LOOTER
LOOTER
Real Name: Norton G. Fester
Identity/Class: Mutated human
Occupation: Former crackpot; thief; would-be genius
Group Membership: None;
formerly Doctor Octopus' strike team (Aura & Override)
formerly Defenders imposters
Affiliations: Former agent of the android Zodiac's Libra and Sagittarius; former agent of Doctor Octopus (Carolyn Trainer)
Enemies: Defenders and "Defenders for a Day", Giant-Man (Bill Foster), Kris Keating, Roxxon, Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Spider-Man/Scarlet Spider (Ben Reilly), Joe Wade
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Meteor Man
Base of Operations: New York City
First Appearance: (cameo) Amazing Spider-Man I#35 (April, 1966); (actual appearance) Amazing Spider-Man I#36 (May, 1966)
Powers: Fester possesses superhuman strength enabling him to lift at least 10 tons, and likely closer to 20. He is also superhumanly durable. He derives his powers from certain meteors, and was able on one occasion to convert the energies of such meteors into microwave energy, and then feed their power into himself, causing him to grow to gigantic stature and gain much greater physical power.
The Looter occasionally uses a "dazzle gun" that produces an intense flash of light, allowing him to briefly blind an opponent. Fester has used a backpack-like device containing a rapidly inflating helium balloon capable of carrying about 400 lbs. aloft for short periods of time. The balloon has straps which can be used to control its angle of ascent somewhat, and its smooth surface prevents Spider-Man's webbing from adhering very well. On seperate occasions, Fester wielded a "Wave-Motion" gun (allegedly of his own invention0 which projected powerful energy bursts, and a "Meteor-Powered Gun," which did absolutely nothing.
As an operative of Carolyn Trainer, Fester used a cybernetically controlled headset that could override electronic locks in his immediate vicinity. Fester abandoned this device after leaving Trainer's employ. Fester also briefly wielded the weaponry of the Unicorn, Mauler, Trapster, Ringer, Shocker, and Stilt-Man.
Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 150 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
History:
(Amazing Spider-Man I#36) - Norton G. Fester was a crackpot who considered himself a brilliant scientist, despite having failed in high school science courses. Fester witnessed a meteor that fell in a field near his house, and recovered it, believing that it could somehow prove his bizarre theories. Unable to gain funding for his research from any source, Fester decided to chisel the meteor open. Fester released a pocket of mildly radioactive gases within the meteor, and passed out after breathing them. After he awoke, Fester discovered that he had gained superhuman strength from the incident, and soon decided to commit crimes in order to raise money for his research. Fester learned of a similar meteor at a museum, and determined to steal it in the belief that it could further augment his powers. Coincidentally, Peter Parker (secretly the costumed crimefighter Spider-Man) was present when Fester attempted to steal the meteor. As Spider-Man, Parker battled Fester, who fled without the meteor. A few nights later, Fester returned to the museum only to find Spider-Man waiting for him there. In battle with Spider-Man, Fester was knocked unconscious and captured by the police.
(Untold Tales of Spider-Man) - Fester was granted bail.
At 4:30 PM, Fester made his way into the Neville K. Trelyane Memorial Mineral Museum and knocked a person out with a hammer. He inhaled vapor from a meteor at the museum, reigniting his power. Retreating, he threw a motorcyle into a fuel truck. He began attacking power stations, fire hydrants, and public transportation facilities. Later he returned to a museum and went after the Wakanda Find, from the T'Kaing Crater, the largest single intact meteor ever recovered. He was thwared by Spider-Man.
(Marvel Team-Up I#33 (fb) ) - Fester spent months as a model prisoner, until he was placed with a cellmate who taunted him about his defeat and questioned why Fester had not used his powers to escape. Angered, Fester escaped in order to prove that he had superhuman powers, and adopted the new alias of Meteor Man.
(Marvel Team-Up I#33) - Learning that the museum meteor had been sold to Kyle Richmond, Fester broke into Richmond's penthouse apartment to steal it, only to run afoul of Richmond's costumed alter ego Nighthawk. Escaping after decking Richmond, Fester found himself in combat next with Spider-Man, whom he also surprised and overcame. Later, Nighthawk, deciding that Fester needed psychiatric help more than he needed a pounding, abandoned Spider-Man and the case.
(Marvel Team-Up I#34) - The Meteor Man ambushed and savagely beat Spider-Man, believing he had killed the hero. Meanwhile, Nighthawk's fellow Defender, the Valkyrie, learned of the case, and set off after the Meteor Man. With Spider-Man, she battled Fester at an antique shop. Fester managed to overcome them both and make his escape, but was soon attacked again. Valkyrie used her sword to puncture Fester's balloon, and he plunged to a rooftop, left unconscious by the fall.
