| The Lizard | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #6 (November 1963) |
| Created by | Stan Lee Steve Ditko |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Curtis "Curt" Connors |
| Team affiliations | Sinister Six Sinister Twelve |
| Abilities |
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The Lizard (Dr. Curt Connors) is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe and enemy of Spider-Man. The Lizard first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #6 (November 1963), and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. In 2009, the Lizard was named IGN's 62nd Greatest Villain of All Time.[1]
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Curtis Connors was born in Coral Gables, Florida. He was a gifted surgeon who enlisted in the U.S. Army and was sent off to war. He performed emergency battlefield surgery on wounded GIs, but his right arm was injured in a blast and had to be amputated.[2][3] After his return to civilian life as a research technologist, Connors became obsessed with uncovering the secrets of reptilian limb regeneration and studied reptilian biology extensively. Working from his home in the Florida Everglades with the help of war buddy Ted Sallis, he finally developed an experimental serum taken from reptilian DNA.[3] He successfully regrew the missing limb of a rabbit and then, despite the warnings of his wife Martha, chose to test it on himself. Connors ingested the formula and his missing arm did indeed grow back. The formula had a side effect; Connors was subsequently transformed into a reptilian humanoid monster. Spider-Man discovered this situation during a trip to Florida to investigate newspaper reports of the Lizard after the Bugle challenged him. Spidey was then able to use Connors' notes to create an antidote to restore him to his human form and mentality.[2] Another attempt to develop this serum for safe use again resulted in Connors transforming into the Lizard, but on this occasion he was saved thanks to his former colleague Professor Charles Xavier and his first team of X-Men, Beast and Angel tracking the Lizard down in the swamps so that Iceman could send him into hibernation long enough to develop a cure.[4]
Later, Curt Connors relocated to New York City. He was able to repay Spider-Man by developing a formula to save May Parker's life after Peter Parker had given his aunt his radioactive blood during a transfusion, unintentionally putting her in mortal peril.[5] It later became clear that the success of Connors' apparent cure from the Lizard persona was short-lived. A repeating pattern occurred, with stress or a chemical reaction turning Connors into the Lizard, Spider-Man fighting him, and then forming some kind of temporary cure to reverse the transformation until the next time. A second personality had formed with the Lizard, one with the familiar goal shared by many villains of taking over the world. The Lizard envisioned a world where all humans had been transformed into (or replaced by) super-reptiles like himself. Despite the Lizard's overall hatred of humans, he was often shown to be unwilling to harm his wife Martha or young son Billy.
As Connors, he aided Spider-Man in defeating the Rhino by developing a formula to dissolve the Rhino's costume, but accidentally transformed himself into the Lizard due to exposure to the chemicals needed to create the formula - some of which had been used to create the Lizard serum - and was restored by Spider-Man.[6] Connors was later kidnapped and forced to create a rejuvenation serum for Silvermane.[7] However, the stress from this caused Connors to transform, the Lizard battled Spider-Man and the Human Torch, and was then restored to normal once again by Spider-Man.[8]
During another encounter with Spider-Man after Peter's attempts to remove his powers resulted in him growing four extra arms, a bite from Morbius endowed the Lizard with Connors' personality via the infection of a strange enzyme. Connors then synthesized an antidote for himself and Spider-Man using the Morbius enzyme.[9] Curt Connors later aided Spider-Man, Ka-Zar, and the Black Panther against Stegron.[10] After the apparent death of the Jackal, Dr. Connors determined that Spider-Man was not a clone.[11] Later, the Lizard battled with Stegron and Spider-Man after Stegron kidnapped Billy Connors.[12] For a time, Peter Parker worked as a teaching assistant to Dr. Connors at Empire State University, although Connors had no idea that Peter was actually Spider-Man.[13][14]
During the first of the Secret Wars, the Lizard refused to participate on either side of the conflict. Although he was collected by the Beyonder along with other villains, he broke away from the main group after the first battle to settle in a swamp, where he befriended the Wasp, who had helped him treat an injury he sustained in the first battle. After the Lizard was blasted by the magic of the Enchantress, he reverted back to human form.[15] After Connors' return from this event, his wife took their son Billy and separated from Curt. The Lizard had apparently been affected by inter-dimensional teleportation so that Connors' mind presided over the Lizard, and battled the Owl alongside Spider-Man.[16] However, mystical activity during the Inferno crisis once again brought the Lizard's bestial nature to the fore, and Spider-Man cured him again.[17] Connors then tried to straighten out his life and control the Lizard, with some degree of success. This ended when the villain Calypso used her voodoo magic to take control of the Lizard (during the Torment storyline) for her own purposes, reducing him to a mindless savage state. After a series of bloody battles, the Lizard and Calypso were defeated by Spider-Man, and Spider-Man assumed that he perished under Calypso's spell.[18] Connors once again gained control of the Lizard's mind and body, although it was very weak. Curt carried out a plan to cure himself temporarily,[19] after which he voluntarily submitted to incarceration in the supervillain prison, the Vault.[20] When Calypso forced the transformation and attempted to control the Lizard once again, the creature killed her and escaped from the Vault. After this escape, the Lizard fell into a quicksand pit during a battle with Spider-Man and the bounty hunter Warrant and was believed to have died.[21] This would soon be proven incorrect.
