Publication history
The character's first appearance was in Captain America #272 (August 1982). [2] He was created by J. M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck. [3]
He became an antagonist for Spider-Man as well in Marvel Team-Up #128 (April 1983), fighting both Captain America and Spider-Man. [4] These initial stories established Vermin as a tragic figure mutated by Baron Zemo's experiments.
Vermin gained prominence during the 1987 storyline "Kraven's Last Hunt", appearing across multiple Spider-Man titles. [3] The character was further explored in "The Child Within" arc in Spectacular Spider-Man #178-184 (1991-1992), which delved into his traumatic backstory and temporary reversion to human form under Ashley Kafka's care. [5]
In recent years, Vermin has appeared in major crossover events including the "Hunted" arc in Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #16-23 (2019), where he was captured by Arcade and gained the ability to clone himself. [6]
Fictional character biography
Edward Whelan suffered severe physical and sexual abuse as a child from his father. [7] As an adult, he is a geneticist working for Helmut Zemo and Primus, who later experiment on him and transform him into a cannibalistic, humanoid rat. Vermin is defeated by Captain America and turned over to S.H.I.E.L.D. [8] He escapes S.H.I.E.L.D., however, and returns to the service of Zola and Zemo. [9]
Some time later, Vermin kidnaps women off the streets into the sewers, and devours them. He is defeated and captured by Kraven the Hunter disguised as Spider-Man; Kraven seeks to prove himself superior to Spider-Man by defeating Vermin alone when Spider-Man needed Captain America to help him. He is forced by Kraven to battle the real Spider-Man, then allowed to escape; he is finally captured and turned over to the police by Spider-Man. [10] During a breakout at the Vault prison, Vermin assists Venom in hunting down prison warden Truman Marsh. Under Venom's orders, Vermin later teams with Powderkeg and Mentallo; they temporarily defeat Iron Man and Hank Pym. Mentallo's powers are used to neutralize the break out. [11]
Vermin eventually escapes the asylum, and attacks his parents at their home in Scarsdale. He is captured by Spider-Man and returned to psychiatric care. Whelan returns to his human form after being treated by Ashley Kafka, which causes him to only transform into Vermin for a few hours at a time. [7]
Whelan and Kafka are kidnapped by a group of other Zemo mutants, who want Whelan to become Vermin again and lead them in their quest for revenge. Instead, Whelan persuades them to surrender themselves for psychiatric treatment so that they can be cured as he was. However, Zemo uses a mind-control device to take control of the mutants and revert Whelan to Vermin, intending to use them as subjects for further experiments. His will strengthened by his psychiatric care, Whelan partially reverts to human form and attacks Zemo. Kafka convinces him to not kill Zemo, and by letting go of his hate Whelan allows "Vermin" to finally die. No longer confined to psychiatric institutions, he submits to trial for his crimes as Vermin, with Matt Murdock agreeing to be his lawyer for the case. [12]
Whelan later relapses and becomes Vermin again. [13] He is incarcerated in the Big House, an experimental prison whose inmates are shrunken via Pym Particles to reduce the chance of them escaping. An escape attempt is thwarted by She-Hulk. [14]
In All-New, All-Different Marvel , Vermin appears as a member of Maker's New Revengers. [15]
During the Hunted storyline, Vermin is captured by Lizard and Taskmaster, who hand him over to Arcade. After securing Vermin in a cave, Arcade injects him with a serum that gives him the ability to clone himself. The Vermin clones overwhelm Spider-Man and nearly kill him until he is saved by Kraven the Hunter. [16] [17]
A slew of Vermin's clones are seen kidnapping residents from a local New York stretch that had fallen under the care of Moon Knight for company and food restock. Moon Knight manages to talk the Vermin clones down and let them free in exchange for not attacking his land again. [18]
Edward Whelan later appears as an orderly at Ravencroft under the remedial care of Ashley Kafka. [19] The institute is attacked by Spidercide, a clone of Spider-Man, who rewires Whelan's brain chemistry to make him become Vermin again. However, Whelan retains enough of his mind to help Scarlet Spider stop the ensuing riot. [20] [21]
Having suffered a relapse into feral ways, Vermin is seen backed by an army of clones attacking Central Park. The main Vermin has fallen under the control of the Sisterhood of the Wasp, a secretive cult that worships Shathra. [22]
Spider-Man suffers a subtle emotional breakdown, which causes him to become more ruthless and uncompromising. This leads him to throw Kraven the Hunter into a pit of swarming Vermin clones. [23]
Vermin and his army of undergrounders encounter Moon Knight after his midnight mission had been upended and those under his care had been rendered as fugitives. [24] They recommence their blood feud, with Moon Knight killing one of Vermin's clones and setting the rest on fire.
Vermin is brought into the Sewer Enclave by Miles Morales' clone Shift. [25]
Doctor Tramma dispatches Vermin to go after Spider-Girl. He attacks her at the Red Snow martial arts studio that she is attending. During the fight, Spider-Girl is surprised that Vermin knows her true identity. She manages to copy Vermin's powers and orders the Vermin clones to go away and take Vermin back to his home. [26]
