Tinkerer (Marvel Comics)

Tinkerer
The Tinkerer (Phineas Mason) from the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition.
Art by Peter Poplaski.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceThe Amazing Spider-Man #2 (May 1963)
Created byStan Lee
Steve Ditko
In-story information
Alter egoPhineas Mason
SpeciesHuman
Team affiliationsMasters of Evil
Notable aliasesThe Terrible Tinkerer
Hophni Mason
Abilities
  • Genius-level intellect
  • Proficient scientist and engineer

The Tinkerer (Phineas Mason) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is usually portrayed as an adversary of the superhero Spider-Man and the father of Rick Mason. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, and made his first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #2 (May 1963).[1]

The Tinkerer is generally depicted as a genius in engineering who is able to create gadgets and other devices from nothing more than spare parts left over from ordinary household appliances. While in his initial appearances he sought to personally eliminate Spider-Man, later storylines would have him under the employ of other supervillains, whom he supplies with his devices for their personal vendettas against Spider-Man or other heroes.

Since his introduction in comics, the character has been adapted into several other forms of media, such as animated television series and video games. The Tinkerer made his live-action debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), portrayed by Michael Chernus. Additionally, an original incarnation named Phin Mason appears in the video game Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020), voiced by Jasmin Savoy Brown.

Publication history

The Tinkerer was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, and made his initial appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #2 (April 1963), opposing Spider-Man as a villain.[2] It would, however, be several years before he would return, and made his second appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #160 (September 1976), once again opposing Spider-Man in a losing effort.[3] The Tinkerer would be mentioned in The Amazing Spider-Man #182 (July 1978). This was his first mention in the publication as a supporting side character to the other villains.[4]

Fictional character biography

Phineas Mason is a brilliant inventor and technician who designs advanced weaponry for criminals and sometimes undertakes crimes of his own. As "the Terrible Tinkerer", he runs an underground fix-it shop disguised as a radio repair shop. On at least one occasion, a potential customer gained the inventor's attention by presenting a transistor radio and telling Mason that "I've got a radio that just can't carry a tune". The Tinkerer's original scheme involved the employment of a team of petty has-been stuntmen and thugs. They specialized in placing bugs into radios and blackmailing state officials and politicians.[5][6]

Since he is a small business operator who works alone (and arms criminals), the Tinkerer takes precautions to prevent being cheated. For instance, Killer Shrike commissioned Tinkerer to improve his weapon gauntlets. At delivery time, Killer Shrike decided to use the weapons to threaten the inventor and avoid paying. The gauntlets backfired on Killer Shrike due to a failsafe created by Tinkerer and implemented into his products for such situations.[7]

Tinkerer's son Rick Mason is a world-class mercenary for the American government and freelance operative. Despite the two being on opposite sides of the law, father and son remained on good terms and met frequently. Tinkerer even aided Rick from time to time, and once provided his son with information about a coup in South America.[8] After Rick was seemingly killed in action, the grief-stricken father decided to mend his ways while still maintaining links to supervillains to give information he could discreetly pass along.[9]

In the Secret War miniseries, Nick Fury discovers a link between the weaponry of many technology-based villains and the kingdom of Latveria. Tinkerer is revealed to have received a vast portion of his funding and presumably the resources and technology from which he has developed most of his clients' arsenals over the years from Latveria. This was part of an ongoing "terrorist" initiative fostered by Latveria's leader Doctor Doom and prime minister Lucia von Bardas.[10] S.H.I.E.L.D. agents discover Tinkerer's workshop by using Killer Shrike as a mole. When the agents converge on the workshop, Killer Shrike is struck down by Tinkerer's security systems, while Tinkerer flees to Latveria rather than face justice.

The Punisher finds and confronts Tinkerer after a confrontation with Stilt-Man to which Tinkerer begs for death. Not only was his son dead, but his grandson died in the Stamford, Connecticut explosion that heralded the Civil War's beginning. Without his family, Tinkerer has become suicidal and continues his work in the hope that both superheroes and supervillains would wipe each other out. The Punisher stabs Tinkerer in the back, likely leaving him paralyzed.[11] Now reliant on a wheelchair, Mason is contracted by Cyber to infuse his body with adamantium.[12]

During the "Secret Invasion" storyline, he is freed from Prison 42 to help Human Torch, the Thing, Franklin Richards, and Valeria Richards return to the Earth dimension. It is mentioned that Mason had retired the Tinkerer identity, but he is imprisoned for breaking the Superhuman Registration Act regardless. He is initially reluctant to help his old foes, but Franklin's and Valeria's resemblance to his own grandchildren causes him to relent.[13] It was revealed Rick is in fact still alive, under deep cover, and in a conspiracy which resulted in Carol Danvers's apparent murder for Norman Osborn in exchange for his father's release and cleared record.[14]

