Janice Lincoln is the daughter of the supervillain Tombstone.[12][13] Her mother was an ex-girlfriend of Tombstone during his early days in organized crime. Janice grew up with her father showing up sporadically, usually to help out with bills and schooling. Janice idolized her father and his criminal activities,[14] however, she was forbidden to take part in them.[15][5]
After building a successful career as a defense attorney,[16] she was appointed to defend Baron Zemo, at which point she volunteered to work for him as the new Beetle. Janice's armor was also revealed to have been built by the Fixer.[17]Helmut Zemo and the Fixer provided Janice with the Beetle armor and a nano-virus as part of their plan to destroy the new Captain America.[14] She emerges from the rubble of an explosion she causes to confront Captain America (Bucky) and Black Widow.[18] The new Beetle fights Bucky and Black Widow in a short battle and is defeated. Bucky unmasks her, and realizes she is culpable in using the nano-virus on him. She is imprisoned in The Raft, where she reveals that she knows Captain America and Bucky are one and the same. While Janice resists Bucky and the Widow's attempts to interrogate her for the identity of her employer, the Fixer asks Zemo whether they should punish her for her failure. Zemo is merciful, saying that she knows no information that would hurt them. Janice is left to her own devices, and the heroes still manage to piece together Zemo's identity. However, Zemo still exposes Captain America's true identity to the general public.[19]
As part of the Marvel NOW! event, she is now a member of Boomerang's Sinister Six.[20] After being defeated by Superior Spider-Man (Otto Octavius's mind in Peter Parker's body), Boomerang is secretly contracted by the Chameleon to recover the head of former Maggia leader Silvermane from the Owl. To this end, Boomerang deceives the team into agreeing to help him.[21] However, after the original Beetle, the reformed Abe Jenkins, is assigned to be Boomerang's parole officer, the team vote him out and Janice as their new team leader. Speed Demon's vote is motivated by his unrequited attraction for her. The others note that the Beetle becomes more despotic as team leader, but attribute this as a reaction to the pressure to succeed and avoid incarceration. Boomerang secretly notifies Power Man and Iron Fist of the Sinister Six's whereabouts. Janice and her associates are arrested, but Boomerang frees them in transit to jail and decides to reclaim his leadership role.[22] In this appearance, her first name is revealed to be Janice.[23]
After assaulting the Owl's base the Beetle, Overdrive and Speed Demon were captured by the villain and interrogated. The Beetle tried to blackmail the Owl into releasing them while covertly dialing for back-up. Unimpressed, the Owl got ready to execute her when reinforcements arrived in the form of Tombstone, where it is later revealed that she is his daughter.[24]
Janice appears at Stark Industries after the events of The Superior Foes of Spider-Man, claiming to have reformed, and applying for the open Head of Security position alongside Prodigy, Victor Mancha, and Scott Lang. After seducing Iron Man, Janice tries to assassinate him at the behest of an unidentified client, but she is disarmed by Lang, and pursued and presumably apprehended by Iron Man.[25]
During Secret Wars, Janice appears in Miami where she and a despondent Lang have a drunken tryst as the world is destroyed by the Incursion between Earth-616 and Earth-1610.[26]
Janice Lincoln appeared in the courthouse as a lawyer representing Mysterio following his failed alien invasion plot.[27]
In the "Hunted" storyline, Beetle is among the animal-themed characters captured by Taskmaster and Black Ant for Kraven the Hunter's upcoming Great Hunt.[28] When she tries to flee the Hunter-Bots, Beetle hits the forcefield surrounding Central Park.[29]
Janice Lincoln meets the Francine Frye version of Electro where she states that she is offering her membership. Janice learned how Francine got her powers as Janice tells her that she is Tombstone's daughter. Janice states that they are building an organization that values and respects the female contributions to the side of evil. Outside of the mentor-ship programs, salons, and a child care facility, Janice states that they had a teleconference Black Mariah from prison and are trying to make contact with Morgan le Fay. Janice then proceeds to introduce Francine to the rest of the team consisting of Lady Octopus, Scorpia, Trapstr (who is deciding if she will replace the E with an A), and White Rabbit.[30] Francine was reluctant to join up with them until Janice states that their first mission has them targeting Boomerang. The Sinister Syndicate begins their mission where they attack the F.E.A.S.T. building that Boomerang is volunteering at.[31] Boomerang tries to reason with Beetle and Electro who are still made at him for betraying him. Beetle states that they aren't targeting F.E.A.S.T., they are targeting him. Beetle leads the Sinister Syndicate in attacking Boomerang. After getting Aunt May to safety, Peter Parker changes into Spider-Man and helps Boomerang fight the Syndicate. The Syndicate starts doing their formation attack until Spider-Man accidentally sets off Boomerang's gaserang which knocks out Spider-Man enough for the Syndicate to make off with Boomerang. As Beetle has Electro write a proposal on how the Syndicate can use Boomerang as an example to the criminal underworld, Beetle leaves while calling Wilson Fisk that they caught Boomerang as she is given the information on where the exchange can happen. Spider-Man goes to visit Randy Robertson and finds him making out with Beetle.