Silvermane

Silvermane (Silvio Manfredi) is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A notorious crime boss and prominent figure in the Maggia, a fictional organized crime syndicate, he is usually depicted as an adversary of the superhero Spider-Man and the father of Joseph Manfredi.[1] Silvermane later became a cyborg in an attempt to extend his lifespan.

Silvermane
Silvermane's disembodied head.
Art by Al Milgrom.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceThe Amazing Spider-Man #73 (June 1969)
Created byStan Lee (writer)
John Buscema (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoSilvio Manfredi
Team affiliationsThe Maggia
HYDRA
Notable aliasesSupreme Hydra
AbilitiesSuperb hand to hand combatant
Excellent marksman
Brilliant strategist and organizer
Superhuman strength and senses via cyborg body
Use of various handguns

The character has made appearances in several forms of media outside of comics, including animated series and video games.

Publication history

He first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #73[2] and was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema.

The character's original storyline was about a mysterious stone tablet coveted by several Spider-Man villains. The "Tablet Saga" proved popular, although artist John Romita, Sr. said that it was not originally intended as an arc: "We never even thought up Silvermane until the seventh issue [of the story arc], let alone a 'socko' ending."[3]

Fictional character biography

Silvio Manfredi, nicknamed "Silvermane" for his near-white hair, is a professional criminal originally from Corleone, Sicily that started his criminal career as a racketeer in the Maggia organized crime group, eventually becoming a criminal organizer and mastermind.

In his first appearance, he forced Dr. Curt Connors into making a mystical youth potion from an ancient clay tablet. He first crossed paths with the Lizard and Spider-Man during this scheme. Drinking the serum made Silvermane younger, but its effect unintentionally led to him becoming a child and then reached the point before the age of birth and disappearing completely.[4] Silvermane eventually reappeared, revealing that he had mystically aged to his forties. He climbed through the ranks and became the crime family's head; he eventually formed an alliance with the worldwide Hydra organization determined to take over the world as their Supreme Hydra. He was defeated by Daredevil, Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D.[5] Silvermane reappeared in New York in an attempt to unite all of New York's gangs under his leadership and take over the criminal underworld, but his plans were complicated by the Green Goblin who opposed him. During a confrontation between the Goblin, Silvermane and Spider-Man, Silvermane fell from a great height but survived.[6]

Silvermane has hired many criminals, such as Hammerhead, and he has also been known to be a rival of the Kingpin. Silvermane once attempted to assassinate an amnesiac Kingpin.[7] His former partner Dominic Tyrone assumed the identity of the Rapier and sought vengeance against Silvermane's betrayal by attempting to slay him.[8] A flashback one-shot focused heavily on Silvermane's lifetime of corruption. The framework was the reporter Ben Urich investigating the Mafia. He found Silvermane was a legendary Mafia figure for decades; mothers would even warn their children to behave or 'One-Eye' would get them.[9]

In his old age, Silvermane's injuries resulted in undoing the effects of the rejuvenation serum. Though bedridden, he continued to run his criminal empire until Dagger nearly killed him. Silvermane attempted to prolong his life by transforming himself into a cyborg.[10] Kingpin gained control of his cyborg body until Dagger restored his life energy to him.[11] His cyborg body was badly damaged by the first Jack O'Lantern during a gang war between Hammerhead and the Kingpin.[12] Silvermane used a remote-controlled android doppelganger to battle Spider-Man. This was part of an attempt to boost the power of his remaining organic parts by harvesting parts from the superhuman body of Spider-Man. He attempted to drain his nemesis's radioactive blood to mobilize a new stronger cyborg body.[13] Silvermane confronted Deathlok and the Punisher while setting up a major drug operation outside a grammar school.[14] He is still an active member of the Maggia.

Silvermane attempted to take part in a meetup of various criminal warlords, during a time when Wilson Fisk had fallen from power. The meeting's goal was to divide up Fisk's resources, but it did not go well. Silvermane was caught in the crossfire between the Secret Empire's forces and the Punisher. This was purely by coincidence as he was simply staying at the same motel as Punisher was. Silvermane used the resources of his semi and the cyborg bodies stored within to battle his way through the attackers and leave.[15]

