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History

The Enforcers were a small team of career criminals and were among Spider-Man's earliest foes. Originally, they consisted of Montana, Fancy Dan, and the Ox and first appeared as henchmen of the crime kingpin Big Man, being defeated by Spider-Man.[1] Later, they teamed up with the Green Goblin[2] and Sandman. They also clashed with other superheroes, including the Human Torch[3] and Daredevil.

After Ox's apparent death,[4] Montana and Fancy Dan teamed with a new Big Man, Sandman, and a new Crime Master (Nick Lewis, Jr. son of the original). They were defeated once again by Spider-Man and the Human Torch. During the battle, Crime Master shot the new Big Man, unaware "he" was really Janice Foswell, Nick's own girlfriend and the daughter of Frederick Foswell, the original Big Man.[5]

The Enforcers recruited[6] Raymond Bloch's twin brother, Ronald, as the new Ox, soon clashing with Dazzler. The Enforcers later returned with two new members Snake Marston, a master contortionist and Hammer Harrison, an expert boxer who used two steel gloves. They were defeated by Spider-Man and the Sandman (then a reformed criminal).[7]

The original Ox (Raymond Bloch) returned,[8] revived by the Kingpin, and stayed with the team thereafter.[9]

During the superhuman Civil War, Ronald and Snake Marston were recruited into the latest incarnation of the Thunderbolts. The Thunderbolts were apprehending established super-criminals and giving them the choice of joining the team or facing incarceration. The Ox and Marston apparently took the former choice, becoming Thunderbolts-in-training. The absence of the other Enforcers might be explained by the fact that all Thunderbolts recruits thus far all possessed some degree of superhuman or near-superhuman ability, or employed technology to simulate such powers; while the Ox and Marston fall loosely under that definition, Fancy Dan, Montana and Hammer Harrison do not.[10]

Following the resurrection of Montana and the original Ox by the new Jackal, the Enforcers were reformed. During their involvement with the Jackal, they overheard the also-resurrected Ned Leeds tipping off his wife Betty Brant on a story he was working on before his death. The Enforcers warned the man the investigation would lead to, the Maggia leader Ernesto Karnelli, and worked with him to cover his tracks. They kidnapped Dr. Wayne Childs as well as Mr. Prescott, two of Ned's contacts, and eventually Brant herself. The Enforcers protected Karnelli as he escaped from the radius of a powerful explosive he was going to set off remotely, and confronted Spider-Man. When Karnelli decided to set off the explosive before being at a safe distance, Montana himself snatched the detonator from Karnelli's hands. All Enforcers were subsequently apprehended and imprisoned.[11]

Notes

  • The Enforcers appear often in the early issues of Amazing Spider-Man, debuting in #10, returning in #14, and again in #18 and #19.

See Also

Links and References

References

  1. Amazing Spider-Man #10
  2. Amazing Spider-Man #14
  3. Amazing Spider-Man #19
  4. Daredevil #86
  5. Marvel Team-Up #3940
  6. Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #1920
  7. Marvel Team-Up #138 This lineup only appears one more time in Daredevil #356 and Daredevil #357.
  8. Spider-Man #9495
  9. He was present for their next appearance in Spider-Man, (2nd series) #28, though Ronald also continued using the Ox name (in She-Hulk, (4th series) #1).
  10. Thunderbolts #103104
  11. Amazing Spider-Man Annual #42
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