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    Tombstone

    Character » Tombstone appears in 349 issues.

    The cold, tall and monsterous looking Spider-Man villain who takes pride in his grim and death-like appearance, Lonnie Thompson Lincoln is a criminal enforcer who uses methods of intimidation and murder under the deserving nickname of Tombstone.

    Short summary describing this character.

    Tombstone last edited by SlamAdams on 02/27/24 09:18PM View full history

    Origin

    Born in Harlem, New York City. Lonnie Thompson Lincoln didn’t have a normal life growing up as a child because of his albino appearance. Constantly bullied by other children, this eventually led Lonnie to take the wrong path in life, as he grew bigger and used his appearance to bully other small children during high school. Aside from his intimidating appearance, Lonnie was basically a loner and a miscreant who forced protection money from other children in school. However Lonnie would find only one student who displayed any kindness towards him, who was known to be the high school’s editor Joe Robertson. But eventually Robertson would show his loyalty for his position and write an article about Lonnie’s activities within school. Feeling betrayed and angered, Lonnie confronted Robertson and intimidated him into pulling the article.

    After high school, Lonnie steered further down the wrong path as he built himself into a life of crime. After filing his nails and teeth to points, damaging his vocal cords, training to peak physical strength, and engaging in several street fights to build his fighting skills, Lonnie finally landed a job with major crime bosses and gang lords as an assassin, nicknaming himself Tombstone. Eight years later, Lonnie would encounter Robertson once more, who was now working for the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper company. Upon receiving a tip of the recent murder of a local crime boss from an informant known as Isadore Kipper, Robertson would accidentally meet Lonnie, who murdered the informant before he could mention anything to Robertson. With Robertson witnessing the scene, Lonnie threatened Robertson if he reported anything that he just saw. Keeping this incident as a secret, both Lonnie and Robertson went separate ways once more. Robertson moved to New York to work as Editor-in-Chief with the Daily Bugle and was forced to hold the secret for over twenty years.

    Creation

    Tombstone was created by writer Gerry Conway and artist Alex Saviuk. He would make his first debut in Spiderman's third ongoing series Web of Spiderman #36. When Tombstone first appeared, he acted as a supporting character that was secretly connected to Joe Robertson and who would be developed into a Spiderman villain later on. Tombstone would make his very first cover appearance in Spectacular Spiderman #139.

    Major Story Arcs

    Grave Memory

    Even though Tombstone had no real powers or superhuman strength, he still proved to be a dangerous opponent for Spiderman.
    Even though Tombstone had no real powers or superhuman strength, he still proved to be a dangerous opponent for Spiderman.

    Lonnie’s criminal career proved successful, and he quickly gained a striking reputation as a dangerous figure within the criminal underground. Realizing the organized crime within New York City, Lonnie found employment there within the Kingpin’s (Wilson Fisk) criminal empire, strictly working through Fisk’s employer known as the Arranger. Acting as an enforcer for the Arranger, he would be given various tasks, including kidnapping the mutant known as Roland Rayburn. Ironically both Tombstone and Robertson would meet once more after the Daily Bugle editor learned that Lonnie was now residing within New York City. After harboring guilt of not being able to expose Lonnie’s criminal actions, Robertson foolishly anticipated a citizen’s arrest on Lonnie. Robertson was brutally attacked and nearly paralyzed by Lonnie, who ensured that his former friend wouldn’t do anything else stupid. With Robertson secretly recording his violent encounter with Lonnie, he finally had the evidence to have Lonnie pay for his crimes and handed the recording tape to Peter Parker for safe-keeping.

    Realizing Robertson’s secret plan and that Peter Parker now possessed the tape, Lonnie threatened Robertson by endangering his family if the tape ever reached the authorities. Elsewhere, the vigilante known as Punisher would learn of this tape and the situation, which sent him on a hunt against Tombstone, where he ended up battling against and killing Roland, who had taken the costume name Persuader. With Lonnie stalking and injuring Parker’s wife Mary Jane, Spiderman tracked Lonnie down and defeated the criminal before leaving him to the authorities. After learning of what happened with Lonnie, Robertson turned in the tape recording as evidence for Lonnie’s crimes and saw to it that Lonnie fully paid for all his crimes and the murder of the informant twenty years before, Isadore Kipper.