It was revealed some time later that Silvermane was killed during a shootout against Owl's gang at a New York City scrap yard. He was picked up by a magnet and dropped into a garbage compactor, crushing him to death and leaving the already troubled Maggia crime syndicate without a leader. Months later, he apparently returns along with various other deceased members during the Maggia's losing battle with the forces of Mister Negative. However this is later revealed to be a ruse by Maggia member Carmine, and that "Silvermane" was actually a robot controlled by a hired Mysterio in order to secretly give Carmine more influence in the syndicate's decision-making. The tables are turned on Carmine when Mysterio uses the robot to murder him, seemingly as a plot to take over the Maggia himself.[16]

Silvermane's head was still alive as it was found by a young boy when he traveled into the scrap yard. His head was in the possession of the boy who is currently building a robot, but then is stolen by Shocker.[17] The head is used as leverage by The Superior Foes of Spider-Man to head the Maggia family, but the team double-crosses each other. Shocker defends the mob boss from the Punisher, so Silvermane nominates him as Don of the Maggia family.[18]

Powers and abilities

Silvermane was once a normal human being with no superhuman abilities. He was a superb hand-to-hand combatant, an excellent marksman, and a brilliant strategist and organizer. He is typically armed with various handguns and a Thompson .45 caliber machine gun. Later, Silvermane's brain, vital organs, and head were transplanted into a cyborg body, increasing his physical abilities and giving him superhuman strength and senses. However, Silvermane's organic body parts are those of a frail 80-year-old man, and hence quite vulnerable.

Other versions

Ultimate Marvel

The Ultimate Marvel version of Silvermane had a brief cameo. With Wilson Fisk lying low due to legal problems, Silvermane decided to work with Hammerhead to remove the Kingpin from power. He told Hammerhead that all was needed was a little 'up here' (referring to his intelligence). Hammerhead, however, wanted it all, breaking Silvermane's neck while saying "I think I got enough up here already."[19] Silvermane was also mentioned as a leader of a mob which included Hammerhead and owing a debt to Nathaniel Essex.[20] The Ultimate incarnation's real name is shown in the Daily Bugle as Allan Silvermane, though he's referred to as Silvio Manfredi.[21]

House of M

Silvermane appeared in the House of M reality as a younger crime boss on the many families captured by the NYPD's Brotherhood unit.[22]

In other media

Television
Silvermane (left) and Tombstone in Spider-Man: The Animated Series
  • Silvermane appeared in the 1980s Spider-Man animated series, voiced by Paul Winchell. In the episode "Wrath of the Sub-Mariner", he and Man Mountain Marko arrive in New York to call a truce with the Kingpin after his scientist Dr. Everett develops a powerful solvent capable of eating through anything. Prior to this, Spider-Man intercepted them, but Silvermane could not be brought in since most of his crimes are on the West Coast.
  • Silvermane appeared in the 1990s Spider-Man animated series, voiced by Jeff Corey. This version is an enemy of Spider-Man and the Kingpin, the latter of whom serves as his rival in New York's criminal underworld. He first appeared in the "Insidious Six" arc, hiring Hammerhead to capture Spider-Man. During the titular team's battle, Spider-Man rescued Silvermane from Kingpin, not realizing his true identity as a crime lord until much later. Following this appearance, Silvermane became obsessed with finding the Tablet of Time, an artifact capable of rejuvenating an individual's youth, so he could achieve immortality due to his irregular childhood. After locating it, he arranged for Tombstone to steal it, kidnap Dr. Curt Connors to decipher it, and take his family hostage to ensure his complicity. Though Spider-Man saved the Connors family and in spite of Dr. Connors warning of the tablet's instability, Silvermane uses it to make himself a young man (voiced by Townsend Coleman) before he becomes a child (voiced by Matthew McCurley) and a baby (voiced by Cannon Young), while Hammerhead steals the Tablet on Kingpin's behalf. In the episode "Partners", Silvermane was seen to have retained his adult intellect despite becoming a baby. With help from his daughter, Alisa Silver, they persuaded Alistair Smythe to kidnap Black Cat and blackmail Spider-Man into apprehending either Scorpion or Vulture so he can use neogenic technology to switch bodies with the web-slinger. During the procedure however, Vulture intervenes and accidentally takes Spider-Man's place, allowing him, Black Cat, and Scorpion to escape. Following this, Vulture becomes a young man while Silvermane is returned to his original state. The episode "The Return of Hydro-Man Pt. 2" revealed that Silvermane is Professor Miles Warren's anonymous benefactor.
  • Silvermane appears in The Spectacular Spider-Man animated series, voiced by Miguel Ferrer. This version is a crime lord and rival to Tombstone and the father of Sable Manfredi. The episode "Accomplices" revealed that Silvermane was arrested and jailed twelve years prior after Frederick Foswell exposed his criminal activities to the FBI. Tombstone subsequently took his territory while Sable ran his empire's remnants in his absence. In the episode "Gangland", Silvermane joins a summit between him, Tombstone, and Doctor Octopus. After the meeting goes sideways and Spider-Man gets involved, Silvermane uses a hidden hydraulic exoskeleton to combat the web-slinger and the other crime bosses, only to be defeated and apprehended by the police. As of the episode "Opening Night", Silvermane was remanded the Vault. Though he was released by the Green Goblin to kill Spider-Man while he was there to test the prison's security system, Silvermane was ultimately defeated and returned to his cell.
  • Silvermane appears in the Spider-Man animated series, voiced by Nolan North.[23] Similarly to past depictions, this version is a notorious, elderly crime boss who sports an exoskeleton. In the episode "Bring on the Bad Guys Pt. 3", he takes Abraham Brown hostages to force the Prowler to capture Spider-Man so he can collect on a bounty on the web-slinger's head. After Spider-Man convinces Prowler to help him stop Silvermane, the crime lord fights back, but is defeated by them and left for the police. After a minor appearance in the episode "Critical Update", during which he was defeated by the Superior Spider-Man, Silvermane appeared in the episode "Goblin War, Part 3" as the leader of the Goblin King's Cyber Goblins. He fought Spider-Man and Hobgoblin, but gets defeated by the duo.

