The Chameleon (Dmitri Smerdyakov) is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an enemy of Spider-Man. This article is about the comic book company. ... In comic books, first appearance refers to first comic book to feature a character. ... The Amazing Spider-Man is the title of both a comic book published by Marvel Comics and a daily newspaper comic strip. ... For the fictional character of this name, see Stan Lee (Judge Dredd character). ... Stephen Ditko (born 2 November 1927) is a renowned American comic book artist and writer best known as the co-creator of Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. ... The Sinister Twelve was a fictional group of supervillains from the Marvel comics universe, some of the greatest foes of Spider-Man. ... The Sinister Six are a group of supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe, who serve as a collection of Spider-Mans foes. ... Baron Strucker, retconned founder of HYDRA, wearing the HYDRA logo on his chest. ... This article is about the comic book company. ... Doctor Doom, one of the most archetypal supervillains and his arch-enemies The Fantastic Four (in background). ... Spider-Man swinging around his hometown, New York City. ...

The Chameleon is a spy and master of disguise. Throughout his history, he has used a variety of traditional, high-tech and biologically enhanced ways to change his appearance, believably imitating almost anyone. Spy and Secret agent redirect here. ...

He was also the ally, servant, and half-brother of fellow Spider-Man adversary Kraven the Hunter. Underworld films, see Kraven (Underworld). ...

His name is derived from the characters Dmitri and Smerdyakov from The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. For other uses, see The Brothers Karamazov (disambiguation). ... Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (Russian: Фёдор Миха́йлович Достое́вский, IPA: , sometimes transliterated Dostoyevsky, Dostoievsky, or Dostoevski  ) (November 11 [O.S. October 30] 1821–February 9 [O.S. January 28] 1881) was a Russian novelist and writer of fiction whose works, including Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov, have had a profound and lasting effect...

Publication history

Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he initially appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #1 (March 1963), and was the first member of Spider-Man's vast rogues' gallery, based on issue publication date, excluding the burglar who murdered Ben Parker. (Supercharger was the first Spider-Man supervillain chronologically.^[1]) For the fictional character of this name, see Stan Lee (Judge Dredd character). ... Stephen Ditko (born 2 November 1927) is a renowned American comic book artist and writer best known as the co-creator of Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. ... The Amazing Spider-Man is the title of both a comic book published by Marvel Comics and a daily newspaper comic strip. ... Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The many villains of Spider-Man. ... Benjamin Ben Parker, often called Uncle Ben, was a supporting character in the Marvel Universe’s Spider-Man stories. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Novels

The Chameleon had a vital role in the Sinister Six novel series by Adam-Troy Castro, in which the Gentleman, a long-lived supervillain and member of the Machiavelli Club (a gathering of some of the world's most sinister minds, including several non-Marvel characters) uses the new Sinister Six, of which the Chameleon is a member, as pawns in his schemes. Oddly enough, in this series he is referred to as Anatoly Smerdyakov. Adam-Troy Castro is a science fiction writer living in Florida. ...

In the final novel in the series, Secret of the Sinister Six, the villains betray the Gentleman, only for him to slip from their grasp, and it is the Chameleon, to everybody's surprise, who kills the Gentleman, shooting the old man while disguised as a limousine driver and assuming his identity, only to be attacked by Dr. Octopus, thinking him to be the real Gentleman. Marvel has officially stated that the Sinister Six novels lay outside of normal continuity; however, these events have more recently been referenced in the Marvel handbooks.

The Chameleon also plays the role of villain in the novel Goblin's Revenge. In this story, the Chameleon not only teams up with the murderous Carnage, but also attempts to drive Spider-Man insane by impersonating Norman Osborn (then thought to be dead and buried), and later trying to expose the web-slinger to a toxic chemical meant to destroy his mind. Carnage is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe, a supervillain and adversary of Spider-Man and Venom. ...

