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| The Chameleon | |
|---|---|
.webp) Textless cover toGiant-Size Amazing Spider-Man: Chameleon Conspiracy #1 (June 2021). Art byMark Bagley, Andrew Hennessy, and Brian Reber. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (March 1963)[1][2][3] |
| Created by | |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Dmitri Nikolayevich "Anatoly" Smerdyakov |
| Species | Human mutate |
| Team affiliations | Sinister Six[4] Kravinoff Family Sinister Twelve Exterminators[5] Hydra KGB |
| Abilities |
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TheChameleon (Dmitri Smerdyakov;Russian: Дмитрий Смердяков) is asupervillain appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Created by writerStan Lee and artistSteve Ditko, the character first appeared in the debut issue ofThe Amazing Spider-Man in March 1963 as the first super-criminal to face the superheroSpider-Man. The Chameleon has since endured as one of Spider-Man's most recurring enemies belonging to the collective of adversaries that make up hisrogues gallery.
In theMarvel Universe, the Chameleon is a master of disguise who can impersonate virtually anyone. Throughout his comic book appearances, his abilities have stemmed from the use of lifelike masks, holographic technology, and mutagenic enhancement, while his role in Spider-Man stories has varied from being depicted as a spy,hitman, and criminal mastermind. The Chameleon is also the half-brother ofKraven the Hunter, and he has also been a member of theSinister Six and theSinister Twelve at various points in his history.
The character has been featured in various other Marvel-licensed products, includingfeature films,television series, andvideo games. The character made his live-action debut in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) filmSpider-Man: Far From Home (2019), portrayed byNuman Acar.Fred Hechinger appeared as the character in theSony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) filmKraven the Hunter (2024).
Dmitri Smerdyakov debuted inThe Amazing Spider-Man #1 (March 1963), created by writerStan Lee and artistSteve Ditko.[7][8] The Chameleon is therefore the first member ofSpider-Man'srogues' gallery based on issue publication date, excluding theBurglar who murderedBen Parker inAmazing Fantasy #15.[9][10][11] He would later go on to appear in other titles such asTales to Astonish,[12]Tales of Suspense,[13] andWeb of Spider-Man.[14]
Dmitri Smerdyakov appeared in the 2014Original Sin: Secret Avengers Infinite Comic series.[15][16] He later appeared in the 2015Spider-Man and the X-Men series.[17] He appeared in the 2018Amazing Spider-Man series.[18][19] He appeared in the 2021Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man: Chameleon Conspiracy one-shot.[20][21]
Dmitri Smerdyakov was born inSoviet Russia. In his youth, he becomes a servant to his half-brotherSergei Kravinoff, and later a minor associate ofGustav Fiers. Although Dmitri and Sergei are friends, Sergei is often abusive to him, leading to a combination of admiration and resentment towards Kravinoff. Eventually, Smerdyakov emigrates to theUnited States of America. Having made a talent for himself during his youth by impressing Sergei by impersonating friends and neighbors, he assumes a new disguise: the identity of Chameleon. During his first known criminal outing, he impersonates Spider-Man, but is soon exposed and arrested. Shortly afterward, Sergei (now known as "Kraven the Hunter") comes to the United States, and the Chameleon sets his old associate's sights onSpider-Man.[22] Both men become long-time enemies of Spider-Man, part of his primaryrogues gallery.
