Swarm is a
fictional supervillain appearing in
American comic books published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
. The character's entire body is composed of
bees, and is mainly featured as an enemy of
Spider-Man.
Publication history
Swarm first appeared in ''
The Champions
''The Champions'' is a British espionage thriller/science fiction/occult detective fiction adventure television series. It was produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment production company, and consists of 30 episodes broadcast in the UK on IT ...
'' #14 (July 1977). He was created by
Bill Mantlo
William Timothy Mantlo (born November 9, 1951) is an American comic book writer, primarily at Marvel Comics. He is best known for his work on two licensed toy properties whose adventures occurred in the Marvel Universe: ''Micronauts'' and ''Ro ...
and
John Byrne.
Fictional character biography
Fritz von Meyer was born in
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and became one of
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
's top scientists specializing in
toxicology
Toxicology is a scientific discipline, overlapping with biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine, that involves the study of the adverse effects of chemical substances on living organisms and the practice of diagnosing and treating e ...
and
melittology
Melittology (from Greek , ''melitta'', "bee"; and ''-logia'') is a branch of entomology concerning the scientific study of bees. It may also be called apicology. Melittology covers the species found in the clade Anthophila within the superfamily ...
. Escaping capture after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, he was a
beekeeper
A beekeeper is a person who keeps honey bees.
Beekeepers are also called honey farmers, apiarists, or less commonly, apiculturists (both from the Latin '' apis'', bee; cf. apiary). The term beekeeper refers to a person who keeps honey bees i ...
or ''apiarist'' in
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...
and discovered a colony of mutated
bees. Intrigued by their intelligence and passive nature, von Meyer attempted to enslave the queen bee but failed and the bees devoured him, leaving only his skeleton. The bees' unique qualities caused von Meyer's consciousness to be absorbed into them, allowing him to manipulate the hive to do his will while his skeletal remains are inside the swarm itself. His consciousness merged with the hive to the extent that they are one being, calling himself/themselves "Swarm".
Swarm battled the
Champions
A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...
. After being defeated, Swarm resurfaced to battle
Spider-Man. In the first of many fights, Spider-Man prevailed against him when the web-slinger's costume was dosed in a new type of
insecticide that hurt the bees if they got too close. Swarm lost his/their skeleton in this battle but returned to fight again (no longer having the skeleton but still possessing von Meyer's consciousness), first teaming with
Kraven the Hunter
Kraven the Hunter (Sergei Kravinoff; Russian: Сергей Кравинов) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' issue #15 (August 1964) as an adversary ...
against
Iceman and
Firestar, then against Spider-Man, but feedback from a weapon fired by the
Rhino
A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...
caused Swarm's bee body to disperse temporarily.
Swarm next appears when a Super-Collider from
Rand Industries is activated and called his/their attention. Swarm decides mankind should be exterminated so insects can rule the world.
Doctor Druid convinced Swarm that mankind will exterminate themselves and the age of insects can begin. Eventually, Swarm was tired of waiting and returned to New York, after a psychic wave generated by
Onslaught
Onslaught may refer to:
Characters
* Onslaught (Marvel Comics), a Marvel Comics supervillain
* Onslaught (DC Comics), a DC Comics team of Quraci terrorists
* Onslaught (Transformers), the leader of the Combaticons in the ''Transformers'' series
...
disrupted the psychic field that bonded him and the bees together. He forced a group of scientists investigating energy fields to help him not only restore his original field, but expand it to grant him control of every bee on Earth. As
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
is invaded by bees, the
Scarlet Spider
The Scarlet Spider is an alias used by several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most notably Ben Reilly and Kaine Parker, both of whom are genetic replicates of the superhero Spider-Man.
Both the ...
tracked the bees to their destination and — taking advantage of the fact that the swarms' instinctive memory of Raid caused the bees to automatically flinch away from Spider-Man — infiltrated the building to contact the scientists. By claiming that the scientists' equipment is having trouble broadcasting a sufficiently powerful signal through the dome of bees, Scarlet Spider is able to trick Swarm into allowing a device's construction designed to negate the vibrational frequency that the bees create to allow themselves to fly, presenting it as a means of boosting the existing signal's power. With the bees now grounded, Scarlet Spider subsequently recovers the queen of Swarm's hive and leaves the authorities' care, reasoning Swarm won't be a future threat without her.
