MONSTER MAKER

Real Name: Baron Ludwig von Shtupf

Identity/Class: Human technology user

Occupation: Mad scientist, would-be world conqueror

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: His henchmen (at least five, none identified)

Enemies: Frankenstein Monster, Judith Klemmer, Man-Wolf (John Jameson), S.H.I.E.L.D. (Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division), Spider-Man (Peter Parker)

Known Relatives: His mommy (unidentified)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: His castle, somewhere in the Balkans

First Appearance: Marvel Team-Up I#36 (August, 1975)

Powers/Abilities: Having no paranormal powers of his own, Baron von Shtupf had a castle equipped with all sorts of advanced weaponry and equipment, including a teleporter, a laser dissector, and an energy blaster rifle capable of dropping both Spider-Man and the Frankenstein Monster with one shot--he may have designed and built these himself, or possibly acquired them from someone else (see comments).

He usually wore a monocle over his right eye, and was also a complete nut-job. 

Height: Unrevealed (6'; by approximation)
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown

History:
Listen Well--TO THE MASTER PLAN of BARON LUDWIG von SHTUPF!

"I called myself the Monster Maker, and such I intend to be. With the aid of my dissector, I will break the two of you down (Spidey and Frankie, that is)--so that I can learn how you are constructed, and how you gained your unique powers. Then, through the aegis of my incredible brilliance, I will create an army of monsters--creatures possessing the strength of Frankenstein's Monster--the agility of Spider-Man--and the fearful appearance of--the Man-Wolf! (see comments) Using these creatures >sob<, I will have my revenge on a cruel and uncaring world >sniffle<--a world which will pay for mocking my genius!"

(Marvel Team-Up I#36 (fb) - BTS) - Apparently independently wealthy or something, Baron Ludwig von Shtupf equipped his castle with advanced equipment, and also hired a small group of henchmen. He formulated a scheme for creating an army of "monsters"--sub-humans with super-normal powers, who could withstand extremes of climate--with such an army, he would set out to enact his plan for world domination.. But having somehow learned of von Shtupf's scheme, S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury assigned agent Judith Klemmer to investigate.

(Marvel Team-Up I#36) - Von Shtupf teleported Spider-Man and the Frankenstein Monster to his castle, where the two found themselves restrained to tilted platforms. Standing before them, von Shtupf introduced himself, at which point Spidey kicked him in the gut, then broke himself and Frankie from the restraints and they escaped from the castle.

In the snow-covered terrain outside the fortress, Spidey and Frankie came upon a woman skier being menaced by von Shtupf's henchmen, so they saved her, after which she gassed the two. Shortly afterward, the two woke up inside a ski lodge, where the woman revealed herself as Judith Klemmer, Agent 324 of S.H.I.E.L.D. After she told them of von Shtupf's world-conquering scheme, all three headed back to the castle to stop the madman.

But by the time the three made their way inside his castle, von Shtupf had captured the Man-Wolf as well (see comments).

(Marvel Team-Up I#37) - The Man-Wolf attacked Spidey and Frankie, then abducted Klemmer and escaped with her by leaping out one of the windows; while Spidey and Frankie were distracted, von Shtupf blasted his two original captives with some kind of energy ray and recaptured them.

   While preparing to cut up Spider-Man and the Monster with his dissecting lasers, von Shtupf told them his plans, and then (like any good mad scientist) he left them unsupervised, certain that they'd never be able to escape; but surprisingly enough, they did escape. Spidey and Frankie found von Shtupf upstairs napping (literally), and Spidey webbed him up to his chair--von Shtupf was momentarily indignant before bursting into tears.

   While the Frankenstein Monster watched over the captured mad scientist, Spider-Man rescued Klemmer and brought in the injured and unconscious Man-Wolf.

   Afterward, a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents arrived in a helicopter and took the Man-Wolf and von Shtupf into custody--Klemmer requested for the Man-Wolf to be given the best care S.H.I.E.L.D. could provide, and Spider-Man recommended the same for the deranged von Shtupf.

   The eventual fate of Baron Ludwig von Shtupf remains unrevealed.

Comments:Created by Gerry Conway and Sal Buscema.

Von Shtupf... now that's comedy! They might as well have made him a member of a group called "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge"...go ask someone who knows a little yiddish (not your grandmother) if you still don't get it.

OK, here's what should happen: Von Shtupf breaks out of whatever nuthouse he's in, and decides to try again... only this time, he goes for something really powerful--the Chicken Cow;
Von Shtupf sneaks up on the sleeping Chtylok and blasts it with some stun ray. Half-awake, the Che-K'n-Kau reaches over and swats the annoyance ...leaving von Shtupf.......Shtupffed.

According to The Official Marvel Index to Marvel Team-Up#2, Man-Wolf's presence in this story chronologically takes place after his adventure in Other Realm (@ Marvel Premiere#45-46).

