Silvermane

Silvermane
Silvermane's disembodied head. Art by Al Milgrom.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	The Amazing Spider-Man #73 (June 1969)
Created by	Stan Lee (writer) John Buscema (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Silvio Manfredi
Team affiliations	The Maggia HYDRA
Notable aliases	Supreme Hydra
Abilities	Superb hand to hand combatant Excellent marksman Brilliant strategist and organizer Superhuman strength and senses via cyborg body Use of various handguns

Silvermane (Silvio Manfredi) is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A notorious crime boss and prominent figure in the Maggia, a fictional organized crime syndicate, he is usually depicted as an adversary of the superhero Spider-Man and the father of Joseph Manfredi.^[1] Silvermane later became a cyborg in an attempt to extend his lifespan.

The character has made appearances in several forms of media outside of comics, including animated series and video games.

Publication history[]

He first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #73^[2] and was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema.

The character's original storyline was about a mysterious stone tablet coveted by several Spider-Man villains. The "Tablet Saga" proved popular, although artist John Romita, Sr. said that it was not originally intended as an arc: "We never even thought up Silvermane until the seventh issue [of the story arc], let alone a 'socko' ending."^[3]

Fictional character biography[]

Silvio Manfredi, nicknamed "Silvermane" for his near-white hair, is a professional criminal originally from Corleone, Sicily that started his criminal career as a racketeer in the Maggia, eventually forming his own crime family and becoming a powerful Maggia Don.

In his first appearance, an elderly Silvermane forced Dr. Curt Connors to make a potion from an ancient clay tablet in order to grant himself immortality. He first crossed paths with Conners's alter-ego, the Lizard, and Spider-Man during this scheme. Drinking the serum made Silvermane younger, but its effects caused him to de-age further and further until he was a infant before completely disappearing.^[4] Silvermane eventually reappeared, revealing that he had mystically aged to his forties. He started a new career and again quickly rose through the Maggia's ranks until he regained control of his family, the sought to form an alliance with Hydra, determined to take over the world as their leader, the Supreme Hydra. He was defeated by Daredevil, Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D.^[5] Silvermane reappeared in New York in an attempt to unite all of New York's gangs under his leadership and take over the criminal underworld, but his plans were complicated by the Green Goblin, who opposed him. During a confrontation between the Goblin, Silvermane and Spider-Man, Silvermane fell from a great height but survived.^[6]

Silvermane has worked with many super-villains, such as Hammerhead, and he has also been known to be a rival of the Kingpin, even once trying to assassinate the crime lord while he was suffering from amnesia.^[7] His former partner, Dominic Tyrone, assumed the identity of the Rapier and sought vengeance against Silvermane for betraying him by attempting to take his life.^[8] A flashback one-shot focused heavily on Silvermane's lifetime of corruption and crime, going back to his early career in Italy. The framework was reporter Ben Urich investigating the background of the Maggia. He learned that Silvermane was a legendary criminal figure for decades; mothers would even warn their children to behave or "One-Eye" would get them.^[9]

In his old age, Silvermane's injuries caused his youth serum to wear off, rendering him an invalid. Though bedridden, he continued to run his criminal empire until Dagger nearly killed him. Silvermane attempted to prolong his life by transforming himself into a cyborg.^[10] Kingpin gained control of his cyborg body until Dagger restored his life energy to him.^[11] His cyborg body was badly damaged by the first Jack O'Lantern during a gang war between Hammerhead and the Kingpin.^[12] Silvermane used a remote-controlled android doppelganger to battle Spider-Man. This was part of an attempt to boost the power of his remaining organic parts by harvesting new ones from Spider-Man's body. He attempted to drain his nemesis's radioactive blood to power a new, much stronger cyborg body.^[13] Silvermane also confronted Deathlok and the Punisher while setting up a major drug operation outside a grammar school.^[14] Even though he is no longer technically human, he has continued to remain active in the Maggia.

