Lightmaster
Encyclopedia
Lightmaster is a fictional character
, a supervillain
in the Marvel Comics
universe
.
. He was a physics professor and vice-chancellor of Empire State University
who turned to crime and became a criminal mastermind as a way to prevent budget cuts for higher education that would have negatively affected the university. As the Lightmaster, Lansky employed Kraven the Hunter
and the Tarantula
to help him kidnap several government officials of the city of New York who had initiated the budget cuts. The three were defeated by Spider-Man
, who foiled the plot. Spider-Man ran a current of electricity through the Lightmaster's body suit.
However, Spider-Man had inadvertently caused Lightmaster to become a being of unstable energy, dependent on constant exposure to light just to survive. Seeking revenge on Spider-Man, Lightmaster accidentally causes a blackout
in New York City, causing his own unstable body to dissipate into what he called a "light dimension." Lightmaster attempted to harness the powers of the mutant Dazzler
's powerful light source as a means to regain his physical form on Earth. However, he was driven back to his non-physical existence by Dazzler and Spider-Man. He again attempted to regain his physical form, this time by harnessing Quasar
's quantum bands and taking over Quasar's body. On this latter occasion, Lightmaster succeeded in returning himself to a normal physical existence, despite Spider-Man's interference.
Lightmaster was later released into the custody of Genetech
, who conducted experiments on him that made him more powerful, yet unstable. He was defeated by Cloak and Dagger
and taken back into custody by the Light Brigade.
, he had been hired by the "One World Church" to distribute the Façade Virus, which the OWC intended to use to turn everyone blue and thus eliminate racial divides. Cable subverted his control and instead turned everyone pink for two days, before publicly disabling the virus.
Lightmaster was present at the Bar With No Name in New York when lawyer Mallory Book confronted the present villains because nobody wanted to hire her anymore since her affair with Awesome Andy. Two-Gun Kid
beat everyone up when Batroc treated Mallory badly.
He appeared in Brand New Day
as one of the villains in the bar.
, Lightmaster appears as member of Hood
's crime syndicate and attacked a Skrull
force. He accompanies Hood and other associates when his crime syndicate attacks Mister Negative
; the dispute is that the man is in charge of all of Chinatown's criminal operations and resists handing them over to the Hood.
suit which utilized "gravity-pump circuitry" to allow him to manipulate photons for a variety of effects. With it, he could fly; emit blinding flashes of light; create semi-solid, low-mass constructs (similar to those a Green Lantern
might make with their Power Ring
); create concussive beams of force; or create ersatz brass knuckles
to increase the power of his punches. The suit could absorb fairly large amounts of electrical energy without damaging the wearer. A sufficient amount of energy caused the circuitry to overload and converted the mass of Lansky's body into unstable "living energy."
Dr. Lansky is a genius in the field of physics with a gifted intellect, and has a Ph.D. in physics.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
.
Fictional character biography
Edward Lansky was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He was a physics professor and vice-chancellor of Empire State University
Empire State University
Empire State University is a fictional university in the Marvel Comics Universe, a mixture of New York University and Columbia University . It is located somewhere in New York City, in Greenwich Village near the site of New York University...
who turned to crime and became a criminal mastermind as a way to prevent budget cuts for higher education that would have negatively affected the university. As the Lightmaster, Lansky employed Kraven the Hunter
Kraven the Hunter
Kraven the Hunter is a fictional character, a supervillain and enemy of Spider-Man appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Kraven's name is Sergei Kravinoff. He also appears as Xraven, with white-grey skin and red eyes, possessing the powers of X-Men. He is the half-brother of Dmitri...
and the Tarantula
Tarantula (Marvel Comics)
Tarantula is the alias of a number of fictional characters appearing in publications from Marvel Comics.-Clay Riley:The Tarantula is a Zorro-like western-era villain equipped with a scourge and has a mysterious Mexican accent. He first appears in Ghost Rider #2 . He is the leader of the villainous...
to help him kidnap several government officials of the city of New York who had initiated the budget cuts. The three were defeated by Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, who foiled the plot. Spider-Man ran a current of electricity through the Lightmaster's body suit.
However, Spider-Man had inadvertently caused Lightmaster to become a being of unstable energy, dependent on constant exposure to light just to survive. Seeking revenge on Spider-Man, Lightmaster accidentally causes a blackout
Power outage
A power outage is a short- or long-term loss of the electric power to an area.There are many causes of power failures in an electricity network...
in New York City, causing his own unstable body to dissipate into what he called a "light dimension." Lightmaster attempted to harness the powers of the mutant Dazzler
Dazzler
Dazzler is a Marvel Comics superheroine, associated with the X-Men. She first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #130 ....
