Spider-Tracer: Snake Marston and Hammer Harrison- The Other Enforcers

Welcome back, Spider-Man fans! I hope you’re all doing well, despite everything going on in the world right now.

 

For this month’s Spider-Tracer, I wanted to cover two members of the Enforcers that most fans seem to forget: Snake Marston and Hammer Harrison. I know, you’re probably asking yourself, “Who?!” Like I said, they’re typically forgotten, but they shouldn’t be!

 

 

Much like the Jack O’Lantern after them, these guys hail from the tail end of the original “Machine Man” run by Tom DeFalco and Steve Ditko; from issue #16, to be precise. DeFalco would later serve as an editor on the Spidey books before having several runs of his own on the character (as well as being Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief for a time). Ditko was Spider-Man’s co-creator, as well as the co-creator of the original Enforcers. In this writer’s opinion, that makes these two villains perfect additions to the ranks of Spidey’s Rogues’ Gallery.

 

Back to Snake Marston and Hammer Harrison, let’s get back to their first appearance in “Machine Man” #16. It’s here that both crooks are introduced as thugs working for a one Baron Brimstone.

 

 

Like many criminal masterminds before him, Baron Brimstone seeks to control New York City’s criminal underworld. Despite the assistance of his two lieutenants, as well as his criminal gang, the Satan Squad, they all met defeat at the mechanical hands of Machine Man!

 

Before going any further, we should probably go over Snake and Hammer’s abilities Just what makes them a threat? Well, Snake is a master contortionist, while Hammer employs twin steel hammers fastened over his hands. Simple, yet effective, no?

 

Sometime later, in “Marvel Team-Up” #138, Hammer and Snake were recruited as Enforcers by the Arranger. The Arranger worked for criminal mastermind, Wilson Fisk, aka the Kingpin. As such, the Arranger wanted the strengthen the Enforcers, who ran Kingpin’s extortion rackets.

 

While the original three Enforcers, Fancy Dan, Montana, and the Ox, originally didn’t want to include any new members, a quick display of Snake and Hammer’s abilities convinced them to change their minds. Soon, things were going very well for the new gang of Enforcers.

 

While Spider-Man soon did get involved, the loss of his Spider-Sense (thanks to an earlier battle with the Hobgoblin) and the Enforcers’ strength in numbers gave the five criminals the edge they needed to take the Web-Spinner down!

 

 

While trying to decide what to do with their captured enemy, the Sandman interrupted the Enforcers, probably saving Spider-Man’s life with his timely interference (this was at a time when Sandman was trying to go straight).

 

While this issue tied Snake and Hammer into Spider-Man’s world, it’d be quite a while until the two villains returned to plague Spider-Man again (they fought Daredevil once as Enforcers before having another battle with Spidey, although the “Snake” who fought Daredevil was actually an impersonator: The Eel!).

 

Snake, along with his teammate the Ox, were recruited into the Thunderbolts as part of the Superhuman Registration Act during the “Civil War” storyline.

 

Years later, during the “Spiral” storyline, Snake and Hammer rejoined the Enforcers after Montana had died, and worked for a then-new Crime-Master (who was actually working for Mr. Negative). Together with a then-villainous Black Cat (it’s better not to ask), the criminals attempted to break Hammerhead and Tombstone out of Ryker’s Island. This was all part of a carefully orchestrated plan by Mr. Negative to take his crime lord rivals out, but his plan was foiled by Spider-Man and the Wraith.

 

 

Later, Snake was captured by Taskmaster and Black Ant as part of the “Great Hunt” storyline, but the criminal appears to have survived; Snake was later seen in prison with the original three Enforcers and his old pal, Hammer, during the recent “Devil’s Reign” storyline (the Moon Knight tie-in issue to be exact).

 

And there you have it, two of the lesser known Enforcers. Who’s your favorite member of this classic group of villains? Let me know in the comments section below!