The Shocker
Attributes
| Eyes: | Brown |
| Hair: | Brown |
| Height: | 5'9" |
| Weight: | 175 lbs |
Powers
| Abilities: | The Shocker is a gifted, and apparently self-taught, engineer who built his battle suit from scratch in a prison workshop. |
| Equipment: | The heavily-cushioned battle-suit is made to absorb the potentially-lethal vibrations generated by the Shocker's vibro-shock units. It can shake off Spider-Man's webbing. |
| Limitations: | The Shocker has had severe problems with self- doubt. |
| Strength Level: | Normal human strength |
| Weapons: | The vibro-shock units, once only built into a sheath that Schultz wore over his hands but currently built into his entire uniform, use high-pressure air blasts to cause powerful vibrations. |
Summary
| Citizenship: | U.S. |
| Created By: | |
| Current Groups: | Sinister Seven |
| Current Occupation: | Professional criminal |
| Education: | Unknown, but probably a high school education |
| Former Groups: | Masters of Evil. He played a peripheral part in the Deadly Foes of Spider-Man, but was not actually a member of the Beetle's little group |
| Known Allies: | The Masters of Evil, Baron Von Lundt, The Sinister Seven |
| Known Relatives: | Mr & Mrs Schultz (mentioned a few times, e.g. Deadly Foes) |
| Legal Status: | Known criminal record |
| Major Enemies: | Spider-Man |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Place of Birth: | New York, New York |
| Real Name: | Herman Schultz |
| Usual Bases: | New York City |
Background
"Origin"
Herman Schultz was a career criminal who built a machine in prison that created vibrations that could be strong enough to bring down a wall or shake a vault open. After using the machine to escape, he miniaturized the device to hand held size and made gauntlets out of them. The foam costume absorbed all vibrational feedback and the belt held a battery for a lifetime charge. In Schultz's debut as the Shocker, he was robbing a safe when Spider-Man felt the vibrations through a wall. Shocker escaped with the money, partly because of Spidey's injured arm, which he acquired after fighting the Lizard. Spider-Man caught up to him later at the Federal Reserve Bank and defeated him by webbing his thumbs so he couldn't press the vibration button on the gauntlet. (Amazing Spider-Man #46)
Next time, he stole a priceless tablet from Captain George Stacy at his home after the tablet had been taken back from the Kingpin. Shocker brought the tablet to a pawn shop to launder it before it could be sold to the highest bidder but the pawn shop owner refused to take it, because no one wanted to deal with an item connected to Spider-Man. Shocker blasts the owner and part of the store to escape. This less than subtle escape drew attention and Spider-Man went after him. Shocker escaped, mostly because Spider-Man tagged him with a spider tracer. Peter allowed him to escape because he wanted to see off Aunt May before she left for a Florida vacation. Spider-Man later found Schultz robbing an armored car and eventually webbed him up and took his wrist units. While Shocker went back to prison, the tablets were still un-recovered and eventually ended up with Silvermane.
”Skirmish Beneath the Streets”
Shocker stayed away for a good long time, not returning until shortly after Peter defeated the Jackal at Shea Stadium and disposed of the "dead" clone (Ben Reilly) down a smoke stack. Peter later found out that the Shocker had returned while at a party thrown by J. Jonah Jameson for Betty Brant and Ned Leeds. News broadcasts talked about a spreading blackout across New York, which eventually included the Jameson residence. Seeing that only selected streets were blacked out, Peter webbed a ride on a passing police helicopter, where he could see that the blacked out streets spelled SHOCKER. Realizing that the only way to cut the power is to cut the power lines under the street, Spider-Man made his way though the sewers. Fighting the Shocker caused a cave in and Spidey was buried in rubble and rising rain water. (Amazing Spider-Man #151)
”Shattered by the Shocker”
He was saved when the flood water washed out the blockage. Later, the mayor played a tape on TV from the Shocker, demanding one million dollars by midnight or else all of New York loses electricity. Checking the cities power plants, Spider-Man found an unconscious guard and deduced that Shocker was already inside. While Shocker nearly smashed Spidey through a wall, two guards distracted Shocker, allowing the wall crawler to escape. Shocker was then webbed to a ledge but escaped when the guards started shooting at Spider-Man, accusing him of working with Schultz. The vibro-suit triples Shocker's strength, allowing him to nearly throw Spidey into power turbines. Schultz turned up the power on the gauntlets, but Spidey webbed his thumbs to the gauntlets, not letting him turn the power off. Shocker was defeated after he bounced off the walls. (Amazing Spider-Man #152)
Schultz went on to force a wall street banker to manipulate the stock market, earning him one million dollars. (Defenders #64)
”Trial and Error!”
