PHOTON

Real Name: Jason Dean

Identity/Class: Human, advanced technology user

Occupation: Criminal, Businessman

Group Membership: Maggia

Affiliations: Harry Daze, Franklin Risk

Enemies: Nova (Richard Rider), Spider-Man, Dr. Ralph Rider, Manners, Captain James Steele

Known Relatives: Unknown

Aliases: Unknown

Base of Operations: Wantagh Point, Long Island

First Appearance: Nova I#12 (August, 1977)

Powers: Photon wears a bio-costume to amplify his natural abilities, giving him the strength of 15 men. His photon gun is able to fire lasers that can melt large holes in walls, or it can project dazzling bursts of light that can stun others into unconsciousness.

History: Jason Dean was an agent of the Maggia, the national crime syndicate (which branch is unknown). He was given the costume and gun by them and sent to assure that they would obtain a Transistorized Nuclear Device from its inventor, Dr. Ralph Rider (who was also Nova's cousin).

(Nova I#12) - Along with Franklin Risk and Harry Daze, Dean came to Rider's house to bid on the Device. He vanished as Dean and reappeared as Photon, and then killed Doctor Ralph Rider. As Jason Dean, he called the police about the murder, feigning innocence. When Rider's butler, Manners, appeared to have information about the killer's identity, Dean and the other suspects all vanished, and Photon reappeared. Despite the efforts of Nova and Spider-Man, Photon killed Manners, and then escaped. All of the suspects returned, but as Officer Steele began to narrow down the killer's identity, Franklin Risk knocked out the lights, and Risk, Daze, and Dean fled, hoping to split the profits from the device three ways.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#171) - The three traveled to the AIM headquarters in Manhattan, but were followed by Spider-Man and Nova. Photon knocked both Spider-Man and Nova unconscious with his photon gun. Photon sent AIM to dispose of the heroes and (following the rules of Stupid Super-Villain 101) AIM chose not to kill them outright, but set them up in a death-trap. Surprisingly enough, Spidey and Nova escaped, went back to the AIM HQ and defeated both Photon and the AIM agents. Photon was unmasked as Dean, but the heroes had already figured that out (see Comments).

Comments: Created by Marv Wolfman (writer) and Sal Buscema (penciler).

The whole story was set up as a big whodunnit, with the below cast of characters as the suspects:

Dr. Rider was a big fan of anagrams and other word games, and the major clue was that as he died, he pulled off the months July through December from the calender. Taking the first letter from each month you get J-A-S-O-N-D ... JASON D(ean).

I'm not quite sure why the death of Ralph Rider never really seemed to bother the normally responsibility-heavy Spider-Man. When Photon came bursting in, shouting his plans of killing Rider, Peter held back in order to hide his secret identity. He got knocked out, leaving Photon alone with Rider, whom he then murdered.

Profile by Peter Kroon and Snood.

Clarifications:
No known connections to:

• Photon, Monica Rambeau, the Avenger formerly known as Captain Marvel, @ Amazing Spider-Man Annual#16, Avengers Unplugged#5
• Photon of Earth-Guardians of the Galaxy, @ 3000 AD, a member of Force, @ Guardians of the Galaxy#3
• Photon, name taken by Genis-Vell @ New Thunderbolts#6
• Photon Beam Gun, weapon of Xandarian Starships @ Nova II#15
• Photon Disruptor, SHIELD I weapon @ Iron Man I#174