History:
ANDREW PAUNCHOLITO
Real Name: Andrew "Andy" Pauncholito
Identity/Class: Human
Occupation: Retired newspaper journalist
Group Membership: Staff of the Daily Bugle
Affiliations: J. Jonah Jameson, the Mad Thinker's Intellectual Robots, "Pup", Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff), Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Vision
(formerly) Bob Rubens
Enemies: Alpha, Sheriff Frame, Necrodamus, Bob Rubens
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Victor (see comments)
Base of Operations: Manhattan, New York, USA
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man I#223 (December, 1981)
Powers/Abilities: Andrew Pauncholito is an experienced journalist with keen powers of deduction.
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'10")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 165 lbs.)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Gray
History:
(Amazing Spider-Man I#223 (fb) - BTS) - Mr. Pauncholito had been a reporter at the Daily Bugle for 30 years.
(Marvel Team-Up I#129 (fb) - BTS) - When Bob Rubens was a beat police officer in Manhattan he became friends with Mr. Pauncholito and helped him get the jump on a number of stories.
(Amazing Spider-Man I#223) - When photographer Peter Parker came to Mr. Pauncholito at his desk at the Daily Bugle and asked him if he knew anything about a monkey which could change its shape, Mr. Pauncholito pulled out a file on the Red Ghost and his Super-Apes and shared it with him.
(Marvel Team-Up I#129) - Mr. Pauncholito requested Peter Parker accompany him on an assignment to the town of Rain, New Hampshire, where there had been reports of a maniac lurking in the shadows with a big knife, terrorizing the residents. Peter was flattered that Mr. Pauncholito asked him to be his photographer and he confided to Peter he was going to retire in a few months but wanted to go out with the biggest story of his career. Bob Ruebens had transferred to Rain and was the one who alerted Andy to the story. Bob showed Peter and Andy the suspect he'd arrested, unaware it was a robot the Mad Thinker had build as a replica of author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. When Bob's superior Sheriff Frame caught them in the cells he ordered Peter and Andy leave the jail immediately, accusing them of being "smug, slick, New York know-it-alls." As they left the jail, Andy confided to Peter he thought the man in the cell was innocent of murder.
As Andy and Peter considered the case, Andy suddenly realized the man in the cell was an exact double of Fyodor Dostoyevsky; as he happened to have brought a copy of Dostoyevsky's novel 'The Idiot,' Andy showed the author's portrait to Peter to convince him. Just then, they heard a commotion in the town as the robot Dostoyevsky had escaped his cell and Sheriff Frame was building a posse to pursue him. Andy and Peter asked to accompany him but the sheriff remained very dismissive of the two reporters. As they joined the posse, Bob told Andy about a nearby town called Morgan's Wood that was supposed to he haunted; while they chatted, Peter slipped away to assume his identity as Spider-Man.
The posse reached the abandoned town Ponder, where the Mad Thinker's robots resided and were making an alliance with the hero Vision. Andy tried to stop the posse from assaulting the robots but they began opening fire on them. The robots summoned their protector, Alpha, who nearly smashed Andy, but Spider-Man rescued him. When Bob began ranting at the robots, telling them to kill people, Andy quickly surmised Bob was the maniac who had been killing people in Rain. Bob drew a knife and threatened to cut Andy's throat. Spider-Man tried to reason with Bob but had to fight the android Alpha at the same time and was ultimately knocked out. However, the Vision came up behind Bob and stunned him before he could stab Andy. The Mad Thinker's robots returned to Ponder while Sheriff Frame arrested Bob.
(Marvel Team-Up I#130) - When Spider-Man revived from his fight with Alpha he groggily referred to Mr. Pauncholito by name. Andy pointed out he'd never shared his name with him. Spider-Man claimed he kept track of all the Daily Bugle reporters because of the "hatchet jobs" the papers had done to him over the years, but Andy observed he'd never stooped to the sort of "yellow journalism" Spider-Man was describing. As Spider-Man insisted he had to leave, Andy told him that if he happened to see Peter Parker he should let him know he had a story so big he could retire in style; Spider-Man realized Andy had surmised his secret identity.