Video games
  • Silvermane appears in the beta versions of the SNES and Sega Genesis Spider-Man Animated Series video games. However, he was replaced with a robot in the final versions.
  • Silvermane appears as an exclusive villain in the Nintendo DS version of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, voiced by Steven Blum. Having survived to the year 2099 due to his cybernetic body, he attempted to use a fragment of the Tablet of Order and Chaos to become immortal, only to be defeated by Spider-Man 2099.
  • Silvermane appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2, as part of the "Cloak and Dagger" DLC.[24]

Novels

Silvermane appears in the novel Spider-man: Forever Young written by Stefan Petrucha. The details of the tablet story are retold, with some elements being updated or changed, such as Silvermane's disdain for personal electronic devices due to their lack of security and being unable to read them as well as the Kingpin being left in a coma due to the shock of learning the Schemer's true identity. The novel includes an original story set two years after the original storyline, with Silvermane now randomly aging from childhood to adulthood as he attempts to force Curt Connors and Spider-Man to retrieve the tablet and find a cure for his condition. Even after Connors's research asserts that the tablet essentially cycles someone through their reincarnations in one lifetime to try and achieve true karma, Silvermane refuses to accept this and attempts to blackmail Spider-Man for aid after deducing his true identity. While Vanessa Fisk also seeks the tablet to help her husband, witnessing what Silvermane has become convinces her to find another way as a confrontation between Vanessa, Silvermane, and Spider-Man in an old church Silvermane has taken as his base. The battle ends with Silvermane burning the church down while trying to kill Spider-Man.

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References
  1. Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. p. 316. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.
  2. Manning, Matthew K.; Gilbert, Laura, ed. (2012). "1960s". Spider-Man Chronicle Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging. Dorling Kindersley. p. 48. ISBN 978-0756692360. [Man Mountain Marko] wasn't the biggest threat the web-slinger would face in this issue. That honor went to Silvermane, an elderly crime boss intent on regaining his youth.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  3. Wells, John (2014). American Comic Book Chronicles: 1965-1969. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 270. ISBN 978-1605490557.
  4. The Amazing Spider-Man #73-75
  5. Daredevil #121-123
  6. The Amazing Spider-Man #176-180
  7. The Amazing Spider-Man #197
  8. The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #2
  9. Spider-Man: Made Men #1 (August 1998)
  10. The Spectacular Spider-Man #69-70
  11. The Spectacular Spider-Man #94-96
  12. The Amazing Spider-Man #284
  13. Web of Spider-Man #79-80
  14. Deathlok #8-9
  15. Punisher War Journal #46-48
  16. The Amazing Spider-Man #618-620
  17. The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #3
  18. The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #17
  19. Ultimate Spider-Man #79
  20. Ultimate X-Men #14 (March 2002)
  21. Ultimate Spider-Man #79
  22. House of M: Avengers #3
  23. "Bring On the Bad Guys Pt. 3". Spider-Man. Season 2. Episode 35. August 6, 2018. Disney XD.
  24. "Cloak & Dagger Join LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2". CBR. 20 March 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
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