    As Robertson fully recovered and believed that he had seen the last of Lonnie, matters would turn for the worst when Lonnie confessed to the murder of Kipper and stated that Robertson was an accomplice to the murder as well. With little evidence supporting Robertson’s defense and the fact that he was at the scene of the crime, Robertson would be found guilty and sentenced to Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary. With Lonnie aware of Robertson’s situation, he managed to be transferred to the same prison with Robertson and share a cell next to Robertson’s. Knowing that his current situation was much worse with Lonnie next to him, Robertson desperately sought out protection from a fellow inmate known as the Bruiser. With Bruiser successfully protecting Robertson from Lonnie and fending off against Lonnie's hired goons, Tombstone and a handful of henchmen would singly take on Bruiser and murder Robertson’s only means of protection. Forcing Robertson into working for him, Lonnie also secretly had a portion of guards and staff working for him and planned on both escaping and gaining revenge against Spiderman. Knowing that Spiderman and Robertson were good friends, Lonnie forced Robertson into having Spiderman secretly visit him in prison. When the Webslinger did so, he found that he was led into a trap as Tombstone quickly attacked Spiderman and forced Robertson to inject into his friend a virus that weakened the hero. Chaining Spiderman to a wall, Lonnie violently beat Spiderman relentlessly as Robertson painfully watched. With two escape helicopters approaching the prison and the prison alarm sounding, Lonnie used the drugged hero as a hostage and forced Robby into escaping with him. With Spiderman almost learning who Tombstone’s outside employer was, he managed to regain enough strength to fend off Tombstone’s goons, but was unsuccessful in preventing Lonnie’s escape and saving Robertson from his clutches. With Robertson realizing that his lack of courage wasn’t making anything better, he finally threw himself at Lonnie within the helicopter as both men fell to their apparent deaths in a secluded area within the woods.

    Both Lonnie and Robertson managed to survive the fall and were taken to an Amish farm to be nursed back to health. With Robertson’s family and Spiderman trying to locate his friend, Robertson’s leg healed and he was back to normal health. Yet so was Lonnie, who was waiting for the right moment to kill Robertson for what he did. Finally attacking Robertson, Lonnie would be surprised as to how well Robby defended himself with a pitchfork, stabbing Lonnie in the chest with it. Leaving Robby, he walked away to treat his wounds. Both men would finally depart, and Robertson would finally return to his family and be pardoned for his crimes upon revealing the nature of the incident. Elsewhere, Lonnie returned to his secret employer, Hammerhead, as the enforcer planned for his next attack against both Robertson and Spiderman.

    Tombstone's Territory

    Hammerhead had Lonnie lay low for a while because of his wanted status, and he placed a contract against Robertson that was given to Hobgoblin (Jason Macendale). Upon learning this, Lonnie was angered that Hammerhead cheated Lonnie from a revenge that was rightfully his, and he secretly went to foil Hobgoblin’s attempts against Robertson. Aside from Lonnie’s efforts, Hobgoblin still proved incapable of killing Robby. Upon learning of a new chemical known as Diox-3 being produced at Oscorp, Hammerhead thought that this chemical could be successfully used in the cocaine trade. He sent Lonnie to pressure and blackmail Molten Man, a former villain and an Oscorp employee, to help Lonnie obtain the chemical. Molten Man would secretly betray Lonnie, telling Spiderman of Lonnie’s attempts and helping him take down Lonnie and his hired goons. When Robertson learned of this, he showed up to Oscorp with the intent of having Lonnie pay for his crimes. As both Molten Man, Spiderman, and unexpectedly Green Goblin (Harry Osborn) arrived and defeated Lonnie's henchmen, Lonnie was attacked and shot by Robertson. He staggered into a chamber that contained Diox-3. Encased within the chamber, the chemicals were released, and Lonnie suffered from the violent effects as it bonded and merged into his physiology. Believing Lonnie to be dead, Spiderman, Molten Man, Green Goblin, and Robertson would later learn that Lonnie escaped the chamber after creating a massive hole within it.

    Still recovering from the incident and wandering aimlessly in the streets, Lonnie was attacked by a handful of street thugs. Yet Lonnie would easily and quickly defeat the thugs as he learned of his newfound abilities: Imperviousness to injury and increased strength. Lonnie realized the potential of his newfound capabilities and took pride with them as he quickly visited his employer and brutally beat him for his incompetence as a crime lord. Leaving Hammerhead barely alive, Lonnie quickly took over Hammerhead's operation and decided to have one final meeting with Robertson. After being contacted, the unsuspecting editor bravely met Lonnie at Hammerhead's mansion and found Lonnie thanking him rather than trying kill him out of revenge. Viewing Robby as being responsible for his newly-gained abilities, Lonnie dropped his vendetta against Robby and decided to leave him alone.