Fictional character biography

The Chameleon was born a Russian citizen named Dmitri Smerdyakov. In his youth, he was a servant and half-brother to Kraven the Hunter, Sergei Kravinoff, and eventually became a minor associate to one Gustav Fiers. Although Dmitri and Sergei were friends, Sergei was often abusive to him, leading to a combination of admiration and resentment towards Kravinoff from Smerdyakov. Eventually, Smerdyakov emigrated to the United States of America. As he had made a talent for himself during his youth, impressing his brother by impersonating friends and neighbors, he assumed an even more impressive disguise: the identity of the Chameleon. During his first known criminal outing, he impersonated Spider-Man, though he was exposed and arrested. Shortly afterward, Kravinoff, now Kraven the Hunter, himself came to America, and the Chameleon set his old associate's sights on Spider-Man. Both men became long-time enemies of Spider-Man, part of his primary rogues' gallery. Underworld films, see Kraven (Underworld). ...

When Kraven the Hunter committed suicide, the Chameleon became obsessed with making Spider-Man suffer for his failure to prevent Kraven from killing himself. The Chameleon's most ambitious play against Spider-Man happened when he formed an alliance with Harry Osborn, the second Green Goblin. Before Harry's death, he told Chameleon Spider-Man's secret identity could be found through Peter Parker, to construct androids of Peter Parker's (Spider-Man) parents (Chameleon later admitted that he went through with the plot to confirm once and for all that Peter was Spider-Man). The plan led to a psychotic breakdown for both Spider-Man and Chameleon. Chameleon's confirmation of Spider-Man's secret identity led him to attacking, rather unsuccessfully, Spider-Man through his family and friends several times, including one incident in which Mary Jane Watson subdued him with a baseball bat. Somewhere in between this and subsequent appearances, he appeared to have been destroyed by his Nephew, Alyosha Kravinoff (Alyosha was later to throw a Chameleon mask at Spider-Man's feet, referring to it as 'That weakling, Dmitri'), but apparently recovered, waking in a hospital. Harry Osborn is a Marvel Comics character, both one-time friend and foe to Spider-Man. ... The Green Goblin is a Marvel Comics supervillain and an archenemy of Spider-Man. ... Mary Jane Watson or Mary Jane Watson-Parker, depending on the adaptation, is (in the fictional world of Spider-Man) the wife of Peter Parker (Spider Man) and a supporting character in the Marvel Comics Spider-Man series. ...

After tricking Spider-man to the bridge where his first love Gwen Stacy died, on the pretext of having kidnapped his wife, he declared his own loneliness and love for Peter. When Peter laughed out of surprise, he threw himself off the bridge. He reappeared some time later in a mental institution, completely incapacitated, believing himself to be Sergei Kravinoff rather than Dmitri Smerdyakov. He later reappeared in his Chameleon identity as part of the Sinister Twelve villain team organized by the Green Goblin. Gwendolyn Gwen Stacy[1] is a supporting character in Marvel Comics’ Spider-Man series. ... A psychiatric hospital (also called a mental hospital or asylum) is a hospital specializing in the treatment of persons with mental illness. ... The Sinister Twelve was a fictional group of supervillains from the Marvel comics universe, some of the greatest foes of Spider-Man. ...

After Spider-Man was unmasked, the Chameleon gathered a gang of villains, including Will o' the Wisp, Scarecrow, Swarm, and Electro and also blackmailed the Molten Man into his employ all in an effort to defeat Spider-Man and attack his family. Will o the Wisp is a supervillain in the Marvel Universe. ... The Scarecrow is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe, in which he is an enemy of Spider-Man and Ghost Rider. ... Swarm (Fritz von Meyer) is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Electro is the name of several fictional comic book characters in the Marvel Comics universe, including two from Marvels predecessors, Timely Comics and Atlas Comics. ... Molten Man is a former supervillain in the fictional Marvel Comics Universe. ...

However, the Chameleon was dealt a most humiliating defeat at the hands of Spider-Man's Aunt May, when he attempted to trick her into believing he was Peter, then murder her. However, May was not fooled by any means, and defeated the villain with a plate of oatmeal-raisin cookies laced with Ambien. Rhino was also employed as part of the team up and later defeated Spider-Man only to be unable to collect payment from Chameleon as he was already captured. ^[2]. May Parker redirects here. ... Zolpidem is a prescription drug used for the short-term treatment of insomnia (sleeping pill). ... The Rhino (Aleksei Sytsevich) is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. ...

