Sinister Syndicate
Encyclopedia
The Sinister Syndicate is a group of supervillain
s in the Marvel Comics
universe
, who serve as a collection of lesser-known Spider-Man
's villains. The original incarnation of the Sinister Syndicate was organized by The Beetle
and appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man
#280 (Sep 1986) and were the focus of the 1991 "Deadly Foes of Spider-Man" mini-series.
, the Sinister Syndicate originally was formed by the super-villain Abe Jenkins, aka "The Beetle". The original roster of the group consisted of Beetle, Hydro-Man, Rhino, Boomerang, and Speed Demon, who collectively gathered together under the Beetle's leadership. Unlike the Sinister Six, which was formed mainly to destroy Spider-Man, the Syndicate was formed to act as a mercenary group that worked for the highest bidder.
Group's first appearance was in Amazing Spider-Man #280, where the group successfully prevented Spider-Man and Silver Sable
from capturing famed assassin Jason Macendale, then known as Jack O'Lantern.
and getaway driver/Boomerarng's girlfriend Leila Davis
, were the focus of the mini-series "Deadly Foes of Spider-Man." The mini-series focused upon the group's break-up due to the Beetle's jealousy towards Boomerang and his attempts to usurp control over the group. Beetle eventually betrayed Boomerang by allowing him to be caught during a robbery and then convincing him to use Beetle's lawyer, not knowing that Beetle had instructed his lawyer to throw the trial to ensure Boomerang's conviction.
As Beetle forges an alliance with the Kingpin, Speed Demon begins a relationship with Leila while Rhino locates a scientist who can remove his rhino-themed body-armor, which had been permanently bonded to his body at the time. The scientist however, owes the Kingpin a large sum of money in unpaid gambling debts, resulting in Beetle killing the scientists. As Shocker helps Boomerang escape jail, Leila betrays Speed Demon and reveals her true purpose for dating Boomerang and involving herself with the Syndicate: Leila was the widow of the super-villain Anthony Davis aka "The Ringer." The Ringer had been kidnapped years earlier by Beetle, who then strapped a (what was ultimately revealed to be fake) bomb to his chest, forcing him to fight Spider-Man. Beetle watched via a camera hidden inside "the bomb" in order for him to observe Spider-Man in action. When Spider-Man defeated the Ringer and exposed Beetle's scheme, Ringer was humiliated and branded a loser by his fellow villains, culminating in his being killed by the Scourge
. Leila sought to destroy Beetle in order to avenge her husband.
In the end, a massive showdown ensued between the members with Leila escaping with Boomerang and Rhino, while Beetle went to jail and his loyalist members Speed Demon and Hydro-Man made their own escapes.
had built for Jenkins for when he escaped prison. However, the suit would be Leila's doom, as the villain Graviton
crushed the suit with his gravity powers, killing Leila as a result.
When the series was revived in late 2004, Speed Demon ended up joining the Thunderbolts team. However, to his horror, he had discovered that his Sinister Syndicate friend Abe had truly gone legit and as such, came into constant conflict with Abe due to Speed Demon's utter lack of morals and willingness to sell-out his new teammates to the various evil forces that the group fought.
However, years later Boomerang would join the Thunderbolts; unlike with Speed Demon however, no mention has been made regarding Beetle's betrayal of Boomerang in the pages of Deadly Foes of Spider-Man.
half of the Syndicate (Hydro-Man, Shocker, and Boomerang) reunite and fight Spider-Man. The battle is interrupted by Komodo
and War Machine
. They are later apprehended by the Initiative's Scarlet Spiders.
The following is the known membership of the Sinister Syndicate:
. This ride is located in Islands of Adventure
, in Orlando
, Florida
. In the ride, the evil group steals the Statue of Liberty
with an anti-gravity
gun, and Spider-Man must stop them. The Syndicate is made up of Doctor Octopus
, Scream
, Electro, Hydro-Man
, and the Hobgoblin
.
Sinister Syndicate is also the generic name of affiliation in the Marvel
VS System
card game for Spider-Man
's various villains, as well as many of Spider-Man
's major foes in the Marvel Heroclix
game.
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...
s 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...
, who serve as a collection of lesser-known 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...
's villains. The original incarnation of the Sinister Syndicate was organized by The Beetle
Beetle (comics)
Abner Ronald Jenkins is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:...
and appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
#280 (Sep 1986) and were the focus of the 1991 "Deadly Foes of Spider-Man" mini-series.
