| The Enforcers | |
|---|---|
_artwork.jpg) | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Amazing Spider-Man #10 (March 1964) |
| Created by | Stan Lee (writer) Steve Ditko (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) | New York City |
| Member(s) | Ox Montana Fancy Dan "Snake" Marston "Hammer" Harrison |
TheEnforcers are a team ofsupervillains appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics, usually as adversaries of thesuperheroesSpider-Man andDaredevil. The original Enforcers consisted ofMontana (Jackson Brice), Ox (Raymond Bloch), and Fancy Dan (Daniel Brito).
The Enforcers first appeared inThe Amazing Spider-Man #10 (March 1964), and were created by writer-editorStan Lee and artist and co-plotterSteve Ditko.[1][2]
The Enforcers appear often in the early issues ofThe Amazing Spider-Man, debuting in #10,[3] and returning in #14 and 19, in the latter issue teaming with thesupervillain theSandman. The team would go on to appear inDaredevil #356–357 andDazzler #7–8, and fight Spider-Man again inMarvel Team-Up #39–40 and 138,Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #19–20,Spider-Man #94–95,Spider-Man (vol. 2) #28, and elsewhere.
The Enforcers are a group of hired hitmen and extortionists, each with an expertise in a different and unique area of combat, whose goal it is to aid various employers in the takeover of New York City's criminal gangs.[4] In their first appearance, the Enforcers aided theBig Man (Frederick Foswell) in his attempt to gain control of New York City's criminal gangs. They clashed with the superheroSpider-Man for the first time, and are defeated by him.[5][6]
They were subsequently employed by paranoid industrialistNorman Osborn, hired them to shut down Malone's Flophouse in a bid to gain the land. However, the then-amnesiac Malone residentNamor the Sub-Mariner thwarted them, later destroying Osborn's construction equipment.[7] They next aided the Green Goblin in his first unsuccessful attempt to eliminate Spider-Man, but were again defeated and jailed.[8] Soon after that, they joined forces with theSandman to subdue theHuman Torch at a point where it was believed Spider-Man had become a coward, but are defeated by the combined might of Spider-Man and the Human Torch.[9]
The Enforcers clash repeatedly with Spider-Man and occasionally other heroes such asDaredevil. Foswell is eventually unmasked, but later reforms and is killed. Afterward, Ox appears to have been killed.[10]
Montana and Fancy Dan team with a newBig Man, as well as with the Sandman and a newCrime Master, Nick Lewis, Jr. son of the original. During a battle in which the team is defeated by Spider-Man, the Human Torch, and theSons of the Tiger, Crime Master shoots the new Big Man, learning belatedly that this "Big Man" was Janice Foswell, daughter of the original and the younger Lewis' romantic interest.[11]
The Enforcers were hired byLightmaster, who introduced a new Ox, Raymond Bloch's twin brother Ronald, to the team. The Enforcers are once again defeated by Spider-Man.[12] They later battle themutant superheroineDazzler.[13]
The Enforcers return with new members "Snake" Marston and "Hammer" Harrison. The Enforcers come under the employ of theKingpin, but were defeated by Spider-Man and the then-reformed Sandman.[14] This lineup appears only once more to fight Daredevil.[15]
The original Ox (Raymond Bloch) returns, revived by the Kingpin.[16] It is unclear whether it is Raymond or Ronald Bloch who appears with Montana and Fancy Dan in subsequent battles with Spider-Man[17] andShe-Hulk.[18]
During the events known as the superheroCivil War, either Raymond or Ronald Bloch and "Snake" Marston are recruited into theThunderbolts, a team of reformed villains.[19]
Following the events of the storyline "Spider-Man: Brand New Day", the Enforcers are patrons at the Bar with No Name. They take bets with a person calling himself "the Bookie", over whether Spider-Man will show up to battle "Basher", an unknown villain who claimed to have fought Spider-Man. Spider-Man shows up, but is revealed to be Screwball in disguise when the real one shows up at the scene of the fight. The Enforcers decide to get revenge on the Bookie, capturing him. The Bookie's father calls Spider-Man for assistance and he agrees to help. Spider-Man defeats Fancy Dan and Montana and saves Ox from being flattened by a falling roller coaster. Grateful for the save, Ox agrees to come along quietly.[20]
During the "Origin of the Species"' storyline, Spider-Man goes against the villains afterMenace's infant was stolen from him by theChameleon. The Enforcers were not actually part of this group, stating "we're the Enforcers, not the Kidnappers". They got caught in the crossfire anyway when Sandman tries to recruit them to team up with him again.[21]
Montana then started working for the Kingpin. During a fight which resulted in the Kingpin's office crumbling, the Hobgoblin lets Montana fall to his death to take his place as Fisk's right-hand man.[22]
The Enforcers (Fancy Dan, Ox, "Snake" Marston, and "Hammer" Harrison) are reassembled by the fourthCrime Master, who convinces them and theBlack Cat to assist him with breakingHammerhead andTombstone out of Ryker's Island. The attempted breakout is prevented by Spider-Man andWraith and the Crime Master is revealed to be an impostor whoMister Negative had instructed to assassinate Hammerhead and Tombstone.[23][24]
During the "Hunted" storyline, "Snake" Marston is among the animal-themed characters who are captured byTaskmaster andBlack Ant forKraven the Hunter's Great Hunt.[25]
During the "Devil's Reign" storyline, the Enforcers members Fancy Dan, Ox, Montana, Snake Marston, and Hammer Harrison were shown as inmates of the Myrmidon. When8-Ball offered to sit with them, they turn him down.[26]
During the "Gang War" storyline, the Enforcers are shown to haveRidgewood, Queens as their territory.[27]Hobgoblin andProwler (Aaron Davis) sway the Enforcers to their side by providing them with some weaponry. While Miles Morales and Cape Killers membersScorpion and Gust are investigating Hobgoblin activity inSheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, they are attacked by Prowler and the Enforcers. Despite the high-tech weaponry that they wielded, the Enforcers were defeated by Scorpion and Gust.[28]
The group originally consisted of:
These members were later additions to the group. They consisted of:
An alternate universe iteration of the Enforcers from Earth-9997 appear inEarth X, consisting of Fancy Dan, Ox, Montana, and the Vulture. These versions are Norman Osborn's bodyguards.[29]
An alternate universe iteration of the original Enforcers from Earth-90214 appear inSpider-Man Noir. These versions are formercarnies and servants of Norman Osborn.[30]
An alternate universe iteration of the original Enforcers from Earth-982 appear inMC2.[31][32][33]
An alternate universe iteration of the original Enforcers from Earth-1610 appear in theUltimate Marvel universe. These versions are servants of the Kingpin. Additionally, Fancy Dan is a gunslinger namedDan Crenshaw, Ox is aBlack Dominican namedBruno Sanchez, and Montana is namedMontana Bale and wields a whip rather than a lasso.[34]
The Enforcers appear inMarvel Heroes.[citation needed] They kidnapSpeedball and almost kill him before they are killed byJean DeWolff.
While never reaching the popularity of previous [Stan] Lee and [Steve] Ditko collaborations, the Enforcers managed to give the wall-crawler a run for his money in their first appearance.
| Supporting characters |
| ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antagonists |
| ||||||
| Other versions | |||||||
| Publications | |||||||
| Storylines | |||||||
| Other media |
| ||||||
Spider-Man characters | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spider-Man family |
| ||||||||||||
| Supporting characters |
| ||||||||||||
| Antagonists |
| ||||||||||||
| Alternative versions |
| ||||||||||||
| In other media |
| ||||||||||||
| Other topics | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
