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The Wizard (Bentley Wittman), also known as the Wingless Wizard, is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. His first appearance was in Strange Tales #102 and was created as an enemy for the Human Torch.
[edit] Fictional character biographyBentley Wittman grew up possessing near-superhuman levels of genius and was a child prodigy and chess champion. As an adult, became an inventor of great renown, selling his futuristic inventions to the wealthy and becoming quite rich. He became known as the Wizard by legally assuming this stage name and using his advanced scientific inventions to perform feats of "magic" as a stage magician and escape artist. Intellectually bored, however, he decided to become a professional criminal and defeat Johnny Storm, who had just appeared to the world as the Human Torch. Pretending to be a victim, he was rescued by the Torch and invited him to his high-tech, futuristic mansion on Long Island where he captured the Torch with ease. The Wizard then impersonated the Torch, launching a crime spree to destroy the Torch's reputation, before being captured by the Fantastic Four and sent to prison.[1] The Wizard had a rematch with the Human Torch before long, escaping from prison using a chemical which melted through stone.[2] With Paste-Pot Pete, he battled the Torch again,[3] and the Wizard captured the Torch and the Invisible Woman.[4] The conclusion of one encounter with the Torch sent him flying uncontrollably upward by one of his anti-gravity discs, unable to descend safely. He was rescued by two other adversaries of the Torch: the Sandman and Paste-Pot Pete (soon after, the Trapster).[volume & issue needed] After he suggested they team up, a suggestion by the Trapster inspired him to form a team that would be a criminal counterpart to the Fantastic Four, with himself, his two rescuers, and Medusa, who was then suffering from amnesia; becoming the Frightful Four.[5] The Frightful Four proved to be one of the most formidable menaces that the Fantastic Four had yet encountered. The Frightful Four raided the Fantastic Four's Baxter Building headquarters, and affixed the Wizard's anti-gravity discs to the four - minus Johnny, but with Alicia Masters, who managed to alert the Torch with the Invisible Girl's flare gun. Johnny soon appeared and forced the Wizard to use his anti-grav ship to free his team members before they floated into airless space. Then, together they beat the Frightful Four until the Wizard and the Sandman exploded the Wizard's ship as a distraction, and escaped.[5] Later, kidnapping the Invisible Girl, they lured the Fantastic Four to a Pacific atoll where they rigged an experimental "Q-bomb" to detonate. The Fantastic Four narrowly escaped.[6] Weeks later, the Frightful Four made their third attempt. Capturing the Thing, the Wizard used his "Id Machine" to simulate the Thing's natural tendencies toward violence and brainwash him into obeying the Wizard's commands. The Fantastic Four finally managed to subdue the Frightful Four, then all but Medusa were turned over to the authorities.[7] In his continued quest to crush the Fantastic Four, the Wizard has tried many iterations of the Frightful Four and has very rarely operated outside the Frightful Four. The Wizard engineered the Sandman's escape from prison, and provided him with a design for a new costume.[8] With the Trapster and Sandman, he battled Medusa.[9] He formed a partnership with Mysterio, and they battled the Torch and Spider-Man, but were foiled by Spider-Man.[10] He battled the Fantastic Four alone,[11] and later battled them once again with the Frightful Four.[12] With the Trapster and Sandman, he invaded the Fantastic Four headquarters, where they encountered Annihilus.[13] The Wizard replaced Medusa with Thundra in the Frightful Four, and they battled the Fantastic Four and Medusa.[14] However, Thundra, also ended up betraying him and allying herself with the Fantastic Four as Medusa did.[15] With the Trapster and Sandman, the Wizard battled the Fantastic Four again.[16] The Wizard, Trapster, and Sandman eventually captured the Fantastic Four, and recruited the Brute (Reed Richards of the original Counter-Earth) into the Frightful Four.[17] With the Frightful Four, the Wizard later captured Spider-Man and Namor.[18] The Wizard later teamed up with the Plantman, helping him to escape prison and providing him a vehicle and equipment,[19] but then ran into a conflict with the Avengers.[20] With the Mad Thinker and the Puppet Master, the Wizard attempted to disrupt the wedding of the Human Torch and Alicia Masters (Lyja in disguise).[21] The Wizard also captured the Thing and Franklin Richards in an attempt to use them against the Fantastic Four.[22] When the Sandman appeared to give up his life of crime, the Wizard formed a new Frightful Four with Hydro-Man, Klaw, and Titania. They invaded Fantastic Four headquarters, but sided with the real Fantastic Four against the Fantastic Four clones created by Aron the Watcher.[23] The Wizard later engineered a mass breakout from the Vault.[24] He was later broken out of prison by Loki to join the inner circle of villains organizing the Acts of Vengeance against the Avengers.