Lightmaster

Lightmaster
Lightmaster as depicted in Superior Spider-Man Team-Up #5 (October 2013). Art by Marco Checchetto (penciller/inker), Rachelle Rosenberg (colorist), and Joe Caramagna (letterer).
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #3 (Feb. 1977)
Created by	Jim Shooter Sal Buscema
In-story information
Alter ego	Dr. Edward Lansky
Team affiliations	Masters of Evil One World Church Empire State University
Abilities	Power suit grants: Light manipulation Flight Construct generation

Lightmaster (Edward Lansky) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.^[1]

Publication history

Lightmaster first appeared in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #3 and was created by Jim Shooter and Sal Buscema.^[2]

Fictional character biography

Edward Lansky was a physics professor and vice-chancellor at Empire State University who turned to crime in an attempt to gain money.^[3] As the Lightmaster, Lansky employed Kraven the Hunter and the Tarantula to help him kidnap several government officials. The three were defeated by Spider-Man, who foiled the plot and electrocuted Lightmaster, inadvertently transforming him into an energy being who required constant exposure to light to survive.^[4]

After accidentally causing a blackout, Lightmaster disappears into another dimension, and subsequently makes several attempts to regain a physical form.^[5][6] He later succeeds by harnessing Quasar's quantum bands and taking over his body.^[7]

Lightmaster was later released into the custody of Genetech, who conducted experiments that made him more powerful, yet unstable. He was defeated by Cloak and Dagger and taken back into custody by the Light Brigade.^[8]

In a fight with Cable, he had been hired by the "One World Church" to distribute the Façade Virus, which the OWC intended to use to turn everyone blue and eliminate racism. Cable subverted his control and instead turned everyone pink for two days, before publicly disabling the virus.^[9]

Lightmaster was present at the Bar With No Name in New York when lawyer Mallory Book confronted the villains there because nobody wanted to hire her.^[10]

He appeared in Brand New Day as one of the villains in the bar.^[11]

During the Secret Invasion storyline, Lightmaster appears as a member of Hood's crime syndicate.^[12] He accompanies Hood and other associates when his crime syndicate attacks Mister Negative; the dispute is that the man is in charge of all of Chinatown's criminal operations and resists handing them over to the Hood.^[13]

In Fear Itself, Lightmaster is among the villains seen as an inmate at an unnamed prison. He participated in a prison riot until he and the villains involved were defeated by Mimic and Rogue.^[14]

Lightmaster later works with the Wrecking Crew to steal an Alchemax device and battles the Superior Spider-Man.^[15] They join forces with Absorbing Man, Blackout, Mister Hyde, Titania, and Whirlwind to form a new incarnation of the Masters of Evil. During this time, it is revealed that Lightmaster is the father of Sun Girl II.^[16]

Powers and abilities

Lightmaster initially wielded powered armor that utilized "gravity-pump circuitry" to manipulate light. With it, he could fly; emit blinding flashes of light; create semi-solid, low-mass constructs, and absorb energy to a limited extent. As an energy being, he possesses these powers innately. Furthermore, he is a skilled scientist with a Ph.D. in physics.

References

1. Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Super-Villains. New York: Facts on File. p. 189-190. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.[1]
2. DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 214. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
3. Sanderson, Peter (2007). The Marvel Comics Guide to New York City. New York City: Pocket Books. pp. 30–33. ISBN 978-1-4165-3141-8.
4. Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #3
5. Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #20
6. The Amazing Spider-Man #203
7. Marvel Team-Up #113
8. The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #26; The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #12; Web of Spider-Man Annual #8
9. Cable and Deadpool #4-5
10. She-Hulk vol. 2 #17
11. The Amazing Spider-Man #552
12. Secret Invasion #6
13. Dark Reign: Mister Negative #1-2 (2009)
14. X-Men: Legacy #275
15. Superior Spider-Man Team-Up #5
16. Superior Spider-Man Team-Up #6

External links

• Spiderfan.org bio of Lightmaster (does not include his Cable & Deadpool appearance).
• Lightmaster at The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe