The first Spider-Slayer was designed and built by Professor Spencer Smythe . Smythe was a mild-mannered inventor who was inspired by Jameson's anti-Spidey editorials in the Daily Bugle. Believing that Spider-Man was a menace, Smythe created the first Spider-Slayer robot. Peter Parker decided to go even with Jameson by making money photographing the fight between the robot and Spider-Man, so he convinced the publisher to let Smythe dempstrate his invention. However, Peter soon realized that this was a mistake. The robot possessed incredible fighting capabilities and eventually trapped Spider-Man within its steel cables. Fortunately, the quick thinking wall-crawler managed to break free himself before Jameson and Smythe could arrive to the scence.

More models, more failures

Smythe, humiliated by his failure, went back to the lab and created a new Spider-Slayer with deadlier weapons and more sophisticated sensors. But Jameson and Smythe had an arguement as soon as the publisher realized that this model was designed to kill Spider-Man, rather than capture him. The web-head outwitted the new robot by leading it back to Smythe's lab where he caused it to malfunction and explode. Obsessed with killing Spider-Man, Smythe kept building newer and more powerful Spider-Slayers. Smythe was ultimately killed by his own inventions when he was exposed to the radioactive materials needed to power his Spider-Slayers.