Shortly after Connors' apparent death in quicksand during the Lizard's battle with Spider-Man and Warrant, a huge bestial Lizard appeared.[22] Spider-Man (Ben Reilly) realized that not only had the Lizard survived, but this new monstrous transformation seemed to be permanent and the personality of Curt Connors appeared completely lost. However, when this savage mindless Lizard later unexpectedly encountered Dr. Connors himself, Curt became the true Lizard once again and saved his family by killing the "Lizard-clone". It was revealed that the Lizard-clone was a scientific accident resulting from an experimental formula being tested on a piece of the original Lizard's tail, which had then grown into a fully formed second creature.[23]
Although reunited after Curt's apparent death, tragedy later struck again in the Connors family - this time for Martha and Billy. Both mother and son were diagnosed with cancer after years exposed to carcinogens from living near an industrial lab of the Monnano Corporation in Florida. Spider-Man assisted Curt in successfully forcing Monnano to admit their environmental culpability. However, Martha succumbed to the cancer and died.[24] Billy recovered but remained bitter towards his father. Curt's guilt and internalized anger at these events eventually led him to become the Lizard and attack Spider-Man once again. After reverting back to his human form, Curt purposefully attempted a bank robbery so he would be sent to prison.[25] Curt's stint in prison was short-lived; he was released and transformed into the Lizard once again as part of a scheme by Norman Osborn, also known as the Green Goblin, to form the "Sinister Twelve" to kill Spider-Man. The Sinister Twelve were defeated and captured by the combined forces of Daredevil, the Fantastic Four, and certain members of the Avengers.[26]
The Lizard later resurfaced to face Spider-Man with the aid of a smaller twin of himself, who was revealed to be none other than his son, Billy. Curt had injected Billy with the Lizard formula while under the influence of a mysterious meteorite that caused savage behavior in those within range of its radiation.[27] Both the Lizard and "Lizard Junior" were eventually captured and transformed back to human form, but the fact that Billy can also transform into a lizard has never been mentioned since.
A heretofore unseen version of the Sinister Six including the Lizard appeared briefly during the superhero Civil War, but were stopped by Captain America and his Secret Avengers.[28] Since the Lizard was never a member of the original Sinister Six, the circumstances of his involvement with this short-lived group of villains has yet to be revealed.
Post-Civil War, Doctor Curt Connors aided Spider-Man in developing a cure for the victims of Calvin Zabo, also known as Mister Hyde, who were mutated with unstable versions of Spider-Man's powers.[29] Dr. Connors has also monitored the progress of the hero Komodo, a female grad student who stole a sample of Connors' Lizard formula. She modified the formula for her own DNA to grow back her missing legs and to give herself reptilian powers.[30]
Dr. Curt Connors appeared in the Brand New Day comic storyline, but not as the Lizard. Connors was shown experimenting with animal stem cells as well as aiding forensic specialist Carlie Cooper.[31] A new villain named Freak mistok Connors stem cells experiment for drugs. So Curt helped Spider-Man defeat him during their second encounter.