Now back with an internal skeleton, Swarm felt that the criminal organization
Pride
Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) w ...
's fall allowed access to their former territory, specifically
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
. However, he/they are defeated by the Los Angeles' protector
Runaways when his/their body of bees' mental link is disrupted by electrical blasts.
Swarm regained control over his colony and joins the
Chameleon's Exterminators to kill their shared enemy now that Peter Parker's true identity is revealed. Swarm attacks
Mary Jane Watson
Mary Jane "MJ" Watson is a Character (arts), fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr., and made her first appearance in ''The Amazing Spider-Man' ...
but the latter sprays Swarm with water while a co-worker smashes Swarm's skeleton, but the bees reformed around the skeleton as
Stark Industries' bodyguards take him/them away.
When
Alyosha Kravinoff began collecting a
zoo
A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes.
The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoo ...
of animal-themed superhumans, Swarm is in one of the cages. He fought
Gargoyle
In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down masonry walls ...
as the
Punisher
The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher made ...
passes them and escaped.
Swarm next turns up in
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
,
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
, having amassed enough bees to become giant-sized. The
Thunderbolts face him/them unsuccessfully until
Venom
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a st ...
devours Swarm's bones.
Norman Osborn
Norman Osborn is a fictional character, fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character, created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #14 (July ...
speculated this is a minor inconvenience that shouldn't prevent Swarm's return.
[''Thunderbolts'' #122. Marvel Comics.]
Swarm next turns up in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, having his intelligence again. He fought the
Mighty Avengers
''The Mighty Avengers'' is a comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics. Originally written by Brian Michael Bendis, also the writer of '' New Avengers'', the title first featured an officially sanctioned Avengers team of registered ...
by creating 'avatars' made of bees.
Hank Pym
Dr. Henry Jonathan "Hank" Pym () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by penciller Jack Kirby, editor-plotter Stan Lee and writer Larry Lieber, the character first appeared in '' Tales ...
,
Stature and
Amadeus Cho
Amadeus Cho, also known as Brawn, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by American writer Greg Pak and Canadian artist Takeshi Miyazawa, the character first appeared in ''Amazing Fantasy'' vol. 2 ...
place an inhibitor collar on the queen bees which caused Swarm's intelligence to somehow disperse.
He was briefly seen trying to launch an attack of the
Jean Grey School for Higher Learning
The X-Mansion or Xavier Institute is the common name for a mansion and research institute appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The mansion is depicted as the private estate of Charles Francis Xavier, a character in X-Me ...
only to be almost instantly thwarted by the
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to lo ...
's
Krakoa, the
Bamf
Bamf , originally Bampf, is an onomatopoeic term originating in comic books published by Marvel Comics, in particular those featuring the superhero Nightcrawler of the X-Men. The term is derived from the sound Nightcrawler makes when teleporti ...
s, and
Doop
Doop may refer to:
* Doop (comics), a Marvel Comics character
* D.O.O.P. or Democratic Order of Planets on the television program ''Futurama''
* Doop (band), Dutch duo
** "Doop" (song), 1994 song by the duo
See also
* Doob (disambiguation)
* ...
.
Swarm later formed his own incarnation of the
Sinister Six
Sinister commonly refers to:
* Evil
* Ominous
Sinister may also refer to:
Left side
* Sinister, Latin for the direction "left"
* Sinister, in heraldry, is the bearer's true left side (viewers' right side) of an escutcheon or coat of arms; see dex ...
with
8-Ball,
Delilah
Delilah ( ; , meaning "delicate";Gesenius's ''Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon'' ar, دليلة, Dalīlah; grc, label= Greek, Δαλιδά, Dalidá) is a woman mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. She is loved ...
,
Killer Shrike
Killer Shrike is the name of two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history
The Simon Maddicks version of Killer Shrike first appeared in ''The Rampaging Hulk'' #1 (Jan. 1977) and was cr ...