    But Lonnie would be attacked by Spiderman, who followed Robertson; the hero found himself struggling against Lonnie because of his new abilities. With Lonnie displaying pride for his hardened body and increased strength, Hammerhead managed to break free from his restraints and attack Lonnie with a machinegun. As Lonnie stood taking the storm of bullets from Hammerhead, the gunfire accidentally ruptured a gas tank behind Lonnie, causing a massive explosion. With Lonnie completely engulfed in the flames, everybody believed that was the last time they would see Tombstone, convinced that he died in the explosion.

    The Competition for Assassins

    Believed to be dead, Lonnie managed to survive the blast and later found himself seeking new employment with the ninja cult known as the Hand. Taskmaster would also participate within the Hand's activities, giving the cult an idea for a competition between Taskmaster and Tombstone for an assassination position. As both criminals went on a murder spree, they eventually would capture the attention of both Daredevil and Punisher. With Daredevil trying to prevent Punisher from killing both criminals and stop their murder spree, Tombstone would find himself going against the Punisher on a speeding bus while Taskmaster and Daredevil were fighting each other in the streets. After luring Taskmaster into being hit by a vehicle, both Tombstone and Punisher managed to escape the scene. Yet Tombstone still pursued the competition and planned on making one last kill, the City Cultural Affairs Commissioner at a circus, with Punisher still in pursuit, intent on taking out Tombstone once and for all. Daredevil managed to foil both Tombstone’s and the Punisher’s plans, and Tombstone would later learn the true values of being with the Hand and left the group to pursue his criminal ways elsewhere.

    Heart of the Hawk

    Upon learning of a new costumed hero known as Darkhawk, Lonnie believed that the amulet on Darkhawk’s chest would grant him powers. Tracking down and viciously attacking Darkhawk, Tombstone ripped the amulet right off of Darkhawk’s chest. Still alive from the encounter, Darkhawk managed to flee from Tombstone and was rescued by an elderly man who was formerly a Darkhawk himself. Not caring less about Darkhawk’s fate, Tombstone went about trying to find help on how to use the amulet’s power. Going to both a fortune teller and a Hand member to assist him with using the amulet’s power proved unsuccessful, but activated a signal to Darkhawk, who was handling problems elsewhere against Venom. Tracking the signal to Tombstone’s position, the hero fought Tombstone once more and reclaimed his amulet after defeating him.

    Cage

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    Tombstone next relocated to Chicago and was hired by Hardcore to participate alongside a short-lived group that consisted of Kickback and Nitro. Hired by Hardcore to kidnap North Dakota for reasons of gaining info on Luke Cage, they first used terror tactics against North Dakota by blowing up the Chicago Spectator building. Even though Tombstone didn’t fare well against Cage, he still managed to deliver North to Hardcore. As both Cage and Punisher pursued them, the group forced the unstable Nitro off the team, and Kickback grew sympathetic toward North and delivered her back to Cage after Hardcore got what he wanted from her. After the group dissolved, Tombstone next offered his services to the Maggia and ironically found himself working alongside a former enemy, Hammerhead.

    Dead Man's Hand

    After the downfall of the Kingpin, a summit known as “Dead Man’s Hand” tried to divide his empire among various criminal organizations. The summit took place in Las Vegas, and Tombstone and Hammerhead, both representing Maggia, participated. Not only did the summit lose control as Tombstone became disgusted with the other organizations' unprofessionalism, but it also attracted the Punisher, Daredevil, and Nomad. With each vigilante attacking the participants with their own agenda, Tombstone would find himself battling against the Hand, and was convinced to spare the life of the cult’s greatest warrior, known as Izanami. After the incident, both Tombstone and Hammerhead left Las Vegas and hid in Lake Tahoe. Hammerhead would later fall victim to another brutal beating by Tombstone for reaching the ranks within Maggia.

    Deadzone

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    Tombstone next made an appearance to the Advance Idea Mechanics (AIM) Weapons Expo on Boca Caliente. It was unclear if Tombstone was still working with Maggia or not, but he still acted as a crimeboss and did manage to gain some attention within the criminal underground. Upon returning to New York, Tombstone began to find several of his gangs under attack by a super-powered psychotic madman known as Deadzone. Even though Moon Knight was already on Deadzone’s trail, the vigilante would use Tombstone as bait to lure Deadzone out while being disguised as Tombstone’s personal limo driver. With Moon Knight managing to knockout the madman, Tombstone personally thanked the vigilante for helping him on ridding the threat against him and his gangs. Attempting to murder Deadzone while he was unconscious, Tombstone was interrupted from killing him by Moon Knight, when the madman came to consciousness and viscously attacked both Tombstone and Moon Knight. As both Moon Knight and Deadzone battled once more, Tombstone escaped the scene with his limo, leaving both men to their own fates.

