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Spider-Man Encyclopedia
- Spider-Man Villains
- Shocker
| The Shocker first
appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #46 (March, 1967). The issue was
scripted by Stan Lee and drawn by John Romita, Sr..
Herman Schultz aka the Shocker was born in New
York City. He was a high school dropout who had brilliant talents as
both an inventor and an engineer. Instead of using such talents to
gain legitimate employment, he became a successful burglar and
(according to him in later stories) the world's best safe-cracker.
After finally being caught and incarcerated for his crimes, he
developed a pair of gauntlets designed to shoot air blasts,
vibrating at high frequency.
Schultz used the gauntlets to escape from
prison and became the supervillain known as "The Shocker". |
The Amazing Spider-Man #46 |
He defeated Spider-Man in their first
confrontation (Spider-Man lost because he was at a disadvantage due to
having a broken arm from his earlier battle with the Lizard), but was
later beaten and sent back to prison by Spider-Man (who pinned Schultz's
thumbs away from the gauntlets' triggers with his webbing).
The Shocker would go on to prove a constant presence among Spider-Man's
gallery of enemies, often as either a thief or subordinate to a more
prominent of Spider-Man's foes (notably Wilson Fisk and the Owl). He
regularly works either as a member of a team (including Hobgoblin's
Sinister Seven, Norman Osborn's Sinister Twelve, Doctor Octopus's most
recent Sinister Six, and the Masters of Evil) or in partnership with at
least one other villain (previous alliances include Boomerang, The
Beetle, Rhino, Leila Davis, Trapster, Hydro-Man, and Speed Demon).
Likely Schultz's most ambitious solo exploit was his attempt to hold the
city of New York for ransom by blacking out various electrical grids to
spell out his name.
The Shocker found a rare moment of victory over Spider-Man when he
teamed up with the Trapster. Sent by the Friends of Humanity to
assassinate Paul Stacy, the duo managed to glue Stacy and Spider-Man
together and corner them, only to be called off of their assignment
moments before finishing them off.
Shocker would later turn on the Trapster at the bequest of Norman Osborn
(who sought to have the Trapster eliminated as a potential witness
against his recent attempt to frame Spider-Man for murder). Preparing to
kill the resigned Trapster in an alley, he was attacked and rendered
unconscious at the last minute by Spider-Man (then disguised under the
alias of Dusk).
He recently allied himself with Speed Demon of the New Thunderbolts in
order to break into a particular well-guarded safe. Though the police
arrived at his hide-out in quick pursuit, he was saved by Speed Demon,
who dashed in and stole both the loot and Shocker's weapons, removing
all traces of evidence (and, unfortunately for Shocker, also keeping the
money to fund the Thunderbolt's further activities).
Shortly after, he was terminated as a freelance agent by Hammer
Industries and captured by Spider-Man while trying to rob a federal bank
alongside Hydro-Man.
A new version of the Sinister Six, with the Shocker as a member, banded
together during the Civil War but were stopped by Captain America and
his Secret Avengers. Shocker is set to reappear as a member of Avengers:
The Initiative (issue #3) in an attempt to capture Spider-Man, who is
unregistered by law. He also recently appeared in Punisher War Journal
#4 if he survived is yet to be seen.
Costume and abilities
The Shocker wears a pair of gauntlets that, when activated by a thumb
trigger, can project a concentrated blast of air that vibrates at an
intense frequency. This allows the Shocker to both effectively throw
long range vibrational punches, as well as vibrate the structure of
something in order to weaken or destroy it. Holding the thumb triggers
down for an extended period of time increases the intensity, speed, and
even spread of the air blasts.
The feedback from the Shocker's gauntlets is extremely intense (the
initial test almost killed him). To guard himself from this, Schultz
developed a protective costume consisting largely of yellow quilt
patches designed to absorb the shock. The costume's appearance has been
the source of ridicule on the part of Spider-Man and other characters.
In the Spider-Man: The Movie based on the Spider-Man films, Spider-Man
is particularly vicious in mocking the Shocker's costume. For example,
in the videogame Spider-Man: The Movie, Spider-Man mocks him as
"Quilt-Man", "Triple-Ply" and "The Cushion". (How fellow villain the
Looter was able to once wield one of the gauntlets without wearing a
protective costume and suffering injury is unclear. However, it is most
likely due to the fact that Looter's strength and durability were
enhanced past the level of Captain America.)
