Spider-Tracer: Heads Up, it’s the Headsman!

Hello there, Spidey fans! It feels like it’s been forever since out last Spider-Tracer article, and yet, it’s only been a month! Recently, I purchased the “Untold Tales of Spider-Man” Omnibus, a run from the comics that I’d always meant to read; growing up as a kid, I only ever picked up an issue or two, but I liked what I read, and I’ve loved Kurt Busiek and Pat Olliffe’s work on other titles (including “The Avengers” and “Spider-Girl”, respectively). For this month’s Spider-Tracer article, I thought we’d go back and take a look at one of the many villains created for this comic: The Headsman! So, go grab your axes and flying platforms, let’s ride!

Before we go much further, it’s important to note that all of the “Untold Tales of Spider-Man” comics were set early on in Spider-Man’s crime-fighting career. Thus, the Headsman is retroactively an early Spider-Man foe. As such, he even predates the likes of the Green Goblin, for example. But just who is he?

Cleavon Twain (if you caught the “cleave in twain”, or “cut in two” reference, move to the front of the class!) first encountered Spider-Man when he arrived to help the Enforcers escape from ol’ Web-Head sometime shortly after their boss, the Big Man, had been captured (as depicted in “Amazing Spider-Man” #10). In this initial encounter, Headsman drove Spider-Man away, allowing the Enforcers to make good their escape.

We soon come to find out that the Headsman was acting on orders from Norman Osborn. It’s apparent to anyone that knows the history of the Green Goblin, that the Headsman is, in essence, an early prototype for the Green Goblin. Osborn provided Headsman with his flying platform, as well as his axe and the powerpack that energizes it for easy choppin’.

Headsman and the Enforcers later met at one of Osborn’s chemical factories. It just so happened that Harry was there to see his dad, and, upon seeing the Enforcers, alerted Spidey to their presence. In the midst of the ensuing battle, Spider-Man seriously damaged Headsman’s powerpack, forcing him to, in turn, flee just as he himself had forced Spidey to in their previous fight. The Enforcers were defeated and turned over to the police while the Headsman got away clean.

Sometime later, the Headsman attacked Spider-Man again, this time with an improved means of powering his axe so Spidey would have a harder time disabling him. Not wanting to miss his date with Betty Brant, Spidey allowed the Headsman to think he killed him and got away to go and meet Betty.

Discovering from a visit to Lucky Lobo (bonus points if you remember this guy from Ditko’s Spidey run!) that Spider-Man was still alive, the Headsman angrily set out to find and kill Spider-Man once and for all. Unfortunately for the Headsman, his boss had grown tired of his failures and shown up to meet him in person… Enter: The Green Goblin! Since it was Osborn who provided the Headsman with his technology, it was a simple matter for Osborn to activate the hidden failsafe which melded the circuitry in his gear and sent him plummeting to the street below. Defeated, it would be many years before the Headsman resurfaced.

When the Headsman did finally resurface, it was back in Osborn’s employ (no idea why Headsman would work for Osborn again after he tried turning him into street pizza; maybe the money was too good to turn down?)  during “Dark Reign” as a member of his Thunderbolts team.

Donning a Green Goblin costume in a staged attack, Headsman allowed Norman Osborn to save the President, which would serve as one of his few successes with the Thunderbolts. Osborn meant for Headsman to die in the attack, but he was able to survive until Nuke, acting as Osborn’s Scourge of the Underworld, mistakenly shot and killed him.

Following Osborn’s fall from power, the third Ant-Man, Eric O’Grady, brought Headsman’s axe to his brother Cody, encouraging him to become a hero. It has yet to be seen if Cody wound up doing anything with the axe, as he hasn’t been seen since.

Is the Headsman your favorite “new” character from “Untold Tales of Spider-Man”? What would you prefer to see happen with the character/identity next? Let me know in the comments section below!