Wizard (Marvel)
Real Name: Bentley Wittman
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Powers: Wittman is a scientific genius, particularly in the fields of applied physics and sub-atomic particles. His Anti-Gravity Discs can lift several hundred pounds each, and can be remotely controlled via relays in his armor. His gauntlets (alternatively referred to as Power Gloves or Wonder Gloves) can unleash potent electrical blasts or use directed gravitational fields to increase his strength. His armor provides him with protection from assault, and devices in his helmet allow him to control the minds of others.
The strength he can gain from his Wonder Gloves is unknown. Suffice to say, when he constructed one for Imus Champion in an appropriate size, the villain was able to hurt both Thor and Hyperion in battle.
Bio: Bentley Wittman grew up possessing near-superhuman levels of genius and, as an adult, became an inventor of great renown, selling his futuristic inventions to the wealthy and becoming quite rich. He became known as the Wizard by legally assuming this stage name and using his advanced scientific inventions to perform feats of "magic."
Intellectually bored, however, he decided to defeat Johnny Storm, who had just appeared to the world as the Human Torch. Pretending to be a victim, he was rescued by the Torch and invited him to his high-tech, futuristic mansion on Long Island where he captured the Torch with ease. The Wizard then impersonated the Torch, launching a crime spree to destroy the Torch’s reputation, before being captured by the Fantastic Four and sent to prison.
The Wizard clashed many more times with the Human Torch until the conclusion of one encounter sent him flying uncontrollably upward by one of his anti-gravity discs, unable to descend safely. He was rescued by two other adversaries of the Torch: the Sandman and Paste-Pot Pete (soon after, the Trapster). After he suggested they team up, a suggestion by the Trapster inspired him to form a team that would be a criminal counterpart to the Fantastic Four, with himself, his two rescuers, and Medusa, who was then suffering from amnesia; becoming the Frightful Four.
The Frightful Four proved to be one of the most formidable menaces that the Fantastic Four had yet encountered. The Frightful Four raided the Fantastic Four's Baxter Building headquarters, and affixed the Wizard's anti-gravity discs to the four - minus Johnny, but with Alicia Masters, who managed to alert the Torch with the Invisible Girl's flare gun. Johnny soon appeared and forced the Wizard to use his anti-grav ship to free his team members before they floated into airless space. Then, together they beat the Frightful Four until the Wizard and the Sandman exploded the Wizard's ship as a distraction, and escaped. Later, kidnapping the Invisible Girl, they lured the Fantastic Four to a Pacific atoll where they rigged an experimental "Q-bomb" to detonate. The Fantastic Four narrowly escaped. Weeks later, the Frightful Four made their third attempt. Capturing the Thing, the Wizard used his "Id Machine" to simulate the Thing's natural tendencies toward violence and brainwash him into obeying the Wizard's commands. The Fantastic Four finally managed to subdue the Frightful Four, then all but Medusa were turned over to the authorities.
In his continued quest to crush the Fantastic Four, the Wizard has tried many iterations of the Frightful Four. He twice brought Medusa back into the ranks, but, as she was no longer a criminal, having since regained her memories, she betrayed them both times. He also never succeeded in finding a permanent replacement for her. His first choice, Thundra, also ended up allying herself with the Fantastic Four as Medusa did. Others who joined the team for a time included Electro, Llyra, and the Brute (Reed Richards of the original Counter-Earth). When the Sandman appeared to give up his life of crime, the Wizard formed a new team with Hydro-Man, Klaw, and Titania. But however formidable, the Frightful Four have always been thwarted by their heroic counterparts.
Very rarely has the Wizard operated outside of the Frightful Four. Once, he formed a partnership with Mysterio, but was foiled by Spider-Man. Another time, he teamed up with the Plantman to escape prison and ran into a conflict with the Avengers. He was later broken out of prison by Loki to join the inner circle of villains organizing the Acts of Vengeance against the Avengers, but they were sorely defeated. Often avoiding the limelight that he once embraced, the Wizard hoped to hide from authorities using his former name Bentley Wittman. He was found by the Thunderbolts, however, who convinced the Wizard to provide anti-gravity discs in order for them to battle Graviton and, later, to attach to the Magneto Protocol Satellites. Later still, when the Sandman had appeared to reform his criminal ways, the Wizard took it upon himself to subject his former ally to his id machine, re-integrating the Sandman’s mind and restoring him to villainy.
