| Swarm | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Swarm as depicted inRunaways vol. 2 #7 (August 2005). Art by Takeshi Miyazawa. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Champions #14 (July 1977) |
| Created by | Bill Mantlo John Byrne |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Fritz von Meyer |
| Species | Human mutate |
| Team affiliations | Nazi Germany Exterminators[1] Sinister Six[2] Hateful Hexad |
| Abilities |
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Swarm is asupervillain appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. The character's entire body is composed ofbees,[3] and is mainly featured as an enemy ofSpider-Man.[4]
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Swarm first appeared inThe Champions #14 (July 1977). He was created byBill Mantlo andJohn Byrne.[5]
Fritz von Meyer was born inLeipzig,Germany and became one ofAdolf Hitler's top scientists specializing intoxicology andmelittology. Escaping capture afterWorld War II, he was abeekeeper orapiarist inSouth America and discovered a colony of mutatedbees. Intrigued by their intelligence and passive nature, von Meyer attempted to enslave the queen bee but failed and the bees devoured him, leaving only his skeleton. The bees' unique qualities caused von Meyer's consciousness to be absorbed into them, allowing him to manipulate the hive to do his will while his skeletal remains are inside the swarm itself. His consciousness merged with the hive to the extent that they are one being, calling himself/themselves "Swarm".[6]
Swarm battled theChampions.[7] After being defeated, Swarm resurfaced to battleSpider-Man.[8] In the first of many fights, Spider-Man prevailed against him when the web-slinger's costume was dosed in a new type ofinsecticide that hurt the bees if they got too close. Swarm lost his/their skeleton in this battle but returned to fight again (no longer having the skeleton but still possessing von Meyer's consciousness), first teaming withKraven the Hunter againstIceman andFirestar,[9] then against Spider-Man,[10] but feedback from a weapon fired by theRhino caused Swarm's bee body to disperse temporarily.
Swarm next appears when a Super-Collider fromRand Industries is activated and called his/their attention.[11] Swarm decides mankind should be exterminated so insects can rule the world.Doctor Druid convinced Swarm that mankind will exterminate themselves and the age of insects can begin.[12] Eventually, Swarm was tired of waiting and returned to New York, after a psychic wave generated byOnslaught disrupted the psychic field that bonded him and the bees together. He forced a group of scientists investigating energy fields to help him not only restore his original field, but expand it to grant him control of every bee on Earth. AsNew York City is invaded by bees, theScarlet Spider tracked the bees to their destination and — taking advantage of the fact that the swarms' instinctive memory of Raid caused the bees to automatically flinch away from Spider-Man — infiltrated the building to contact the scientists. By claiming that the scientists' equipment is having trouble broadcasting a sufficiently powerful signal through the dome of bees, Scarlet Spider is able to trick Swarm into allowing a device's construction designed to negate the vibrational frequency that the bees create to allow themselves to fly, presenting it as a means of boosting the existing signal's power. With the bees now grounded, Scarlet Spider subsequently recovers the queen of Swarm's hive and leaves the authorities' care, reasoning Swarm will not be a future threat without her.[13]
Now back with an internal skeleton, Swarm felt that the criminal organizationPride's fall allowed access to their former territory, specificallyLos Angeles. However, they are defeated by the Los Angeles' protectorRunaways when their bees' mental link is disrupted by electrical blasts.[14]
Swarm regained control over his colony and joins theChameleon's Exterminators to kill their shared enemy now that Peter Parker's true identity is revealed. Swarm attacksMary Jane Watson but the latter sprays Swarm with water while a co-worker smashes Swarm's skeleton, but the bees reformed around the skeleton asStark Industries' bodyguards take him/them away.[1]
WhenAlyosha Kravinoff began collecting azoo of animal-themed superhumans, Swarm is in one of the cages.[15] He foughtGargoyle as thePunisher passes them and escaped.
Swarm next turns up inDenver,Colorado, having amassed enough bees to become giant-sized. TheThunderbolts face him/them unsuccessfully untilVenom devours Swarm's bones.Norman Osborn speculated this is a minor inconvenience that shouldn't prevent Swarm's return.[16]
Swarm next turns up inBuenos Aires, having his intelligence again. He fought theMighty Avengers by creating 'avatars' made of bees.Hank Pym,Stature andAmadeus Cho place an inhibitor collar on the queen bees which caused Swarm's intelligence to somehow disperse.[17]
He was briefly seen trying to launch an attack of theJean Grey School for Higher Learning only to be almost instantly thwarted by theX-Men'sKrakoa, theBamfs, andDoop.[18]
Swarm later formed his own incarnation of theSinister Six with8-Ball,Delilah,Killer Shrike,Melter andSquid. They attack Spider-Man and the students of the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. Swarm gets dispersed byHellion which caused the other members to surrender.[2]
Swarm later attacked New York but was defeated bySquirrel Girl and her ally Koi Boi covering him with water and turning bags full of his constituent bees in to the police.[19]
Swarm later appeared as a member of the Hateful Hexad alongside Bearboarguy,Gibbon,Ox,Squid andWhite Rabbit. During the disastrous battle against Spider-Man andDeadpool, the battle is crashed by Itsy Bitsy.[20]
Swarm relocates to Florida, where he encounters Macrothrax and his minions who are also sentient insect colonies in humanoid form, accidentally created by the invention behind him. He ends up joining forces withAnt-Man and taking a liking to the latter.[21]
Fritz von Meyer is a composite being of thousand bees driven by his human intelligence. He is also technically intangible, as his body is anaggregate of tiny forms. As Swarm, he can fly through the air, assume any shape or size at will, and mentally influence other bees' actions (the full range may extend over a hundred yards in radius). At this end, Swarm seemed capable of controlling a mutant bee queen and, through her, countless drones. He even has exhibited a limited amount of super strength. As von Meyer, he possesses expertise in beekeeping,robotics, and toxicology.[22]
An alternate universe variant of Swarm from Earth-7082 appears inSpider-Man: Fairy Tales #2.[23]
An alternate universe variant of Swarm from Earth-20051 appears inMarvel Adventures: Spider-Man #38.[24]
An original incarnation of Swarm from Earth-1610 appears in theUltimate Marvel universe. This version isPetra Laskov, aSyrianmutant who is also known as the Insect Queen and Red-Wasp.[25][26]
An original incarnation of Swarm from Earth-90214 appears in theMarvel Noir universe. This version isMadame Sturm, a female scientist whose powers are derived from a Spider-God totem.[27]
In August 2009,TIME listed Swarm as one of the "Top 10 Oddest Marvel Characters".[33]
Swarm was ranked #29 on a listing of Marvel Comics' monster characters in 2015.[34]
Swarm is a very obscure villain who made his debut in the pages ofThe Champions of all places. So why is he on our list? Because he's a freakin' Nazi Scientist- MADE OF EVIL BEES!
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