Around the year 2000, Schultz began upgrading the abilities of his
costume and weapons. His suit now contains a number of built-in shock
units, which throw up a protective vibrational field when triggered by
accompanying motion detectors. Besides deflecting most physical blows,
this makes it difficult, if not impossible for someone to physically
assault or grasp him by surprise. This power upgrade was accompanied by
a much bulkier and more protective looking costume (as designed by
artist John Romita, Jr.).
He also recently allowed Hammer Industries to drastically upgrade the
power of his gauntlets. However, not trusting to share the whole of his
secrets (and thus become what he perceives as expendable), he refused
Hammer's technicians access to his actual costume, which (at least at
the time) likely wasn't providing him with thorough protection from the
feedback of the upgraded gauntlets (Schultz cited nosebleeds as a risk
he was willing to take).
Television
Shocker appeared in
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends voiced by John Stephenson in the
episode "Along
Came Spidey" which also features the origin of Spider-Man.
In Spider-Man: The Animated Series, the Shocker is villain usually hired
by the Kingpin.
In his first appearance in The
Alien Costume saga, the Kingpin, worried that Eddie Brock would reveal
his real occupation as a crime lord, hired the Shocker to eliminate him.
In this series, the Shocker was recommended to the Kingpin by Alistair
Smythe, who also designed the Shocker's suit. However, due to the
arrival of a black-costumed Spider-Man, Brock escaped, and Spider-Man
followed Shocker back to his hideout, where he stole back the Prometheum
X (stolen by the Rhino in the previous episode). Hired again to retrieve
it, Shocker kidnapped a hospitalized John Jameson and demanded that his
father, J. Jonah Jameson, bring him both Spider-Man and the Prometheum
X. Meeting in a church tower, John was handed over safely, but after the
Jamesons left, a battle ensued between Shocker and Spider-Man. Despite
Shocker's initial confidence, Spider-Man gained the upper hand,
destroyed his shocking weapons, and driven over the edge by his black
alien symbiote, nearly killed him before coming to his senses and saving
him from a lethal fall. In the third and final episode of the saga,
Shocker (along with Rhino) was hired one more time to kill Spider-Man.
The pair nearly succeeded, but before they could finish him, Venom
attacked, wanting the kill for himself. It is unknown how Rhino and
Shocker got to jail, but in The Insidious Six two-parter, the Shocker
escaped, becoming a member of the Insidious Six, again scheming and
ultimately again failing to kill Spider-Man. In The Awakening, the
Shocker was hired yet again by the Kingpin to work with Dr. Herbert
Landon to kidnap a vampire Michael Morbius. They succeeded, but Morbius
escaped in the end with help from Spider-Man and the Black Cat. The
Shocker's last appearance was being an Insidious Six member in the Six
Forgotten Warriors saga. He was voiced by Jim Cummings.
Appearances in the Show:
The Alien Costume Part Two and Part Three
The Insidious Six
Battle of the Insidious Six
The Awakening
Six Forgotten Warriors
Unclaimed Legacy
Secrets of the Six
The Six Fight Again
The Price of Heroism
Video games
The Shocker is the only super-villain to be fought in four of the five
recent Spider-Man games; Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro, Spider-Man: The
Movie, Spider-Man 2 and Ultimate Spider-Man. A code in Spider-Man allows
you to play as Spidey, wearing the Shocker's suit.
Android replicas of the Shocker appears repeatedly in Spider-Man/X-Men:
Arcade's Revenge as mini-bosses during Spider-Man levels.
In Spider-Man: The Movie the Shocker is initially allied with the
Vulture, but betrays him after he is defeated by Spider-Man in a fight,
refusing to allow Vulture his share of the loot when the Shocker can't
have it. The Shocker returns in Spider-Man 2, having gained access to an
experimental space propulsion system that enhances his powers, but he is
defeated by Spider-Man and the Black Cat.
In Ultimate Spider-Man, Shocker is only a minor villain who occasionally
crops up attempting to rob banks; .
The Shocker is a minor boss in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. He is also a
member of Doctor Doom's Masters of Evil.
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