Finally, when the Fantastic Four’s popularity reached an all-time low, the Wizard decided it was time to re-form the Frightful Four once more. No longer motivated by petty jealousy, the Wizard believed the Fantastic Four to be the source of all his troubles, his fall from grace. He rescued the Trapster from the Negative Zone, boosted the powers of Hydro-Man, and called upon his ex-wife, Salamandra, to round out the Frightful Four. He also manipulated Cole, his and Salamandra’s daughter, to develop a relationship with the Human Torch in order to teleport to her and bypass the Fantastic Four’s defenses. During the resulting battle, the Wizard turned on the Trapster, revealing that he intended Cole to be the next member of the Frightful Four. When the Frightful Four defeated the heroes, the Wizard flaunted his success on television and left them humiliated. However, when the Wizard admitted that he only wanted to include Cole once he saw her exhibit superhuman powers, she turned on him. She sought out the Fantastic Four to lead them back to her father and to try to find a cure for her powers. The Wizard and Cole confronted each other, and Cole used one of the Trapster’s traps to ensnare her father, then used her powers over gravity to bring the Wizard’s lair down around him.
He has since returned, alive and well, in Fantastic Four #546, with a Frightful FIVE ( Titania, Trapster, Hydro-Man, and Klaw).
Notes: Created by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby.
First Appearance: Strange Tales (1951) #102 Favorite Characters:
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View a chronological listing of this character's appearances
Issue Appearances: All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z (2006)
#12 - 'Ultragirl to Arnim Zola' Avengers (1998)
Avengers (2010)
Avengers Spotlight (1989)
#26 - 'Tales from the Vault' #29 - 'What's the Point' Avengers Unconquered (2009)
#14 - 'The Power of Doom!' #19 - 'Alien War!' #24 - 'The Hordes Of Hellfire!' Avengers Unplugged (1995)
#4 - 'The Old Ball and Chain' Avengers West Coast (1989)
#55 - 'The Breaking Strain' Avengers/JLA (2003)
#4 - 'The Brave...and the Bold' Cable & Deadpool (2004)
Captain America (1968)
Conspiracy (1998)
#2 - 'Conspiracy, Book Two: Print the Legend' Dark Reign: The Cabal (2009)
Dark Reign: The Hood (2009)
#4 - 'Family Man' #5 - 'Chain of Command' Deadpool (1997)
#35 - 'Chapter X, Verse Two' #45 - 'Johnny Handsome Bites the Dust (Or: "If This Slip Be Pink...!")' Deadpool (2008)
#55 - 'Deadpool: Reborn Part 1: Bright Bright Sunshiny Day' #56 - 'Deadpool: Reborn Part 2: Master of My Own Domain' Deadpool Killustrated (2013)
Die Fantastischen Vier & Die Rächer (2004)
Die Fantastischen Vier Comic-Taschenbuch (1979)
#4 - 'Der Unmögliche ist in der Stadt' #34 - 'Bist du Sicher?' #47 - 'Tödliche Zukunft' Die Rächer (1979)
#39 - 'Kam Eine Spinne Des Weges...' Die Spinne (1980)
Die Spinne Comic-Album (1979)
#2 - 'Die Gedanken des Anderen' Die Spinne Comic-Taschenbuch (1979)
#47 - 'Auf den Leim Gegangen' #50 - 'Im Fadenkreuz' Die Spinne Zweitauflage (1987)
#34 - 'Chamäleon bedeutet... Chaos!' Domination Factor: Fantastic Four (1999)
#1#2 - 'Flashback Times Four' #3 Equipe Marvel (1983)
#1 - '...Et Spidey font quatre!' Essential Spider-Man (2001)
Fall of the Hulks: Alpha (2010)
Fall of the Hulks: Gamma (2010)
Fall of the Hulks: Red Hulk (2010)
Fall of the Hulks: The Savage She-Hulks (2010)
#1 - 'The Savage Sex' #2 - 'The Savage Sex: Part 2' Fantastic Five (1999)
#2 - 'Wrecked and Walloped By The Wizard's Warriors' #4 - 'The Startling Secret of Reed and Sue Richards' Fantastic Four (1961)