Origins
Patterned after the conglomeration of Spider-Man's deadliest foes who call themselves the Sinister SixSinister Six
The Sinister Six are a group of supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe, drawn from Spider-Man's rogues gallery. The original incarnation of the group was organized by Doctor Octopus, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 ....
, the Sinister Syndicate originally was formed by the super-villain Abe Jenkins, aka "The Beetle". The original roster of the group consisted of Beetle, Hydro-Man, Rhino, Boomerang, and Speed Demon, who collectively gathered together under the Beetle's leadership. Unlike the Sinister Six, which was formed mainly to destroy Spider-Man, the Syndicate was formed to act as a mercenary group that worked for the highest bidder.
Group's first appearance was in Amazing Spider-Man #280, where the group successfully prevented Spider-Man and Silver Sable
Silver Sable
Silver Sable is a fictional character from Marvel Comics, a female mercenary, hunter of war criminals, the leader of the Wild Pack, and CEO of Silver Sable International...
from capturing famed assassin Jason Macendale, then known as Jack O'Lantern.
Deadly Foes of Spider-Man
The group, now featuring ShockerShocker (comics)
The Shocker or just Shocker is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #46 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Romita, Sr.-Fictional character biography:Herman Schultz was born in New York...
and getaway driver/Boomerarng's girlfriend Leila Davis
Leila Davis
Leila Davis is a fictional character, a comic book supervillainess and later costumed hero in the Marvel Comics universe. She first went by the name Hardshell and later as the second Beetle. She was primarily an enemy of Spider-Man and the original Beetle.-Fictional character biography:Leila is at...
, were the focus of the mini-series "Deadly Foes of Spider-Man." The mini-series focused upon the group's break-up due to the Beetle's jealousy towards Boomerang and his attempts to usurp control over the group. Beetle eventually betrayed Boomerang by allowing him to be caught during a robbery and then convincing him to use Beetle's lawyer, not knowing that Beetle had instructed his lawyer to throw the trial to ensure Boomerang's conviction.
As Beetle forges an alliance with the Kingpin, Speed Demon begins a relationship with Leila while Rhino locates a scientist who can remove his rhino-themed body-armor, which had been permanently bonded to his body at the time. The scientist however, owes the Kingpin a large sum of money in unpaid gambling debts, resulting in Beetle killing the scientists. As Shocker helps Boomerang escape jail, Leila betrays Speed Demon and reveals her true purpose for dating Boomerang and involving herself with the Syndicate: Leila was the widow of the super-villain Anthony Davis aka "The Ringer." The Ringer had been kidnapped years earlier by Beetle, who then strapped a (what was ultimately revealed to be fake) bomb to his chest, forcing him to fight Spider-Man. Beetle watched via a camera hidden inside "the bomb" in order for him to observe Spider-Man in action. When Spider-Man defeated the Ringer and exposed Beetle's scheme, Ringer was humiliated and branded a loser by his fellow villains, culminating in his being killed by the Scourge
Scourge of the Underworld
The Scourge of the Underworld is the name of a series of fictional characters that have appeared in various series set in the Marvel Comics universe....
. Leila sought to destroy Beetle in order to avenge her husband.
In the end, a massive showdown ensued between the members with Leila escaping with Boomerang and Rhino, while Beetle went to jail and his loyalist members Speed Demon and Hydro-Man made their own escapes.
Thunderbolts
Beetle would go on to join the Thunderbolts, assuming the alias Mach-1. However his act of murder from "Deadly Foes of Spider-Man" would cripple the group's attempts to go legit once Beetle and his new teammates broke free from Baron Zemo's control. Beetle would be forced to surrender himself to authorities and plead guilty to murder. Meanwhile Leila Davis would resurface as the new "Beetle", piloting a massive mecha-suit that Justin HammerJustin Hammer
Justin Hammer is a fictional character that has appeared in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics. As a frequent adversary of the superhero Iron Man, Justin Hammer exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe...
had built for Jenkins for when he escaped prison. However, the suit would be Leila's doom, as the villain Graviton
Graviton (comics)
Graviton is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Avengers #158 and was created by Jim Shooter and Sal Buscema....
crushed the suit with his gravity powers, killing Leila as a result.
When the series was revived in late 2004, Speed Demon ended up joining the Thunderbolts team. However, to his horror, he had discovered that his Sinister Syndicate friend Abe had truly gone legit and as such, came into constant conflict with Abe due to Speed Demon's utter lack of morals and willingness to sell-out his new teammates to the various evil forces that the group fought.