    Death by Tombstone

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    Re-outfitting himself and much more built, Tombstone next tried to join the ranks of the New York City council of bosses that was run by Nick Kaska. Unimpressed with Tombstone, Kaska denied him membership. Enraged by Kaska’s disapproval, Tombstone assaulted and destroyed a club that was owned by Kaska. Believed to be unconscious from the incident after taking damage from a gas leak explosion, Tombstone hijacked the ambulance that was carrying him off the scene and return to Kaska in hopes that his actions intimidated him into approving Tombstone’s application. Yet Kaska would still deny Tombstone’s application, not caring for threats or any type of intimidating tactics. Seeing that Tombstone was both desperate and enraged, Kaska decided to offer Tombstone a task to earn his membership: Kill Spiderman and prove that he was dead. Accepting the challenge, Tombstone tracked the Web-slinger; both men fought each other in a grueling match that took itself into the river. Still fighting beneath the water, Tombstone nearly drowned Spiderman and also managed to get his battered mask. Believing that the hero drowned and sank to the bottom, Tombstone was unaware that Spiderman survived and had managed to follow him to Kaska. Believing that Tombstone was lying and had cheated his bargain, Kaska ultimately denied Tombstone his chances of membership. Tombstone finally lost control and hurled Kaska out the window of his building, who was only to be saved by Spiderman. Facing Spiderman once more, Tombstone would ultimately be defeated by Spiderman after the hero managed to hit him so hard that he was knocked out. Tombstone was detained and returned to prison, but he was still planning his steps among the criminal underworld, and he managed to rebuild himself as a crimeboss once more after successfully escaping.

    Family and Punishment

    Tombstone attempted to regain his criminal organization after escaping prison by simply hijacking an armored truck. Capturing the attention of Scarlet Spider (Ben Reilly), Tombstone's attempt was foiled by the new hero, who managed to take Tombstone down. Tombstone next made another attempt to climb within the criminal underground by sending his right-hand man, Steve Marlow, to assassinate New York City’s police chief. Marlow managed to not only shoot the police chief, but also managed to make an attempt on Don Geraci as well, one of the most notorious crime lords in New York. This captured the attention of both Spiderman (Ben Reilly) and Punisher (who was currently joined with the Geraci crime family), who managed to track Marlow back to his boss, and both men ended up battling Tombstone once more. With Punisher going after Marlow and Spiderman nearly defeating Tombstone, Marlow managed to cause an explosion in order for him and his boss to make an escape.

    Angered by Marlow’s inconsiderate and careless actions, Tombstone held his son hostage to ensure that Marlow would not screw up Tombstone's next plan, which was to kill the Mayor. With Spiderman forced into an uneasy alliance with Punisher, the web slinger managed to track down Tombstone and make an attempt to save Marlow’s family. Engaging in a brutal fight against Tombstone, the web slinger was proving victorious after shooting a stinger at Tombstone’s throat. As the fight was about to come to an end, Punisher entered the scene with a rocket launcher that was intended to be fired at Tombstone. However, Punisher halted his attack when Tombstone took Marlow’s son hostage. This forced Steve to take action against the Punisher, attacking him from behind in order to both help his boss and save his son. Tombstone shot Steve for his annoyance and failures, but was hit by a rocket after the Punisher recovered. Marlow’s family was safe, but Tombstone mysteriously disappeared from the scene. He began rebuilding his criminal organization elsewhere and strictly kept a low profile after his recent actions.

    Tombstone would encounter Punisher once more after attending a meeting with the Geraci family, but this time would ironically join forces with the vigilante when another crime lord known as Rosalie Carbone attacked the Geraci’s. After the incident, Tombstone next allied with Jigsaw against the Geraci’s in order to knock-out competition within the criminal underground. This time Jigsaw leveled the Geraci estate and was convinced that the Punisher had died within the destruction of Geraci’s family home. After seeing this, Tombstone went his own way and continued to pursue his own criminal organization's rise.