Annual 14Annual 23 - 'When Franklin Comes Marchin' Home' Annual 25 - 'In Kang's Clutches!' #36 - 'The Frightful Four!' #38 - 'Defeated by the Frightful Four!' #41 - 'The Brutal Betrayal of Ben Grimm!' #42 - 'To Save You, Why Must I Kill You?' #43 - 'Lo! There Shall Be An Ending!' #57 - 'Enter... Dr. Doom!' #78 - 'The Thing No More!' #81 - 'Enter -- The Exquisite Elemental!' #94 - 'The Return of the Frightful Four!' #129 - 'The Frightful Four -- Plus One!' #130 - 'Battleground: The Baxter Building!' #133 - 'Thundra at Dawn!' #148 - 'War on the Thirty-Sixth Floor!' #154 - 'The Man in the Mystery Mask!' #176 - 'Improbable as it May Seem -- the Impossible Man is Back in Town!' #177 - 'Look Out for the Frightful Four!' #178 - 'Call My Killer -- The Brute!' #190 - 'The Way It Was' #218 - 'When a Spider-Man Comes Calling!' #300 - 'Dearly Beloved...' #301 - 'Dark Dreams' #327 - 'Why?!!' #328 - 'Bad Dream!' #329 - '...And You Can't Wake Up!' #330 - 'Good Dreams!' #331 - 'The Menace of the Metal Man!' #332 - 'Love's Labour Lost!' #333 - 'The Dream is Dead, Part Two' #400 - 'Even the Watchers Can Die!' #512 - 'Spider Sense, Part 1' #513 - 'Spider Sense, Part 2' #514 - 'Dysfunctional: Part 1' #515 - 'Dysfunctional: Part 2' #516 - 'Dysfunctional: Part 3' #547 - 'Reconstruction: Chapter 4' #548 - 'Reconstruction: Chapter 5' #549 - 'Reconstruction: Chapter 6' #570 - 'Solve Everything, Part One' #579 - 'The Future Foundation' #610 - 'The Wizard' Fantastic Four (1968)
#10 - 'Le retour des Terribles Quatre' #18 - 'Tout ca avec les Terribles Quatre aussi!' #19 - 'Champ de bataille: l`immeuble Baxter!' #22 - 'Coup de tonnerre a l`aube' #37 - 'Guerre au 36eme etage!' #43 - 'L`homme au masque mysterieux!' #65 - 'Si improbable que cela puisse sembler...L'Homme Impossible est de retour en ville!' #79/80 - 'Comme c'était!' Fantastic Four (1998)
Fantastic Four Roast (1982)
#1 - 'When Titans Chuckle!' Fantastic Four Unlimited (1993)
#4 - 'The Main Event' #5 - 'The New, Nefarious, And Downright Nasty Frightful Four' Fantastic Four Visionaries: George Perez (2005)
Fantastic Four: Fireworks (1999)
Fantastic Four: Foes (2005)
#1 - 'Part One' #5 - 'Part Five' #6 - 'Part Six' Fantastic Four: Season One (2012)
OGN HC - 'Fantastic Four: Season One' Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Comics Magazine (2001)
#9 - 'Nightmare In The Negative Zone!' #10 - 'On... To Asgard!' FF (2011)
#1 - 'The Club' #3 - 'Whatever Happened to All Those Reeds?' #4 - 'The Beating of Drums...' #5 - '...The Sound of War' #8 - 'Ascension' #9 - 'Burn It Down' #22 - 'You Are Whatever You Want to Be' FF (2013)
#5 - 'Spooky Kids Or, Merrily Into The Eight Arms Of Durga the Invincible We Go' #7 - 'That Was the Worst Field Trip Ever!' Hämähäkkimies / Spider-Man (1980)
Hero Initiative: Fantastic Four (2012)
TPB - 'The Fantastic Four 100 Project' House of M: Masters of Evil (2009)
#1 - 'This Thing of Ours' #2 - 'Unity' #3 - 'Shangri-La' #4 - 'Honor Among Thieves' Hulk (2008)
Hulk: Raging Thunder (2008)
I (heart) Marvel: Outlaw Love (2006)
#1 - 'Outlaw Love Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry' Incredible Hulk & the Human Torch: From the Marvel Vault (2011)
Iron Man (1968)
#251 - 'Wrecked Him? He Nearly Killed Him!' Journey Into Mystery (1952)
L'étonnant Spider-Man (1969)
#117/118 - 'Et alors nous serons tous les deux trahis!' Marvel Age (1983)
Marvel Collectors' Item Classics (1965)
Marvel Comics Presents (1988)
Marvel Masterworks: Human Torch (2006)
Marvel Saga: The Official History of the Marvel Universe (1985)
#21 - 'Book XXI: The Struggle for Power!' Marvel Special (1997)