During The Gauntlet storyline, Connors is shown working for the pharmaceutical company Phelcorp working for executive Brian King, who often antagonistically berates Connors in his lab. Connors has also lost custody of his son, Billy (who has also become emotionally distant from his father). As his life has gone into a downward spiral, he sometimes hears a bestial inner monologue, telling him to violently take what is his. The last straw is when his lab assistant that he's attracted to ends up sleeping with Brian King. Connors runs into his office to get a green vial. Brian King accuses Connors of trying to take his Lizard serum, so he prevents him from taking it. Connors tells King that it is actually a Lizard-suppressant before he transforms into the Lizard and eats Brian King.[32] When Peter Parker calls up Carlie Cooper for a date, she declines stating that the Lizard is on a rampage. Peter changes into his Spider-Man costume and goes after the Lizard, knowing that he will go after Billy. He swings to the house of Billy Connors and starts to fight Lizard, but the Lizard unexpectedly just leaves (with Connors' inner voice pleading for Spider-Man to follow him), making Spider-Man check on Billy. However, Billy was kidnapped, and his foster parents attacked by Ana Kravinoff. The Lizard finds Billy, left in an alley by Ana, and eats his own child, utterly destroying the presence of Dr. Connors in the process, which is implied to be part of the Kravinoff's plans.[33] Spider-Man gets EMTs to the foster parents, and then heads off for the Lizard, finding Billy's body. He then finds the Lizard, who has shed his skin and has a new form. This form is leaner, sporting spikes on its right forearm, having what appears to be long brown hair, is smarter than any previous form of the Lizard, and has new telepathic abilities allowing him to connect to the "lizard part" of the human brain demonstrating this by making Spider-Man think he's prey, and running away. While hiding in the sewers, the Lizard then makes a group of people in the city act on their "lizard" part of the brain, taking what they want mindlessly.[34] Spider-Man returns from Curt's lab with the formula Connors was using to keep the Lizard in control and drinks it making himself immune to the Lizard's new powers. He also spits some of it in the Lizard's mouth and injects the Lizard with two more vials of it. He then attempts to convince the Lizard this is wrong, but he is attacked by the civilians under the Lizard's control. Suddenly, he is pulled out by the Lizard, who then reveals he regrets what he has done and that he believes there is more in life than just killing; the sudden change of perspective is revealed to happen because when he destroyed Dr. Curt Connors' personality, some emotions were passed to him. He then leaves into the night.[35]
During the Origin of the Species storyline, Lizard is among the supervillains invited to join Doctor Octopus' supervillain team, where he promises them a reward in exchange for securing some specific items for him.[36] When Spider-Man caught Chameleon at the Kravinoff Mansion after he had stolen Menace's baby, Chameleon reveals that the Lizard had stolen the baby before it could be passed off to Dr. Octopus.[37] When Doctor Octopus and Spider-Man fight within Lizard's hideout, the Lizard attacks Spider-Man. Spider-Man threatens to attack the Lizard with the Lizard serum if he doesn't give him the baby. Lizard agrees and reveals that he got a blood sample from the baby and found out that Norman Osborn is not the father. The Lizard then gives the baby to Spider-Man, saying that if Osborn is not the father, then the baby is of no use to him. Doctor Octopus then attacks the Lizard while Spider-Man escapes with the baby.[38]
While investigating recent kidnappings in New York, the X-Men find themselves working with Spider-Man after they discover that the abductor is the Lizard, who has been taking victims of bullying or abuse off the streets to turn them into others like him, as well as maintaining his control over the city's preexisting reptile population.[39] The X-Men and Spider-Man soon discover that Lizard is being used by the Dark Beast, who has found a way to enhance the Lizard's control of the reptilian part of the human brain to mutate those within range into lizard-like creatures.[40] Although Gambit, Storm, and Wolverine are all mutated by this process, Emma Frost and Spider-Man escape being affected by the machinery used - Emma Frost was in her diamond form and Spider-Man was outside the shielded room that the other X-Men were in when the process was triggered - allowing them to release the Lizard and use him to defeat his captor, the Lizard subsequently retreating into the sewers while the X-Men and Spider-Man reverse the process and take Dark Beast into custody.[41]
Doctor Curtis Connors gave himself superhuman powers as a result of exposure to mutagenic chemicals, allowing him to transform into the Lizard. In human form, he has none of his superhuman powers, but he is highly intelligent and a well known scientist in fields of genetics, biochemistry, and herpetology.
When Connors is transformed into the Lizard, his strength is increased to superhuman levels. Likewise, his speed, stamina, agility, and reflexes are also raised to a level equivalent to that of Spider-Man. He can also scale walls using a combination of his sharp claws and micro-scales on his hands and feet that create molecular friction like those of a gecko lizard. He is highly resistant to injury due to his thick scaly hide, allowing him to resist punctures and lacerations from ordinary weapons and lower-caliber firearms. In addition, the Lizard has highly enhanced healing abilities which allow him to quickly recover from grievous wounds, including regenerating lost limbs. He also has a powerful tail which he can whip at high speeds. The Lizard has razor-sharp teeth set in muscular jaws that can deal a lethal bite. Like a reptile, he has cold-blooded characteristics and is therefore sensitive to drops in temperature; a sufficiently cold environment will cause his metabolism to slow drastically and become dormant if he is exposed to cold temperatures for too long.