(Defenders I#63 (BTS)-64) - Fester, again calling himself the Looter, joined a large group of supervillains organized by the Libra and Sagittarius of the android Zodiac. He was defeated along with many of his comrades when Hellcat's latent psycho-kinetic powers were unleashed, and was left on the floor in a subway station among various heroes and villains.
(Spectacular Spider-Man II#41) - Seeking to further increase his power, Fester (now using his Meteor Man alias) broke into a science exhibit at Empire State University, only to encounter both Spider-Man (who was then a student at ESU) and Bill Foster (who had then adopted the alias and powers of Giant-Man). Fester escaped them, and used his collected meteors and the stolen device to construct an energy converter that greatly augmented his powers, causing him to grow to tremendous height. Fester was besting Spider-Man and Giant-Man when his highly unstable power pack generated painful feedback and then exploded, seemingly killing him.
BTS - Fester survived the explosion, but his mind was still further addled by his experiences. He became a homeless alcoholic, living in the Forest Hills area of Queens.
(Web of Spider-Man#39) - Fester took to burgalry to finance his need for liquor, and robbed Nathan Lubensky, boyfriend of Aunt May. This attracted May's nephew Spider-Man, who failed to recognize Fester. His hatred triggered again, Fester donned his now-soiled Looter costume and battled Spider-Man near May's boarding house. Ultimately, Spider-Man easily trounced the Looter, who was taken into police custody.
(Amazing Spider-Man Annual#26/4) - Again free, Fester embarked on a crime spree, but was swiftly captured once again by Spider-Man, who took the opportunity to compare Fester to his more formidable opponents.
(Amazing Scarlet Spider#1) - Fester was eventually released from prison and was immediately contacted by Carolyn Trainer, who made Fester one of her superhuman operatives.
(Spectacular Scarlet Spider#1) - Fester practiced combat with his new wepaonry alongside Trainer's other recruits. Later, he assaulted a club owned by her rival, the crime boss Mr. Tso, but was opposed by Ben Reilly in his guise as the Scarlet Spider. Fester and his allies were nearly beaten by the Scarlet Spider, but Fester destroyed a load-bearing column in Tso’s club to distract the Scarlet Spider and give himelf and his allies the time to escape.
(Web of Scarlet Spider#2) - Dr. Octopus gave Looter and his team another chance and sent them to the zoo, where she was supposed to meet Jason Tso. Seward Trainer informed Scarlet Spider about the meeting and the villains got another shot against the hero, but one of Smythe’s Cyber-Slayers attacked Looter from behind when he had the Scarlet Spider at his mercy. Looter and his allies were defeated by Scarlet Spider and the Cyber-Slayers (controlled by Tso and A. Smythe) and were then arrested by the police.
(Spectacular Spider-Man II#236) - Looter took advantage of the chaos in Roxxon's Iron Rock facility and stole some super-weapons.
(Sensational Spider-Man#8 (fb) - BTS) - Using the former equipment of the Shocker, Looter stole a diamond.
(Amazing Spider-Man I#414 - BTS) - Looter used the former equipment of the Ringer to rob a jewelry store.
(Spider-Man I#71 - BTS) - Using the former equipment of the Trapster, Looter robbed a train.
(Spectacular Spider-Man II#237 - BTS) - Using the former equipment of the Stilt-Man, Looter stole something in a skyscraper.
(Sensational Spider-Man#8) - Fester returned to his earlier goal of discovering universal secrets and finance his "research" with the money he made with the crimes he had committed. Ben Reilly, who had taken on the identity of Spider-Man, investigated the thefts and battled Fester. Fester initially overcame and captured Reilly, who asked him why he hadn't simply stolen the meteor. Fester was unable to answer, and Reilly used the delay to break free and thrash him. However, after Fester was defeated, SHIELD agents collected both Fester and the unusual meteor he had obtained.
(Sensational Spider-Man#27) - Fester, again free, began burglarizing apartments. Tracked to his own rooms by Peter Parker (who had temporarily assumed a guise as the Hornet), Fester was again defeated. Even as Parker examined an odd meteor Fester had stolen, SHIELD agents again burst in and took Fester and his meteor into custody.
(Marvel Knights Spider-Man#6) - The Looter attended the auction in which the Venom symbiote was sold.