However, years later Boomerang would join the Thunderbolts; unlike with Speed Demon however, no mention has been made regarding Beetle's betrayal of Boomerang in the pages of Deadly Foes of Spider-Man.
The return of the Sinister Syndicate?
Recently, in Avengers: The InitiativeAvengers: The Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series from Marvel Comics. Written by Dan Slott and Christos Gage with artwork initially by Stefano Caselli, Steve Uy and Harvey Tolibao, the series dealt with the aftermath of Marvel's Civil War crossover Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series...
half of the Syndicate (Hydro-Man, Shocker, and Boomerang) reunite and fight Spider-Man. The battle is interrupted by Komodo
Komodo (comics)
Komodo is the name of two fictional characters in the Marvel Comics Universe.-New Men:The first Komodo is one of the New Men, creatures evolved by the High Evolutionary from a lizard. He accompanied the Ani-Men on their clean-up mission at the Jackal's laboratory and fought the Scarlet Spider...
and War Machine
War Machine
War Machine is a fictional character, a comic book superhero appearing in comic books set in the Marvel Comics universe. The character of James Rhodes first appeared in Iron Man #118 by David Michelinie, John Byrne and Bob Layton...
. They are later apprehended by the Initiative's Scarlet Spiders.
Sinister Syndicate membership
- The Beetle (Leader)
- BoomerangBoomerang (comics)Boomerang is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe and first appeared in Tales to Astonish #81....
- Hydro-ManHydro-ManHydro-Man, also spelled Hydro Man , is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics...
- RhinoRhino (comics)The Rhino is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Romita, Sr., the character first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #41 The Rhino (Aleksei Mikhailovich Sytsevich) is a fictional character that appears in comic...
- Speed Demon
- Leila DavisLeila DavisLeila Davis is a fictional character, a comic book supervillainess and later costumed hero in the Marvel Comics universe. She first went by the name Hardshell and later as the second Beetle. She was primarily an enemy of Spider-Man and the original Beetle.-Fictional character biography:Leila is at...
(Driver) - ShockerShocker (comics)The Shocker or just Shocker is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #46 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Romita, Sr.-Fictional character biography:Herman Schultz was born in New York...
Other uses
The Sinister Syndicate is also the name of a group of Spider-Man's villains in The Amazing Adventures of Spider-ManThe Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man is a theme park ride located in Islands of Adventure, in Orlando, Florida and Universal Studios Japan. Built for Islands of Adventure's opening in 1999, the attraction is a hybrid ride combining special roving motion vehicles with 3-D projection, elaborate...
. This ride is located in Islands of Adventure
Islands of Adventure
Universal's Islands of Adventure is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida. It opened May 28, 1999 as part of an expansion that, along with CityWalk Entertainment District, the Portofino Bay Hotel, and Hard Rock hotel, converted Universal Studios Florida into the Universal Orlando Resort...
, in Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. In the ride, the evil group steals the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
with an anti-gravity
Anti-gravity
Anti-gravity is the idea of creating a place or object that is free from the force of gravity. It does not refer to the lack of weight under gravity experienced in free fall or orbit, or to balancing the force of gravity with some other force, such as electromagnetism or aerodynamic lift...
gun, and Spider-Man must stop them. The Syndicate is made up of Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics since 1963. A highly intelligent mad scientist, Doctor Octopus is one of Spider-Man's greatest foes...
, Scream
Scream (comics)
Scream is a fictional supervillainess from the Spider-Man comic book series. She is one of six symbiote spawns of Venom.-Fictional character biography:...
, Electro, Hydro-Man
Hydro-Man
Hydro-Man, also spelled Hydro Man , is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics...
, and the Hobgoblin
Hobgoblin (comics)
The Hobgoblin is the alias of several fictional characters that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first and best-known Hobgoblin is Roderick Kingsley. He first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #238, and was created by Roger Stern and John Romita, Sr...
.
Sinister Syndicate is also the generic name of affiliation in the Marvel
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...
VS System
VS System
Vs. System , also written as VS System and abbreviated as VS, is a collectible card game designed by Upper Deck Entertainment . In the game, players build and play a deck of Vs. System cards in an attempt to win a game against their opponent. It was first published in 2004 and is set in the...
card game for 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...
's various villains, as well as many of 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...
's major foes in the Marvel Heroclix
HeroClix
HeroClix is a collectible miniatures game that uses the Clix system. Originally designed and produced by WizKids, it is now owned and marketed by NECA. Players construct teams of comic book heroes, villains, and other characters from popular video games such as Street Fighter, Gears of War, and Halo...
game.