The Lizard can mentally communicate and command all reptiles within a mile of himself via limited telepathy. He has also on at least one occasion secreted powerful pheromones which caused nearby humans to behave violently. Post-Brand New Day, a further enhancement of his telepathy granted him the power of telepathically compelling humans to act out their primal urges, by suppressing emotional control in their amygdala (the "lizard brain").
Based on various physiological and environmental factors, the Lizard's intelligence can range from bestial and animalistic to normal human intelligence. The Lizard personality has most often manifested with human intelligence, capable of speech and higher reasoning, although some versions have been more feral than others. During the Secret Wars in particular, he appeared less ruthless than his normal portrayal, showing concern for Volcana[42] and the Wasp[43] after they showed him kindness despite his usual disdain for humans. However, the Lizard is rarely as intelligent as Dr. Connors is in human form, showing on many occasions an inability to understand his human-self's work and use it to further his own ends despite his best efforts.[44]
The Lizard has apparently "destroyed" the Curt Connors persona, but has subsequently begun to display some of Connors's human emotions.
In a 2004 story arc entitled Lizard's Tale, written by Paul Jenkins in the Spectacular Spider-Man comic book, it was revealed that the Lizard persona was not a separate personality from Dr. Connors after all - Curt had been consciously controlling his reptilian alter ego all along. Furthermore, Connors was shown to know that Peter Parker was Spider-Man, despite the discovery of the secret identity never being explained or depicted. The story ended with Dr. Connors deliberately getting himself sent to prison and hoping the Lizard wouldn't be unleashed again. The Lizard's next appearance after this was as a member of the Sinister Twelve, where he showed no indication of being controlled by the mind of Dr. Connors. To date, there have been no subsequent comic storylines referencing the claim that Connors himself was responsible for the Lizard's villainy, and post-Brand New Day appearances explicitly present the two personalities as separate.
Another continuity-related issue involves Connors' son Billy. Unlike many other Marvel Comics children, he had not appreciably grown up since the comics' stories of the 1960s. Billy's visible age also seemed to waver back and forth between approximately eight and thirteen years old, depending on the particular comic artist drawing the character.
The one comic storyline to date featuring the Ultimate Marvel universe version of the Lizard appeared in Ultimate Marvel Team-Up # 10. The character has appeared in a few subsequent issues of Ultimate Spider-Man, but only in flashbacks and dream sequences. Ultimate Lizard appears to be based on a basilisk lizard in design and has been presented as being less intelligent than the original Marvel universe Lizard.
In the Ultimate universe, in addition to becoming the Lizard, Dr. Curt Connors unintentionally created the Ultimate version of the supervillain Carnage using DNA from Spider-Man and based on an analysis of Richard Parker's work on the Venom suit. Due to the ensuing chaos, he was arrested and Stark Industries canceled their financial support of his experiments. He was last seen in Ultimate Spider-Man #127, where he, along with Tony Stark, were interviewing Gwen Stacy ("Stacy Experiment", which was in fact the new Carnage), when the Triskellion was blown apart by Norman Osborn, upon his escape.
The reality-hopping heroic team, the Exiles, once found themselves on an alternate earth where Connors' experiment (in this world for a left arm rather than a right) had taken a different turn. Finding himself as the Lizard, Curt felt the need to "reproduce" by immediately injecting the Lizard-formula into other people. He infected his family and they infected others, all feeling the urge to spread the transformation into Lizard-men. The forces of this particular world eventually managed to restrain the infected reptile-people behind miles-long, man-made walls.[45]
In this reality, Curtis Connors is a philosopher who was infected with the bubonic plague. He created an elixir that transformed him into a reptilian creature that resembled a Velociraptor, but retained his mind. He worked with Baron Victor Octavius to capture the Spider. He is this world's Lizard.[46]
In the Marvel Noir reality, Curt Connors is an assistant to Dr. Otto Octavious.[47]
In Marvel Zombies, the Lizard, like almost every other hero and villain, has become a zombie. This particular incarnation of the Lizard is apparently destroyed when he is blasted apart by several cosmic-powered heroes while fighting Galactus.[48]
The Connors Family appear in the first story of the Mr. and Mrs. Spider-Man series, set in the MC2 universe. Mary Jane comforts a distraught Martha when Curt goes missing again, whilst Peter, now a parent to his infant daughter May ("Mayday"), is more hesitant than before to become Spider-Man. He is eventually encouraged by his wife to track down and prevent the Lizard's latest rampage.[49]
The Lizard appears as a member of the Sinister Six in the Broadway show, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, in which he is played by Brandon Rubendall.[51]
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