Charlie Weiderman
Encyclopedia
Charles Weiderman is a fictional character in The Amazing Spider-Man
's super-soldier program formula, which only landed him in the hospital.
Later, he tried to pull a knife on his tormentors only for the coach to catch him. Peter covered it up by stating that the knife belonged to his Uncle Ben. (Ben would later support Peter for defusing a potentially violent situation.) When Charlie slashed his tormentors' tires, he fled to the Parker house for protection. Charlie declared innocence and was backed up by Peter's Uncle Ben. After the bullies left, Ben asked Charlie if he actually slashed their tires. When Charlie was afraid to tell the truth, Ben Parker told him never to see Peter again and stated he would've respected Charlie if he admitted to the action.
When Charlie encountered Sheila, a Midtown High cheerleader and girlfriend of Rich and was introduced to her, Rich humiliated Charlie again by ripping off his shorts.
Charlie's dad got a new job in a different town. Peter appeared to see Charlie off reassuring that things will be different at the school that he will go to.
As an adult, Charlie still searched for vindication. His father died and left him enough money to help fund the creation of a porous polymer compound that could completely cover a soldier and protect him from harm. Charlie eventually realized that his "skinsuit" would have to be composed of the energy-absorbing metal vibranium
to protect the wearer from any impacts. Charlie talked Peter into a letter of recommendation that swayed industrialist Tony Stark
, aware of Spider-Man's true identity and lead to believe that Peter was an active partner on the project, into authorizing a large grant. When Peter saw Charlie's hasty shortcuts involving the volatile vibranium however, he wanted to pull the plug on the project. Frantic, Charlie rushed the procedure and only moments too late realized Peter had been right; the vibranium blew up, encasing him in a skinsuit that bestowed the metal's properties on him.
Attempting to duck responsibility, maddened by the chemicals in his suit and by Peter's insistence that he turn himself in, Charlie went on a rampage, locating and killing the now married Rich and Sheila, fighting Spider-Man, and, believing that Peter had betrayed him to Spider-Man, planned to kill Aunt May
and Mary Jane
. Unable to track down the Parkers, Charlie settled for destroying Peter's apartment and the family home in Forest Hills
. Recalling that the fluid vibranium could be made solid by the use of extreme pressure, Spider-Man forced Charlie into an atmospheric chamber at Stark International
, causing the skinsuit to harden, immobilizing him inside. Charlie was wheeled away by the doctors who assured Peter Parker and Tony Stark that they would get through the suit enough to keep Charlie alive. As Tony and a disheartened Peter discuss finding a way to remove the skinsuit, tears fell from Charlie's frozen eyes.
Charlie did regain some degree of speech and movement when he volunteered for Harry Osborn
's Promethean Trials as a test subject for a chemical that will cure Harry's ex-brother-in-law Mark Raxton
. The experiment is a success and Charlie is freed from the skinsuit.
Charlie possesses an intelligent, scientific mind, able to come up with ideas that Peter considered brilliant. Unfortunately, Charlie also had a desire to prove himself to others, resulting in him often rushing through his experiments. Peter states that at that time, Charlie did not have the patience that a scientist requires.
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
Fictional character biography
Charlie was the one student at Midtown High School more bullied than Peter Parker as Charlie was bullied by a group of students led by a teen named Rich, a football player on the school team. Even Peter took advantage of Charlie once to score some points with the in-crowd before guilt led him to make friends with his scorned classmate, but Charlie (beaten by his father at home and humiliated at school) only sought revenge. First, he ingested a homemade version of Captain AmericaCaptain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
's super-soldier program formula, which only landed him in the hospital.
Later, he tried to pull a knife on his tormentors only for the coach to catch him. Peter covered it up by stating that the knife belonged to his Uncle Ben. (Ben would later support Peter for defusing a potentially violent situation.) When Charlie slashed his tormentors' tires, he fled to the Parker house for protection. Charlie declared innocence and was backed up by Peter's Uncle Ben. After the bullies left, Ben asked Charlie if he actually slashed their tires. When Charlie was afraid to tell the truth, Ben Parker told him never to see Peter again and stated he would've respected Charlie if he admitted to the action.
When Charlie encountered Sheila, a Midtown High cheerleader and girlfriend of Rich and was introduced to her, Rich humiliated Charlie again by ripping off his shorts.
