BIG WHEEL
Real Name: Jackson Weele (legally changed from Axel Weele)
Identity/Class: Human technology user
Occupation: Criminal; former stunt driver, spokesperson, security guard, businessman
Group Membership: None; formerly Ghost Rider Assassination League (Blackout (Lilin), Deacon, Madcap, Orb, Scarecrow/Ebenezer Laughton, Trull, Vengeance/Kowalski), Vil-Anon (Armadillo/Antonio Rodriguez, Equinox/Terry Sorenson, Hypno-Hustler/Antoine Delsoin, Man-Bull/William Taurens, Schizoid Man/Chip Martin, others)
Affiliations: Chairman (Windsor Glastonbury), Cyclone (Pierre Fresson), Demolition Derby (Basil Mendelsohn), Elektro, Fly (Gardner Polley), Goldbug (Matthew Gilden), Ed Gross, the Hand, Home Wrecker (Matthew Mitchell), Hotshot (Abraham James), Human Computer (Conrad Turing), June Jitsu (June Hayashi), Kangaroo (Brian Hibbs), Larcenous Lil (Lilith Moll), Legal Eagle (Ralph G. Fake), MAULER (Brendan Doyle), Photoman (Vincent Charles), Printout Man (Windsor Babbage), Senor Suerte, Slayback (Greg Terraerton), Simon the Evil Swami, Tinkerer (Phineas Mason);
formerly Carla Townley
Enemies: Blob (Fred Dukes), F.E.A.S.T. (May Parker, others), Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze), Ghost Rider (Dan Ketch), Gravity (Greg Willis), Hellcat (Patsy Walker), Highwayman (Jefferson Hercules Archer), Iron Man (Tony Stark), Martin Li, Mercs for Money (Deadpool/"Wade Wilson," Foolkiller/Greg Salinger, Masacre, Slapstick/Steve Harmon, Solo/James Bourne, Stingray/Walter Newell, Terror), Network (Valerie Martin), Porcupine (Roger Gocking), Rocket Racer (Arthur Parks), Shocker (Herman Schultz), Spider-Boy (Bailey Briggs), Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew), Stilt-Man, Carla Townley
Known Relatives: Margaret Weele (ex-wife)
Aliases: Round Ravager of the Ring, Circular Crushing King, Dynamic Donut of Destruction
Base of Operations: Weeler Residence in Teaneck, New Jersey;
place of birth Sunnyside, New York
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man I#182 (July, 1978)
Powers/Abilities: Jackson Weele used the Big Wheel vehicle, which was a 15 ft. diameter heavy gauge steel construct with an inner cockpit. Twin molybdenum steel treads surround the circumference. Mounted on both sides of the wheel are hydraulic waldo arms, machine guns, and rocket launchers. The side mountings and the cockpit remain stationary while the wheel is in motion. He modified the vehicle on numerous occasions.
At one point he used a smaller, amphibian version.
After temporarily gaining super-genius intelligence he built a flying Big Wheel capable of controlling other vehicles through signal beams.
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 140 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Gray
History:
(Amazing Spider-Man I#182 (fb) - BTS) - Jackson Weele embezzled money from his own company, but kept records that could be used as evidence against him and potentially send Weele to prison for fifteen years. Weele hired the Rocket Racer for $10,000 to steal the papers.
(Amazing Spider-Man I#182) - The Rocket Racer delivered a suitcase filled with evidence to Weele, who quickly noticed that the Minerva Documents, the most damaging evidence against him, were missing. Rocket Racer mockingly called Weele Big Wheel and gleefully demanded another $10,000 for the Minerva Documents, which Weele rightfully called blackmail. Rocket Racer gave Weele until the next night to think it over.
Weele thought it over and decided to jump into the East River instead of facing prison time and losing his wife, but Rocket Racer stopped him because he still wanted to get paid by Weele. Rocket Racer gloated how Tinkerer's upgrades to his skateboard made it possible for him to get wherever Weele was hiding and that he would not let him die. Weele had three more hours to get the money for Rocket Racer, but after learning about the Tinkerer he had a different idea.