Silvermane attempted to take part in a meetup of various criminal warlords, during a time when Wilson Fisk had fallen from power. The meeting's goal was to divide up Fisk's territory and assets, but it did not go well. Silvermane was caught in the crossfire between the Secret Empire's forces and the Punisher. This was purely by coincidence as he was simply staying at the same motel as Punisher was. Silvermane used the resources of his personal semi-trailer and the cyborg bodies stored within to battle his way through the attackers and escape.^[15]

It was revealed some time later that Silvermane was killed during a shootout with Owl's gang at a New York City scrap yard. He was picked up by a magnet and dropped into a garbage compactor, crushing him to death and leaving his already weakened criminal syndicate without a leader. Months later, he apparently returns along with other deceased members of his gang during the Maggia's losing battle with the forces of Mister Negative. However, this is later revealed to be a ruse orchestrated by a mobster named Carmine: "Silvermane" is actually a lifelike robotic duplicate controlled by a hired Mysterio to give Carmine more influence within the Maggia and position him to take over. The tables are turned on Carmine when Mysterio uses the duplicate to murder him, seemingly as a plot to take over the Maggia himself.^[16]

Silvermane's head is shown to still be alive as it was found by a young boy when he traveled into the scrap yard, before then being stolen by the Shocker.^[17] The head is used as leverage by The Superior Foes of Spider-Man to take control of the Maggia, but the team members turn on each other when it comes time to decide who will actually be in charge. Shocker protects Silvermane from the Punisher. In return, the crime boss nominates him as his successor to head the Maggia.^[18]

Silvermane is among the crime lords competing with Mister Negative in obtaining the Tablet of Life and Destiny in order to win the favor of Mayor Wilson Fisk.^[19]

Powers and abilities[]

Silvermane is considered one of the Maggia's most legendary bosses. He was a superb hand-to-hand combatant, an excellent marksman, and a brilliant strategist and organizer. The use of magical potions temporarily granted him a form of immortality, allowing him to appear as a man in his early-to-mid 40s. His preferred weapons included various handguns and the Thompson .45 caliber machine gun. Later, Silvermane's brain, vital organs, and head were transplanted into a cyborg body, increasing his physical abilities and granting him superhuman strength and senses. However, Silvermane's remaining organic body parts are those of an elderly man, and thus extremely vulnerable.

Other versions[]

Ultimate Marvel[]

The Ultimate Marvel version of Silvermane had a brief cameo. With Wilson Fisk lying low due to legal problems, Silvermane, his chief rival, decided to work with fellow mobster Hammerhead to remove the Kingpin from power. He told Hammerhead that all he needed was a little "up here" (referring to his intelligence). Hammerhead, however, wasn't interested in sharing power, breaking Silvermane's neck while saying "I think I got enough up here already."^[20] Silvermane was also mentioned as a leader of a mob family which included Hammerhead and that he owed a debt to Nathaniel Essex.^[21] The Ultimate incarnation's real name is shown in the Daily Bugle as Allan Silvermane, though this is likely an alias as he is also referred to as Silvio Manfredi.^[20]

House of M[]

Silvermane appeared in the House of M reality, portrayed as a younger crime boss and one of dozens of mobsters captured by the NYPD's elite Brotherhood unit.^[22]

In other media[]

Television[]

Silvermane (left) and Tombstone in Spider-Man: The Animated Series.