Shocker also teamed with The Masters of Evil, lead by Egghead. They attacked the trial of Hank Pym, framing him as their leader. Shocker was brainwashed by Egghead to take the fall for the caper. The Masters escaped the Avengers with Pym, leaving Shocker to “confess” the plan. The Masters were defeated by Hank. (Avengers #228)
”There, but For Fortune…”
He later accepted a contract to kill Dominic Fortune. Shocker found Fortune at JFK airport, on his way to Europe to find a women he once knew named Sabbath. Fortune shot Shocker, but the bullet bounces off. Some members of Baron Wolfgang Von Lundt's gang come to help Shocker kill Fortune. Naturally the bad guys end up arrested with Spider-Man's help. Lundt orders Schultz's home destroyed to cover up any evidence that they had met. (Web of Spider-Man #10)
”Shadows of Alarm”
As the Fantastic Four discussed the Superhuman Registration Act (it seems the Act had been considered in Congress long before Civil War) and the building was breached by Constrictor. He was beaten but left the Four confused, as they’d never dealt with him before. Later, the Baxter Building was attacked by the Beetle, an enemy that they hadn’t seen in years. Finally, Ben and Johnny defeated the Shocker, who they said was typically a Spider-Man enemy. Then they traveled to Washington to take part in a Congressional hearing. (Fantastic Four #334)
”With Greater Power…”
While teaming with Rhino and Hydro-Man would normally be a decent idea, it didn't do much when they faced off against a cosmically powered Spider-Man. Spidey also defeated the Brothers Grimm, Goliath and Titania. (Spectacular Spider-Man #158)
”Shocks”
He dealt with Spider-Man again at a celebrity fund raiser at Madison Square Garden, where he stole thousands in charity dollars. Peter and Mary Jane just happened to be there and Spider-Man beat him with near a concession stand with popcorn butter. When Shocker tried to blast Spidey, the buttery floor made him slide hard into a wall. (Amazing Spider-Man #335)
By now Schultz's self confidence was hovering near zero and he was having nightmares in prison about Spider-Man, the Punisher and the Scourge of the Underworld. It didnt help much when he saw Spidey taking a newly arrested Abner Jenkins (the Beetle) to his prison cell. The Sinister Syndicate (Rhino, Beetle, Hydro-Man, Speed Demon and Boomerang tried to break out Jenkins at that moment, and a stray sonic cannon blast shattered Schultz's prison wall. He promised Spider-Man that he had nothing to do with the Syndicate. Later, Wilson Fisk forces Shocker to break Boomerang out of prison (he got captured at some point) and deliver him. A woman named Leila was there to pick them up and she told them that she is the widow of The Ringer, another crook. She blamed Jenkins for her husbands death and Myer was all to glad to help the attractive woman. Schultz reluctantly agreed.
Schultz quickly lost is nerves and left the team, who is happy to see him go. He later was seen getting a cab and co-incidentally ran into Peter Parker. Spidey quickly defeated Shocker but the Scourge of the Underworld showed up and tried to kill Schultz. The bullet bounced off of him and he escaped by stealing a car, planning to leave for South America. He stopped first at a Manhattan security company to steal security codes for various people. Shocker still feared being found by the Scourge and decided to go after him first.
He showed up at the Daily Bugle records room and fought a splinter cell of the Wild Pack, Silver Sable's mercenary group that she allowed J. Jonah Jameson to keep as security. He escaped and headed to Moleed Labs to steal equipment to boost his vibro shock units. Spider-Man found him but was interrupted mid fight by May Parker, who arrived to talk Peter out of pursuing a dangerous story for the Bugle. Shocker used the distraction to get the equipment, which overloaded when he tried to use it. At a later time, Spider-Man found out that Shocker cant stop vibrating and will die without equipment that he had tried to steal from a vigilante called Night Thrasher. Thrasher lets them use the machine and Shocker is cured, then taken back to the Vault.
”Unholy Alliances”
He joined the Sinister Seven (Jason Macendale, Mysterio, Vulture, Scorpia, Electro and Beetle) in order to kill Kaine, who had been killing Spidey’s enemies. The group was saved by the Scarlet Spider. (Spider-Man Unlimited (vol. 1) #9)
”Who Did Spider-Man Murder?”