,
Melter
The Melter is the name of three fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The original Melter, Bruno Horgan, first appeared in Tales of Suspense #47 (Nov. 1963).
Publication history
The character debuted ...
and
Squid. They attack Spider-Man and the students of the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. Swarm gets dispersed by
Hellion which caused the other members to surrender.
Swarm later attacked New York but was defeated by
Squirrel Girl
Squirrel Girl (Doreen Allene Green) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Will Murray and writer/artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' vol. 2 #8, a.k.a. ' ...
and her ally Koi Boi covering him with water and turning bags full of his constituent bees in to the police.
[''The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl'' #7. Marvel Comics.]
Swarm later appeared as a member of the Hateful Hexad alongside Bearboarguy,
Gibbon,
Ox,
Squid and
White Rabbit
The White Rabbit is a fictional and anthropomorphic character in Lewis Carroll's 1865 book ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''. He appears at the very beginning of the book, in chapter one, wearing a waistcoat, and muttering "Oh dear! Oh dear! ...
. During the disastrous battle against Spider-Man and
Deadpool
Deadpool is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist/writer Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #98 (cover-dated Feb. 1991). Initially, Deadp ...
, the battle is crashed by Itsy Bitsy.
Swarm relocates to Florida, where he encounters Macrothrax and his minions who are also sentient insect colonies in humanoid form, accidentally created by the invention behind him. He ends up joining forces with
Ant-Man
Ant-Man is the name of several superheroes appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby, Ant-Man's first appearance was in ''Tales to Astonish'' #27 (January 1962) but first appeared in cost ...
and taking a liking to the latter.
Powers and abilities
Swarm is a composite being of hundreds of thousands of bees driven by a human intelligence. He is technically intangible, as his body is merely an aggregate of tiny forms. He can fly through the air and assume any shape and size he desires. He can mentally influence the actions of other bees, the full range of which may extend over hundreds of yards in radius. With the aid of a team of scientists, Swarm was briefly able to enhance his power to the point where he could have theoretically taken control of every bee on Earth, but this plan was averted by Spider-Man. At first, Swarm seemed capable of only controlling other bees, but he has exhibited the ability to communicate/control other insects as well. Fritz von Meyer's skeleton, the focal point of his consciousness, remained behind as his only remains until being devoured by Venom.
Other versions
''Marvel Fairy Tales''
In the second issue of the Spider-Man line of ''
Marvel Fairy Tales'' (an adaptation of the legend of
Anansi
Anansi ( ; literally translates to ''spider'') is an Akan folktale character and the Akan God of Stories, Wisdom, Knowledge, and possibly creation. The form of a spider is the most common depiction of Anansi. He is also, sometimes considered t ...
), an alternate version of Swarm appears as the stories' main villain, the Yellow and purple spider.
''Marvel Adventures''
Swarm recently appeared and fought Spider-Man in ''
Marvel Adventures Marvel Adventures, formerly Marvel Age, was an imprint of Marvel Comics intended for younger audiences, including small children. Unlike the standard comics published by Marvel, which often take place in story arcs spanning several issues, each Marv ...
''. He/they supposedly wanted to take over the world (or at least kill a few jocks), but it looked like he/they just wanted some ice cream.
Ultimate Marvel
The
Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring re-imagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Those characters ...
equivalent of Swarm is Petra Laskov, a
Syrian female
mutant
In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...
. She was the wife of Georgian activist Nikolai Laskov. The couple's child is held at gunpoint, forcing Laskov to kill her husband to save her own child. She does so, only for Laskov's child to be killed anyway, and then Laskov was raped by thugs.
Years later, she appears as the supervillainess Insect Queen
[''Ultimate Avengers'' #5. Marvel Comics.] of the supervillain
Liberators group that invades the United States to kill many in order to put a stop to perceived American aggression. During a showdown with the
Ultimates
The Ultimates is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics and created by writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch, which first started publication from ''The Ultimates'' #1 (March 2002), as part of the company's Ultimate Marvel ...
, Laskov is apparently killed after being stomped by the giant-sized
Wasp
A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. ...
