Lightmaster

Lightmaster (Edward Lansky) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.^[1]

Lightmaster
Lightmaster as depicted in Superior Spider-Man Team-Up #5 (October 2013). Art by Marco Checchetto (penciller/inker), Rachelle Rosenberg (colorist), and Joe Caramagna (letterer).
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #3 (Feb. 1977)
Created by	Jim Shooter Sal Buscema
In-story information
Alter ego	Dr. Edward Lansky
Team affiliations	Masters of Evil One World Church Empire State University
Abilities	Power suit grants: Light manipulation Flight Construct generation

Publication history

Lightmaster first appeared in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #3 and was created by Jim Shooter and Sal Buscema.^[2]

Fictional character biography

Edward Lansky is a physics professor and vice-chancellor at Empire State University who turned to crime in an attempt to gain money.^[3] As the Lightmaster, Lansky employs Kraven the Hunter and the Tarantula to help him kidnap several government officials. The three are defeated by Spider-Man, who foils the plot and electrocutes Lightmaster, inadvertently transforming him into an energy being who requires constant exposure to light to survive.^[4]

After accidentally causing a blackout, Lightmaster disappears into another dimension and subsequently makes several attempts to regain a physical form.^[5][6] He later succeeds by harnessing Quasar's quantum bands and taking over his body.^[7]

Lightmaster is later released into the custody of Genetech, who conducted experiments that made him more powerful, yet unstable. He was defeated by Cloak and Dagger and taken back into custody by the Light Brigade.^[8][9][10]

In Secret Invasion, Lightmaster appears as a member of the Hood's crime syndicate.^[11] He accompanies the Hood and other associates when his crime syndicate attacks Mister Negative; the dispute is that the man is in charge of all of Chinatown's criminal operations and resists handing them over to the Hood.^[12]

Lightmaster later works with the Wrecking Crew to steal an Alchemax device and battles the Superior Spider-Man. They join forces with Absorbing Man, Blackout, Mister Hyde, Titania, and Whirlwind to form a new incarnation of the Masters of Evil. It is also revealed that Lightmaster is the father of Sun Girl.^[13]

Powers and abilities

Lightmaster initially wielded powered armor that utilized "gravity-pump circuitry" to manipulate light. With it, he could fly; emit blinding flashes of light; create semi-solid, low-mass constructs, and absorb energy to a limited extent. As an energy being, he possesses these powers innately. Furthermore, he is a skilled scientist with a Ph.D. in physics.