While Shocker is no push over, he still tends to prefer to work in teams than alone. Shocker joined an impromptu alliance with Jack O'Lantern (Steven Levins), Scorpia, Boomerang and Beetle to fight Ben Reilly, who was protecting the discarded clone skeleton found in a smoke stack. Shocker briefly captured the skeleton but was shot with a tranquilizer by The Pro, a non super powered assassin. (Spider-Man Unlimited (vol. 1) #12)
”The Span of Years”
After Ben Reilly was killed by Norman Osborn and Peter became Spider-Man again, Shocker intercepted a weakened Spidey (who had been bitten by Michael Morbius). Schultz didnt kill Spider-Man but scared him, telling him that something big was coming and he wanted Spidey to be alive to see it. Later, Peter and Mary Jane went out for dinner with Paul and Jill Stacy. Paul and Peter got on each others nerves and after Paul left, he was confronted by Schultz. Shocker tried to kill him but of course Paul was saved by Spider-Man and Schultz escaped. Paul went to the Brooklyn Bridge to think about his life, where Shocker caught up to him. Paul had been a member of the mutant hating group, Friends of Humanity, who had hired Shocker to kill their former member. He also wanted to collect on Osborn's reward for Spider-Man's arrest following Spidey's video taped assault on Osborn. Shocker knocked them both off of the Bridge and Spidey saved them, only to be attacked by Shocker's partner, The Trapster. (Peter Parker: Spider-Man (vol. 1) #86)
”Enemies…A Love Story?”
Spider-Man and Paul fled across the city to Empire State University to find a way to dissolve Trapster's glue, which was covering their hands. Shocker and Trapster flushed them out, only to be called off at the last moment by a phone call from the Friends of Humanity. On the other end of the phone call, a shadowy figure thanked the caller for his cooperation. (Peter Parker: Spider-Man (vol. 1) #87)
”Undercover”
Later, Peter gave up being Spider-Man and took on four other identities: Ricochet, Dusk, Prodigy and Hornet. (This was because too many thugs were taking shots at Spider-Man, due to Norman Osborn's reward for Spidey's capture.) As Dusk, Peter tracked down Trapster, when they are confronted by Schultz. Osborn had put a price on Trapster and had Shocker turn on his former partner. He gave them a run for their money but Dusk eventually beat Shocker. Trapster was impressed and agreed to help Dusk get Osborn. (Peter Parker: Spider-Man #91)
”Secret War”
The country of Latveria had come under the control of Lucia von Bardas, who had been supplying technology to various American super criminals. She had been seemingly killed after a strike on the capital but returned as a cyborg. She enlisted various technology based villains to help her avenge her defeat, including Shocker, Hobgoblin V, Scorpion and Doctor Octopus (Carolyn Trainer). (Secret War #4)
”Small Wake For a Tall Man”
Shocker survived an attack by the Punisher while he was attending Stilt Man's funeral. As the villains got drunk and began fighting each other, Masked Marauder threw up and realized they’d been poisoned. The Bar With No Name blew up as the Punisher walked away. Somehow there were no casualties. (Punisher: War Journal (vol. 2) #4)
”Just Another Manic Monday”
Schultz actually found legitimate work at Hammer Industries...until they were told that Hammer no longer pursued illegal activities and they were fired. Schultz and Bench went to a restaurant to bemoan their lives and Schultz said all he ever wanted to be was a bank robber but Spider-Man always got in the way. Bench suggested they kill Spider-Man to get respect but Shocker was only interested in making money. (Peter Parker: Spider-Man (vol. 2) #51)
”Everybody’s Working For the Weekend”
Eventually Bench won the argument and they robbed a bank by Hydro-Man filling the safety deposit boxes with water and Shocker super heating them, turning the water to steam, which popped open the boxes. Spider-Man noticed the commotion and intervened. Shocker tried to blast him but the gauntlets over heated and blew up, taking him out of the fight. (Peter Parker: Spider-Man (vol. 2) #52)
”Marvel Knights”
The Black Cat had been helping Spidey find his kidnapped Aunt May and got Shocker drunk to get information out of him. He only knew about the auction of the Venom symbiote. (Marvel Knights Spider-Man (vol. 1) #7)
After the Green Goblin had double crossed Spider-Man and Black Cat, they were surrounded by the Sinister Twelve. Electro hit her with a bolt as she tried to fight her way out. This infuriated Vulture, who wanted revenge for what she had done to his face. Shocker told him to take it out on Spider-Man. (Marvel Knights Spider-Man (vol. 1) #11)
"Unscheduled Stop"
Lately, he has worked as a hired gun. He caused a subway to be derailed under the East River in order to kill the passengers. The riders were made up of jurors for a trial that threatened to convict the Shocker's employer. Naturally, Peter Parker was a passenger on the train and managed to defeat Shocker, but not before the battle damaged the tunnel and threatened to flood it with river water. Peter later used the vibro-shock gauntlets to blast open the blockage in the tunnel, but Schultz escaped. (Amazing Spider-Man #578 & #579)
”Character Assassination”
While Shocker and Boomerang made their way to their bookie (they had come to collect their winnings on a Captain America/Batroc fight) they argued over politics. Boomerang was appalled that Shocker wasn’t going to vote in the mayoral election between Bill Hollister and Randall Crowne. Shocker replied that he hadn’t been keeping up with current events and didn’t care. Also, he was a super villain. Boomerang told him that thousands of people were fighting to protect democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq, so his refusal to vote was disrespectful. Shocker said he’d vote for whoever was softer on crime. They arrived at the bookie’s office to find him dead and anonymously called the police. (Amazing Spider-Man #584)
"Origin of the Species"
Shocker next worked for Doctor Octopus after Ock wanted to study the newborn child of Norman Osborn and Lily Hollister. Spider-Man quickly defeated Schultz and Tombstone, who had followed Menace on her glider to a restaurant where Peter, Harry Osborn, MJ and Carlie Cooper were eating. After dodging a super villain smorgasbord across NYC with the infant, Spider-Man was tricked by the Chameleon into thinking the child was dead. This sent the webspinner into a rage, hunting down anyone that he even suspected of being a part of Ock's plan. After taking out the support beam at a waterfront warehouse used as a hideout by Sandman, the Enforcers and Shocker, the bad guys were dumped into New York harbor. Schultz pleaded with Spider-Man to save him, as the vibration and the water would kill him. Spidey only agreed after he learned the location where Chameleon was hiding.
