Characters : Silvermane

Background

The man born as Silvio Manfredi made a name for himself by developing new drugs and becoming an exceptionally ruthless dealer. No one was spared if he saw a way to make a profit or advance himself in the mafia, not even his friend, Rapier. He rose through the ranks of the Maggia, eventually becoming its leader. Manfredi has always been well connected in criminal circles, often working with (and sometimes against) other mafia super-criminals such as Hammerhead.

By age eighty, Silvermane was obsessed with staving off death; more particularly, he sought to regain his youth. To that end, he stole the Tablet of Time, an artifact of major power, and had Dr. Curtis Connors abducted in order to translate it. This marked the first time which Silvermane encountered Spider-Man. While Silvermane did succeed in becoming more youthful, he was a bit too successful: Silvermane de-aged from sight.

Turns out, Silvermane wasn't dead... he was actually reduced to one molecule, at which point he rebounded, regaining half of his original age. Soon after (Marvel time), Silvermane reappeared, in the guise of the Supreme Hydra. With Hydra, Silvermane warred against heroes such as Daredevil and his then-partner, the Black Widow. Silvermane's Hydra affiliation didn't last long, however, as he sought to return to power in the Maggia. Silvermane became a possible threat to the Green Goblin (Dr Barton Hamilton), who was attempting to become controller of all New York crime. Fated to lose this battle, Silvermane was dropped from mid-air by the Goblin, severely damaging his body.

Hooked up to a life support system, Silvermane was eventually tracked down by Cloak and Dagger, two runaways who discovered that Silvermane was the one responsible for the drug experiment that gave the two powers. Silvermane was killed by Dagger, but again, made sure his death wouldn't be permanent: his brain was saved, and transplanted into a cybernetic body.

Silvermane vowed revenge against Cloak and Dagger, and soon wound up in battle with them. However, while Silvermane's body was far stronger than before, his vital organs remained his original ones, and he quickly overexerted himself. Silvermane was again defeated, his artificial body rendered inert by Dagger's powers.

The Kingpin, hoping to use Silvermane as the perfect assassin, soon captured the "deceased" artificial body. This was likely partly revenge for Manfredi trying to assassinate Fisk when he was amnesiac. Reanimated, Silvermane promptly defeated his old foe Spider-Man.

Silvermane was able to track Dagger wherever she went, due to the connection brought about by her absorbing his life essence. Silvermane's status with the Kingpin didn't last long: a bath in Dagger's special light restored his consciousness, and he broke free, rising to power within the Maggia once again.

Silvermane was most recently seen at a Chicago summit of the Maggia organized by the Grim Reaper. The Avengers, alerted to the meeting by the Vision, fought against Silvermane and his associates; in the ensuing skirmish, Silvermane was apprehended.

Silvermane met his end after a battle with the Owl's gang. He was picked up by a magnet and dropped into a trash compactor. Manfredi seemed to appear some months later, along with other dead members of the Maggia. He led them against Mister Negative, who had declared war on the Karnelii and Maggia crime groups after using "Devil's Breath" to wipe many of them out. It was found out that Silvermane was still dead and the man leading the Maggia was a robot controlled by Mysterio, who had been hired by a Maggia member to impersonate their old boss.

Appears In...

Here is the Full Appearance List (34 Apps) for Silvermane.

By Jeremy Goldman (E-Mail)