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Chameleon (Marvel)
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Spider-Man Professional Criminal Genius level intellect Destroy Spider-Man using any means necessary. Murder
Full Name
Alias
Daredevil
Captain America
Henry Pym
Peter Parker
Harry Osborn
Al Gore
Professor Newton
Ezekiel Sims
Dozens of other identities of people he impersonatedOrigin
Occupation
Terrorist
Crime Lord
SupervillainPowers / Skills
Criminal mastermind
Immense wealth
Master spy
Master in disguise
Skill in martial arts
Excellent stealth
Highly skilled hand-to-hand combatant
Master in manipulation
Voice mimicry
Various gadgets and technology
Master actor
Technology genius
Charisma
Master strategist and tacticalGoals
Rectify the problems in the lives of his "faces"(both ongoing).Crimes
Attempted murder
Serial kidnapping
Incrimination
Grand theft auto
Terrorism
Torture
Identify theft
Theft
Robbery
Illicit dealings
Hitman hiring
Conspiracy
Espionage
Sabotage
Blackmail
Jailbreak
Destruction
Trespassing
False imprisonment
Aiding and abettingType of Villain
| “ | I am invisible because I am the same thing you look at every dreadful, dull day. I am the day before you realize everything has gone horribly, horribly wrong. I am the Chameleon. | „ |
| ~ Dmirti Smerdyakov, also known as the Chameleon. |
| “ | It's all right, Teresa. This is all a part of the process. At least we're finally being honest with one another. You came here because you want to know, don't you? You want to know if you're like them. | „ |
| ~ Chameleon. |
Dmitri Smerdyakov, better known as theChameleon, is a major antagonist in theMarvel Universe. Not countingCarradine who killed Uncle Ben, he is Spider-Man's oldest enemy and the first supervillain the wall crawler ever faced. He is a Russian super-spy, a master of disguise, and a brilliant actor. He is the half-brother and former servant ofKraven the Hunter, and the two have often teamed up against their common adversary: Spider-Man.
The Chameleon can make a life-like mask of anyone he meets, and can mimic nearly any voice he hears. He uses these uncanny talents in pursuit of criminal and terrorist activities. Nobody has ever seen his real face, as he always wears a hard plastic white mask under his disguises.
Biography[]
Dmitri Smerdyakov was born and raised in Russia. He had great admiration for his older half-brother Sergei and used his talent for impersonations to please him. However, Sergei only saw Dmitiri as his servant making him feel ashamed of his identity. As a child Dimitri met a man named Gustav Fiers who saw potential in the young Smerdyakov and adopted him. Fiers had his brother the Finisher train Dimitri in the art of covert opts and infiltration, which he excelled at. He became a Soviet spy and professional criminal known as the Chameleon, using masks of other people's faces to steal government secrets.
Later, Chameleon gained the power to mentally alter his form and voice, similar toMystique. In one of those adventures he nearly got the police to believe he was Spider-Man himself, in their unforgettable encounter.
After Spider-Man revealed his identity during the events of the Marvel Civil War, Chameleon got together a small gang of supervillains consisting ofElectro,Molten Man, Will-O'-The-Wisp, andScarecrow to take down Spider-Man/Peter Parker in his own house. They were however, thwarted by Spidey andBlack Cat.
Other Media[]
Television[]
Spider-Man (1967)[]
Charles Cameo is directly based on the Chameleon but the name Chameleon is not allowed to be used in the show due to already being in “Marvel’s Super Heroes” (1966). Charles Cameo first appears disguised as the Prime Minister of Rutania planning to steal twenty million dollars from the United States government by pretending that Rutania was in poverty and needs money from the USA. However Spider-Man manages to reveal him as an imposter. He appears again stealing priceless treasures by disguising himself as Peter Parker, J. Jonah Jameson and Spider-Man.