"Spider-Island"
Shocker later showed up during Spider-Island, when the Jackal and the Queen introduced a swarm of bedbugs into New York, infecting average citizens with a virus that gave them spider powers. Schultz was in the middle of a particularly gruesome stage of the mutation, having acquired four additional arms and four more insect eyes. He was robbing a bank to pay the Mad Thinker to turn him back to normal. He and the rest of Manhattan were changed back thanks to Spider-Man and Anti-Venom. (Amazing Spider-Man #669)
"Villains for Hire"
Soon after, Shocker started working for Zebediah Killgrave (aka, Purple Man) and his Villains for Hire. Killgrave was using his network of super criminals to become the next leader of organized crime. Schultz played his part by breaking into a municipal power station and deactivating three of New York's power grids. After a certain area of New York lost power, the other Villains (Avalanche, Head Hunter, Death Hunter and Scourge) robbed an armored car carrying evidence boxes. The robbery was interrupted by other villains (Bombshell, Crossfire and Tiger Shark) who were working for Photon. (Villains for Hire #1)
As the fight at the armored car continued, the object that both sides were looking for ($8 million worth of adamantium iso-chips) were grabbed by Speed Demon. Afterward, Head Hunter and Shocker met up with Tiger Shark and Bombshell to find out who their boss was and to try and persuade them to trade sides. Tiger Shark was unimpressed and tossed Shocker out a glass window, calling him "Spider-Man's punching bag."
"Superior Foes"
Shocker later teamed with a self named Sinister Six, to the outrage of the Superior Spider-Man. The Six (made up of Beetle II, Boomerang, Override, Living Brain and Speed Demon) were stealing weather control machinery but were easily defeated by new inventions created by the new Spider-Man, such as the power dampening field. The device shorted out Shocker's gauntlets, as well as Beetle's armor and Boomerang's....boomerangs. (Superior Spider-Man #1)
"Spiral"
After Mr. Negative managed to remove Hammerhead and Tombstone from power, a gang war erupted with the lower criminals trying to take over the imprisoned gangsters territory. Shocker teamed with Kangaroo (Hibbs), to rob an armored car. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 3) #19.1)
”Let’s Try Something New!”
Shocker had become part of a group called the “Boomerang Revenge Squad,” and had been a distraction for Spidey after he robbed a bank with Hydro-Man and Speed Demon. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 4) #61)
”Gold Goblin”
After Osborn’s sins had been removed by the Sin Eater, he gained a conscience. He wanted to make amends for his past crimes and rebranded himself as the Gold Goblin. He came across the Shocker one day and easily beat him down while thinking that he felt pretty good. (Gold Goblin #4)
After a robbery, Shocker was chased down by Spidey and Black Cat. She was trying to get her partner to lighten up but he wasn’t in a playful mood. After Shocker hit Spider-Man with a blast, Cat told him that she hadn’t tipped him off to the perfect score just so he could kill her boyfriend. Shocker was indignant that she had set him up and tried to blast both of them but his gauntlets fell off his hands. Felicia admitted that she had sabotaged his gauntlets when she whispered to him. He screamed that they were both going to die, when Spidey knocked him out. He was still angry after Ms. Marvel had died in his arms. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 6) #27)
Appearances
Thanks To
The assistance of the Marvel Chronology Project is gratefully acknowledged.
Some of the above information is extracted from the various versions of the Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe and the more recent Marvel Encyclopaedias.