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{{Short description|Marvel Comics supervillain}}
⚫ {{Superherobox| <!--Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Comics-->
{{Multiple issues|
image=]
{{Notability|date=May 2023}}
{{Primary sources|date=May 2023}}
⚫ }}
⚫ {{Infobox comics character <!--Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Comics-->
|image=
|caption= |caption=
|character_name=Frederick Foswell |character_name=Frederick Foswell
|real_name=Frederick Foswell |real_name=Frederick Foswell
|publisher=] |publisher=]
|debut='']'' #10 (March 1964)
|debut=unknown
|creators= |creators=] and ]
|species=]
|alliances=], the ] |alliances=]<br/>]
|aliases=Patch (Secret); Big Man (Publicly known)
|aliases=Patch<br/>]
|supports= |supports=
|powers= * Criminal mastermind
|powers=He was adept at disguise and an excellent marksman with handguns.
* Expert marksman
⚫ |}}
* Skilled hand-to-hand combatant
'''Frederick Foswell''' was one of ]'s first opponents. A reporter for the ], he led a double life behind a mask as '''The Big Man''', head of New York's crime and the boss of the notorious Enforcers. Although he did not possess any actual superpowers, he was a slippery opponent. However, Spider-Man eventually revealed his identity and brought him in.
* Master of disguise
}}
'''Frederick Foswell''', also known as the ''']''' and '''Patch''', is a fictional character appearing in ]s published by ].<ref>{{cite book |last1=DeFalco |first1=Tom |last2=Sanderson |first2=Peter |last3=Brevoort |first3=Tom |last4=Teitelbaum |first4=Michael |last5=Wallace |first5=Daniel |last6=Darling |first6=Andrew |last7=Forbeck |first7=Matt |last8=Cowsill |first8=Alan |last9=Bray |first9=Adam |title=The Marvel Encyclopedia |date=2019 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-1-4654-7890-0 |page=49}}</ref>


==Publication history==
⚫ After Foswell was released from prison, ] rehired him, an act of trust which immediately earned Foswell's gratitude. When another masked crime lord called the Crime-Master arose, working in collusion with the ], Spider-Man suspected Foswell, but it turned out to be someone else. However, Foswell had indeed been wearing a mask - a patch-eyed face that he used as an alter ego, Patch. Acting as a stool-pigeon, he tipped off the police to planned crimes while getting scoops.
Frederick Foswell first appeared, as the Big Man, in '']'' #10 (March 1964), and was created by ] and ].<ref name="confidential">{{cite book|last = Gross|first = Edward |title = Spider-Man Confidential: From Comic Icon to Hollywood Hero|year = 2002 |publisher = Hyperion |isbn = 0786887222}}</ref>


The character subsequently appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' Annual #1 (1964), ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #23-27 (April–Aug. 1965), #29-34 (Oct. 1965-March 1966), #37 (June 1966), ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' Annual #3 (1966), ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #42-47 (Nov. 1966-April 1967), #49-52 (June–Sept. 1967). The Big Man also made appearances in ''Marvel Team-Up'' #40 (Dec. 1975) and ''Marvels'' #2 (Feb. 1994). The character died in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #52 (Sept. 1967).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cowsill |first1=Alan |last2=Manning |first2=Matthew K. |title=Spider-Man Chronicle: Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging |date=2012 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-0756692360 |page=41}}</ref>
⚫ At one point, Foswell actually discovered Spider-Man's secret identity, but Spider-Man was warned by his spider-sense and managed to trick Foswell into believing that he wasn't Peter Parker. Parker and Foswell occasionally worked together, with Peter tipping off Foswell as Spider-Man before a major bust and then taking pictures to go with Foswell's stories.


The Big Man received an entry in the '']'' #16, and in ''The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Spider-Man'' #1 (2005).
Unfortunately, when Spider-Man gave up the costume in ''Amazing Spider-Man #50'', the ] entered and took over New York's underworld. Foswell, believing that he could take over from the Kingpin, returned to crime, but the Kingpin outwitted him, instead enlisting him as a lieutenant. When the Kingpin kidnapped Jameson because of his editorials on the new crime wave, Spider-Man returned and tried to rescue him, but was beaten by the Kingpin. The Kingpin tried to kill both Jameson and Spider-Man by drowning them, but Spider-Man created an air bubble that kept them both alive.


