Enforcers (comics)

Last updated
The Enforcers
Daredevil vol. 2, 102 (Jan, 2008) artwork.jpg
Cover art for Daredevil (vol. 2) #102.
Art by Marko Djurdjevic.
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance The Amazing Spider-Man #10 (March 1964)
Created by Stan Lee (writer)
Steve Ditko (artist)
In-story information
Base(s)New York City
Member(s)Ox
Montana
Fancy Dan
"Snake" Marston
"Hammer" Harrison

The Enforcers are a team of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as adversaries of the superheroes Spider-Man and Daredevil. The original Enforcers consisted of Montana (Jackson Brice), Ox (Raymond Bloch), and Fancy Dan (Daniel Brito).

Contents

Publication history

The Enforcers first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #10 (March 1964), and were created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Steve Ditko. [1] [2]

The Enforcers appear often in the early issues of The Amazing Spider-Man , debuting in #10, [3] and returning in #14 and 19, in the latter issue teaming with the supervillain the Sandman. The team would go on to appear in Daredevil #356–357 and Dazzler #7–8, and fight Spider-Man again in Marvel Team-Up #39–40 and 138, Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #19–20, Spider-Man #94–95, Spider-Man (vol. 2) #28, and elsewhere.

Fictional team biography

The Enforcers are a group of hired hitmen and extortionists, each with an expertise in a different and unique area of combat, whose goal it is to aid various employers in the takeover of New York City's criminal gangs. [4] In their first appearance, the Enforcers aided the Big Man (Frederick Foswell) in his attempt to gain control of New York City's criminal gangs. They clashed with the superhero Spider-Man for the first time, and are defeated by him. [5] [6]

They were subsequently employed by paranoid industrialist Norman Osborn, hired them to shut down Malone's Flophouse in a bid to gain the land. However, the then-amnesiac Malone resident Namor the Sub-Mariner thwarted them, later destroying Osborn's construction equipment. [7] They next aided the Green Goblin in his first unsuccessful attempt to eliminate Spider-Man, but were again defeated and jailed. [8] Soon after that, they joined forces with the Sandman to subdue the Human Torch at a point where it was believed Spider-Man had become a coward, but are defeated by the combined might of Spider-Man and the Human Torch. [9]

The Enforcers were hired by Lightmaster, who introduced a new Ox, Raymond Bloch's twin brother Ronald, to the team. The Enforcers are once again defeated by Spider-Man. [10] They later battle the mutant superheroine Dazzler. [11]

The Enforcers return with new members "Snake" Marston and "Hammer" Harrison. The Enforcers come under the employ of the Kingpin, but were defeated by Spider-Man and the then-reformed Sandman. [12] This lineup appears only once more to fight Daredevil. [13]

The original Ox (Raymond Bloch) returns, revived by the Kingpin. [14] It is unclear whether it is Raymond or Ronald Bloch who appears with Montana and Fancy Dan in subsequent battles with Spider-Man [15] and She-Hulk. [16]

During the events known as the superhero Civil War, either Raymond or Ronald Bloch and "Snake" Marston are recruited into the Thunderbolts, a team of reformed villains. [17]

Following the events of the storyline "Spider-Man: Brand New Day", the Enforcers are patrons at the Bar with No Name. They take bets with a person calling himself "the Bookie", over whether Spider-Man will show up to battle "Basher", an unknown villain who claimed to have fought Spider-Man. Spider-Man shows up, but is revealed to be Screwball in disguise when the real one shows up at the scene of the fight. The Enforcers decide to get revenge on the Bookie, capturing him. The Bookie's father calls Spider-Man for assistance and he agrees to help. Spider-Man defeats Fancy Dan and Montana and saves Ox from being flattened by a falling roller coaster. Grateful for the save, Ox agrees to come along quietly. [18]

The Enforcers (Fancy Dan, Ox, Snake Marston, and Hammer Harrison) are reassembled by the Crime Master, who convinces them and Black Cat to assist him with breaking Hammerhead and Tombstone out of Ryker's Island. The attempted breakout is prevented by Spider-Man and Wraith. The Crime Master is revealed to be an impostor who Mister Negative had instructed to assassinate Hammerhead and Tombstone. [19] [20]