Suddenly, lightning struck the ground near the Vision and Spider-Man pulled Andy to safety as an image of the sorcerer Necrodamus appeared in the sky, informing the Vision he'd captured his wife, the Scarlet Witch and wanted the Vision to surrender himself to serve as Necrodamus new physical body. Andy and Spider-Man both warned the Vision to not trust Necrodamus but he agreed to the bargain. Spider-Man fought the possessed Vision but was defeated and the Vision/Necrodamus fled. When Spider-Man and the Scarlet Witch both revived, Andy directed them after Necrodamus.
Andy drove Spider-Man and the Scarlet Witch into Concord, New Hampshire, where Necrodamus was using the Vision's body to engage in a rampage. As the two costumed heroes fought Necrodamus, Andy saw a dog was in danger from some falling debris. Andy realized that although he'd lived most of his life without letting himself get close to too many people, he couldn't bear to see the dog injured and risked his life to save it. When Necrodamus tried to kill the Scarlet Witch but couldn't, Andy told him it was because the Vision was still inside, was resisting him and would eventually beat him. Necrodamus left the Vision's body and entered the nearest living thing, which happened to be the dog Andy had just saved. But afer just a few moments inside the animal's body, Necrodamus refused to remain, choosing oblivion rather than viewing life through the eyes of an animal.
Andy returned to Manhattan with the dog he'd saved. When Peter visited his apartment, Andy informed him he'd decided to take the vacation the Daily Bugle owed him, then take an early retirement. Andy had filed his last stories -- one about Bob Rubens in Rain and one about the fight with Necrodamus in Concord. When Peter asked him about his "big story," Andy said that "supposing" he did have a big story -- such as the true identity of Spider-Man -- having seen Spider-Man up close and recognizing him as a "brave, tireless, selfless young man. A real, honest-to-God hero," Andy realized the world needed heroes more than he needed a Pulitzer Prize. Andy offered to buy Peter a beer before he left on vacation but Peter replied, "this one's on me." Andy left his apartment with his "Pup" and Peter, walking arm in arm.
Comments: Created by Denny O'Neil, J. M. DeMatteis, John Romita Jr. and Al Milgrom.
His first name was revealed in Marvel Team-Up I#129. The Spider-Man: Back in Black Handbook mistakenly named him "Victor" Pauncholito.
Profile by Prime Eternal.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Andrew Pauncholito should not be confused with:
The dog referred to only as "Pup" was wandering the streets of Concord, New Hampshire when it was nearly crushed by falling debris from Spider-Man's fight with the Vision while he was possessed by Necrodamus. Andy Pauncholito rescued "pup" from being crushed. After Necrodamus was driven out of the Vision he entered the pup's body because it was the nearest living thing but after just a few moments he left pup's form, declaring he'd rather choose oblivion than view life through the eyes of an animal. Andy adopted "Pup" and brought pup back with him to Manhattan, then carried him along as he set out on his vacation and retirement.
--Marvel Team-Up I#130
images: (without ads)
Marvel Team-Up I#130, page 17, panel 6 (main)
Marvel Team-Up I#130, page 22, panel 5 (face)
Marvel Team-Up I#130, page 20, panel 10 ("pup")
Appearances:
Amazing Spider-Man I#223 (December, 1981) - Denny O'Neil (plot), J. M. DeMatteis (script), John Romita Jr. (penciler), Al Milgrom (inker), Tom DeFalco (editor)
Marvel Team-Up I#129 (May, 1983) - J. M. DeMatteis (writer), Kerry Gammill (penciler), Mike Esposito (inker), Tom DeFalco (editor)
Marvel Team-Up I#130 (June, 1983) - J. M. DeMatteis (writer), Sal Buscema (breakdowns), Mike Esposito (finishes), Tom DeFalco (editor)
First posted: 07/15/2026
Last updated:
07/15/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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