The Chameleon next appeared in newest incarnation of Super Villain Team-Up, called M.O.D.O.K.'s Eleven. In this limited series it is revealed that he contacted A.I.M. the moment he was telepathically summoned by M.O.D.O.K. He then allowed A.I.M. to send in their newest creation the Ultra-Adaptoid under the guise of being the Chameleon. MODOK is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Not a single as such, more a promotional offer in connection with the music magazine, the NME. It was the most successful promotion of its kind run by the magazine, with around 12,000 requests. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this comics-related article or section may require cleanup. ...

Additionally, it was revealed in Super Villain Team-Up: M.O.D.O.K.'s Eleven that his apparent insanity and demise years earlier were in fact well-crafted ruses designed so that he could fade into the background once more.

Powers and abilities

Originally, the Chameleon simply used makeup and elaborate costuming to impersonate his targets. In order to do this, he implemented a device in a belt buckle that emitted a gas that helped him mold his features. This method of disguising was perhaps a forerunner to that of The Question, who was later created by Steve Ditko after his run on The Amazing Spider-Man. Later, he obtained holographic technology that allowed him to change his appearance at the push of a button. His electronic devices allowed him to appear as two different people to two separate observers simultaneously. The Question is an American comic book superhero. ... This article is about the photographic technique. ...

Currently, the Chameleon's powers are innate: his epidermis and skin pigmentation have been surgically and mutagenically altered so that he can take on the appearance of any person at will. He also wears fabric made of memory material that responds to nerve impulses and can appear to be what ever costume he wishes to be. Beyond overall skin structure, refer below to: See-also. ... In biology, a mutagen (Latin, literally origin of change) is a physical or chemical agent that changes the genetic information (usually DNA) of an organism and thus increases the number of mutations above the natural background level. ...

When his past friendship with Kraven the Hunter was revealed, it transpired that the Chameleon had also taken the same serums that Kraven had over the years. This would suggest that the two characters were of a similar age (over 70 years old). It would also suggest that the Chameleon's physical strength and endurance could be somewhat augmented, but as the Chameleon's strength is much lower than that of Kraven, his augmentations may not reach a superhuman level. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Aside from his physical advantages, the Chameleon is a brilliant method actor. He also speaks several languages fluently. Although the Chameleon is not a scientific genius, during his increased lifespan he has been exposed to a wide array of sophisticated experimental technology, much of which he can apply effectively in his nefarious schemes. Method acting is the endeavour to apply natural rules and laws to the theatre and film acting which can aid an actor with the process of playing a role. ...

Other versions

Chameleon 2211

A version of Chameleon recently appeared in Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. He has the powers of physically changing into any shape of form after accessing their DNA. This usually involves sampling their blood after killing the subject, although less lethal methods are possible; he was able to change into Sandman after an accidental ingestion of some of his sand. The structure of part of a DNA double helix Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is a nucleic acid molecule that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms. ...

Chameleon encounters an alternate Uncle Ben from another future. He kills and replaces him. This fools Spider-Man 2211 whom he then kills. After discovering the body, Sandman's father was framed for 'Ben's murder, and Sandman went to Spider-Man for help. Spider-Man 2211 is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. ... Sandman (a. ...

The two encountered Chameleon at Peter's high school (Chameleon had murdered the principal and was posing as him), where Chameleon reveales that he wasn't human at all but a giant monster. Chameleon was finally defeated, however, after Spider-Man (of Earth 616) used Spider-Man 2211's helmet to literally "administer poetic justice," causing a last-minute body switch between Chameleon and Sandman's father into an electric chair.

Amalgam

In the Amalgam Comics universe, Chameleon is fused with DC Comics' Chameleon Boy, creating Chameleon. Amalgam Comics was a metafictional American comic book publisher, and part of a collaboration between Marvel Comics and DC Comics, in which the two comic book publishers merged their characters to create new ones (e. ... DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company. ... Chameleon Boy (Reep Daggle) is a DC Comics superhero, a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the thirtieth century. ...

