Will o' the Wisp (comics)

Publication history

The character first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #167 (Apr 1977).

Fictional character biography

Jackson Arvad was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. An employee at the Roxxon Energy Corporation, he works as a scientist in the division dedicated to electromagnetic research. Under constant pressure of being fired, Arvad overworks himself and ends up falling asleep on the job, causing him to be caught in the electromagnetic field of a device he was working on. This weakens the electromagnetic attraction between the molecules in his body, threatening his life. When his boss learns of the accident, he decides to let Arvad die. However, Arvad saves himself after learning to control the level of attraction between his molecules.

Will o' the Wisp is forced by his employer, Jonas Harrow, to carry out criminal activities. Spider-Man persuades him to resist Harrow instead.

He attempted to kill his employer Jonas Harrow multiple times, but is stopped each time by either Spider-Man or inadvertently by Tarantula. Finally, he opts to hypnotize Harrow into confessing his crimes to the police.

Will o' the Wisp takes control of Killer Shrike's battle-suit and kidnaps Marla Madison, who restores him to his corporeal form. Will o' the Wisp later forces his former partner, James Melvin, to expose the Brand Corporation's illicit activities to the news media.

Will o' the Wisp encounters the Outlaws while hunting down Spider-Man in connection with a crime. Will o' the Wisp eventually joins the Outlaws as an adventurer, helping to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a Canadian official.

Civil War

Will o' the Wisp allies with the Scarecrow and later Molten Man as part of the Chameleon's plot to get revenge on Peter Parker after he publicly reveals his identity as Spider-Man during the "Civil War" storyline.

Will o' the Wisp is among the villains who visit the Bar with No Name to attend the wake of Stilt-Man, who was killed by the Punisher. The Punisher attacks the funeral, poisons the guests, then blows up the bar. The victims are treated for severe burns and have the poison pumped from their bodies.

Powers and abilities

After being caught in a "magno-chamber" of his design, Jackson Arvad gained the ability to control the electromagnetic particles that make up his body. This enables him to vary the density of his body to make himself intangible or rock-solid. He also has superhuman strength at higher densities, and has superhuman speed and durability. Will-O'-The-Wisp can also mesmerize people for a short period of time.

Jackson Arvad is a brilliant scientist, especially in the field of electromagnetics, with a master's of science degree in electrical engineering.

References

References

1. Rovin, Jeff. (1987). "The Encyclopedia of Supervillains". Facts on File.
2. (2012). "Spider-Man Chronicle: Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging". DK Publishing.
3. (2019). "The Marvel Encyclopedia". DK Publishing.
4. (2017). "Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History". DK Publishing.
5. ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' #167-168 (April - May 1977)
6. ''[[Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man]]'' #57-58 (August - September 1981)
7. ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #234-236 (November 1982 - January 1983)
8. ''[[Web of Spider-Man]]'' #50 (May 1989)
9. ''The Amazing Spider-Man Annual'' #25 (September 1991)
10. ''[[The Spectacular Spider-Man]] Annual'' #11 (September 1991)
11. ''Web of Spider-Man Annual'' #7 (September 1991)
12. ''Civil War: War Crimes'' one-shot (February 2007)
13. ''[[The Punisher War Journal]]'' (vol. 2) #4 (April 2007)
14. ''[[She-Hulk]]'' (vol. 2) #17 (May 2007)