16th Best Villain: The Shocker
Just as there are “A-list” and “B-list” celebrities and athletes, there are also “A-list” and “B-list” villains. And just as Spidey has a wonderful collection of “A-list” villain, his “B-list” baddies are memorable, too. These include, but aren’t limited too, the Beetle, Boomerang, Speed Demon, Hydro Man, Hammerhead, and the Tarantula. But Herman Schultz, a.k.a. the Shocker, is perhaps the greatest “B-list villain” of them all. And his greatness lies in that he has all the makings of an “A-list villain,” but doesn’t even know it.
You might be asking, “Why does he call himself the Shocker? Isn’t there already somebody who has electricity based powers?” Well, it’s not that kind of shock–more like an aftershock. Because the gauntlets Herman uses–which are of his own design–can send out focused blasts of concussive sound that are as powerful as a high-magnitude earthquakes. The costume he wears acts as insulation to not turn his bones into powder when using his “vibro-shock” gloves. He doesn’t look so ridiculous when you put it into that context, does he?
And ever since his first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man vol. 1 #49, he’s continually proven to be one of Spider-Man’s most formidable foes. Yet in spite of this, Shocker, tends to favor being part of a team than going solo. Among those teams include the Masters of Evil, the Sinister Syndicate, and even the Thunderbolts. Also, to use a football analogy, he prefers being an offensive tackle than he does a quarterback.
Then again, he did wind up, through a strange series of circumstances, becoming the new head of the Maggia crime family in The Superior Foes of Spider-Man.