The Chameleon inspires Kraven to begin hunting Spider-Man, inviting Kraven to dispose of the hero.[23] With Kraven, the Chameleon battlesIron Man,[24] and then confronts theHulk.[25] At one point, the Chameleon disguises himself asHank Pym, and robs Pym's laboratory for documents to combat Virus Nine. While delivering the documents and a shrunken Hulk toHydra, he is encountered and defeated by Ant-Man.[26] The Chameleon also disguises himself as theTorpedo and battlesDaredevil.[27]
When Kraven commits suicide,[28] the Chameleon becomes obsessed with making Spider-Man suffer for his failure to prevent this. He ingests a serum which makes his face permanently featureless and malleable. He attempts to kidnap America's leading expert on superconductors, but is thwarted by Spider-Man.[29] He then kidnapsJ. Jonah Jameson. He approaches theMaggia for support to be New York's new crime lord, and forms an alliance withHammerhead.[30] Disguised as a scientist, the Chameleon temporarily removes Spider-Man's powers. He allies himself with theFemme Fatales, theScorpion, and theTarantula to eliminate Spider-Man and theBlack Cat, but escapes when his plan fails.[31]
The Chameleon's most ambitious play against Spider-Man happens when he forms an alliance withHarry Osborn as the Green Goblin. Before Harry's death, the Chameleon is told that Spider-Man's secret identity can be found through Peter Parker, leading him to construct androids of Peter's parents,Richard and Mary Parker; the Chameleon later admits that he went through with the plot to confirm once and for all that Peter was Spider-Man. The plan leads to a psychotic breakdown for both Spider-Man and the Chameleon, with Spider-Man briefly renouncing the civilian identity while the Chameleon is sent toRavencroft.[32]Ashley Kafka eventually sneaks him into a basement to try to continue treating him, believing that he is close to a breakthrough. When the court are preparing to put him on trial, the Chameleon escapes and attempts to convince Spider-Man that he is actually a hallucinating writer who suffered a mental breakdown after his daughter's death in a car accident; Peter manages to break through this deception due to his own strength of will.[33] The Chameleon's confirmation of Spider-Man's secret identity leads him to try to attack Spider-Man through family and friends, butMary Jane Watson subdues him with a baseball bat.[34] Somewhere in between this and subsequent appearances, he appears to have been killed by his nephewAlyosha Kravinoff, but is revealed to have survived.[35]
After tricking Spider-Man to the bridge whereGwen Stacy's death occurred on the pretext of having kidnapped Mary Jane, the Chameleon declares his own loneliness and love for Peter. When the surprise causes Peter to laugh nervously, the Chameleon throws himself off the bridge.[36] He later reappears in amental institution, completely incapacitated and believing himself to be Sergei Kravinoff.[37] He later reappears in his Chameleon identity as part of theSinister Twelve villain team organized byNorman Osborn as the Green Goblin.[38]
After Spider-Man is unmasked, the Chameleon gathers a gang of villains called the Exterminators,[5] includingWill o' the Wisp,Scarecrow,Swarm, andElectro, and also blackmailsMolten Man into his employ all in an effort to defeat Spider-Man and attack the web-slinger's family.[39]
The Chameleon next appears in the newest incarnation ofSuper Villain Team-Up calledMODOK's Eleven. In this limited series, it is revealed that he contactedA.I.M. the moment he was telepathically summoned by MODOK. He allows A.I.M. to send in their newest creation, theUltra-Adaptoid, under the guise of the Chameleon.[40] Additionally, it is revealed that his apparent insanity and demise years earlier were ruses designed so that he could fade into the background once more.[41]
The "One More Day" storyline ends with the removal of Peter and Mary Jane's timeline from all memories, as well as knowledge of Spider-Man's identity, including the Chameleon.[42]
Sometime later at an alley building during "The Gauntlet and Grim Hunt" storyline, the distraught Chameleon is met by Sasha Kravinoff andAna Kravinoff, who want his help in avenging Sergei's death.[43] Various follow-up issues duringThe Gauntlet storyline show the Chameleon helping the Kravinoff family create an alliance of Spider-Man's enemies as well asDiablo.[44][45][46][47] After Sergei is resurrected, Spider-Man arrives and takes revenge on the Kravinoff family, pulling the Chameleon and Alyosha into a huge nest of spiders.[48][49]
The Chameleon later becomes a member ofDoctor Octopus's latest incarnation of theSinister Six. He poses asSteve Rogers to infiltrate an Air Force base.[50] The Chameleon disguises himself as a tribal chief when he and Mysterio attackindigenous peoples using robots of the other Sinister Six members.[51]
Following the "Dying Wish" storyline, the Chameleon fightsSuperior Spider-Man (Otto Octavius's mind in Spider-Man's body) and theSecret Avengers on theS.H.I.E.L.D.Helicarrier.[52] The Chameleon ends up knocked unconscious, and the Superior Spider-Man transports him to his hidden underwater lab where he ends up imprisoned.[53] The Chameleon, Electro,Sandman,Mysterion, and theVulture are later seen as part of the "Superior Six" team. The Superior Spider-Man places the Six under his control to redeem them for their crimes, forcing them to risk their lives doing heroic deeds against their will.[54] The Six eventually break free of the Superior Spider-Man's control and attempt to exact revenge, nearly destroying New York in the process.[55]
