SPYMASTER I (Multiple Identities)
Created By: Stan Lee, Larry Lieber & Don Heck
First Appearance: Iron Man #33 (Jan. 1971)
Role: Elite Spy, Forgotten Villain
Group Affiliations: S.H.I.E.L.D., Zodiac, The Maggia, A.I.M., Roxxon Oil, The Espionage Elite
PL 8 (150)
STRENGTH 2
STAMINA 3
AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 10
DEXTERITY 7
INTELLIGENCE 3
AWARENESS 3
PRESENCE 5
Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+10)
Athletics 6 (+8)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+11)
Deception 11 (+16)
Expertise (Business) 3 (+6)
Expertise (Spy) 14 (+17)
Insight 6 (+9)
Investigation 7 (+10)
Perception 6 (+9)
Persuasion 6 (+11)
Sleight of Hand 3 (+10)
Stealth 10 (+14)
Technology 5 (+8)
Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Benefit (Cipher- No Known Identity), Equipment 4 (Spy Gear, Suit, Electrified Nunchucks +4), Evasion, Improved Aim, Precise Attack 2 (Close/Concealment, Ranged/Cover), Ranged Attack 4, Second Chance (Being Spotted), Skill Mastery 2 (Deception, Spy Expertise), Ultimate Deception Skill, Ultimate Spy Expertise, Well-Informed
Equipment:
"Spy Gear" (6)
"Pistol" Blast 5 (10)
"Protective Suit" Protection 1 (1)
Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Electrified Nunchucks +10 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Pistol +11 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +4
Defenses:
Dodge +12 (DC 22), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +3 (+4 Suit), Fortitude +5, Will +6
Complications:
Motivation (Greed)
Enemy (Iron Man)
Total: Abilities: 74 / Skills: 84--42 / Advantages: 19 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 14 (150)
-There've been three guys named Spymaster, all pretty minor, easily-disposable villains whose primary job is to infiltrate corporations and steal their secrets, thus becoming a pain in the ass of Iron Man/Tony Stark. None of them were particuarly notable characters, based primarily upon being really, REALLY good at their one job. The first was killed by The Ghost, but turned up later. He and his assistants, The Espionage Elite, are hired by the Zodiac Cartel to infiltrate Stark's company and steal secrets, ending up in an otherdimensional realm with some of them, but escaping. He typically appears as a nuisance in various
Iron Man issues, as he's not a PHYSICAL threat, but a threat to IDEAS, which are much more dangerous. In fact, he's responsible for getting the designs of Iron Man's armor to Justin Hammer, sparking the
Armor Wars!
-Spymaster continues to be a bit of a thread, being hired by renegade S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to kill Tony, and abducting Bethany Cabe. He even fought Daredevil a few times. However, after a handful of appearances, he was gruesomely-murdered by The Ghost, who used a temporary alliance to give Spymaster a "phasing device"... then removing it while he was passing through a wall, causing the villain to materialize partially within it- killing him instantly.
-However, YEARS later, during
Dark Reign, we would discover that he had faked his own death (via a Life Model Decoy), and was living in deep cover- at which point Norman Osborn locates him. He is hired to steal a treasured photograph of Tony Stark's parents... which Osborn then burns. Hah- that is some Eric Raymond-level dick-headery right there. In
Infinity, he recruits Blizzard II, Constrictor, Firebrand IV, Unicorn I, Whiplash IV, and Whirlwind to attack a defenseless Stark Tower during the event.
-Spymaster is a Skillmonkey of incredible order, costing FORTY-TWO points in Skills, but he's REALLY under-powered to go up against any kind of serious meta-human competition, as you can see from his lower PL and other stats. But if you need someone to bust up someone's security system and learn everything about them, this is your guy. In 2e, my Spymaster build was PL 7, but with the added power I've given guns, plus a better understanding of his accuracy, The Spymasters earns the... still-low "Street Level" Power Level of 8, making him lesser than guys like Fury, Punisher & Viper, but still enough to be annoying. And yeah, like most Skillmonkeys, he's a pricey bugger. And hey, look! FINALLY a guy with a huge Dexterity score! I almost NEVER use that non-cost-effective skill in high levels, mainly because so few guys add up enough points with Sleight of Hand, Vehicles & Ranged Combat to make it worthwhile- Spymaster however DOES max most of those out. And yes, I know Presence is even worse in this regard, but at least THAT'S something easily-quantifiable (ie. "That guy has serious presence"). "Dexterity" really doesn't act that way.
-In addition to his Mad Skillz, Spymaster has access to a lot of special One-Off Gear.
. And yeah, he becomes a full-on PL 11 menace, able to hold his own with just about anybody. One wonders how such abilities are possible through mere training when no OTHER martial artist can manage them, but that's one of those uncomfortable questions that springs up when you're dealing with a medium that goes back to before when such Magical Martial Arts were part of any character's repetoire in western comics.