Origin
Mr. Vale is a conman working for The Undertaker who targets recently widowed elderly victims.
Creation
Mr. Vale was created by Kurt Busiek and Paul Lee.
Major Story Arc
After Ben Parker‘s funeral his widow May is visited by a salesman from a furniture company called Mr. Vale. Vale tells her Ben had ordered a new bedroom set to surprise her before he died. He had paid the deposit but the company wonât make the delivery until the remaining balance is paid. The salesman kindly offers to cancel the offer. He says they wonât get the deposit back but at least they wonât have to pay the rest of the money, although this means May wonât receive Benâs last gift to her. Aunt May decides against this as she wants to respect Benâs wish and says theyâll come up with the money somehow. The salesman apologises for intruding during their grief and says heâll call next week.
Later while out web-swinging, Spider-Man spots Vale telling the same story to an elderly widower and decides to follow him. Vale inadvertently leads Spider-Man to The Undertaker’s hideout where Spidey smashes the crime ring and capture all the crooks.