#11 - 'Thunderbolts' #12 - 'Der unglaubliche Hulk' #16 - 'Thunderbolts' #20 - 'Thunderbolts' #21 - 'Die Rückkehr der Helden - Leb, Kree, oder Stirb!' #24 - 'Thunderbolts' Marvel Super-Heroes (1967)
#15 - 'Let the Silence Shatter!' Marvel Tales (1964)
Marvel Team-Up (1972)
#2 - 'And Spidey Makes Four!' #58 - 'Panic on Pier One!' Marvel TV: Galactus - The Real Story (2009)
Marvel Universe vs. The Punisher (2010)
#3 - 'Partner in Crime' #4 - 'Gods & Monsters' Marvel Universe: The End (2003)
Marvel-Comic-Sonderheft (1980)
#2 - 'Die Fantatsischen Vier' Marvel: The Year-in-Review (1989)
#1 - '1989 The Year in Review' Marvel's Greatest Comics (1969)
#30#60 - 'The Thing No More' #63 - 'Enter--The Exquisite Elemental!' New Avengers (2005)
New Avengers Finale (2010)
New Thunderbolts (2005)
#12 - 'Purple Reign, Part Three: Living Lies' Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z (2008)
HC vol. 13 - 'Valkyrior Steeds to Maximillian Zaran' Peter Parker: Spider-Man (1999)
#12 - 'Another Return of the Sinister Six, Part 2 of 2' Sarjakuvalehti (1985)
Secret Invasion (2008)
Secret War (2004)
#3 - 'Book Three of Five' #4 - 'Book Four of Five' Secret Wars II (1985)
#7 - 'Charge of the Dark Brigade!' She-Hulks (2011)
#1 - 'Man Hunt, Part 1' #2 - 'Man Hunt, Part 2' #3 - 'Man Hunt, Part 3' #4 - 'Man Hunt, Part 4' Space: Punisher (2012)
Spider-Man (Panini) (2007)
#41 - 'Spiel mit dem Feuer' Startling Stories: The Thing - Night Falls on Yancy Street (2003)
#2 - 'Night Falls on Yancy Street, Part 2' Strange Tales (1951)
The Amazing Spider-Man (1963)
Annual 04Annual 24 - 'Quark Enterprises or Honey, I Shrunk the Non-Mutant Super Hero' #213 - 'All They Want To Do Is Kill You, Spider-Man...' #214 - 'Then Shall We Both Be Betrayed!' #215 - 'By My Powers Shall I Be Vanquised!' #327 - 'Cunning Attractions!' #657 - 'Torch Song' #676 - 'Tomorrow the World!' The Amazing Spider-Man (1999)
The Amazing Spider-Man (2004)
Vol 02 - 'The Wings of the Vulture' The Amazing Spider-Man (Public Service/Educational Series, Canada) (1990)
The Amazing Spider-Man: Chaos in Calgary (1993)
The Astonishing Spider-Man (2009)
#58 - 'Awesome New Adventure Begins!' The Avengers (1963)
Annual 19 - 'Terminus Factor, Stage 5: Beat Me in St. Louis' #227 - 'Testing... 1... 2... 3!' #232 - 'And Now... Starfox!' #235 - 'Havoc on the Homefront!' #312 - 'Has the Whole World Gone Mad?!?' #313 - 'Thieves Honor' The Incredible Hulk (1968)
The Marvel Encyclopedia (2006)
HC - 'The Marvel Encyclopedia' The Mighty World Of Marvel (2009)
The New Warriors (1990)
#36 - 'The Scales of Justice' The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (1983)
#12 - 'V-Z: From Valkyrie to Zzzax' The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition (1985)
#14 - 'Unicorn to Wolverine' The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Master Edition (1990)
The Spectacular Spider-Man (1976)
Annual 10#39 - 'Scourge of the Schizoid-Man!' #40 - 'The Terrible Turnabout!' #42 - 'Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!' #158 - 'The Paste and the Power (Or a Very Sticky Situation)' #159 - 'These Shattered Senses' Thunderbolts (1997)
Ultimate Spider-Man Premiere Comic (2012)
Untold Tales of Spider-Man (1995)
Web of Spider-Man (1985)
#61 - 'Dragon in the Dark' Williams-Sonoma Spider-Man & The Avengers (2011)
Wolverine and Deadpool (2004)
#163 - 'Wolverine Versus Namor! Nuff' Said!' X-Men: First Class (2007)
Video Game Appearances: Captain America and the Avengers (1991) Group Affiliation(s): Council of Doom Frightful Four (Marvel) Future Foundation Hood's Criminal Syndicate Intelligencia Prime Movers Wizard's Warriors (MC2) Famous Quotes: - Add a Famous Quote None.
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