Will o' the Wisp (comics)
Encyclopedia
Will o' the Wisp is a fictional character
, a comic book
supervillain
in the Marvel Universe
. He is a physicist
who gained control over the electromagnetic
attraction between his body's molecules, allowing him to adjust his density
(like the Vision
). He is most often a foe of Spider-Man
.
. A former employee at Roxxon Oil, he worked in the division dedicated to electromagnetic research as a scientist. Under constant pressure of being fired, Arvad spent lots of time furthering his work on electromagnetism, getting little sleep in the process. He eventually ended up falling asleep on the job, unable to save himself from a laboratory accident that would change his life.
He ended up being caught in the electromagnetic field of a device he was working on, the device weakening the electromagnetic attraction between the molecules in his body, threatening his life. When his boss learned of the accident, he decided to let Arvad die, but not before he demanded any scientific applications the device would've had.
However, Arvad was able to save himself when he learned he was suddenly able to control the level of attraction between his body's molecules.
Will o' the Wisp was forced by his employer, Jonas Harrow
, to carry out criminal activities. Spider-Man
persuaded him instead to resist Harrow.
He attempted to kill his employer, Jonas Harrow
multiple times but was stopped each time by either Spider-Man or inadvertently by Tarantula
. Finally, he opted to simply hypnotize the man into confessing his crimes to the police.
Will o' the Wisp later took control of Killer Shrike
's battle-suit and kidnapped Dr. Marla Madison, who restored him to his corporeal form. Will o' the Wisp later forced his former partner, James Melvin, to expose the Brand Corporation's illicit activities to the news media.
Will o' the Wisp later first encountered The Outlaws while hunting down Spider-Man in connection with a crime. Will o' the Wisp eventually joined the Outlaws as an adventurer, to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a Canadian official.
and later the Molten Man
as part of the Chameleon's
plot to get revenge on Peter Parker after unmasking during Civil War.
He was recently seen among an army of supervillains organized by Hammerhead
that was captured by Iron Man
and S.H.I.E.L.D.
agents.
In The Punisher War Journal
(2nd series) #4, the Punisher blew up a bar where Will o' the Wisp was attending a wake for Stilt-Man
, after poisoning the guests. It was later mentioned in She-Hulk
(volume 2) #17 that "they all had to get their stomachs pumped
and be treated for third-degree burns."
Jackson Arvad is a brilliant scientist, especially in the field of electromagnetics, with a Masters of Science degree in electrical engineering.
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 comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
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 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...
. He is a physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
who gained control over the electromagnetic
Electromagnetism
Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental interactions in nature. The other three are the strong interaction, the weak interaction and gravitation...
attraction between his body's molecules, allowing him to adjust his density
Density
The mass density or density of a material is defined as its mass per unit volume. The symbol most often used for density is ρ . In some cases , density is also defined as its weight per unit volume; although, this quantity is more properly called specific weight...
(like the Vision
Vision (Marvel Comics)
The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The first Vision was created by the writer-artist team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in Marvel Mystery Comics #13 The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that...
). He is most often a foe 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...
.
Fictional character biography
Jackson Arvad was born in Scranton, PennsylvaniaScranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
. A former employee at Roxxon Oil, he worked in the division dedicated to electromagnetic research as a scientist. Under constant pressure of being fired, Arvad spent lots of time furthering his work on electromagnetism, getting little sleep in the process. He eventually ended up falling asleep on the job, unable to save himself from a laboratory accident that would change his life.
He ended up being caught in the electromagnetic field of a device he was working on, the device weakening the electromagnetic attraction between the molecules in his body, threatening his life. When his boss learned of the accident, he decided to let Arvad die, but not before he demanded any scientific applications the device would've had.
However, Arvad was able to save himself when he learned he was suddenly able to control the level of attraction between his body's molecules.
