Meet Tombstone, New York City's Toughest Crime Lord

Of all the formidable foes in Spider-Man's rogues gallery, few are as grim-faced as Tombstone, the New York mobster otherwise known as Lonnie Lincoln. Whether working solo, as part of an organized crime outfit, or on a super villain team, Tombstone has consistently posed a grave threat to Spider-Man.
 
More than just being an enemy of Spider-Man, however, Tombstone also has ties to people very close to Peter Parker, making him an even more personal adversary for the web-slinging hero.

Let's take a look at Tombstone's history, from his very first comic book appearance, to his lethal powers and abilities, to his most brutal confrontations with Spider-Man.

WHO IS TOMBSTONE?

Lonnie Lincoln grew up in Harlem, where the other neighborhood children bullied him for his albinism. Already stronger and larger than other kids his age, Lonnie started training in hand-to-hand combat and exercised to improve his overall strength, culminating in him becoming a bully himself as he grew older.

Among Lonnie’s early targets was future Daily Bugle editor Robbie Robertson, whom he intimated to keep his mouth shut about a grisly murder. Robbie’s silence haunted him for decades, as revealed in PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #137.

Lonnie's success as an amateur crook led him to eventually drop out of school altogether and make a name for himself in the world of organized crime. Because of his strikingly appearance and sharpened teeth, Lonnie's growing number of victims earned him the nickname Tombstone. Tombstone rose through the ranks as one of the Kingpin's top enforcers.  
 
After gaining super-powers, Tombstone began working with other super villains more often, including short-lived alliances with the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus.

Tombstone secretly had a daughter, Janice Lincoln, born during the early days of his criminal career. Lonnie cared for Janice in his own way, financially supporting her as she grew up. Janice privately idolized her father, leading her to take on the super villain mantle of the Beetle in THE SUPERIOR FOES OF SPIDER-MAN (2013) #7.  
 
After paying for her law school education, Tombstone was reluctant to encourage his daughter to become a villain. However, he maintained contact with Janice after she followed in his footsteps, with the two of them working to take down a rival crime lord, the Owl. 

POWERS AND ABILITIES

An exceptionally tall and strong mobster, Tombstone filed his teeth into sharpened points to intimidate his enemies and rivals. Even before gaining superpowers, Tombstone’s rivals considered his strength and endurance deadly.

He nearly killed Robbie Robertson with an ironclad bear hug in PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #139. Spider-Man painfully noticed these impressive feats of strength firsthand, with Tombstone’s blows beating him within an inch of his life in PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #155.

During an attempt to murder Robbie Robertson, Tombstone was accidentally exposed to an experimental gas, Diox-3, in WEB OF SPIDER-MAN (1985) #66. This incident transformed Tombstone into a super-powered villain, granting him superhuman strength and endurance, making his skin virtually indestructible like Luke Cage. Combined with his years of experience in vicious street fighting, Tombstone’s new superhuman abilities made him a significantly more dangerous figure in Spider-Man's group of recurring foes.

TOMBSTONE'S FIRST APPEARANCE

Lonnie Lincoln made his debut as Tombstone in WEB OF SPIDER-MAN (1985) #36. Robbie caught sight of him as he and his men tailed a target, with the mere glimpse of his old nemesis striking fear in him. After collecting himself, Robbie decided to right his past wrong by exposing Tombstone for the murder he witnessed years ago.

Robbie left a taped confession for Peter Parker in which he admitted to suppressing evidence on Tombstone’s behalf. Tombstone retaliated by grievously injuring Robbie, temporarily leaving him partially paralyzed. The mobster stopped just short of killing Robbie, as he still saw him as somewhat of a friend.

After learning about Robbie’s recording, Tombstone threatened Mary Jane Watson's life, demanding Peter meet with him in Atlanta. Peter Parker agreed to this meeting, but Spider-Man attacked Tombstone, defeating him in an epic battle. Meanwhile, Robbie took his evidence to the authorities in PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #142.

The court convicted Tombstone of murder and Robbie of being an accessory to murder for suppressing, with both jailed in PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #150. As part of an elaborate plan for revenge, Tombstone arranged for himself to be transferred to the cell next to Robbie's.

While in prison, Tombstone forced Robbie to contact Spider-Man. The mobster lured the wall-crawler to their prison, only to ambush him alongside his fellow inmates in PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #155.  
 
With Spider-Man incapacitated and the prison in complete chaos, Tombstone escaped. However, Robbie and Spider-Man confronted Tombstone, leading him to finally realize Robbie never saw him as a friend. Free but dejected, Tombstone quietly returned to Manhattan and began working for Hammerhead in PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #157. 

TOMBSTONE VS FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD HEROES

After receiving super-powers from his final confrontation with Robbie, Tombstone called off their feud. He viewed his new abilities as a gift and felt that Robbie made them possible, despite not intending to.  
 
While still active in the world of organized crime, Tombstone expanded his super hero enemies to include Daredevil and the Punisher. He faced off against them both in DAREDEVIL (1964) #292. Tombstone's activities also led him to cross paths with Deadpool, forcing him to endure the Merc with a Mouth’s patented nonsense in DEADPOOL: SUICIDE KINGS (2009).

Tombstone never let go of his hatred for Spider-Man, of course. He joined the Green Goblin's Sinister Twelve in MARVEL KNIGHTS SPIDER-MAN (2004) #10 and, later, Doctor Octopus’ super villain team in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1999) #642 as part of their mutual grudge against Spider-Man.  

TOMBSTONE AND THE GANG WAR

Eventually becoming his own crime boss, Tombstone maintained his connections with Kingpin, resuming their partnership after Wilson Fisk was elected as the Mayor of New York. However, Tombstone’s life took an interesting turn when his daughter Janice began dating Robbie's son, Randy Robertson.

After Madame Masque and Crime Master colluded to try gain Tombstone's territory, Lonnie and Robbie agreed to set aside their differences and work together to protect their children in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2018) #64.  
 
As the war between the various crime syndicates of New York City raged on, a group of assassins attacked Janice and Randy's wedding in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2022) #31. With Tombstone shot and wounded, an all-out a gang war erupted and various crime lords clamored to take charge of organized crime in New York. However, Tombstone remained on top, claiming power after he recovered in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2022) #44. 

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