(Amazing Spider-Man I#183) - Weele went to the Tinkerer and paid him cash for something he could use to destroy the Rocket Racer. After learning that Rocket Racer mockingly called Weele the Big Wheel, Tinkerer took the money and decided to modify something he had been working on for another potential client. He promised to be finished by six that night.
(Amazing Spider-Man I#183 - BTS) - Weele picked up the Big Wheel and began his hunt for the Rocket Racer.
(Amazing Spider-Man I#183) - Big Wheel found Rocket Racer fighting Spider-Man outside Newhope Memorial Hospital and attacked. Rocket Racer fled through a parking lot, but Big Wheel ran over the cars to catch up with Rocket Racer, who hid around a corner and shot rockets at the Big Wheel, which exploded on Big Wheel's outer shell before they could reach Weele. Rocket Racer fled again, but was captured and webbed up by Spider-Man on a rooftop. Big Wheel rolled straight up the building and was going to crush Rocket Racer, but Spider-Man pulled him out of the way. Weele was unable to stop the Big Wheel's momentum and rolled off the rooftop into the Hudson River. Spider-Man jumped after the Big Wheel to save Weele, but soon gave up and assumed that Weele had drowned.
(Spider-Man Unlimited III#12 (fb)) - Weele survived in the watertight Big Wheel to his own surprise because he had never read the instruction manual.
He returned home and decided to take accountability for his crimes. His wife left him while Jackson went to prison where he tried his best not to get into trouble with people like Blob, who took his food.
(Spectacular Spider-Man III#21 (fb) - BTS) - Axel got a job as a security guard at the "The Rusty Nail." (see comments)
(Spider-Man: Secret of the Sinister Six novel) - He challenged Spider-Man to another forgettable battle following Ben Reilly's death, and was defeated in minutes.
(All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z#2 - Big Wheel) - Jackson recovered the Big Wheel (last seen in Wolverine II#149).
(Marvel Knights Spider-Man#6) - Jackson attended the auction in which the Venom symbiote was sold.
(Civil War: Battle Damage Report) - Rookie hero Network became the nemesis of Big Wheel.
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(Spider-Man Unlimited III#12 (fb)) - Weele went to prison again where he discovered Vil-Anon, a twelve-step program for reformed costumed criminals. He joined alongside Equinox, Man-Bull, Schizoid Man and Armadillo. (Spider-Man Unlimited III#12) - Big Wheel came to Spider-Man's aid against Stilt-Man, whom he grabbed with his vehicle's pincer. Stilt-Man easily got out, knocked Big Wheel over and Spider-Man almost got crushed while Stilt-Man escaped. Spider-Man pulled Jackson from the Big Wheel, got him his glasses from his glove compartment and confronted him. Jackson revealed what he had gone through the last few years and how he tried to make amends for his past crimes, including his attempt on Spider-Man's life. Jackson felt like such a failure because he got in Spider-Man's way that Spider-Man offered to take him along. They nearly stopped an ongoing bank heist until the third robber turned out to be Shocker. He hit Big Wheel with an electrical blast and Jackson lost control over the vehicle, running over several cars. Spider-Man managed to stop the Big Wheel and use it against Shocker by tipping it over and trapping Shocker beneath it. Spider-Man tried to convince Jackson that he had stopped a real super-villain, but Jackson knew that he once again did more harm than good and Spider-Man was the one that capture Shocker. When children cheered on the destruction caused by Big Wheel, Spider-Man suggested to him a new job. Jackson became part of a monster truck show in Madison Square Garden and loved the adulation he got from the packed crowd for destroying vehicles with the Big Wheel. He also became a spokesperson for Vil-Anon in prisons for costumed criminals. He inspired Hypno-Hustler to turn his life around. |
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(Spider-Woman V#5 (fb) - BTS) - At some point Weele started a relationship with Carla Townley.
