Electro (Marvel Comics)

Electro
Marvel Masterpieces (1992) lithograph. Art by Joe Jusko
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	The Amazing Spider-Man #9 (Feb. 1964)
Created by	Stan Lee Steve Ditko
In-story information
Alter ego	Maxwell "Max" Dillon
Team affiliations	Sinister Six Emissaries of Evil Frightful Four Exterminators Sinister Twelve Legion Accursed
Abilities	Flight Electric manipulation Superhuman strength and speed when fully charged

Electro is the name of two fictional supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Maxwell Dillon, the first Electro, is an enemy of Spider-Man who gained the ability to control electricity after being struck by lightning while working on a power line. Electro has since become one of Spider-Man's most enduring foes, becoming part of the collective rogue team known as the Sinister Six. The second Electro is Francine Frye.

In 2009, he was ranked as IGN's 87th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.

The character has been depicted in numerous Spider-Man cartoons and video games and made his cinematic debut in 2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2, portrayed by actor Jamie Foxx.

The Maxwell Dillon version of Electro was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #9 (Feb. 1964).

While Maxwell Dillon, an electrical engineer and lineman, was repairing a power line, a freak lightning accident caused a mutagenic change that transformed him into a living electrical capacitor. His powers were initially weak, so he spent some time stealing electrical equipment from Stark Industries to charge himself. During this time, he was approached by Magneto, who considered him a potential recruit for his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, claiming that Dillon's power rivaled his own, but Dillon refused. The following day, Dillon was confronted by a small-time thug from whom he had been borrowing money to pay for the machinery he had needed. When the thug drew a gun on him because he had not paid back the money yet, he responded by shooting a blast of lightning through the thug's chest—the first time Dillon ever killed anybody. Soon taking the name "Electro", he turned to a life of a professional criminal, his first victim being J. Jonah Jameson. Electro broke into the Daily Bugle Building and stole from Jameson's safe right in front of him. Jameson accused Spider-Man of being an alternate identity of Electro, prompting Spider-Man to prove the publisher wrong. During their first ever confrontation, Spider-Man was nearly killed after touching the electrically charged villain. Spider-Man eventually used a fire hose to short-circuit Electro while wearing rubber gloves to protect himself.