[25] He freed the Brothers Grimm from prison, and sent them against Spider-Man.[26] With the Mandarin, he then battled the Avengers.[27] However, he then inadvertently led the Avengers to the criminals' base.[28] The Wizard eventually escaped Ryker's Island Prison.[29] With the Trapster, he was also defeated by the reformed Sandman.[30] Often avoiding the limelight that he once embraced, the Wizard hoped to hide from authorities using his former name Bentley Wittman. He was found by the Thunderbolts, however, who convinced the Wizard to provide anti-gravity discs in order for them to battle Graviton,[volume & issue needed] and later, to attach to the Magneto Protocol Satellites.[volume & issue needed] Later still, when the Sandman had appeared to reform his criminal ways, the Wizard took it upon himself to subject his former ally to his id machine, re-integrating the Sandman's mind and restoring him to villainy.[volume & issue needed] Finally, when the Fantastic Four's popularity reached an all-time low, the Wizard decided it was time to re-form the Frightful Four once more. No longer motivated by petty jealousy, the Wizard believed the Fantastic Four to be the source of all his troubles, his fall from grace.[volume & issue needed] He rescued the Trapster from the Negative Zone, boosted the powers of Hydro-Man, and called upon his ex-wife, Salamandra, to round out the Frightful Four.[volume & issue needed] He also manipulated Cole, his and Salamandra's daughter, to develop a relationship with the Human Torch in order to teleport to her and bypass the Fantastic Four's defenses.[volume & issue needed] During the resulting battle, the Wizard turned on the Trapster, revealing that he intended Cole to be the next member of the Frightful Four. When the Frightful Four defeated the heroes, the Wizard flaunted his success on television and left them humiliated.[volume & issue needed] However, when the Wizard admitted that he only wanted to include Cole once he saw her exhibit superhuman powers, she turned on him. She sought out the Fantastic Four to lead them back to her father and to try to find a cure for her powers. The Wizard and Cole confronted each other, and Cole used one of the Trapster's traps to ensnare her father, then used her powers over gravity to bring the Wizard's lair down around him.[volume & issue needed] [edit] Secret WarWizard plays a small role in the "Secret War" crossover event allied with Lucia von Bardas and other B-List supervillains. He has since returned, alive and well, in Fantastic Four #546, with a Frightful Five (himself, Titania, Trapster, Hydro-Man, and Klaw). [edit] Post-Civil WarThe Wizard is among the characters recruited in The Hood's syndicate of villains.[31] He is then seen in a blue uniform reminiscent of his original outfit.[32] He helped them fight the New Avengers but was taken down by Doctor Strange.[volume & issue needed] In Secret Invasion, he is one among many of supervillains who rejoined The Hood's crime syndicate and attacked a Skrull force.[33] He joins with the Hood's gang in an attack on the New Avengers, who were expecting the Dark Avengers instead.[34] Wizard later appeared as a member of the Intelligencia (consisting of himself, Leonard Samson, Leader, Mad Thinker and his Awesome Android, MODOK, and Red Ghost & his Super Apes).[35][36] [edit] Powers and abilitiesWittman is a scientific genius with Ph.Ds in several sciences, particularly in the fields of applied physics and sub-atomic particles. He has constructed a number of devices which he employs in his criminal activities:
In addition to being a scientist and engineer, Wittman is also a talented stage magician, escape artist, and master of disguise. [edit] Other versions[edit] 1602 WizardIn 1602: Fantastick Four, the 17th century version of the Wizard is self-described as "the greatest scientist alive in the year 1602". He claims to have been captain of a ship that reached the edge of the world and found a golden city, with the "Four Most Frightful" as his crew. Shortly before arriving in Atlantis with Otto von Doom, he admits that this was an exaggeration.[volume & issue needed] Like his mainstream counterpart, he has some means of defying gravity, although its exact nature is unclear. He refers to having some magical abilities.[volume & issue needed] [edit] House of M: Masters of EvilWizard is seen as a member of Hood's Masters of Evil.[37] [edit] MC2In Fantastic Five, the Wingless Wizard is confined to a hover chair and blames Reed Richards for crippling him. He gathers a new team, the Wizard's Warriors: two women, Dominator and Freefall, and three men, Bullet, Binder and Impact. The team are supplied with the Wizard's various inventions. They attack the Fantastic Five, but the Wizard's real objective is to discover the true location of Reed Richards.[38] Later most of the team are captured by Psilord and Spider-Girl. He and Dominator nevertheless invade Reed Richard's space station in the Negative Zone, but the inbuilt defenses capture them, and Reed states that they must remain in "cold storage" until the rip in the universe is repaired.[39] [edit] In other media[edit] Television
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