Everyone loves a cool villain. There are many in comics such as Joker, Norman Osborn, Lex Luthor, etc. For every 'great' villain, there are loads that don't quite have what it takes to achieve true villain status. We figured we'd start a monthly feature to spotlight some of the weaker villains that could someday rise above the odds and achieve a place in the Supervillain Hall of Fame. But most likely they will continue to be an embarrassment.
Today, let's take a look at SPOT.
The first problem is the name. Coming up with a name if you're a hero or villain can be tough. Coming up with a really cool name is even tougher. Based on his intelligence, you would think he could've come up with a better name. During his first encounter with Spider-Man, Spidey couldn't stop laughing at his name.
What is his story?
Johnathon Ohnn was a scientist working for Kingpin. He was working on helping Kingpin create another super-powered henchman after the Answer disappeared. During a fight with Cloak and Dagger (and Spider-Man and Black Cat), Ohnn managed to get a reading on Cloak's powers. Kingpin was hoping for some information on Dagger's powers as her light powers could help his dying wife Vanessa. Kingpin wasn't too interested as his mind was on his wife. Ohnn continued to investigate. As the radiation energy was being reproduced, a giant black hole appeared.
Being a scientist and having an inquisitive mind, Ohnn had to investigate. He also wasn't sure if he'd be able to reproduce the circle. Stepping in, he immediately felt coldness and once transported to another dimension, passed out.
He finally awoke and found a familiar grouping of spots. Making his way towards them, he went through and emerged back in his lab, covered in spots.
This is where he showed his true...spots. First of all, working for the Kingpin didn't say much for his ethics. But rather than try to figure out how the power could be used for good, he decided it would be best to test out the powers against one of Kingpin's enemies before telling him or anyone. This lead to him encountering both Spider-Man and Black Cat.
Spot was off to a great start. Removing the spots from his body, he had portals all over the place. This allowed him to be able to punch Spider-Man while keeping his distance from him. If Spider-Man did get close enough to try to hit him, he would swing into a hole. Unfortunately he kept removing more and more spots.
One punch and he was ready to run away. You have to remember, Spot didn't set out to be a supervillain. As a scientist, he was curious about harnessing the power. He was working for Kingpin but once he gained the power, he had thoughts of using it for himself to further his own research. Soon he changed his tune and did sink to petty theft.
Spot later formed a team with Grizzly, Gibbon and Kangaroo. Going under the name of the Spider-Man Revenge Squad, they very quickly became known as the Legion of Losers.
With the type of power at his disposal, you would think he could make something out of himself. If he was interested in money, he could easily use his spots to teleport into restricted areas. Of course he'd have to find a way to leave a spot behind so he could enter the location later.
He continued his attempts at being a villain and was even part of MODOK's 11. When his son was put in a coma as a result of a drive-by shooting, he began killing members of the Russian mafia. He recently showed up in the pages of DAREDEVIL hired to kidnap another mafia member's daughter. Again, he demonstrated his willingness to kill.
This could have been the beginning of a more deadly Spot. One that could be taken a little more seriously. But of course, he was easily defeated by Daredevil, made to look like a fool and left for the authorities.
Is there any hope for Spot? Would a new name improve his standing as a supervillain? Will he always be just a villain to be made fun of? There is some potential in him. He could use his powers in interesting ways and has shown signs of being deadly. But he's just lacking that edge that could push him higher in the ranks of great supervillains.