Considering that von Schtupf wanted to create an army of monsters by combining the attributes of Spidey, Frankie, and Man-Wolf, he'd  probably have to use genetic manipulation and cloning procedures... maybe he got the knowledge of these--and obtained his advanced technology--from Maelstrom.

Maybe von Shtupf was somehow associated with Dr. Walston Kraft, who also created an army of monster clones, and fought Spidey and Frankie as well.--Ron Fredricks

New and additional images by Ron Fredricks.

Profile by Snood. Expansion by Ron Fredricks.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Ludwig von Shtupf, the Monster Maker, has no known connection to:

Judith Klemmer has no known connections to:

laser dissector

A device in Ludwig von Shtupf's castle, it included a conveyor belt system and a row of six dissecting lasers.

Von Shtupf planned to use it to vivisect Spider-Man and the Frankenstein Monster into their component parts, which he would then examine to learn the secrets of their unique powers, so he could create his own army of super-powered monsters.

After activating the device, von Shtupf walked away to take a nap, leaving the two as they slowly advanced toward the deadly laser beams. But the Frankenstein Monster dug his hand through the conveyor belt and disabled the machinery beneath, causing the belt to stop moving. However, the metal restraining straps were too strong for either of them to break, so Spider-Man shot a strand of webbing at the nozzle of one of the lasers and tugged the web-line, thereby shifting the nozzle's aim so the laser cut his restraints. After setting himself free, Spider-Man then used a similar method to free the Monster.

--Marvel Team-Up I#37

Judith Klemmer

When she was four years old, Judith's father died in an industrial accident; feeling abandoned, she fought that feeling for the next twenty-six years and learned to take care of herself.

She eventually became a S.H.I.E.L.D. operative (Agent 324); director Nick Fury assigned her to go to Europe to investigate Baron Ludwig von Shtupf, a dangerous madman with a plan for world domination.

After checking into a room at a nearby ski lodge, she skied to the baron's castle in the Balkans, where she was attacked by some of his henchmen; but Spider-Man and the Frankenstein Monster intervened and fought off von Shtupf's thugs. Klemmer then used knockout gas on the two, then told them about von Shtupf's plans after they revived in her room at the lodge. She later joined with them and infiltrated the castle, but she was abducted by the Man-Wolf (John Jameson), who carried her off into the wilderness, while Spidey and the Monster were captured by von Shtupf.

Since Man-Wolf did not harm her, Judith believed he seemed to regard her as his mate, because he protected her from an attacking pack of wolves. She tricked the Man-Wolf by making him believe she was hungry, and when he went hunting for some food for her, she ran off. But Judith was once again surrounded by the wolf-pack; the Man-Wolf returned and once again fiercely fought off the beasts, but he was left badly injured and collapsed--Judith took pity on him because he had saved her.

After he and the Monster had defeated von Shtupf and his men, Spider-Man came along and took Judith and the unconscious Man-Wolf back to von Shtupf's castle.

Judith contacted a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, who arrived by helicopter and took von Shtupf and Man-Wolf into custody--Judith requested for the Man-Wolf to get the best care that S.H.I.E.L.D. doctors could give.

Agent Klemmer was a skilled skier, and she carried a spray can of knockout gas issued by S.H.I.E.L.D.

--Marvel Team-Up I#36 (36, 37

(Comments: More than likely, Judith got help from some of her fellow agents to transport the unconscious Spidey and the Monster back to the lodge. Maybe the Man-Wolf was attracted to Judith because she reminded him of Kristine Saunders, John Jameson's former girlfriend. And Carycomix once speculated that Judith Klemmer could have later returned and was working undercover as Mysteria [Winters]--this would seem to be unlikely, unless Klemmer was using an alternate cover-identity.)

images: (without ads)
Marvel Team-Up I#36, p5, pan2 (main image - Ludwig von Shtupf; henchmen [background])
Marvel Team-Up I#36, p5, pan4 (headshot - Ludwig von Shtupf)
Marvel Team-Up I#37, p4, pan5 (Ludwig von Shtupf holding energy blaster rifle)
Marvel Team-Up I#37, p12, pan7 (crying Ludwig von Shtupf webbed to chair; Frankenstein Monster, Spider-Man [right])
Marvel Team-Up I#37, p6, pan1 (von Shtupf envisions and describes his fiendish master plan)
Marvel Team-Up I#37, p5, pan1 (Frankenstein Monster and Spider-Man on conveyor belt; Ludwig von Shtupf [right])
Marvel Team-Up I#37, p11, pan1 (Spider-Man and Frankenstein Monster heading toward dissecting lasers)
Marvel Team-Up I#36, p12, pan3 (Judith Klemmer)
Marvel Team-Up I#37, p10, pan3 (Judith Klemmer)

Appearances:
Marvel Team-Up I#36-37 (August-September, 1975) - Gerry Conway (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)

First posted: 01/26/2002
Last updated: 06/07/2025

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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