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Spider-Slayer

The Spider-Slayers are a series of fictional robots appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Spencer Smythe, they were designed specifically to hunt down, capture, or kill Spider-Man. A new generation of Spider-Slayers was later created by Spencer's son, Alistair.

Spider-Slayer

Marvel Comics

The Amazing Spider-Man #25 (June 1965)[1]

Stan Lee (script)
Steve Ditko (artist)

Robot

Varies via various models

The Spider-Slayers have been featured in a number of Spider-Man adaptations outside of comics, including animated series and video games.

Publication history[edit]

The Spider-Slayers first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #25 (June 1965) and were created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.[2]

Other versions[edit]

Ultimate Marvel[edit]

The Ultimate Marvel version of Spider-Slayers are eight foot robots that balance on a large sphere, wield two arm-cannons and have a sphere for a head, and built and controlled remotely by the Tinkerer. Created in the event Spider-Man ever went rogue, the Spider-Slayers are deployed by Nick Fury to Peter Parker's residence when clones of Spider-Man begin running rampant, with the Slayers' objective being to arrest Peter Parker. The Slayers encounter the Fantastic Four and Carnage which reverts to Gwen Stacy after the Spider-Slayers take her down. The Spider-Slayers later kill a disfigured clone and imprison another unstable clone in S.H.I.E.L.D.[11][12][13][14][15][16] A second Spider Slayer, this one able to trace Peter by detecting his DNA, is created by Mysterio. It is later destroyed.

MC2[edit]

While trying to apprehend a dimension-hopping supervillain in the MC2 reality, Spider-Girl is accidentally sent into Earth-616's past, where she encounters the first Spider-Slayer. Mistaking her for its quarry, the Spider-Slayer attacks Spider-Girl who manages to evade the machine due to being distracted by how different "Spider-Man" looks. Spider-Girl later returns to her own universe and time, while Spider-Man defeats the Spider-Slayer in the same way he did in the original story.[17]

House of M[edit]

In the House of M reality, J. Jonah Jameson (fearing Peter Parker would take revenge due to outing as Spider-Man) has Alistair Smythe construct a Spider-Slayer as protection. When Peter's family breaks into Jonah's home looking for Peter's journal (given by the Green Goblin) Jonah, using the Spider-Slayer, attacks. Hitting Gwen Stacy just as Peter arrives, Jonah's Spider-Slayer is ripped to shreds by the hero.[18][19]

What If[edit]

In an issue of What If, May Parker and John Jameson are killed in a space shuttle crash caused by the Chameleon, J. Jonah Jameson adopts Peter Parker, and blames the deaths of their loved ones on Spider-Man. Obsessed with taking Spider-Man down, Jameson commissions the creation of the Spider-Slayer and the Scorpion formula, the latter of which is ingested by Flash Thompson. The serum warps Flash's mind and causes Flash to go on a rampage, which ends when subdued by Spider-Man (who reveals being Peter Parker to Jameson) and the Spider-Slayer, controlled by Jameson. Jameson realizes how irrational his hatred of Spider-Man is, and decides to help his adopted son fight crime using the Spider-Slayer.[20]

The appears in the Spider-Man (1967) episode "Captured by J. Jonah Jameson". This version was built by Henry Smythe and is equipped with two metallic tentacle-like arms.

Mark I Spider-Slayer

The Spider-Slayers appear in . In its self-titled episode, Spencer Smythe, with help from Norman Osborn, builds a Spider-Slayer called the "Black Widow" to hunt down Spider-Man. However, it is destroyed after a battle with the hero at Spencer's lab, resulting in its creator's apparent death. In the episode "Return of the Spider-Slayers", Spencer's son Alistair joins the Kingpin, recreates the Black Widow, and builds the "Tarantula" and "Scorpion" Spider-Slayers, which are able to combine together. In the episode "Tablet of Time", Alistair creates the "Mega Slayer", a heavily armed android he can operate remotely. In the episode "The Ultimate Slayer", the Kingpin has his chief scientist Herbert Landon genetically mutate Alistair into the Ultimate Spider-Slayer as punishment for his repeated failures and for having Kingpin’s son Richard Fisk sent to prison. Alistair is given organic laser guns growing from his shoulders in addition to superhuman strength and resilience. Eventually, Alistair breaks free from the Kingpin's control after Spider-Man helps him discover that Spencer is still alive and Kingpin placed him in cryogenic suspension. In the episode "The Wedding", the Kingpin uses a duplicate of the Mega Slayer to stop Goblin Glider-riding robots sent by Alistair and the Green Goblin from crashing Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson's wedding, though it is destroyed while helping Spider-Man and Black Cat. The show was also supposed to feature the "Alien Spider Slayer", which was released as part of the series' tie-in toy line and also served as a boss in the series' video game adaptation, but was cut for unknown reasons.

Spider-Man: The Animated Series

The Spider-Slayers appear in . These versions are creations of HYDRA and Doctor Octopus, who combined Spider-Man's DNA with Arnim Zola's Synthezoids. The group consists of Kaine (voiced by Drake Bell), Scarlet Spider (voiced by Scott Porter), and the Delta-Nine Synthezoids: Bone Spider, Goliath Spider (both voiced by Imari Williams), and Ghost Spider (voiced by Roger Craig Smith). Kaine is an imperfect Synthezoid who is highly resistant to damage, can reattach lost limbs, and feed off Spider-Man or the other Spider-Slayers' life energy. Scarlet Spider, later named Ben Reilly by May Parker, is an almost perfect clone of Spider-Man barring a facial scar and powers. Bone Spider has claws and spikes all over his body; Goliath Spider is the strongest Spider-Slayer who can turn his body into metal; and Ghost Spider can teleport, become intangible, and generate bio-electricity. Scarlet Spider is introduced in the two-part episode "Hydra Attacks" and becomes an ally of Spider-Man and the Web Warriors before eventually being revealed as a spy for Doctor Octopus, though he soon redeems himself. In the three-part episode "The Spider-Slayers", Spider-Man encounters Kaine before he and Scarlet Spider stumble onto the other Spider-Slayers. As Doctor Octopus escapes, Zola reawakens and commands the Delta-Nine Synthezoids to attack the Web Warriors, but they eventually defeat them and free the Synthezoids from Zola's control. The Delta-Nine Synthezoids are taken to the Triskelion, but Kaine returns in a mutated, misshapen form to absorb the Delta-Nine Synthezoids and become the "Ultimate Spider-Slayer". Despite this, he is defeated by Agent Venom.[21][22][23]

Ultimate Spider-Man

The Spider-Slayers appear in (2017). These versions resemble spiders and come in human-sized, mecha-sized, and miniature variants. The original Spider-Slayers were created by Spencer Smythe, though Oscorp stole his schematics and created their own versions.

Spider-Man

Spencer Smythe

Alistair Smythe