[32] As Spider-Man secretly watches them, Randy learns that Janice's Syndicate kidnapped Boomerang and what had transpired at the F.E.A.S.T. building. He tells Janice that she needs to let Boomerang go. Beetle leaves stating that he would not use her disintegrator ray on him because she is nice to Randy. As she flies, Beetle contacts Mayor Wilson Fisk stating that she is sending him the coordinates to Boomerang's location. When Beetle meets up with the Syndicate, they hear Mayor Fisk outside stating that they are harboring a criminal and are to surrender Boomerang to him or suffer the full might of New York City. After reading the paper in Boomerang's hand that belonged to Mayor Fisk, Beetle tells the Syndicate that they should let Boomerang go. While Beetle claimed that she betrayed them, she did it because she is a supervillain and states that she plans to have Kingpin deputize them. The rest of the Syndicate is not up with this plan. Trapstr later stated that she learned about Beetle's boyfriend by hacking her e-mails. The Syndicate then assists Spider-Man against Mayor Fisk's forces. Beetle has Spider-Man evacuate Boomerang while the Syndicate fights Mayor Fisk's forces while not killing them. The Syndicate is defeated and arrested by the police. Their transport is then attacked by an unknown assailant who frees them. At the F.E.A.S.T. building where men working for Mr. Stone are helping to rebuild the building, Aunt May mentioned to Randy Robertson that a high-powered lawyer got Councilman Galazkiewicz to expedite a permit request in exchange for not suing the city on F.E.A.S.T.'s behalf. Randy learns that the lawyer is Janice who invites them to brunch this weekend. Beetle is briefly seen on the nearby rooftop as Randy sees her while accepting the brunch invite.[33]
During the "Sinister War" storyline, Janice and the Sinister Syndicate were discussing adding Ana Kravinoff to the Sinister Six before being abducted by Kindred as part of his plot to make Spider-Man pay for his sins.[34]
During the "Gang War" storyline, Beetle and the Sinister Syndicate battle the other gangs of New York for control of territory after Shotgun shoots Tombstone.[35][36][37][38][39][40] Following Madame Masque's defeat, Beetle leaves New York City.[41]
Powers and abilities
Janice Lincoln possesses a Beetle suit that grants her superhuman strength, durability, and the ability to fly and stick to walls.[42] Her armor seems to be loosely based on the armor designed by the Tinkerer for Abe Jenkins after his original Beetle armor was destroyed by Iron Man. However, the Zemo/Fixer costume does not seem to have the electro-byte offensive capability or the internal battle computer of Jenkins' suit. In her initial appearance, she uses military-grade weaponry to ambush Bucky and the Black Widow.[43]
Reception
Critical response
Brandon Zachary of Comic Book Resources included Janice Lincoln in their "Spider-Man: The Best New Villains of the Century" list, saying, "A surprisingly pragmatic but ambitious character, Beetle is the most charming new Spider-Man villain in years."[44] Seth Rector of Screen Rant asserted, "Beetle has developed a fanbase that was spawned by the series Superior Foes of Spider-Man. Though she doesn't yet have a motivation to turn good, she certainly has the charisma and resolve that it takes to make it in the superhero community."[45]
K. J. Stewart of WhatCulture ranked Janice Lincoln 4th in their "7 Unused Spider-Man Villains Who'd Be Great In The Marvel Cinematic Universe" list.[46]
Screen Rant included Janice Lincoln in their "Spider-Man: 10 Best Female Villains" list,[47] and in their "10 Best Marvel Legacy Villains Who Lived Up To Their Predecessor" list.[16]Comic Book Resources ranked Janice Lincoln 2nd in their "Marvel: 10 Famous Villains From The 2000s To Bring Back" list,[48] 5th in their "10 Greatest Gender-Flipped Marvel Villains" list,[49] 7th in their "10 Most Powerful Members of the Sinister Syndicate" list,[42] 8th in their "10 Most Powerful Lawyers In Marvel Comics" list.[50]
Electro is the name of two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
The Rhino is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Romita Sr., and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #41. The character is a Russian thug who underwent an experimental procedure that gave him an artificial skin covering and superhuman strength. Rebelling against the scientists responsible for his transformation, Rhino used his newfound powers to become a successful criminal, and soon clashed with superheroes like Spider-Man and the Hulk. The character is typically portrayed as a dimwitted brute, capable of great destruction, but ultimately easily deceived.
The Shocker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr, the character debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man #46 in March 1967. He is usually depicted as an enemy of the superhero Spider-Man, and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery.
Hydro-Man is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist John Romita Jr., the character first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #212. Hydro-Man is a recurring antagonist of the superhero Spider-Man.
The Kingpin is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr., and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #50. The "Kingpin" name is a reference to the crime lord title in Mafia slang nomenclature.