• Silvermane appeared in the 1980s Spider-Man animated series episode "Wrath of the Sub-Mariner", voiced by Paul Winchell.^[23] He and Man Mountain Marko arrive in New York to call a truce with the Kingpin after his scientist Dr. Everett develops a powerful solvent capable of eating through anything. Spider-Man intercepts them, but Silvermane is unable to be brought in since most of his crimes were on the West Coast.
• Silvermane appeared in the 1990s Spider-Man animated series, voiced by Jeff Corey as an old man,^[23] Townsend Coleman as a young man,^[24] Matthew McCurley as a child,^[25] and Cannon Young as a baby.^[26] This version is an enemy of Spider-Man and the Kingpin, the latter of whom serves as his rival in New York's criminal underworld, and is the father of Alisa Silver (voiced by Leigh-Allyn Baker). In the episodes "The Insidious Six" and "Battle of the Insidious Six", Silvermane hires Hammerhead to capture Spider-Man. While fighting the eponymous team, Spider-Man rescues Silvermane from the Kingpin, not realizing his true identity as a crime lord until much later. In the episodes "Tablet of Time" and "Ravages of Time", Silvermane becomes obsessed with finding the titular tablet, an artifact capable of rejuvenating an individual's youth, so he can achieve immortality due to his irregular childhood. After locating it, he arranges for Tombstone to steal it, kidnap Dr. Curt Connors to decipher it, and take the scientist's family hostage to ensure his complicity. Though Spider-Man saves the Connors family and in spite of Dr. Connors warning of the tablet's instability, Silvermane uses it to make himself a young man before he becomes a child and a baby, while Hammerhead steals the Tablet on Kingpin's behalf. In the episode "Partners", despite being turned into a baby, Silvermane retains his adult intellect. With Alisa's help, they persuade Alistair Smythe to kidnap the Black Cat and blackmail Spider-Man into apprehending the Scorpion so Silvermane can use neogenic technology to switch bodies with the web-slinger. During the procedure however, the Vulture intervenes and accidentally takes Spider-Man's place, allowing the web-slinger, Black Cat, and Scorpion to escape. Following this, the Vulture becomes a young man while Silvermane returns to his original age.
• Silvermane appears in The Spectacular Spider-Man animated series, voiced by Miguel Ferrer.^[23] This version is a rival crime lord to Tombstone and the father of Sable Manfredi. The episode "Accomplices" revealed that he was arrested and jailed 12 years prior to the series after Frederick Foswell exposed his criminal activities to the FBI. Tombstone subsequently took his territory while Sable ran his empire's remnants in her father's absence. In the episode "Gangland", Silvermane joins a summit between him, Tombstone, and Doctor Octopus. After the meeting goes sideways and Spider-Man gets involved, Silvermane uses a hidden hydraulic exoskeleton to combat the web-slinger and the other crime bosses, only to be defeated by Spider-Man and apprehended by the police. As of the episode "Opening Night", Silvermane was remanded to the Vault. Though he is released by the Green Goblin to kill Spider-Man while the web-slinger was there to test the prison's security system, Walter Hardy releases sleeping gas to subdue the prisoners, who are returned to their cells later.
• Silvermane appears in the 2010s Spider-Man animated series, voiced by Nolan North.^[23][27] Similarly to past depictions, this version is a notorious, elderly crime boss who sports an exoskeleton. In the episode "Bring on the Bad Guys" Pt. 3, he takes Abraham Brown hostage to force the Prowler to capture Spider-Man and collect on a bounty on the web-slinger's head. After Spider-Man convinces the Prowler to help stop Silvermane, the crime lord fights back, but is defeated by the pair and left for the police. After making a minor appearance in the episode "Critical Update", during which he was defeated by the Superior Spider-Man, Silvermane appeared in the episode "Goblin War" Pt. 3 as the leader of the Goblin Nation's Cyber Goblins. He fights Spider-Man and the Hobgoblin, but is defeated by the duo.

Video games[]

• Silvermane appears in the beta versions of the SNES and Sega Genesis versions of the 1995 Spider-Man video game. However, he was replaced with a robot in the final versions.
• Silvermane appears in the Nintendo DS version of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, voiced by Steve Blum.^[23] Having survived to the year 2099 due to his cybernetic body, he attempts to use a fragment of the Tablet of Order and Chaos to become immortal, only to be defeated by Spider-Man 2099.
• Silvermane appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2, as part of the "Cloak and Dagger" DLC.^[28]

Novels[]

Silvermane appears in the novel Spider-Man: Forever Young, written by Stefan Petrucha.^{[citation needed]} The details of the tablet story are retold, with some elements being updated or changed, such as Silvermane displaying a disdain for personal electronic devices due to their lack of security as well as the Kingpin being left in a coma due to the shock of learning that his son was the masked criminal, the Schemer. The novel picks up two years after the original storyline, with Silvermane now randomly aging from childhood to adulthood as he attempts to force Curt Connors and Spider-Man to retrieve the tablet and stabilize his condition. Even after Connors's research asserts that the tablet essentially cycles someone through their reincarnations in one lifetime to try and achieve true karma, Silvermane refuses to accept this and attempts to blackmail Spider-Man to help him after deducing his true identity. Spider-Man eventually confronts Silvermane in the latter's church hideout. The ensuing battle ends with an enraged Silvermane burning the church down to try and kill Spider-Man, though his ultimate fate is left unclear.

References[]

External links[]

• Silvermane at Marvel.com
• Silvermane's entry at Spiderfan.org