    Ungrateful

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    Tombstone later crossed paths with Spiderman and Gambit as both heroes foiled Tombstone’s attempt to traffic a Haitian voodoo dust as a narcotic. Ironically, Tombstone found himself hired by Hammerhead to lead a direct assault against his competitor, known as Don Vincente Fortunato. Tombstone and his army of henchmen invaded Fortunato’s home and encountered Spiderman on the scene. Fotunato managed to trap everybody by stunning them with his electric floor, and planned to make an example out of both Spiderman and Tombstone by publicly executing them both. Daredevil managed to foil Fortunato’s attempt and rescued both Spiderman and Tombstone. The ungrateful Tombstone managed to escape from the scene. He would later find himself against Daredevil and his short-lived team known as the Marvel Knights after being hired into joining a team known as the New Jersey Alliance. Tombstone led the team in attacking the Marvel Knights. Tombstone and his allies managed to get the better of the Marvel Knights, until every member of the New Jersey Alliance was sucked into the Darkforce by Cloak and Dagger. Somehow, Tombstone managed to escape the Darkforce and began to rebuild his reputation once again from the start by robbing banks.

    Heart Breaker

    During one bank robbery, Tombstone’s luck would strike against him when he suffered a near-fatal heart attack that resulted in his capture by the authorities. He was sentenced to and detained within the ultra-security island prison known as the Cage, whose surrounding forcefield managed to reduce Tombstone’s powers to normal levels. Even though Tombstone wasn’t a stranger behind prison walls, his luck would turn much worse when the massive Brian Hibbs, also known as the Kangaroo, confronted him. Threatened and provoked by Hibbs' detailed assaults, Tombstone responded by kicking Hibbs in the groin before suffering another heart attack, which gave Hibbs the chance to violently pulverize Tombstone, while the guards watched on. Knowing that he was outmatched and the odds were against him, Tombstone next formed an alliance with Spot, Hypno-Hustler, Big Ben Donovan, and Rocket Racer to take down Hibbs once and for all.

    Tombstone and his gang attacked Hibbs and managed to set him up for the kill with a pair of scissors, but the guards halted Tombstone and threw him in solitary confinement for the murder attempt. During his confinement, Tombstone’s gang would be brutally beaten and hospitalized by Hibbs (besides Spot), which left Tombstone hopeless once again. With the time he had between his confinement and his next surgery, Tombstone formulated his next plan. Tombstone had one of the guards who was secretly working for him inform Hibbs of his location during the surgery. A successful trap for Hibbs was set which caused him to be physically stuck in the air vent and badly injured in an accident. Tombstone then used the paroled Spot to secretly transport him out of the prison. Free and fully regaining his health, Tombstone personally thanked Spot by snapping his neck and continued to seek his criminal employment elsewhere.

    A Crime in Paris

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    A free man once more, Tombstone quickly found employment with Norman Osborn, joining Osborn’s team of Spiderman-related super villains known as the Sinister Twelve. Even though this was the first time that Tombstone participated among a full-fledged super villain group, the team still didn’t fare any better against Spiderman when several other heroes came to his aid. Avoiding custody once again, Tombstone relocated to Europe where Lily Lucca alongside a new Matador hired him. Secretly working for Vanessa Fisk, Lily would instruct both Tombstone and Matador to stage a kidnapping scene to purposefully gain Daredevil’s attention. Even though Daredevil did manage to fend off Tombstone and Matador, he would later suspect that he was set up in a trap. Tombstone and Matador were forced to track down Daredevil once more, and both villains fought the hero once again. Annoyed by Matador, Tombstone attacked the new villain and swiped him off to the side as he attempted to take on Daredevil himself. Daredevil eventually defeated Tombstone by knocking him out with a sledgehammer. With Daredevil tracking down his true employer, Tombstone awoke and later returned to America with nothing left in his name, forcing him to join the ranks of the Hood’s Army as a way to rebuild his criminal organization.

    Deadpool Dead

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    After getting in over his head with a gambling debt, Lonnie’s bookie hired Deadpool to take him out. To keep him busy, Lonnie caused an explosion and framed Deadpool for it, earning Deadpool the ire of the superhero community. Lonnie also confronted his bookie, who made a deal to forgive his debt if he could kill Deadpool. Lonnie’s attempt failed, and he was arrested for the explosion,

    Later, when he finally got out of prison, he wanted revenge on Deadpool. He forced a scientist to come up with a serum that could nullify Wade’s healing factor. Wade gets wind of the serum but doesn’t know who has it. He starts sowing chaos among the criminal elite making Lonnie nervous. Luckily, Wade’s ally, Bob, Agent of Hydra, approached Lonnie with a deal. He didn’t like the length Wade was going and claimed he could get close enough to Wade to administer the serum. Lonnie accepted his help, but to his surprise, Bob was working for Wade, who wanted to finally die.