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(Civil War: Front Line#8) - Big Wheel rode a smaller, amphibian version of his vehicle in the waters near New York City. |
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(Invincible Iron Man II#4) - Collector Ed Gross received part of Iron Man's original armor with a tracker inside from Tony Stark, who hoped it would be bought by Ezekiel Stane on the black market. Four days later Gross sold it to Jackson Weele in his home in Teaneck, New Jersey. Six days later Jackson sold it to the Tinkerer in the Diplomat Hotel in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Invincible Iron Man II#7) - Iron Man and Spider-Man went to Weele's home to confront him about his recent black market sale. Spider-Man insisted that Weele had turned around his life, but Iron Man assured him that he had not. As soon as Spider-Man rang the bell of Weele's house, Weele crashed through the garage door with the Big Wheel because he didn't want to go back to prison. Spider-Man and Iron Man worked together to catch Big Wheel. Iron Man pried Weele out of the Big Wheel to arrest him. |
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(Fin Fang Four Digital Comic#4) - Big Wheel was arrested and sent to the S-Wing alongside various other Spider-Man villains. Big Wheel played chess with new inmate Elektro, who inspired the other inmates of the S-Wing to try to escape prison. The prisoners were subdued by the guards with sedation foam. |
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(Ghost Rider VI#33 - BTS) - Deacon and Blackout considered him a possible agent in their fight against Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze). (Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z SC#1 - Big Wheel) - Blackout freed Jackson Weele from prison. (Ghost Riders: Heaven's on Fire#2 (fb) - BTS) - Big Wheel joined the Ghost Rider Assassination League. (Ghost Riders: Heaven's on Fire#2) - Big Wheel was present when Blackout, Deacon and Orb picked up Vengeance (Kowalski) as the last member of the group. (Ghost Riders: Heaven's on Fire#3) - Big Wheel ran over Johnny Blaze while he and his brother were on their way to a Heaven portal. The brothers turned into the Ghost Riders and hunted him down. Ketch used his chain to hang on to Big Wheel's left pincer while Blaze drove up a wall to overtake Big Wheel. Blaze was shot down and caught with Big Wheel's right pincer. He tossed both Ghost Riders down a bridge into the jungle were Trull was already waiting for them. Blaze's bike caught up to him and soon caught up with Big Wheel, who ran through the heavy machinery at a Roxxon quarry, endangering the workers. Ghost Rider destroyed the Big Wheel by driving right through it with his motorbike. Afterward he used his Penance Stare on Jackson to punish him. |
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(Spider-Man IV#11 (fb) - BTS) - Weele somehow managed to rebuild his corporation from nothing, but Martin Li bought it out from under him. (Spider-Man IV#11) - Seeking revenge against Li, Weele used a new Big Wheel to destroy his legacy and started by attacking the F.E.A.S.T. Center. Spider-Man and Spider-Boy worked together to stop him. Spider-Boy used a Magnetic Inverter invented by Spider-Man to stop the Big Wheel, but Spider-Boy screwed it up by mashing the button and increased the speed of the Big Wheel, which was fine with Weele because it meant more collateral damage. May Parker, who was in the process of evacuating the F.E.A.S.T. Center, was saved at the last second by Spider-Boy before Big Wheel could run her over. Big Wheel crashed into the F.E.A.S.T. Center and then triumphantly escaped. |
(Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt#1 - BTS) - Big Wheel caused heavy damage in Lower Manhattan. Firestar and Gravity were after him before he could hurt anyone else.
(Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt#6) - Firestar and Gravity finally caught up with Big Wheel. Gravity knocked him out and Jackson was arrested by the New York City police.