. However, she is later rebuilt as the
superheroine Red-Wasp by
Nick Fury and
Gregory Stark
Arno Stark is the name of two similar fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, appearing as a counterpart of the superhero Iron Man from the multiverse. The first of these characters is best known as Iron ...
to be a member of their Avengers team.
[''Ultimate Comics: Avengers'' #3. Marvel Comics.] When the Avengers fight the
Red Skull
The Red Skull is an alias used by several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and its predecessor Timely Comics. The first version, George Maxon, appeared in ''Captain America Comics'' #1 and #4. The main ...
, Laskov is tormented until
Captain America and
Hawkeye save the team. Afterwards, Laskov (disguised as a nurse) shoots her family's executioner in the head in a hospital. Her abilities as the inhuman-esque Swarm are to control insects (albeit fully corporeal) with
Margali Szardos's similar features of grey skin and horns while her abilities as the human-looking Red-Wasp is an aggressive variation of the Wasp.
Marvel Noir
The
Marvel Noir universe's equivalent is Madame Sturm, a Nazi scientist. She finds the same Spider-God totem behind Peter Parker's powers which she uses to mutate herself into a bee god and calls herself Madame Swarm. She is defeated when
Spider-Man Noir
Spider-Man Noir (Peter Parker) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Part of the Marvel Noir universe (Earth-90214), this alternate version of Spider-Man is a noir-themed take on the character ...
lures her towards a Nazi blimp that
Spider-Man blows up with the Venom sting.
In other media
Television
* A variation of Swarm appeared in a self-titled episode of ''
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends may refer to the following shows:
* ''Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends'' (1981 TV series), a 1981 cartoon series
* ''Spidey and His Amazing Friends'' (2021 TV series), a 2021 Disney Junior cartoon
{{Disam ...
'', voiced by Al Fann.
This version was originally a beehive irradiated by a fallen meteorite's energy, gaining sentience as well as the ability to increase other bees' size and mutate humans into insect hybrid drones. It attempts to spread its hive mind throughout the universe until
Spider-Man,
Firestar, and
Iceman intervene and launch the meteorite back into space to reverse Swarm's effects.
* Another variation of Swarm named Michael Tan appears in ''
Ultimate Spider-Man
''Ultimate Spider-Man'' is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate ...
'', voiced by
Eric Bauza
Eric Bauza (born December 7, 1979) is a Canadian-American voice actor and comedian. His most-known roles include Stimpy on '' Ren and Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon"'', Foop on '' The Fairly OddParents'' and its reboot '' Fairly Odder'', Thunderbol ...
in "Swarm"
and
Drake Bell
Jared Drake Bell (born June 27, 1986) is an American actor, singer, songwriter, and musician. Born in Newport Beach, California, he began his career as an actor in the early 1990s at the age of five with his first televised appearance on ''Hom ...
in "Sandman Returns".
This version utilizes a swarm of self-replicating nanobots. Debuting in his self-titled episode, Tan started out as a disgruntled and immature employee of Stark Industries who worked on a device to control technology, only to be fired by
Iron Man. He activates the device in retaliation, which fuses his molecules with Spider-Man's spider-tracer and activates when the web-slinger attempts to use it on the
Juggernaut. As Swarm, Tan attempts to assimilate Iron Man's technology, but Spider-Man and Iron Man are able to defeat him by using the former's spider-tracer and the latter's arc reactor to amplify a nullifying frequency. With Swarm neutralized, his nanobots are confiscated for his reconfiguration. In "Sandman Returns", Swarm attempts to assimilate
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in ''Strange Tales'' #135 (August 1965), it often dea ...
technology, but is defeated by Spider-Man and
Sandman
The Sandman is a mythical character in European folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes.
Representation in traditional folklore
The Sandman is a traditional charact ...
. In "HYDRA Attacks" Pt. 1, Swarm is a prisoner on the S.H.I.E.L.D.
Tri-Carrier before
Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus (Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius), also known as Doc Ock for short, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in ''Th ...