Counter-Earth

Spider-Man faces the Counter-Earth version of The Chameleon in Spider-Man Unlimited #5. Like many Spidey foes in the Unlimited cartoon, the Chameleon is a Beastial. In the fictional Marvel Universe, the hypothetical planet known as Counter-Earth has thrice been created, each time as a near-duplicate of Earth. ... Title Sequence. ...

Ultimate Chameleon

Chameleon has not appeared in the Ultimate Universe, but his identity appeared on a list of known cat burglars.

Marvel Action Hour: Iron Man

The Chameleon appeared in #4 of the cartoon based comic in service to Justin Hammer. He used his transformation abilities to obtain The Grim Reaper (weapon) from Stark Enterprises. The Marvel Action Hour was a syndicated television block from Marvel Productions featuring animated adaptions of Marvel Comic Book heroes the Fantastic Four and Iron Man. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Justin Hammer is a fictional character from the Marvel Comics universe. ...

In other media

Television

The Marvel Superheroes Show

The Chameleon's first animated appearance was on the Iron Man segment of The Marvel Superheroes Show episode "Cliffs Of Doom", where (through use of disguise) he pits Iron Man against Captain America. The episode was based off Tales of Suspense #58. He also appeared in The Incredible Hulk segment titled "Enter The Chameleon". The episode was based on Tales to Astonish #62-63. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Marvel Super Heroes (TV series). ... - ==References== - *Tales of Suspense #1-99 (Marvel Comics, January 1959 - March 1968) - *Marvel Select: Tales of Suspense #1 (1996) - - - - - - - - - Categories: | | ... Tales to Astonish #44 Tales to Astonish is the name of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics. ...

Spider-Man (1981)

He appeared again in the 1981 Spider-Man episode "Arsenic and Aunt May", posing as the spirit of Spider-Man's Uncle Ben to manipulate Aunt May. Spider-Man is the name of a syndicated animated TV series based on the popular Marvel Comics character of the same name. ... Benjamin Parker, often called Uncle Ben was a supporting character in the Marvel Universe’s Spider-Man stories. ...

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends

The Chameleon was the featured villain in the "Seven Little Superheroes" episode of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, in which he lured Spider-Man, Iceman, Firestar, Captain America, Doctor Strange, Sub-Mariner and Shanna the She-Devil (referred to as "Shanna of the Jungle") to a remote island to pick them off one by one. He was voiced by Hans Conreid. Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends is an animated series produced by Marvel Productions Ltd. ... Iceman (Robert Bobby Louis Drake) is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, a member of the X-Men. ... For other uses, see Firestar (disambiguation). ... This article is about the superhero. ... This article is about the Marvel comics superhero. ... Namor the Sub-Mariner is a fictional character, featured in Marvel Comics. ... Shanna the She-Devil is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Hans Conried in 1974 television appearance Hans Georg Conried, Jr. ...

Spider-Man: The Animated Series

Chameleon in the Spider-Man animated series.

In the Spider-Man animated series Chameleon is an international hitman and spy. He can't (or won't) speak while he is in his true form, though in the episode "Framed", Richard Fisk indicates that Chameleon told them about Peter Parker's parents. Chameleon wears a belt, which is capable of capturing an image of a person, so that he can turn into that person as a form of disguise. Image File history File links Chameleon-in-Spider-Man-TAS.jpg‎ Screenshot from Spider-Man: The Animated Series (Copyrighted to Fox Kids) This image is a screenshot of a copyrighted television program or station ID. As such, the copyright for it is most likely owned by the company or corporation... Image File history File links Chameleon-in-Spider-Man-TAS.jpg‎ Screenshot from Spider-Man: The Animated Series (Copyrighted to Fox Kids) This image is a screenshot of a copyrighted television program or station ID. As such, the copyright for it is most likely owned by the company or corporation... A hitman (alternately, hit man), also referred to as a contract killer, is a hired assassin, usually in the employ of organized crime. ... SPY may refer to: SPY (spiders), ticker symbol for Standard & Poors Depository Receipts SPY (magazine), a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps SPY (Ivory Coast), airport code for San Pédro, Côte dIvoire SPY (Ship Planning Yard), a U.S. Navy acronym SPY, short for MOWAG SPY, a... Deception is providing intentionally misleading information to others. ...