Later, Phineas fabricates the identity of his own brother Hophni Mason via a robotic suit. As Hophni, he acts as a confidant of various superheroes, such as Ant-Man and Captain America,[15] and provides technology to Teresa Parker.[16] His façade is revealed when he uses his disguise as a battlesuit, which gets defeated by Spider-Man. However, it is revealed that the Tinkerer is acting as an ally to the Vedomi alien race of sentient A.I.s.[17] After escaping custody, the Tinkerer (equipped with the Vedomi's battlesuit) fights Spider-Man, who realizes that the Tinkerer is sorrowful and resentful towards humanity and helps change his point of view. Tinkerer departs Earth alongside the Vedomi, deciding to stay with them and help guide them on a less destructive path.[18]

Skills and abilities

Phineas Mason has a genius-level intellect, with extensive knowledge in various sciences. He is capable of designing and manufacturing numerous inventions derived from pre-existing technologies. He can access a wide array of advanced devices if needed, but his old age limits his physical abilities.[19]

Other versions

The Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows

An alternate universe version of the Tinkerer appears in the "Secret Wars" tie-in The Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows (vol. 1). This version comes from the Battleworld domain of the Regency and retired from supervillainy to open a repair shop.[20]

Ultimate Marvel

An original incarnation of the Tinkerer named Elijah Stern appears in Ultimate Spider-Man. Created by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley and designed to resemble Paul Giamatti,[21] this version previously worked for Roxxon before he was fired after discovering a way to use vibranium as a power source. After Spider-Man thwarts his attempt to assassinate his former employer Donald Roxxon, Spider-Man offers Stern the choice of either working for S.H.I.E.L.D. or death.[22] Choosing the former, Sterns goes on to create Spider-Slayers and reluctantly assist the Ultimate Six before he is killed by the Prowler.[23][24]

Additionally, a version of Phineas Mason exists in the same universe as a scientific prodigy associated with a U.S. government think tank called Nursery Two.[25]

In other media

Television

Film

Phineas Mason appears in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), portrayed by Michael Chernus.[27] Depicted around Elijah Stern's age, this version is a weapons maker and former member of a salvage company alongside Adrian Toomes, Herman Schultz and Jackson Brice before it went out of business due to interference from the Department of Damage Control. As part of their revenge scheme against them, Mason helps Toomes steal leftover technology from the Avengers' battles and build advanced weapons out of it, such as Toomes' flight suit and modified versions of Crossbones's vibro-blast emitting gauntlets. While his associates are defeated by Spider-Man and arrested by the authorities, Mason's fate is left unknown.

Video games

References

  1. ↑ DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 382. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
  2. ↑ Brevoort, Tom; DeFalco, Tom; Manning, Matthew K.; Sanderson, Peter; Wiacek, Win (2017). Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History. DK Publishing. p. 92. ISBN 978-1465455505.
  3. ↑ The Amazing Spider-Man #160 (September 1976)
  4. ↑ The Amazing Spider-Man #182 (July 1978)
  5. ↑ The Amazing Spider-Man #2 (May 1963)
  6. ↑ Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Super-Villains. New York: Facts on File. p. 346-347. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.
  7. ↑ The Amazing Spider-Man #310 (December 1988)
  8. ↑ The Agent Graphic Novel (December 1989)
  9. ↑ Cage #14 (May 1993)
  10. ↑ Secret War #1 (April 2004)
  11. ↑ The Punisher War Journal (vol. 2) #1 (January 2007)
  12. ↑ Wolverine: Origins #12-15 (May – August 2007)
  13. ↑ Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four #3 (September 2008)
  14. ↑ Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #37 (May 2009)
  15. ↑ Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #1 (August 2017)
  16. ↑ Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #3-5 (October – December 2017)
  17. ↑ Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #299-300 (March – April 2018)
  18. ↑ Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #306-307 (August – September 2018)
  19. ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #12 (January 2010)
  20. ↑ The Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows #3
  21. ↑ Brucie, Dylan (March 2007). Ultimate Spider-Man. Wizard Xtra!. p. 117.
  22. ↑ Ultimate Spider-Man #90 (April 2006)
  23. ↑ Ultimate Spider-Man #101 (December 2006)
  24. ↑ Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #7 (April 2012)
  25. ↑ Ultimate Fantastic Four Annual #2 (October 2006)
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Tinkerer Voices (Spider-Man)". Behind The Voice Actors. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  27. ↑ Fleming Jr., Mike (August 10, 2016). "Michael Chernus Joins 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' As The Tinkerer". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 11, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Characters - LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 Guide". IGN Database. May 19, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  29. ↑ Gartenberg, Chaim (September 16, 2020). "Spider-Man: Miles Morales Gameplay Trailer and Release Date". The Verge. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  30. ↑ "Sony PS5 Showcase Gameplay Demo". YouTube. September 16, 2020. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021.
  31. ↑ "Tinkerer Voice - Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Video Game)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved August 13, 2026. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
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