(Marvel Knights Spider-Man#12 - BTS?) - He may also have been present at the auction of the Scorpion suit.
Comments: Created by "Sturdy" Steve Ditko and Stan "the Man" Lee
One of Spider-Man's most unique foes, the Looter is just threatening enough not to be purely silly. Okay, he's still silly, but he deserves to appear more often anyhow. And there's something about him that makes me think he could battle the lesser Defenders again sometime.
Todd Dezago kept hinting in Sensational about the possible nature of Fester's stolen meteor, but nothing was ever really revealed.
Carycomix speculates: Maybe the meteors that empowered him were dormant eggs laid (outside a parasitized host) by a mutant Broodqueen. You know; as a new contribution to their ongoing part of...THE COCKROACH CONSPIRACY?
The Spacemen also got their powers from gases from meteor rocks. Could there be a connection?
--John Kaminski
Recently in Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man#5 the Looter appeard in a story that likely took place in an alternate reality. In this story Looter was beaten up by Spider-Man during an attempt to steal a meteor from a science exhibit at Empire State University. Its similar to Spectacular Spider-Man II#41, but Looter was called Meteor Man at that point and he fought Spider-Man and Goliath (Foster) in that story and got away with the meteor.
--Markus Raymond
Per Degaton provided the info for the Untold Tales of Spider-Man novel.
Profile by Omar Karindu
Updated by Markus Raymond (Web of Scarlet Spider)
Clarifications:
Looter, aka Meteor Man is not to be confused with:
images: (without ads)
Amazing Spider-Man I#36, Cover (Looter body shot)
Amazing Spider-Man I#36, p17, pan3 (Looter flies away)
Amazing Spider-Man I#36, p2, pan3 (Norton finds the meteor)
Spectacular Spider-Man I#41, p15, pan1 (giant Meteor Man)
Web of Spider-Man#39, p8, pan4 (Norton the bum)
Spectacular Scarlet Spider#1, p1, pan1 (Looter's return)
Appearances:
Amazing Spider-Man I#35-36 (April-May, 1966) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Steve Ditko (artist/plot)
Marvel Team-Up I#33-34 (May-June, 1975) - Gerry Conway (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks), Len Wein (editor)
Defenders I#63-64 (September-October, 1978) - David Kraft (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Jim Mooney (#63) & Don Perlin (#64) (inks), Jim Shooter (editor)
Spectacular Spider-Man II#41 (April, 1980) - Tom DeFalco (writer), Jim Mooney (pencils/inks), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Web of Spider-Man#39 (June, 1988) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Alex Saviuk (pencils), Keith Williams (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Amazing Spider-Man Annual#26 (1992) - Tom Brevoort & Mike Kanterovich (writer), Aaron Lopresti (pencils/inks), Danny Fingeroth (editor)
Amazing Scarlet Spider#1 (November, 1995) - Tom DeFalco & Mike Lackey (writer), Mark Bagley (pencils), Larry Mahlstedth (inks), Bob Budiansky (editor)
Spectacular Scarlet Spider#1 (November, 1995) - Todd DeZago (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Jimmy Palmiotti (inks), Eric Fein (editor)
Web of Scarlet Spider#2 (December, 1995) - Tom DeFalco & Todd DeZago (writer), Tom Morgan (pencils), Randy Emberlin, Herctor Collazo & Don Hudson (inks), Eric Fein
Spectacular Spider-Man II#236 (July, 1996) - Todd DeZago (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), John Stanisci (inks), Ralph Maccio (editor)
Amazing Spider-Man I#414 (August, 1996) - Tom DeFalco (writer), Mark Bagley (pencils), Larry Mahlstedt (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Spider-Man I#71 (August, 1996) - Howard Mackie (writer), John Romita Jr. (pencils), Al Williamson (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Spectacular Spider-Man II#237 (August, 1996) - Todd DeZago (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), John Stanisci (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Sensational Spider-Man I#8 (September, 1996) - Todd DeZago (writer), Mike Wieringo (pencils), Rich Case (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Untold Tales of Spider-Man (October, 1997) - Pierce Askegren & John Garcia (writers), Stan Lee & Kurt Busiek (editors)
Sensational Spider-Man I#27 (May, 1998) - Todd DeZago & Mike Wieringo (writer), Mike Wieringo (pencils), Rich Case (inks), Bob Harras, Ralph Macchio (editor)
Marvel Knights: Spider-Man#6 (November, 2004) - Mark Millar (writer), Frank Cho (pencils/inks), Warren Simons & Axel Alonso (editor)
Last updated: 03/10/11
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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