During the "Chameleon Conspiracy" storyline, Chameleon is imprisoned in a Symkarian black site prison called the Hiding Place.Teresa Parker infiltrates it, planning to interrogate him about his connection with Harry Osborn and the use of the Life Model Decoys of her parents. Teresa drags Chameleon to another cell where Finisher - her parents' killer - is being held, leading Chameleon to claim that he has the answers that she needs.[56] Teresa non-fatally shoots Finisher to ensure both men's compliance.[57] Chameleon and Finisher admit to Teresa that Chameleon faked Finisher's death to fool Spider-Man; upon relocating them to another building, Finisher is shown to have a plethora of people resembling Chameleon, unsettling him.[58] As Spider-Man finds that some of the Jack O'Lanterns were unmasked to be Chameleon-like people, Finisher revealed to Teresa that Chameleon was adopted at a young age byGustav Fiers. Then Chameleon revealed that they never left the Hiding Place: Finisher was using holographic technology to speak with Teresa, and Chameleon states that she can use the Clairvoyant to find the rest of the answers she needs, all the while claiming that she may be a Chameleon double agent herself. Upon meeting up with Spider-Man, Teresa rejects Chameleon's insinuations and breaks the Clairvoyant, believing that she is a Parker first and foremost, and makes plans to track down Finisher. Back in his cell, the Chameleon is approached byKindred and states that he is happy to do business with Osborn again.[59]
The Chameleon originally had no superhuman abilities.[60] He simply used makeup and elaborate costuming to impersonate his targets. He implemented a device in a belt buckle that emitted a gas that helped him mold his features.[61] He later obtained a microcomputer fromSpencer Smythe for his belt buckle that could be programmed with the facial features of hundreds of people.[62] The belt buckle also contains a video receiver that enables the computer to analyze the appearance of anyone the Chameleon encounters so that it can duplicate their features using electrical impulses. The computer utilizesholographic technology that allows him to change his appearance at the push of a button. His electronic devices allowed him to simultaneously appear as two different people to two separate observers. The Chameleon's costume consists of "memory material" that can be altered by electrical impulses from his belt to resemble the clothing of the person he is impersonating.
The character's powers were later made innate.[63] His skin pigmentation have been surgically andmutagenically altered by a serum so that he can take on the appearance of any person at will.[64][65] He also wears fabric made of memory material that responds to nerve impulses and can appear to be whatever costume he wishes to be. The Chameleon had taken the same serums that Kraven had taken over the years.[7]
Additionally, the Chameleon is a master of disguise and a brilliantmethod actor.[66] He is also an expert impressionist and a master of creating lifelike masks and make-up. He is a quick-change artist who can assume a new disguise in less than a minute, although he no longer needs to use such skills. The character also speaks several languages fluently. Although the Chameleon is not a scientific genius, during his increased lifespan he has been exposed to a wide array of sophisticated experimental technology, much of which he can apply in his schemes.
Bradley Prim ofScreen Rant called the Chameleon one of Spider-Man’s "iconic villains."[67] Tom Bowen ofGame Rant ranked him 12th in their "28 Best Spider-Man Villains Of All Time" list.[68] Scoot Allan ofComic Book Resources ranked Dmitri Smerdyakov 5th in their "10 Most Iconic Spider-Man Villains" list, writing, "The Chameleon quickly became one of Spider-Man’s most personal and iconic villains after Kraven’s suicide turned Smerdyakov vengeful."[69] Jesse Schedeen ofIGN ranked Chameleon 14th in their "Top 25 Spider-Man Villains" list, stating, "The fact that he’s been such a mainstay of Spidey’s rogues gallery ever since is a testament to his enduring appeal."[70]
An alternate universe variant of the Chameleon from Earth-928 appears inMarvel 2099. This version is a hippie known asMajor Jones whose abilities are derived from the Chameleon drug.[71]
An alternate universe variant of Dmitri Smerdyakov from Earth-9500 appears inFriendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. This version is a reptilian creature that can transform into others by sampling their DNA. He framesSandman's father for murder, resulting in him being sentenced to death before Spider-Man uses a helmet to swap the pair's bodies.[72]
An alternate universe variant of the Chameleon from Earth-71490 appears inEdge of Spider-Verse (vol. 2) #5.[73] This version possesses shapeshifting abilities.
An alternate universe variant of Dmitri Smerdyakov / Chameleon from Earth-90214 appears inMarvel Noir. This version is a formercircus freak who works forNorman Osborn and possesses a malleable clay-like body.[74]
Two characters based on the Chameleon,Carnilla and her unnamed brother, from Earth-1610 appear in theUltimate Marvel universe.[75][76]
Dmitri Smerdyakov / Chameleon appears inKraven the Hunter, portrayed byFred Hechinger as an adult[83][84] andBilly Barratt as a teenager.[citation needed] This version isNikolai Kravinoff's son in addition to being Sergei Kravinoff's half-brother who initially possesses the ability to mimic other people's voices. As an adult, he would later acquire shapeshifting capabilities after being experimented on by a mad scientist sometime after Nikolai's death.
Characters based on Dmitri Smerdyakov / Chameleon appear in media set in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU):
The real draw of the issue was the second story, featuring Spidey's first turbulent meeting with the Fantastic Four and the debut of his earliest foe, a super villain called the Chameleon.
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