Jack O'Lantern

Origin

The boy who would grow up to be Jack O'Lantern was a troubled child who lied, disobeyed his parents and hurt small animals. One Halloween he left his parents' house and came across the home of Bennett Brant, the third Crime-Master. Upon opening the door, he was shot in the face with gas and immediately knocked out. Brant took him in to raise as his own and trained him to be the world's greatest assassin. As an act of loyalty, Jack killed his genetic parents with his signature move of turning their skulls into jack-o'-lanterns.

Creation

Jack O'Lantern was created by Rick Remender and Tony Moore. He made his first appearance in Venom #1.

Major Story Arcs

Venom

Jack O'Lantern is first seen filming an attack in Nrosvekistan. He is sent by Crime-Master to document the effectiveness of weaponized vibranium bullets created by Dr. Ferid Ekmecic who has supplied them to a group of rebelling villagers. Jack captures the doctor when Venom arrives on the scene. He attempts to flee but Venom fires a tank cannon at him. While fighting hand-to-hand, Venom shoves a live grenade in Jack's face. The blast takes off his jaw yet he continues to take off with the doctor. In a last-ditch effort Venom webs Dr. Ekmecic's neck and yanks it, killing him so he can not reveal his process of weaponizing the Antarctic vibranium.

While on a mission to secure more of the vibranium in Antarctica, Venom's true identity is caught on camera by Crime-Master and Jack. He is sent to kidnap Betty Brant so they can force Venom to deliver the vibranium. Spider-Man gets involved in saving Betty while Venom loses control when he runs into Jack. During the fight, Jack tells Venom how he killed everyone else who has worn his mask before him and how he is now his archenemy for blowing up his face. Jack was supposed to have been guarding the vibranium shipment which is lost to the authorities. He escapes but Venom tags him with a spider-tracer.

Jack returns after the events of Spider-Island at the funeral of Flash's father, Harrison Thompson. He approaches Betty and Flash in plain clothes and introduces himself to Betty as a war friend of Flash's. Jack goes as far as to say they are AA friends and he could use Flash's help right now. Betty is convinced and tells Flash to go with him. Flash is taken to Crime-Master who sends him on a retrieval mission in Las Vegas. Flash stays at a motel along the way and returns to his room to find Jack laying in his bed along with his devil-bots. Jack accompanies Flash on his way to retrieve the package. Flash pulls over suddenly on the road after hearing of a mine collapse on the radio in their area. Venom saves the miners but there is one who will not leave his trapped dying friend. Jack shoots the trapped man in the face. They leave immediately and stop at a diner where Jack verbally assaults the staff before revealing some of his upbringing. The two leave the diner but not before Jack goes back in to kill the cook and waitress.

Jack O'Lantern and Venom arrive in Vegas when Venom discovers what the package is the Toxin symbiote. Flash loses control and tries to destroy it when Jack collects the symbiote to take back to Crime-Master. Venom, in a total rage, chases after Jack who is able to finally calm him down with threats to Betty and his mother. Jack escapes with the symbiote leaving Venom in Las Vegas.

Savage Six

Through with being blackmailed by Crime-Master, Flash attempts to take him out on his own. He goes after him while he is assembling his own Savage Six. Jack saves his boss and chases after Flash with the Human Fly. Flash's attack was interrupted by Eddie Brock who Jack brings back to Crime-Master as they transform him into the new Toxin.

Jack goes out in street clothes and attempts to abduct Betty. Venom arrives in time and escapes with her. As Venom scrambles to save his loves ones, he arrives at his sister's apartment where Jack has killed her husband. Jack's devil-bots attack Flash as he flees the apartment. He finds that Jack had been watching and chases after him. Jack tosses Flash's sister off a rooftop and dares Flash to save her without snapping her neck. Flash saves her as Jack flies off back to Crime-Master.

Once Flash comes after Crime-Master for their final showdown, Jack steps in and the two battle on a narrow pipe over a vat of chemicals. Jack loses his footing and falls into the vat. Jack winds up surviving the fall and begins a killing spree, feeling that Flash was responsible for Crime-Master's death. Venom follows Jack's chemical trail into the sewers and finds his father's exhumed corpse rigged to a bomb. Flash survives as Jack attacks from behind. The two savagely trade blows with scythes and claws but ultimately Jack is taken down. Flash shows mercy and brings him into custody rather than killing him.

Powers & Abilities

Jack O'Lantern has a variety of different weaponized gadgets such as explosive/corrosive candy, incapacitating floating green ghosts, a rocket-powered broomstick with pedals to control, various types of sickles, small devil-bots capable of attacking on their own. Jack claims to have been trained to be the world's greatest assassin, noting that the term gets thrown around a lot but he is not kidding. He displays a fair level of hand-to-hand combat against Venom. Jack was also able to survive a grenade blast to his face though it left him rather disfigured. He openly takes "medication" to deal with it.

In Other Media

Television

• Jack O'Lantern appears in the Marvel's Spider-Man episode "Bring on the Bad Guys: Part 3," voiced by Booboo Stewart.

Video Games

Merchandise

• Jack O'Lantern appears in the Marvel Legends line as part of the Absorbing Man Build-a-Figure wave.