battled as a boss.

Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro

Electro appears as the main antagonist of the game. He recruits a roster of villains (Shocker, Hammerhead, Abe Jenkins (Beetle) and Sandman) to help him obtain the Bio-Nexus Device. Electro’s voice was provided by Dee Bradley Baker.

Ultimate Spider-Man

Ultimate Electro appears as a boss character for Venom to fight, voiced by James Arnold Taylor.

Spider-Man 3

Electro appears in the GBA version of the video game adaptation of Spider-Man 3, though he does not appear in the actual film. In order to beat him, player must attack him till he is a bit unconscious, then pull him to the generator using the spider silk to get him recharged. Do this over and over again till the end.

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe

Electro appears as a boss and unlockable character in the PSP version of the game, voiced by David Kaye.

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows

Electro appears in the game, searching for his sister. After being shot by Black Widow, Electro is infected by one of the symbiotes, transforming into a feral monster. He is then faced by Spider-Man as a boss character.

He was voiced by Liam O’Brien.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2

Electro appears near the start of the game in Dr. Doom‘s Latveria as a minor boss in a modified version of his original costume.

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions

Ultimate Electro is the first boss for Ultimate Spider-Man in the game. He is confronted at a power plant, where he uses a fragment of the Tablet of Order and Chaos to absorb a large amount of energy, causing him to become more powerful. Spider-Man pursues him throughout the plant, stopping to rescue the civilian workers within. Electro eventually absorbs enough power to transform into a massive being of pure energy, but is defeating when Spider-Man tricks him into destroying the dam, causing the resultant surge of water to short him out.

He is able to construct electric creatures and grows powerful anywhere near electricity. He is voiced by Thomas F. Wilson.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Electro appears as a major antagonist, voiced by Michael A. Shepperd.

Lego Marvel Super Heroes

Electro appears as a boss and playable character.

Spider-Man Unlimited

Various incarnations of the character are featured as bosses.

Spider-Man (Insomniac)

Electro appears as a boss character in the 2018 Spider-Man video game from Insomniac Games, which was a PS4 exclusive. In the game, Electro’s design is completely overhauled to give him a more modern, realistic look. However, his trademark starfish-shaped mask is still referenced via a distinctive burn scar he has on his face. His backstory, conveyed by in-game files, reveals that his backstory is more or less consistent with that of his comic counterpart, and that Max Dillon gained his powers from an unspecified electrical accident. He clashed with Spider-Man several times over the years, and was eventually incarcerated in the Raft.

In the present, Electro is one of the villains freed from the Raft by Doctor Octopus, who is intent on forming a new team to help him ruin Norman Osborn’s life. He agrees to join Doc Ock’s Sinister Six after Octavius promises to help Electro achieve his true potential by becoming a being a pure electricity. Electro is partnered with the Vulture, and the two work together to try and defeat Spider-Man (and get along quite well, in contrast to Scorpion and Rhino, who can’t stand one another). Despite their teamwork, both villains end up being defeated.

Electro was voiced by Josh Keaton, who previously provided the voice of Spider-Man in The Spectacular Spider-Man.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order

Electro appears in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, voiced by Christopher Daniel Barnes. He is faced alongside Venom by the heroes during the supervillain breakout at the Raft.

Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac)

Electro does not make a physical appearance in Insomniac’s Spider-Man sequel. His picture appears on one of Kraven the Hunter’s cages. His current whereabouts are unconfirmed.

Merchandise

• Electro was featured in ToyBiz’s line for Spider-Man: Electro-Spark line.
• Electro was featured in Diamond Collectible’s Marvel Select line.
• Electro was featured in Diamond’s Minimates line.
• Electro was featured in ToyBiz’s Marvel Legends line as part of the “Spider-Man vs. Sinister 6” box set.
• Diamond Select, Bowen Designs, XM Studios and others released statues of Electro.
• Electro was featured in ToyBiz’s Spider-Man Classics, the sister line to Marvel Legends.
• Electro was featured in Hasbro’s Marvel Super Hero Squad.
• Electro was featured in Hasbro’s Marvel Universe line.
• Electro was featured in Hasbro’s Marvel Mashers and Titan Hero lines.
• The movie version of Electro was featured in Hasbro’s iteration of the Marvel Legends line as part of the Ultimate Green Goblin Build-a-Figure wave.
• The movie version of Electro was featured in Hasbro’s line for The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
• The modern comic version of Electro was featured in the Marvel Legends Space Venom wave.
• Hot Toys released a figure of the movie version of Electro.
• Electro was featured in the “Spider-Trike vs. Electro” Lego kit.