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(Spider-Woman V#5 - BTS) - Weele's longtime girlfriend Carla Townley went missing from her Upper East Side apartment on July 11th. He didn't report it... (Spider-Woman V#6 (fb) - BTS) - ...because he was ransomed to steal things for the supposed kidnappers to get Carla back. (Spider-Woman V#6) - Spider-Woman confronted Big Wheel in Queens after he stole two alpacas to sell them as a breeding pair. Spider-Woman told Weele that she knew what was going on and offered to help him find his girlfriend, but he kept pretending that he didn't know what she was talking about. Spider-Woman let the alpacas escape after she received a message on her phone that could help her more in her case. Weele ran after the alpacas. Weele, MAULER and Senor Suerte later confronted Porcupine on the street for talking to Spider-Woman. They were unaware that Porcupine was actually Spider-Woman posing as him in his costume and delivered her with the help of Cyclone, Goldbug and Kangaroo as that night's ransom to the supposed kidnappers. Kangaroo and MAULER tossed "Porcupine" into a subway for the supposed kidnappers to pick up. (The kidnappers were actually the costumed criminals' wives and girlfriends themselves, who lived together in the town of Moon Hollow as revealed in Spider-Woman V#7-8. Aside from Porcupine none of the other villains ever learned the truth, but Spider-Woman forced the women to stop their criminal activities, so the blackmailing stopped.) |
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SECRET WARS III HAPPENED
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(Deadpool & the Mercs for Money I#4) - The Mercs for Money protected the Recorder after it was caught by the Ozarks Kingpin during its transport in Highwayman's truck. Hand ninjas, Orb, Slayback and Big Wheel attacked the truck. Slapstick tried to take care of Big Wheel, but was run over. Orb's motorcycle crashed into Big Wheel, who fell off a cliff with his burning vehicle. |
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(Iron Man VI#16 (fb) - BTS) - Jackson Weele survived and was transferred to a hospital in New York City with traumatic injuries. He remained in a coma. (Iron Man VI#16) - Tony Stark, empowered with the Power Cosmic, shared his intellect with everyone in New York City, turning them into Star-level geniuses. Jackson awakened from his coma as a genius and had a brilliant idea that would solve all traffic jams in the city with quantum physics. He built a new Big Wheel vehicle that shot signal beams at cars to take control over them and order them into a super-computed algorithm with his Big Wheel's CPU. Because they didn't understand what he was trying to do at first, Iron Man and Hellcat tried to stop him. Iron Man had enough after Jackson shot Hellcat with an energy pistol and trapped him in an energy bubble. The god-like Iron Man disintegrated the Big Wheel, but Hellcat stopped him from harming Jackson because she finally understood that Jackson was actually trying to help. Tony and Hellcat still confronted the excited Jackson Weele, who caused a lot of chaos with his actions and never asked for permission to do it. Weele cowered in fear when Tony got mad at Hellcat for still doubting him. |
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Comments: Created by Marv Wolfman & Ross Andru.
Fin Fang Four Digital Comic#4 was published in print in Fin Fang Four Return! (July, 2009).
BTW I am pretty sure that something was done to the villains incarcerated in the S-Wing that temporarily aged them significantly.
Big Wheel received a one page profile as one of "Spider-Man's Forgotten Foes!" in Web of Spider-Man Annual I#3 (1987).
The Big Wheel was seen in the Reanimator's collection in Wolverine II#149 (April, 2000).
I really hate that Johnny Storm's throwaway comment from Spectacular Spider-Man III#21 was taken seriously. It screws up Jackson Weele's name and turns the bookish Jackson into a security guard.
The villain Overdrive also used an upgraded version of the Big Wheel or transformed another vehicle into the Big Wheel in Superior Spider-Man I#1 (March, 2013).
According to Dan Slott on Twitter: We've established that Bailey Briggs is 10 years old, and that he was (in his version of the timeline) active as Spider-Boy since he was 7. So he's only been Spider-Boy for 3 years of Marvel Time. In Spidey terms, we're placing that during the BIG TIME era.
Big Wheel received handbook profiles in All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z#2 (April, 2006) with subsequent reprints and updates in All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z HC#1 (April, 2008) and Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z SC#1 (November, 2011).