In the "Gang War" storyline, the Enforcers are shown to have gained control of Ridgewood, Queens. [21] Hobgoblin and Prowler (Aaron Davis) sway the Enforcers to their side by providing them with weaponry. The Enforcers attack Miles Morales and Gust using their new weapons, but defeated. [22]

Membership

Original members

The group originally consisted of:

Later members

These members were later additions to the group. They consisted of:

Other versions

Earth X

An alternate universe iteration of the Enforcers from Earth-9997 appear in Earth X , consisting of Fancy Dan, Ox, Montana, and the Vulture. These versions are Norman Osborn's bodyguards. [23]

Marvel Noir

An alternate universe iteration of the original Enforcers from Earth-90214 appear in Spider-Man Noir . These versions are former carnies and servants of Norman Osborn. [24]

MC2

An alternate universe iteration of the original Enforcers from Earth-982 appear in MC2 . [25] [26] [27]

Ultimate Marvel

An alternate universe iteration of the original Enforcers from Earth-1610 appear in the Ultimate Marvel universe. These versions are servants of the Kingpin. Additionally, Fancy Dan is a gunslinger named Dan Crenshaw, Ox is a Black Dominican named Bruno Sanchez, and Montana is named Montana Bale and wields a whip rather than a lasso. [28]

In other media

Television

Video games

The Enforcers appear in Marvel Heroes .[ citation needed ] They kidnap Speedball and almost kill him before they are killed by Jean DeWolff.

Footnotes

  1. DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 125. ISBN   978-1-4654-7890-0.
  2. 1 2 Bernstein, Leah (July 12, 2024). "10 Spider-Man Villains With Untapped Potential". CBR . Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  3. Manning, Matthew K.; Gilbert, Laura (2012). "1960s". Spider-Man Chronicle: Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging. Dorling Kindersley. p. 24. ISBN   978-0756692360. While never reaching the popularity of previous [Stan] Lee and [Steve] Ditko collaborations, the Enforcers managed to give the wall-crawler a run for his money in their first appearance.
  4. Brevoort, Tom; DeFalco, Tom; Manning, Matthew K.; Sanderson, Peter; Wiacek, Win (2017). Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History. DK Publishing. p. 99. ISBN   978-1465455505.
  5. The Amazing Spider-Man #10 (March 1964)
  6. Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Super-Villains . New York: Facts on File. p. 391. ISBN   0-8160-1356-X.
  7. Tales of the Marvels: Inner Demons one-shot (January 1996)
  8. The Amazing Spider-Man #14 (July 1964)
  9. The Amazing Spider-Man #19 (December 1964)
  10. Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #19-20 (June - July 1978)
  11. Dazzler #7-8 (September - October 1981)
  12. Marvel Team-Up #138 (February 1984)
  13. Daredevil #356-357 (September - October 1996)
  14. Spider-Man #94-95 (August - September 1998)
  15. The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #28 (April 2001)
  16. She-Hulk (vol. 2) #1 (December 2005)
  17. Thunderbolts #103-104 (August - September 2006)
  18. The Amazing Spider-Man #563 (August 2008)
  19. The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 3) #18.1 (August 2015)
  20. The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 3) #19.1 (September 2015)
  21. Amazing Spider-Man: Gang War First Strike one-shot (January 2024)
  22. Miles Morales: Spider-Man (vol. 2) #14 (February 2024)
  23. Earth X #9 (December 1999)
  24. Spider-Man Noir #1 (February 2009)
  25. The Amazing Spider-Girl #16 (January 2008)
  26. The Amazing Spider-Girl #17 (April 2008)
  27. The Amazing Spider-Girl #30 (May 2009)
  28. Ultimate Spider-Man #8 (April 2001)
  29. 1 2 3 "Ox Voices (Spider-Man)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved October 3, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  30. 1 2 3 "Montana Voices (Spider-Man)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved October 3, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  31. "Comics Continuum by Rob Allstetter: Monday, August 27, 2007". Comics Continuum. August 27, 2007. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
  32. 1 2 "Fancy Dan Voices (Spider-Man)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved October 3, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  33. "Comics Continuum by Rob Allstetter: Monday, January 14, 2008". Comics Continuum. January 14, 2008. Archived from the original on January 17, 2008. Retrieved February 7, 2011.

References