The Owl is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted usually as an enemy of the superheroes Daredevil, Spider-Man and Black Cat. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Joe Orlando, the character first appeared in Daredevil #3.
The Sinister Six are a group of supervillains in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, mainly those featuring Spider-Man. The members are drawn from the character's list of enemies, with the original members forming the team in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1. Led by Doctor Octopus, the team in its premiere followed swiftly the very early appearances of many of the most enduring members of Spider-Man's rogues gallery: the Vulture, the Sandman, Electro, Mysterio, and Kraven the Hunter. While Doctor Octopus has generally remained its leader, the Sinister Six has had multiple variations of composition.
Hammerhead is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is primarily depicted as an adversary of the superhero Spider-Man. He is a temperamental mobster who often dresses and acts in the 1920s style, and a prominent member of the Maggia, a fictional organized crime syndicate. Following an accident, he had most of his skull replaced with an inflexible steel alloy by Jonas Harrow, giving his head a flattened shape and near-indestructibility, hence his nickname. The Hammerhead crime family, of which he is the second and current head, is named after the character.
Lady Octopus, also known as Doctor Octopus II, is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, primarily as an enemy to the superheroes Spider-Man and Scarlet Spider. The character is the protégée of Otto Octavius, the original Doctor Octopus, and assumes her mentor's mantle and an upgraded version of his tentacle harness following Octavius' death in the "Clone Saga". After Octavius' resurrection only a few years later, she becomes Lady Octopus to distinguish herself from him, and has made minor appearances in several stories since.
Speed Demon is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Roy Thomas and Sal Buscema, the character made his first appearance in The Avengers #69 as a member of the Squadron Sinister known as the Whizzer.
Alonzo Thompson "Lonnie" Lincoln, known as Tombstone, is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Depicted as a hulking albino man with filed teeth, Tombstone is a notorious crime boss in New York City who is primarily an enemy of Spider-Man and Daredevil; the father of Janice Lincoln; and has personal ties with Robbie Robertson.
White Rabbit is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by J.M. DeMatteis, Kerry Gammill, and Mike Esposito, the character first appeared in Marvel Team-Up #131. White Rabbit is a wealthy criminal who based her supervillain persona on Alice in Wonderland. She is a recurring antagonist of the superhero Spider-Man.
The Sinister Syndicate is a group of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters serve as a collection of lesser-known Spider-Man villains. The group was the focus of the 1991 Deadly Foes of Spider-Man mini-series.
Randolph "Randy" Robertson is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a supporting character in Marvel's Spider-Man series and is depicted as the son of Robbie Robertson, and the husband of Janice Lincoln.
Vermin is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an adversary of Captain America and Spider-Man. A geneticist working for Baron Zemo and Arnim Zola, Edward Whelan was subjected to an experiment that mutated him into a humanoid rat, gaining superhuman abilities, as well as the predatory instincts of a rat. The character's most notable appearance was in the storyline "Kraven's Last Hunt".
Overdrive is a fictional villain, appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an enemy of Spider-Man.
The Superior Foes of Spider-Man was an ongoing comic book series published by Marvel Comics that debuted in July 2013. The series was written by Nick Spencer with artwork by Steve Lieber. It debuted as part of Superior Spider-Month which saw a major status quo change in Spider-Man storylines in the aftermath of Superior Spider-Man #13.
"Sinister War" is a 2021 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, starring the character Spider-Man and written by Nick Spencer. The story deals with Spider-Man being in the middle of a conflict between multiple teams of villains, including the Sinister Six and Savage Six, orchestrated by Kindred. The storyline received mixed reviews from critics with many deeming it as an underwhelming conclusion to Nick Spencer's Spider-Man run due to inconsistent art, sluggish pacing, and Kindred.
"Gang War" is a 2023 storyline published by Marvel Comics. It was created by Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr. The story involves Spider-Man and the local superheroes working to deal with a gang war between the different families after Tombstone was shot and the crime families plan to take over the criminal underworld.
↑ The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #6. Marvel Comics.
↑ Nick Spencer(w),Ramon Rosanas(p),Ramon Rosanas(i),Jordan Boyd(col),VC's Travis Lanham(let),Wil Moss(ed)."Second-Chance Man: Part 1"Ant-Man,vol.2,no.1(7 Jan. 2015).United States:Marvel Comics.
↑ Nick Spencer(w),Ramon Rosanas(p),Ramon Rosanas(i),Jordan Boyd(col),VC's Travis Lanham(let),Wil Moss(ed). Ant-Man: Last Days,no.1(26 Aug. 2015).United States:Marvel Comics.
↑ Nick Spencer(w),Ryan Ottley(p),Cliff Rathburn(i),Laura Martin(col),Joe Caramagna(let),Nick Lowe and Kathleen Wisneski(ed). The Amazing Spider-Man,vol.5,no.1(11 July 2018).United States:Marvel Comics.
↑ The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #16. Marvel Comics.
↑ The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #18. Marvel Comics.
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