Charlie's dad got a new job in a different town. Peter appeared to see Charlie off reassuring that things will be different at the school that he will go to.
As an adult, Charlie still searched for vindication. His father died and left him enough money to help fund the creation of a porous polymer compound that could completely cover a soldier and protect him from harm. Charlie eventually realized that his "skinsuit" would have to be composed of the energy-absorbing metal vibranium
Vibranium
Vibranium is a fictional metal that appears in the Marvel Universe. It is most commonly known as one of the materials used to construct Captain America's shield, but it is also noted for its connection to the Black Panther and his native homeland of Wakanda .-Publication history:Vibranium first...
to protect the wearer from any impacts. Charlie talked Peter into a letter of recommendation that swayed industrialist Tony Stark
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,...
, aware of Spider-Man's true identity and lead to believe that Peter was an active partner on the project, into authorizing a large grant. When Peter saw Charlie's hasty shortcuts involving the volatile vibranium however, he wanted to pull the plug on the project. Frantic, Charlie rushed the procedure and only moments too late realized Peter had been right; the vibranium blew up, encasing him in a skinsuit that bestowed the metal's properties on him.
Attempting to duck responsibility, maddened by the chemicals in his suit and by Peter's insistence that he turn himself in, Charlie went on a rampage, locating and killing the now married Rich and Sheila, fighting Spider-Man, and, believing that Peter had betrayed him to Spider-Man, planned to kill Aunt May
Aunt May
May Reilly Parker-Jameson, commonly known as Aunt May, is a supporting character in Marvel Comics' Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared as May Parker in Amazing Fantasy #15...
and Mary Jane
Mary Jane Watson
Mary Jane Watson, often shortened to MJ, is a fictional supporting character appearing, originally, in Marvel comic books and, later, in multiple spin-offs and dramatizations of the Spider-Man titles as the best friend, love interest, and one-time wife of Peter Parker, the alter ego of Spider-Man...
. Unable to track down the Parkers, Charlie settled for destroying Peter's apartment and the family home in Forest Hills
Forest Hills, Queens
Forest Hills is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States.-Neighborhood:The neighborhood is home to upper-middle class residents, of whom the wealthier residents often live in the neighborhood's Forest Hills Gardens area...
. Recalling that the fluid vibranium could be made solid by the use of extreme pressure, Spider-Man forced Charlie into an atmospheric chamber at Stark International
Stark Industries
In the fictional world of Iron Man, Stark Industries, later also known as Stark International, Stark Innovations, Stark/Fujikawa, Stark Enterprises and currently Stark Resilient, is a fictional multi-billion dollar corporation owned and run by businessman Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark, also known as...
, causing the skinsuit to harden, immobilizing him inside. Charlie was wheeled away by the doctors who assured Peter Parker and Tony Stark that they would get through the suit enough to keep Charlie alive. As Tony and a disheartened Peter discuss finding a way to remove the skinsuit, tears fell from Charlie's frozen eyes.
Charlie did regain some degree of speech and movement when he volunteered for Harry Osborn
Harry Osborn
Harry Osborn is a fictional character, a supporting character of Spider-Man in the . In addition to being Peter Parker's best friend, Harry was the second Green Goblin and is the son of Norman Osborn...
's Promethean Trials as a test subject for a chemical that will cure Harry's ex-brother-in-law Mark Raxton
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:...
. The experiment is a success and Charlie is freed from the skinsuit.
Powers and abilities
Through his Vibranium skinsuit, Charlie was endowed with superhuman strength sufficient to lift an SUV and go toe-to-toe with Spider-Man. His skinsuit is fireproof, can absorb impact rendering him virtually invulnerable, and can vibrate at frequencies that allow him to split diamonds and slough off Spider-Man's webbing. A major side effect is that the skinsuit was too early to even be prototyped, and its chemical composition actively and severely affected Charlie's mind, driving him into a murderous rage.Charlie possesses an intelligent, scientific mind, able to come up with ideas that Peter considered brilliant. Unfortunately, Charlie also had a desire to prove himself to others, resulting in him often rushing through his experiments. Peter states that at that time, Charlie did not have the patience that a scientist requires.
External links
- Charlie Weiderman at Marvel.com
- Charlie Weiderman at Marvel Appendix
- Charlie Weiderman at Marvel Wiki
- Charlie Weiderman at Comic Vine