Profile by Markus Raymond.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Big Wheel should not be confused with:
images (without ads)
handbook image (main, ASM I#183, p14, pan4)
Amazing Spider-Man I#182, p5, pan3 (Jackson Weele)
Amazing Spider-Man I#183, p11, pan3 (head shot, with helmet)
Spider-Man Unlimited III#12, p5, pan3 (head shot)
Spider-Man Unlimited III#12, p11, pan2 (monster truck show)
Civil War: Front Line#8, p8, pan4 (amphibian Big Wheel)
Invincible Iron Man II#4, 15, pan3 (in garage)
Invincible Iron Man II#7, p16, pan4 (Big Wheel, caught by Spider-Man)
Fin Fang Four Digital Comic#4, p5, pan1 (aged)
Ghost Riders: Heaven's on Fire#3, p3, pan4 (running over Johnny Blaze)
Spider-Man IV#11, p19, pan2 (vs Spider-Man & Spider-Boy)
Spider-Woman V#6, p7, pan1 (full body with Big Wheel)
Deadpool & the Mercs for Money I#4, p4, pan3 (vs. Slapstick)
Iron Man IV#16, p15, pan4 (Big Wheel, genius version)
Iron Man IV#16, p18, pan3 (full body, genius)
Wolverine II#149, p6-7 (in Reanimator's collection)
Appearances:
Amazing Spider-Man I#182 (July, 1978) - Marv Wolfman (writer/editor), Ross Andru (pencils), Mike Esposito (inks)
Amazing Spider-Man I#183 (August, 1978) - Marv Wolfman (writer/editor), Ross Andru (pencils), Bob McLeod (inks)
Web of Spider-Man Annual I#3 (1987) - Roger Stern (writer), Jim Mooney (artist), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Spider-Man: Secret of the Sinister Six novel (March, 2002) - Adam-Troy Castro (writer)
Marvel Knights Spider-Man#6 (November, 2004) - Mark Millar (writer), Terry Dodson (pencils), Rachel Dodson (inks), Axel Alonso (editor)
Spectacular Spider-Man III#21 (January, 2005) - Paul Jenkins (writer), Talent Caldwell (pencils), Robert Campanella (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Spider-Man Unlimited III#12 (January, 2006) - Christos N. Gage (writer), Mike McKone (pencils), Larry Stucker (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Civil War: Front Line#8/1 (November, 2006) - Paul Jenkins (writer), Ramon Bachs (pencils), John Lucas (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Civil War: Battle Damage Report (2007) - Anthony Flamini (head writer/coordinator), Ronald Byrd (writer), Jeff Youngquist (editor)
Invincible Iron Man II#4 (October, 2008) - Matt Fraction (writer), Salvador Larroca (artist), Warren Simons (editor)
Invincible Iron Man II#7 (January, 2009) - Matt Fraction (writer), Salvador Larroca (artist), Warren Simons (editor)
Fin Fang Four Digital Comic#4 (January, 2009) - Scott Gray (writer), Roger Langridge (artist), John Barber (editor)
Ghost Rider VI#33 (May, 2009) - Jason Aaron (writer), Tony Moore (artist), Axel Alonso (editor)
Ghost Riders: Heaven's on Fire#2-3 (November-December, 2009) - Jason Aaron (writer), Roland Boschi (artist), Sebastian Girner (editor)
Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt#1 (July, 2011) - Sean McKeever (writer), Mike Norton (artist), Lauren Sankovitch (editor)
Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt#6 (December, 2011) - Sean McKeever (writer), Mike Norton (artist), Lauren Sankovitch (editor)
Spider-Woman V#5-6 (May-June, 2015) - Dennis Hopeless (writer), Javier Rodriguez (pencils), Álvaro López (inks), Nick Lowe (editor)
Deadpool & the Mercs for Money I#4 (July, 2016) - Cullen Bunn (writer), Salvador Espin (artist), Jordan D. White (editor)
Iron Man VI#16 (March, 2022) - Christopher Cantwell (writer), Julius Ohta (artist), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Spider-Man IV#11 (October, 2023) - Dan Slott (writer), Luciano Vecchio (artist), Nick Lowe (editor)
First Posted: 02/16/2024
Last updated: 02/16/2024
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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