Will o' the Wisp was forced by his employer, Jonas Harrow
Jonas Harrow
Jonas Harrow is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe, in which he is an enemy of Spider-Man.-Publication history:...
, to carry out criminal activities. 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...
persuaded him instead to resist Harrow.
He attempted to kill his employer, Jonas Harrow
Jonas Harrow
Jonas Harrow is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe, in which he is an enemy of Spider-Man.-Publication history:...
multiple times but was stopped each time by either Spider-Man or inadvertently by 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...
. Finally, he opted to simply hypnotize the man into confessing his crimes to the police.
Will o' the Wisp later took control of Killer Shrike
Killer Shrike
Killer Shrike is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain. He first appeared in Rampaging Hulk #1 and was created by John Warner and John Buscema-Fictional character biography:...
's battle-suit and kidnapped Dr. Marla Madison, who restored him to his corporeal form. Will o' the Wisp later forced his former partner, James Melvin, to expose the Brand Corporation's illicit activities to the news media.
Will o' the Wisp later first encountered The Outlaws while hunting down Spider-Man in connection with a crime. Will o' the Wisp eventually joined the Outlaws as an adventurer, to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a Canadian official.
Civil War
Years later, Will o' the Wisp would show up in league with the ScarecrowScarecrow (Marvel Comics)
The Scarecrow is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe, in which he is an enemy of Captain America, Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, and Iron Man. His first appearance was in Tales of Suspense #51....
and later the Molten Man
Molten Man
Molten Man is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Universe. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #28 .-Fictional character biography:...
as part of the Chameleon's
Chameleon (comics)
The Chameleon is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in The Amazing Spider-Man #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko; the Chameleon is the first member of Spider-Man's rogues' gallery, based on issue...
plot to get revenge on Peter Parker after unmasking during Civil War.
He was recently seen among an army of supervillains organized by Hammerhead
Hammerhead (comics)
Hammerhead is a fictional character, a supervillain that has appeared in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics. He is primarily an enemy of Spider-Man and a member of organized crime who exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe...
that was captured by Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
and S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
agents.
In The Punisher War Journal
The Punisher War Journal
The Punisher War Journal is the title of two Marvel Comics comic book series featuring the character Frank Castle, also known as the Punisher...
(2nd series) #4, the Punisher blew up a bar where Will o' the Wisp was attending a wake for Stilt-Man
Stilt-Man
Stilt-Man is the name of two supervillains in Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Stilt-Man first appeared in Daredevil vol. 1 #8 and was one of his earliest enemies. He is a criminal wearing a suit of armor with powerful telescopic legs .The character did not age well, as his powers were more a...
, after poisoning the guests. It was later mentioned in She-Hulk
She-Hulk
She-Hulk is a Marvel Comics superheroine. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in Savage She-Hulk #1 ....
(volume 2) #17 that "they all had to get their stomachs pumped
Gastric lavage
Gastric lavage, also commonly called stomach pumping or Gastric irrigation, is the process of cleaning out the contents of the stomach. It has been used for over 200 years as a means of eliminating poisons from the stomach. Such devices are normally used on a person who has ingested a poison or...
and be treated for third-degree burns."
Powers and abilities
As a result of exposure to Jackson Arvad and James Melvin's "magno-chamber", Will-O'-The-Wisp has the ability to control the electro-magnetic particles that make up his body. This enables him to vary the density of his body to make part, or all, of his body intangible or rock hard similar to the synthezoid Vision. In addition, he also has superhuman strength at higher densities, and has superhuman speed and durability. Also, he has the ability of flight, and at subsonic speeds, Will-O'-The-Wisp appears to be nothing more than a glowing sphere. Will-O'-The-Wisp can also mesmerize people for a short period of time. Will-O'-The-Wisp can will the molecules of his body to oscillate at a small distance from his body, making him look like an ethereal glowing sphere.Jackson Arvad is a brilliant scientist, especially in the field of electromagnetics, with a Masters of Science degree in electrical engineering.