In his first appearance, he attempted to kill two diplomats at a U.N. conference, but was foiled by Spider-Man who easily picked the Chameleon out from the crowd since he had taken the appearance of Peter Parker. Spider-Man (1994 animated series) Episode List Day of the Chameleon is the season finale episode of season 1 of Spider-Man: The Animated Series. ... UN and U.N. redirect here. ...

In "The Insidious Six" and "Battle of the Insidious Six", Chameleon became a member of the Insidious Six. In "Framed" and "The Man Without Fear", he was working for the Kingpin's son, Richard Fisk, framing Peter Parker for getting restricted government information. But Parker's name was cleared and Richard and Chameleon were sentenced to jail. The Kingpin (Wilson Fisk) is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics villain who has battled many Marvel crime-fighters; most often Spider-Man, Daredevil and The Punisher. ... Richard Fisk is an anti-hero from the fictional Marvel Universe. ...

Later, in "The Cat", it was revealed that he was jailed in a S.H.I.E.L.D. prison and was assigned by Kingpin to release Felicia Hardy's father. He successfully did and disguised himself as Felicia's father so no one would know the real Hardesky was abducted. Chameleon was also infused with a techno-organic virus, which made him part-machine and was thus able to change into any person without the belt. Eventually, his ruse was uncovered by Nick Fury. S.H.I.E.L.D. (originally an acronym for Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division, changed in 1991 to Strategic Hazard Intervention, Espionage and Logistics Directorate) is a fictional counterterrorism and intelligence agency in the Marvel Universe that often deals with superhuman threats. ... Black Cat (Felicia Hardy) is a Marvel Comics anti-hero and one-time foe and ex-girlfriend of the Spider-Man. ...

Later, in "Six Forgotten Warriors" part 1-5, he was rescued by the rest of the Insidious Six and became a member again, but would betray them and join forces with his foster father, the Red Skull (they have no relation in the comics), and his brother, Rhienholdt Kragov, who would later become Electro. In the end, Electro and Red Skull, along with Captain America, were trapped in a time dilation loophole and Chameleon escaped, never to be seen again. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Red Skull is the name of three Marvel Comics supervillains who are enemies of Captain America, other superheroes, and the United States in general. ... Electro is the name of several fictional comic book characters in the Marvel Comics universe, including two from Marvels predecessors, Timely Comics and Atlas Comics. ...

Interestingly, in the Chameleon's last appearance when he was fighting against Spider-Man, he was grunting numerous times and the grunts were provided by Jim Cummings, who also played Shocker in the series, which hints that the Chameleon can speak, but just doesn't have much use to talk in his true form. James Jonah Jim Cummings (born November 3, 1952[1] in Youngstown, Ohio) is an American voice actor who is best known for his work on the Winnie the Pooh animated series. ... The Shocker is a fictional character and a supervillain from the Spider-Man comic book published by Marvel Comics. ...

Appearances in the Show:

• Day of the Chameleon
• The Insidious Six
• Battle of the Insidious Six
• The Sins of the Fathers Chapter VI: "Framed"
• The Sins of the Fathers Chapter VII: "The Man Without Fear"
• The Cat
• The Black Cat
• Six Forgotten Warriors
  • Unclaimed Legacy
  • Secrets of the Six
  • The Six Fight Again
  • The Price of Heroism.

Spider-Man (1994 animated series) Episode List Day of the Chameleon is the season finale episode of season 1 of Spider-Man: The Animated Series. ... The Insidious Six and Battle of the Insidious Six is a two part episode from season 2 of Spider-Man: The Animated Series and two-part second season premiere. ... The Insidious Six and Battle of the Insidious Six is a two part episode from season 2 of Spider-Man: The Animated Series and two-part second season premiere. ... // This is an episode list for the 1994 Spider-Man television series, which was an American animated television series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man. ... // This is an episode list for the 1994 Spider-Man television series, which was an American animated television series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ...

Video Games

He appears in the SNES Spider-Man game based on the animated series. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, also known as Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Brazil, Europe, and Australia. ...

References

External links

• Chameleon on the Marvel Universe Character Bio Wiki
• SpiderFan.org: Chameleon
• http://www.marveldatabase.com/Chameleon