    Zero Compound

    Tombstone vs Gambit
    Tombstone vs Gambit

    Tombstone was having a meeting with immortal thief, Joelle, at the Club With No Name, when they were interrupted by Gambit. He was attempting to save Joelle from the life and, in doing so, he stole the illegal data Tombstone was purchasing and shuffled kinetic playing cards into Tombstone’s face. Angered, Tombstone tracked down Fence, one of Gambit’s closest allies in the thief world, but Gambit and Joelle were already acting on the data, the location of one of Baron Von Strucker’s labs, where the chemical weapon, Zero Compound, had been created.

    Lonnie had tortured Fence for the location of the lab, which he gave up. Gracious, Lonnie decided to free him in exchange for all the information that Fence had on Joelle, so that he could get the traitorous thief in his back pocket. Meanwhile, his hired mercenaries tracked Gambit and Joelle, who were now being assisted by Rogue. Knowing they would be too much for his mercs to deal with, Lonnie staked out Joelle’s dying daughter, a woman more elderly than Joelle. Joelle walked right into his trap, where he slit her throat to incapacitate her.

    Because she was immortal, Joelle bounced back much faster than Lonnie anticipated. He ended up getting thrown from a high hospital window and confronted by the married mutants outsider, but Lonnie had the weapon. Gambit knocked it out of his hand causing it to start decaying anything it touched, separating Lonnie from the heroes and giving them a chance to go their separate ways.

    Father of the Beetle

    Despite offering his daughter, Janice, the opportunity to become a successful high-price lawyer, she still ended up in the capes and masks industry as thief and mercenary for hire, The Beetle. Much to his chagrin, he would find out after she had already fallen in with a crew of dweebs , Boomerang’s Sinister Six, and got herself caught by The Owl.

    Soon after, Lonnie warmed up to the idea and even watched as she created her own outfit, a new, all-female version of the Sinister Syndicate

    King’s Ransom

    Tombstone and the other crime bosses
    Tombstone and the other crime bosses

    As an NYC crime boss in “good” standing, Lonnie was invited to a union of crime bosses under Mayor Wilson Fisk. Fisk would allow city hall to help in their criminal endeavors so that a relative peace was being experienced by the city. In exchange, Fish would be able to call in a favor when he saw fit.

    Eventually that favor was for them to bring him the costumed mercenary, Boomerang. Boomer had been hired by Kingpin to track down the mystical Lifeline Tablet, however, Boomer’s new friendship with Peter Parker turned into a partnership with Spider-Man to keep the Tablet out of Kingpin’s hands. Having sniffed out their plan, Fisk offered a literal “Get Out of Jail Free '' Card to the crime boss who brings him in.

    Although, Fisk said one of Boomer’s roommates, Peter Parker, was off-limits, the other was fair game. Fortunately for Lonnie, it was Randy Robertson, son of Lonnie’s old rival Robbie Robertson. However, when he tried sneaking onto the roof of their apartment building, he found Randy making out with his own daughter, Janice. Angry, he retreated to yell at his daughter the first chance he got. Unfortunately, this just made Janice more into Randy, and being that close to Boomer made both of them a target, eventually being kidnapped by Madame Masque and Crime-Master.

    Robbie and Lonnie cooperating
    Robbie and Lonnie cooperating

    Lonnie showed up to the explosion at their shared apartment only to be confronted by Robbie, who had the same idea. Their shouting match blaming each other was ended by Spider-Man, who gave the two a little direction. Robbie would seek out a contact of his, and Lonnie would scare him into talking to track Masque and Master on their own while Spidey secures some backup. After dangling Mirage off a rooftop, he gave them an address by the docks of where Masque and Master were keeping the kids. Lonnie and Robbie broke in but were defended by their backup, the Sinister Syndicate. While the Syndicate took on the goons, Lonnie and Robbie untied the kids.

    Afterward, Janice and Randy announced they were moving in together, so Lonnie and Robbie decided enough was enough and agreed to a truce.

    Turf War with The Rose

    With Wilson Fisk ousted for taking on the superhero community in New York City, the crime boss union no longer had any leadership. With Fisk’s son, The Rose, now joining, he mistook Lonnie’s new familial bliss and financial comfort as weaknesses and conspired to take his territory. First, he muddied his reputation among the other bosses and then had his enforcer, Digger, blow up Lonnie’s Harlem home. Lonnie survived though, and he was very sick of everyone’s crap.