Spider-Man (1994)[]
Chameleon inSpider-Man: The Animated Series
Chameleon first appears in the episode "Day of the Chameleon", where he is sent by terrorists to stop a peace agreement. He's defeated by Spider-Man because Chameleon disguised himself as Peter Parker. Since then, he's often shown to work for theKingpin. Instead of masks, he uses a projection belt until Dr. Landon gave him the power to shift his shape without the belt. In the episode "The Price of Heroism", he turns out to be the brother ofElectro instead of Kraven and the son of theRed Skull. He finally gets caught by Spider-Man after Electro betrays his two relatives.
In this series, he only speaks when he's disguised, but he never speaks in his true form. His grunts, as heard in the episode "Battle of the Insidious Six", are provided by Jim Cummings, which hints that the Chameleon can talk, but simply chooses not to.
The Spectacular Spider-Man[]
Chameleon inThe Spectacular Spider-Man
- Main article:Chameleon (The Spectacular Spider-Man)
In the show, Chameleon uses lifelike masks much like his original counterpart to commit robberies and manages to briefly frame Spider-Man. He appears in "The Uncertainty Principle", "Persona", and "The Final Curtain". He is primarily voiced by Steve Blum.
Spider-Man (2017)[]
The Chameleon first appears in the four-part episode "Bring on the Bad Guys", posing as the mastermind behind Spider-Man's bounty per Doctor Octopus's orders. The Chameleon frames Spider-Man for a bank robbery and escapes the web-slinger by impersonating various individuals, but he is exposed and arrested. In the two-part episode "Generations", the Chameleon poses as Maria Corazon and ends up fighting the Spider-Team, but Spider-Girl eventually sees through his disguise and defeats the Chameleon. He was voiced primarily by Patton Oswalt.
Video Game[]
The Amazing Spider-Man 2[]
- Main article:Chameleon (The Amazing Spider-Man Video Games)
In the video game adaptation ofThe Amazing Spider-Man 2, Donald Menken walked into the office ofWilson Fisk. Donald removed his mask really revealing himself to be the Chameleon.
Movies[]
Marvel Cinematic Universe[]
While yet to have an antagonistic role, inSpider-Man: Far From Home, a character named Dimitri works with Nick Fury and Maria Hill during their missions to New York. His last name Smerdyakov, is revealed when Peter Parker looks at him with his E.D.I.T.H. glasses.
Sony's Spider-Man Universe[]
- Main article:Chameleon (Sony's Spider-Man Universe)
Dmitri Smerdyako appears in the 2024 filmKraven the Hunter, set in Sony's Spider-Man Universe.
He is played byFred Hechinger who also playedRandolph Ballinger inThe Pale Blue Eye andEthan Russell inThe Woman in the Window.
Trivia[]
- Dmitri was revealed to have an American friend named Joe Cord.
- The source of his abusive past was that the father had been drunk and abused Sergei. Then Dmitri was terribly influenced with the abuse due Sergei's anger.
- His name was created from the Russian novelThe Brothers Karamazov. Derived from "Dmitri" and "Smerdyakov"; Smerdyakov derives from the wordsmerdet meaning "to stink"/"son of the reeking one" in Russian.
- Originally, the Chameleon had no superhuman powers and simply used makeup and elaborate costuming to impersonate his targets. In order to do this, he implemented a device in a belt buckle that emitted a gas that helped him mold his features. This method of disguising was perhaps a forerunner to that of The Question, who was later created by Steve Ditko after his run onThe Amazing Spider-Man.
- Even though he was Electro's brother inSpider-Man: The Animated Series, "The Rogues' Challenge" game on the DVDSpider-Man: The Return of the Green Goblin stated he worked for Kraven the Hunter as a servant as a boy. The other questions involve how he betrayed Kingpin for the Red Skull and helped Richard Fisk from Peter Parker. Incidentally, in the comics, Sandman betrays the second Sinister Six.
- Dmitri Smerdyakov appears as one of the allies of Nick Fury and Talos inSpider-Man: Far From Home. Whether he will turn evil and become the Chameleon remains to be seen.
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