's miniature Octobot combined with Swarm's nanobots to convert the headquarters into
Arnim Zola
Arnim Zola is a supervillain appearing in American comic books by Marvel Comics. He is a master of biochemistry and a recurring enemy of Captain America and the Avengers. The character first appeared in '' Captain America and the Falcon'' #208 ...
's
HYDRA Island.
* The Fritz von Meyer incarnation of Swarm appears in ''
Marvel Super Hero Adventures
''Marvel Super Hero Adventures'' is an animated series based on characters created by Marvel Comics. Aimed at a preschool audience, the shorts first air on Disney Channel's Disney Junior block, followed by the Disney Junior channel and later the M ...
'', voiced by
Ian James Corlett
Ian James Corlett (born August 29, 1962) is a Canadian voice actor, animator, and author. He is the creator of Studio B Productions' animated series ''Being Ian'' and ''Yvon of the Yukon''. One of his best-known animation roles was the first En ...
.
* A variation of Swarm appears in ''
Spider-Man'' as the alter-ego of
Jefferson Davis (voiced by
Alex Désert
Alex Désert (born July 18, 1968) is an American actor and musician, known for his roles in the TV series ''The Flash'', '' The Heights'' with Jamie Walters, '' Becker'' with Ted Danson, and Mr. Williams on '' Boy Meets World'', as well as the voi ...
), utilizing purple nanotech bees that grant him a solid form and can use their stingers to mind control humans.
Video games
Swarm (Fritz von Meyer) appears as a member of
Sinister Six
Sinister commonly refers to:
* Evil
* Ominous
Sinister may also refer to:
Left side
* Sinister, Latin for the direction "left"
* Sinister, in heraldry, is the bearer's true left side (viewers' right side) of an escutcheon or coat of arms; see dex ...
in the role-playing mobile game ''
Marvel Strike Force
''Marvel Strike Force'' is a turn-based role-playing mobile game by FoxNext (later acquired by Scopely) for Android, iOS, and iPadOS platforms. The game was launched worldwide on March 28, 2018, and is primarily set in the Marvel Universe.
Pre ...
''.
Novels
The Symbiotic Warfare Anthophila Restraining Model (S.W.A.R.M.) appears in ''Spider-Man: City at War'', the comic book adaptation of the 2018 ''
Spider-Man'' video game. S.W.A.R.M. was planned to be in the finished game but was cut.
Toys
An
action figure
An action figure is a poseable character model figure made most commonly of plastic, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, military, video game or television program; fictional or historical. These figures are usually mark ...
of the Fritz von Meyer incarnation of Swarm was released in 1997 as part of the ''Spider-Man: Spider Force'' toy line. It was molded in a translucent yellow plastic and featured a removable cape and hood as well as snap-on bee armor which could also be assembled to create a "giant" bee accessory.
Theatre
The Fritz von Meyer incarnation of Swarm appears in the
Broadway musical
Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...
''
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark'', played by Gerald Avery. This version was originally a scientist at
Oscorp
Oscorp (sometimes stylized as OsCorp), also known as Oscorp Industries, is a fictional multibillion-dollar multinational corporation appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, predominantly in stories about Spider-Man. The compa ...
before he's manipulated into being Swarm by the
Green Goblin
The Green Goblin is the alias of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first and best-known incarnation Norman Osborn, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, is generally regarded as one of the a ...
and joining the Sinister Six.
Reception
In August 2009, ''
TIME
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' listed Swarm as one of the "Top 10 Oddest Marvel Characters".
Swarm was ranked #29 on a listing of Marvel Comics' monster characters in 2015.
References
External links
Swarm (Fritz von Meyer)at the Superhero Database
Swarmat Marvel.com
{{Sinister Six
Villains in animated television series
Fiction about beekeeping
Fictional bees
Fictional collective consciousnesses
Fictional entomologists
Fictional Nazi fugitives
Fictional toxicologists
Fictional superorganisms
Characters created by Bill Mantlo
Characters created by John Byrne (comics)
Comics characters introduced in 1977
Marvel Comics mutates
Marvel Comics scientists
Marvel Comics supervillains
Marvel Comics Nazis
Spider-Man characters
Marvel Comics characters who are shapeshifters
Fictional characters from Saxony