Who Are the Superior Foes of Spider-Man?

A two-page spread reintroducing the Sinister Six: Boomerang, Beetle, Overdrive, Shocker, and Speed Demon. Yes, they know there is only five members on the team.[1]

Recurring Characters

Sinister Six (Boomerang, Beetle, Overdrive, Shocker, Speed Demon)

Continuity Notes

1. As Boomerang pointed out in Superior Foes of Spider-Man #1, it’s more profitable to split the take five ways. Also, it leaves an element of mystery, making heroes weary of who a sixth member might be because it could be anybody.

Filling In

Overdrive has gone to the rest room of a bar to take a leak. In the bathroom there is an advertisement featuring Hercules on the wall. Finding it hard to urinate, he reminds himself that Hercules isn’t really look at him.

Once he is finished he rejoins the Beetle and Speed Demon who are drinking in the bar. They are trying to come up with a plan to get revenge against Boomerang. Speed Demon suggests they get more members so they can be an actual Sinister Six, or at least a new Frightful Four. The Beetle vetos this idea, not wanting to be named after a team who is seen as a vendetta group against the Fantastic Four. She insists that their entire focus is to get that one big score.

That’s when Overdrive notices his teammates tied up the bartender and the other patrons and suggests they rob them so they get something. He’s impressed that they managed to do this while he was in the bathroom, but they note that he took a long time. Overdrive admits that he has an issue using public restrooms.

Speed Demon decides to change the subject and asks the others to share stories about the most impressive hero they have ever beaten. Overdrive decides to go first, telling them that he once defeated Hercules…

Driven

This was one of Overdrive’s first heists before he came up with his name. He used the nano-bacteria in his body to take over an armored car. He expected that he would have been stopped by Spider-Man, and was surprised when Hercules showed up to stop him because he thought the Greek god only went after bigger menaces than a simple bank robber.

As Hercules lifted up the armored truck, Overdrive escaped out the back and looked for a place to hide. That’s when he spotted a motorcycle and realized that every vehicle was is a potential get away vehicle. Hercules had just caught up with him as Overdrive put on the motorcycle helmet. Not recognizing the villain, Hercules asked Overdrive which way his foe went and Overdrive sent him on a wild goose chase.

Concluding his story, Overdrive says that this is why he always wears the helmet now, out of fear that Hercules might recognize him. Speed Demon and Beetle are unimpressed with this story, telling him that this was less a victory and more duping a complete idiot. Still, Overdrive is afraid to be recognized because it seems that everyone in the business thinks you have super-human strength. Speed Demon understands what he means as he peels the tape off the bartender’s mouth and is told to crack the safe and leave. Unfortunately, none of them has the power to break open the safe.

This is when the Beetle shares her story, telling them about the time she beat Daredevil…

Recurring Characters

Overdrive, Hercules, Beetle, Speed Demon

Trial and Error

However, Janice Lincoln didn’t defeat Daredevil in battle, but in the court room. She recalls the rumors that lawyer Matt Murdock was also Daredevil.[1] So when she learned that he was representing a plaintiff who was suing on of her firm’s clients, she decided to take the case since Daredevil sent her father to prison many times, second to Spider-Man.

She learned from her father that Daredevil had enhanced sense and attempted to subtly do things in the court room to try and trip him up. While playing an audio recording for the court, she plucked a hair from her client’s head and dropped it into a glass of water Murdock was drinking from. Despite her attempts to cloud his sense, Matt noticed and pretended to accidentally knock the glass onto the floor.

Since Murdock clearly had practice being a “normal” blind man, she managed to sneak a Daredevil mask on his face and then called in the Looter to attack the court house. She was unsurprised when he stopped questioning the witness and excused himself so he can slip out and deal with the Looter as Daredevil. As a result of him stepping out during questioning, Janice succeeded on getting her client acquitted.

As the Beetle finishes her story, Overdrive suggests they recruit the Looter onto their time. Janice tells them that she can’t do so, thinking back to a moment two months earlier when she ran into him at the Club With No Name. She tried to introduce herself to the Looter as the all-new Beetle, but he was uninterested in getting to know her now that the former lawyer was a full-time villain, seeing her as unwanted competition.

Speed Demon is unimpressed with these pathetic stories. By this time their hostages have gotten free and are attempting to flee. Speed Demon quickly catches them and ties them up again and tells them one of his own stories…..

Recurring Characters

Beetle, Daredevil, Looter, Speed Demon, Overdrive

Continuity Notes

1. Matt Murdock was outed as Daredevil by the Daily Globe in Daredevil (vol. 2) #32.

The Superior Adventures of the Speed Demon

Speed Demon’s story embellishes his story to cover up his short comings. After telling his comrades about a time he defeated Spider-Man and sped off with stolen loot and a girl, he then goes to brag about his other conquests.

He tells them about the time he fought the Thing, omitting the fact that his punches were like tickles to the pile of orange rocks. He gloats that he once fought the X-Men to a stand-still when, in reality, Iceman froze him dead in his tracks in under two seconds. He also talks about the time he “dusted” the Avengers. The reality of it was that the Avengers forced him to dress in a french maid outfit and dust Avengers Mansion after they defeated him.

He then talks about the time that Hercules sucked punched him as he was fleeing the scene of a robbery and vowed to get revenge. He tells them that he managed to infect Hercules with an the clap. He did this after he hooked up with a cape-chaser who later told him about her positive test and then sending her off to have sex with Hercules. Although he can’t prove that this went down, he’s convinced he saw Hercules scratch his crotch during Spider-Island.[1]

That’s when Hercules enters the bar and quickly deduces that there is a crime in progress. Speed Demon and Overdrive flee, leaving the Beetle alone with Hercules as the Greek god begins trashing the bar.

Recurring Characters

Speed Demon, Spider-Man, Thing, Iceman, Avengers (Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Wasp, Hulk), Edwin Jarvis, Hercules, Beetle, Overdrive

Continuity Notes

1. Spider-Island primarily took place between Amazing Spider-Man #666-673. Hercules found himself with spider-powers during this event, for more on this see Herc #7-8. The jury’s still out on if Hercules has venereal disease though. Do gods get STIs? Chalk that up as just another mystery of the Marvel Universe.