    Lincolns and Robertsons become one family
    Lincolns and Robertsons become one family

    First, Lonnie tracked down Peter Parker so that he could give Spider-Man a message that there was no room for his morality. He told his daughter to stay away and keep safe. He moved into a safehouse and ripped his new veneers out of his mouth to show off his old filed down teeth again. Once that was all done, Lonnie was able to systematically take on Rose’s operations, eventually getting an especially stubborn Spider-Man trying to stop him.

    Lonnie captured and tortured Spider-Man, secretly leaving him in Rose territory, so when Spider-Man thought he had escaped his goon’s grasp, he would continue to punch through Rose’s nearby goons. Thus, he successfully tricked Spidey into doing his dirty work while he shared a drink with Robbie over the fact that Randy and Janice were now engaged.

    Gang War

    Lonnie takes on Janice
    Lonnie takes on Janice

    Nearing the wedding day of Janice and Randy, Lonnie had not received an RSVP from any of his fellow gangsters. He called a meeting and demanded to know why none of them had decided to come. They were confused, as they did not consider their relationship was this friendly. However, Lonnie did not invite them as friends. He invited them to keep an eye on them and to prevent them from trying an attack on this special day.

    Unfortunately, this did not go according to plan as Shotgun decided to target the event. Lonnie was badly injured after being shot and needed to be taken to the hospital. After weeks of recovery, Tombstone woke up to a city on fire. A gang war had been incited, and Randy Robertson had been caught in the crossfire. When he went looking for his daughter, she had bought into the war hoping to expand Tombstone's territory. Worried about her safety, Tombstone turns to Spider-Man to help him end the war.

    After helping Spider-Man shut down a number of riots, Spider-Man and his friends agreed to protect Beetle at a Central Park showdown between the Syndicate and Madame Masque's new Maggia. While the heroes took on the Maggia, Lonnie found his daughter and her crew hiding, hoping the heroes would take out the Maggia for them. Lonnie ripped the wings off Beetle's new armor so he could reluctantly take her place as the last gangster standing.

    Tombstone usurped his own daughter as the head of the Syndicate and the Harlem gangs. He ordered a full retreat leaving the Masque's new Maggia and the heroes to deal with each other. With Spider-Man's crew proving victorious and the vigilante law repealed, Tombstone now ran the only criminal enterprise in the city.

    Personality

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    Lonnie Lincoln has a personality that strictly follows his intimidating and grim appearance. A victim of child-hood bullying because of his albino looks, Lonnie has developed an obsession to survive and become more fearful than those who tormented him as a child. Taking advantage of his size, looks, and appearance, Lonnie has constantly built his body to its highest physique. Lonnie went so far to look intimidating as to alter his appearance by filing his teeth to points and damaging his vocal cords to where he can only speak in whispers. Even though Lonnie looked inhuman prior to his exposure to Diox-3, after his exposure he took so much pride in his changes that he even dropped his long and obsessed vendetta against Joe Robertson, who was accidentally responsible for his newly-gained powers.

    Lonnie is cold-hearted and has little or no feelings for anyone else. The only thing he takes pride in is seeing fear and death within his own hands. Lonnie has also displayed acts of impulsiveness and engaged in careless actions when he’s challenged or threatened.

    Powers & Skills

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    Prior to his exposure to Diox-3, Lonnie Lincoln is a skilled and a relentless fighter who is not afraid of seriously injuring or murdering anyone who stands in his way. Pursuing a criminal career, Lonnie trained his body effortlessly to its highest peak and trained himself in street fighting skills by participating in alley fights and brawls. Even though he looks inhuman because of his albino appearance, Lonnie Lincoln is still a normal human being. With his gained skills and physical prowess, Lonnie was even capable of taking on Spiderman one-on-one and almost defeated the hero.

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    After his exposure to Diox-3, the chemical substance merged into Tombstone's epidermis and altered his physiology into a hardened, frozen-like state lacking oxygen, but the chemical reaction did not kill Lonnie. His new rock-like skin makes him invulnerable to many penetrating weapons, bullets, and projectiles. He is capable of lifting a maximum of 6 tons and has had a wealthy amount of impressive durability feats. He shrugged off an electric attack at the hands of Daredevil, laughed as a rocket hit him and collapsed a building around him, and it took Spider-Man using all of his might and surrounding his hand in webbing to knock out Tombstone. Spider-Man notes that he regularly damages his hands trying to strike Tombstone and Daredevil remarked he nearly broke his fingers when attempting a nerve strike.

    While he isn't sporting superhuman speed, both Spider-Man and Daredevil have remarked that Tombstone is fast for his size and appearance.

