He could be Spider-man’s most powerful villain if he would only use his head. Introduced in Amazing Spider-Man #9 (1964) by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Max Dillon was a linesman working on electric wiring during a storm when he was struck by lightning. Instead of killing him, it instead gave him powers over electricity. He would use these powers to try and rob banks and such, fighting Spider-man and later Daredevil. After several defeats, Electro accepted Doc Ock’s invitation to join the first Sinister Six, later becoming one of the few villains to be part of most, if not all, roasters. He would also battle the Fantastic Four as a member of the Frightful Four and later tried to set up is own team, the Emissaries of Evil.

After constant defeats, Electro would be approached by the Rose (Conover) who upgraded his powers. Electro would begin working for the Rose as his hitman. He was later defeated by Spider-man, who created the rubber Anti-Electro suit and teamed up with X-man. However, his most famous act was when he was hired by Brainchild to help Sauron to break out of the Raft. During the breakout, he allowed the other inmates to try and escape. This would lead to a new team of Avengers to form. After a while, his powers became unstable and he work to gain control over them. During this time, he would accidentally kill Francine Frye. He was later captured by Superior Spider-man and forced to work as a hero. This caused his rep to take a hit and he had team up Black Cat to attack Spider-man. He was later depowered during an attack on Parker Industries and was sent to jail. He would be broken out by Rhino and taken to New U. There he met a cloned Francine who he kissed. However, because she was killed with his power, she had gained his powers after being revived and killed Max. She would become Electro.

As one of Spider-man’s classic villains, Electro has had several figures over the years. His first Marvel Legends was part of a Toybiz Sinister Six box set that included Spider-man, Doc Ock, Kraven, Venom, Black Cat and Green Goblin. (All of these have been replaced, so no need to search for them). He would later get a figure in the Spider-man Classic line in series 19. Hasbro would later make their own version in the Space Venom wave using the more modern design. They would later make a classic version in the first Spider-man Vintage Line.

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