's powerful light source as a means to regain his physical form on Earth. However, he was driven back to his non-physical existence by Dazzler and Spider-Man. He again attempted to regain his physical form, this time by harnessing Quasar
Quasar (comics)
Quasar is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the . He is one of Marvel's cosmic heroes, a character whose adventures frequently take him into outer space or other dimensions...
's quantum bands and taking over Quasar's body. On this latter occasion, Lightmaster succeeded in returning himself to a normal physical existence, despite Spider-Man's interference.
Lightmaster was later released into the custody of Genetech
Genetech
Genetech is a fictional corporation in the Marvel Comics universe. It is located in Sayville, Long Island in the state of New York.Genetech is involved in many scientific endeavors and appears as both an ally and an adversary of the superhuman team the New Warriors. Genetech should not be confused...
, who conducted experiments on him that made him more powerful, yet unstable. He was defeated by Cloak and Dagger
Cloak and Dagger (comics)
Cloak and Dagger are a fictional comic book superhero duo in the . They were created by writer William "Bill" Mantlo and designed by artist Edward Hannigan.-Publication history:...
and taken back into custody by the Light Brigade.
Everyone blue
In a fight with CableCable (comics)
Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
, he had been hired by the "One World Church" to distribute the Façade Virus, which the OWC intended to use to turn everyone blue and thus eliminate racial divides. Cable subverted his control and instead turned everyone pink for two days, before publicly disabling the virus.
Lightmaster was present at the Bar With No Name in New York when lawyer Mallory Book confronted the present villains because nobody wanted to hire her anymore since her affair with Awesome Andy. Two-Gun Kid
Two-Gun Kid
The Two-Gun Kid is a fictional character, a cowboy gunslinger in the Wild West of Marvel Comics' shared universe, the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:...
beat everyone up when Batroc treated Mallory badly.
He appeared in Brand New Day
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
"Brand New Day" is the title of a run of comic book storylines in The Amazing Spider-Man, published by Marvel Comics in 2008. It chronicles the start of Spider-Man's adventures in the aftermath of the big status quo change in the "One More Day" storyline, and continues afterwards into "Spider-Man:...
as one of the villains in the bar.
Joining with the Hood
In Secret InvasionSecret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008....
, Lightmaster appears as member of Hood
Hood (comics)
The Hood is a fictional character, a supervillain, and a crime boss in the . Created by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artists Kyle Hotz and Eric Powell, the character first appeared in The Hood #1 .-Publication history:...
's crime syndicate and attacked a Skrull
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
force. He accompanies Hood and other associates when his crime syndicate attacks Mister Negative
Mister Negative
Mister Negative is a fictional comic book supervillain, appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as an enemy of Spider-Man and the Punisher...
; the dispute is that the man is in charge of all of Chinatown's criminal operations and resists handing them over to the Hood.
Powers and abilities
Dr. Edward Lansky created a unique special body suit with a padded inner lining, a power armorPowered exoskeleton
A powered exoskeleton, also known as powered armor, or exoframe, is a powered mobile machine consisting primarily of an exoskeleton-like framework worn by a person and a power supply that supplies at least part of the activation-energy for limb movement.Powered exoskeletons are designed to assist...
suit which utilized "gravity-pump circuitry" to allow him to manipulate photons for a variety of effects. With it, he could fly; emit blinding flashes of light; create semi-solid, low-mass constructs (similar to those a Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
might make with their Power Ring
Power ring (weapon)
A power ring is a fictional object featured in comic book titles published by DC Comics. It first appeared in All-American Comics #16 .-Origin:...
); create concussive beams of force; or create ersatz brass knuckles
Brass knuckles
Brass knuckles, also sometimes called knuckles, knucks, brass knucks, or knuckledusters, are weapons used in hand-to-hand combat. Brass knuckles are pieces of metal, usually steel despite their name, shaped to fit around the knuckles...
to increase the power of his punches. The suit could absorb fairly large amounts of electrical energy without damaging the wearer. A sufficient amount of energy caused the circuitry to overload and converted the mass of Lansky's body into unstable "living energy."
Dr. Lansky is a genius in the field of physics with a gifted intellect, and has a Ph.D. in physics.
External links
- Spiderfan.org bio of Lightmaster (does not include his Cable & DeadpoolCable & DeadpoolCable & Deadpool was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics beginning in 2004. The title characters, Cable and Deadpool, shared the focus of the book. The series was launched following the cancellation of the characters' previous ongoing solo series. The book's mix of humor, action, and...
appearance).