    Tombstone's epidermis also protects him from extreme temperatures ranging from –80 degrees to 1200 degrees, and his body is insulated against electricity.

    After his exposure, Lonnie still continued to train to his physical peak and improve his fighting skills. Lonnie has managed to take on a massive appearance and also adapted strangulation and breaking necks during combat.

    Physical Characteristics

    • Height: 6"7"
    • Weight: 215 lbs
    • Hair: White
    • Eyes: Pink
    • Place of Birth: Harlem, New York, USA
    • Occupation: Crime boss
    • Known Relatives: Janice Lincoln/Beetle (daughter)
    • Unique Features: Prior to his exposure to Diox-3, the albino Tombstone lacked pigmentation in his skin, hair, and eyes. Unlike most pigmentation cases, Tombstone also has an abnormality with his facial features, giving him a pig-like nose. Tombstone also has sharpened teeth filed to their sharpest point by Tombstone himself. After his exposure to Diox-3, Tombstone's skin appeared to be rock-like, and his facial features were temporarily shriveled, giving him a more ghastly appearance.

    Other Media

    Film

    Spider-Verse
    Spider-Verse

    Television

    Tombstone in Spectacular Spider-Man
    Tombstone in Spectacular Spider-Man
    • Tombstone appeared in the 1990s Spider-Man: The Animated Series, voiced by Dorian Harewood. Lonnie Lincoln in this show was portrayed as a childhood friend of Robbie Robertson, but unlike Robbie he was a criminal. He eventually robbed a chemical plant, trying to frame Robbie for it by luring him there, but he fell into chemicals that gave him albino skin and powers. As Tombstone he recruited Robbie's son Randy but was eventually stopped by Spider-Man.
    • Tombstone appears as a recurring villain in The Spectacular Spider-Man, initially voiced by Keith David, and by Kevin Michael Richardson in subsequent episodes. Throughout the series he is known as "The Big Man" to his henchmen and associates, including his right-hand man Hammerhead. Tombstone's strategy is to use Oscorp to create supervillains to fight Spider-Man in order to keep him distracted or busy while the activities of his cohorts go uninterrupted. It is revealed in the episode "The Invisible Hand" that the "Big Man" is apparently L. Thompson Lincoln, a.k.a. Tombstone. He makes an offer to Spider-Man that he will stop using Oscorp to create metahumans so long as Spider-Man keeps his nose out of his affairs; he even pays Spider-Man in advance. Obviously Spider-Man refuses and will keep fighting him in spite of the supervillain onslaught coming his way sooner or later. Unlike his comic-book counterpart who's just a hired muscle, this Tombstone is a cunning and intelligent criminal mastermind. In many ways, Tombstone is used as a surrogate Kingpin. Due to Wilson Fisk's heavy involvement in the Daredevil series, the rights to the Kingpin character were stripped from the Spider-Man franchise.

    Video Games

    Tombstone in the PS4 game
    Tombstone in the PS4 game
    • Tombstone appears in Marvel Heroes.
    • Tombstone appears in the PS4 Spider-Man game, voiced by Corey Jones. This version of the character is the leader of a powerful biker gang in Harlem, and runs a chop shop that strips down old cars. He also loves the thrill of combat, and enjoys being challenged. Mary Jane Watson first encounters Tombstone while tracking down leads on Martin Li, and discovers that Li has hired Lincoln and his gang go build an immense armored vehicle for him. She manages to escape the garage before Tombstone and his men can find her. He subsequently serves as the main antagonist and boss character of an optional subplot, which sees Spider-Man battle Tombstone at the gangster's hideout. After using a special drug that weakens Lincoln's skin and allows him to feel pain again, Spider-Man emerges victorious. However, Lincoln says that being able to bleed and be hurt again just makes his life of crime more exciting, and states that he can't wait for a rematch.
    • Corey Jones reprises his role of Tombstone for the sequel to the PS4 Spider-Man game on PS5. After the events of the first game, Lonnie is out on parole and working at Coney Island as a Go-Kart mechanic. He is among the superhumans targeted by Kraven the Hunter.

    Merchandise

    Marvel Legends
    Marvel Legends
    • Tombstone was featured in ToyBiz's line for Spider-Man: The Animated Series.
    • Tombstone was featured in the HeroClix figure game.
    • Tombstone was featured in Hasbro's Super Hero Squad line.
    • Tombstone was featured in the Marvel Legends Vulture Build-a-Vehicle wave from Hasbro.
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