Tombstone (character)

Did You Know?

• In 2020, Comic Book Resources ranked Tombstone 9th in their "Marvel: Dark Spider-Man Villains, Ranked From Lamest To Coolest" list.
• Alternate universe versions of Tombstone appear in Marvel Adventures, Luke Cage Noir, The Spectacular Spider-Girl, and Secret Wars.
• In 2022, Screen Rant included Tombstone in their "10 Spider-Man Villains That Are Smarter Than They Seem" list.

Publication history

Gerry Conway and Alex Saviuk created Tombstone, who first appeared in Web of Spider-Man #36 (March 1988). Conway wanted to work with second- or third-tier supporting characters from The Amazing Spider-Man, particularly Joe Robertson. He also sought to revive the ruthless gangster archetype Hammerhead had represented, but without using Hammerhead himself. Conway began with the name "Tombstone" and gave the character albinism and squared-off features to evoke an actual tombstone, instructing Saviuk to incorporate these traits into the design. Tombstone was immediately established as having a history with Robertson and became a regular in The Spectacular Spider-Man, then written by Conway.

Fictional character biography

Taller and stronger than his peers, he began extorting protection money at school. The school newspaper, edited by Joseph "Robbie" Robertson, planned to expose this but pulled the story after Lincoln used scare tactics. Lincoln dropped out and joined organized crime, becoming a hitman and enforcer. He filed his teeth and nails to points, using his albinism to catch opponents off guard. Years later, Robertson witnessed Lincoln kill a source and kept the secret for over twenty years. As Tombstone, he became the Kingpin's top hitman in New York City. He threw the Hobgoblin out of a window and captured the mutant Persuader. Robertson eventually revealed the murder to police, leading to Tombstone's arrest, but not before Tombstone seriously injured Robertson. Spider-Man later defeated Tombstone in Atlanta, and he was sent to the Philadelphia State Penitentiary.

Powers and abilities

Lonnie Lincoln started out as an unusually tall man with near-peak human abilities but no superpowers. A reaction to an experimental preservative gas gave him actual powers, boosting his strength and reflexes far beyond normal. His body now resists extreme temperatures, heavy impacts, high-caliber bullets, and toxic fumes. He has occasionally sharpened his teeth into points to intimidate others. Even before his transformation, he could kill with his bare hands thanks to years of street fighting. He combines that experience with his enhanced speed and force to overwhelm opponents. He is also skilled with firearms and has strong ties to organized crime.

In other media

Tombstone appears in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, voiced by Dorian Harewood, as a disfigured man who gained superpowers from a chemical vat accident and blames Robbie Robertson. In The Spectacular Spider-Man, voiced by Keith David and later Kevin Michael Richardson, he is the original "Big Man of Crime" who uses the public identity of philanthropist L. Thompson Lincoln. A young Lonnie Lincoln appears in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, voiced by Eugene Byrd, as a football player who joins the 110th Street Gang and gains superhuman strength from a mysterious gas. In Spider-Noir, portrayed by Abraham Popoola, he is a World War I soldier experimented on by Germans, developing armored crocodile-like skin, later cured by the Spider and Robbie Robertson. Tombstone appears in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, voiced by Marvin "Krondon" Jones III, as the Kingpin's personal bodyguard. He is set to reprise the role in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse (2027) and portrays a different version in the live-action Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026).