==Fictional character biography==
The attempted murder of Jameson turned Foswell against the Kingpin, who, sensing this, tried to kill him. However, Spider-Man entered and stopped him just in time. Foswell ran into the basement of the Kingpin's building to try and help Jameson. When he found Jameson, Foswell protected him from the thugs trying to kill him, and took a bullet meant for Jameson. The Kingpin escaped, and Foswell died a hero, having repaid his debt to Jameson. For this, Jameson memoralized him as a hero in the ''Daily Bugle''.
Frederick Foswell was born in ]. He worked as a reporter at the ] for evidently quite a number of years, though the sliding timescale puts some of the hints of this into question: in the Night Raven story in ''Marvel Super-Heroes'' (UK) #394 (Feb. 1983), Foswell is referred to as a friend of Scoop Daly and as having attended Scoop Daly's funeral. A man named Fredrick was shown working for the Bugle in ''Sgt. Fury'' #110.


Foswell begins leading a double life as the Big Man, head of New York's crime and the boss of the notorious ]. Frail and diminutive in stature, Foswell conceals his identity by wearing a mask, oversized coat, and giant platform boots whenever he appears as the Big Man. Although he has a considerable run of success as a crime boss, a confrontation with ] ends with his Enforcers being apprehended, and shortly afterwards the police deduce his identity and arrest him.<ref>''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #10 (March 1964)</ref>
== Ultimate==

In the alternate, ] universe, Foswell (aka Mr. Big) was introduced as a mobster and the head of Wilson Fisk's Enforcers. Foswell was scheming to overthrow Fisk, using Spider-Man as his secret weapon. The plan backfired and when Fisk learned that Foswell was the one responsible for Spidey's assault on his office, he crushed the mobster's head with his bare hands.
⚫ After Foswell serves his sentence, his Daily Bugle boss ] rehires him, an act of trust which immediately earns Foswell's gratitude.<ref>''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #23 (April 1965)</ref> When another masked crime lord called the ] arises, working in collusion with the ], Foswell again begins wearing a mask - an ]ed face that he uses as the alter ego Patch. Acting as a stool-pigeon, he tips off the police to planned crimes while getting scoops.<ref>''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #26-27 (July–Aug. 1965)</ref>

⚫ Hoping to learn how his co-worker Peter Parker (Spider-Man's alter ego) always gets great photos of Spider-Man, Foswell follows him, and witnesses a (faked) conversation between Parker and Spider-Man indicating they've been conspiring to ensure that Parker is always present when Spider-Man goes into action. Parker and Foswell occasionally work together, with Peter tipping off Foswell as Spider-Man before a major bust and then taking pictures to go with Foswell's stories.

Following a crime war, the ] takes over New York's underworld. Foswell, his ego smarting at seeing another man in his place, tries to reinstate himself as the Big Man, but the Kingpin outwits him, instead forcibly enlisting him as a lieutenant.<ref>''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #50 (July 1967)</ref> When Kingpin kidnaps Jameson because of his editorials on the new crime wave, Spider-Man tries to rescue him, but is beaten by Kingpin.<ref>''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #51 (Aug. 1967)</ref> Kingpin tries to drown both Jameson and Spider-Man, but Spider-Man uses his webbing to create an air bubble that keeps them both alive. The attempted murder of Jameson turns Foswell against Kingpin, who, sensing this, tries to kill him. However, Spider-Man enters and stops him. While Kingpin and Spider-Man battle, Foswell runs into the basement of the Kingpin's building to try to help Jameson. When he finds Jameson, Foswell protects him from the thugs trying to kill him, and takes a bullet meant for him. The Kingpin escapes, and Foswell dies from the bullet wound.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brevoort |first1=Tom |last2=DeFalco |first2=Tom |last3=Manning |first3=Matthew K. |last4=Sanderson |first4=Peter |last5=Wiacek |first5=Win |title=Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History |date=2017 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-1465455505 |page=124}}</ref> Jameson memorializes him as a hero in the ''Daily Bugle''.<ref>''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #52 (Sept. 1967)</ref>

Frederick Foswell was revealed to have a daughter named Janice. Adopting the Big Man mantle, Janice teams up with a new ], the ], and the ] to seek revenge on Spider-Man, battling him, the ] and the ]. However, when Janice and Crime Master get into an argument about who is in charge, Janice is shot by her erstwhile partner, who is subsequently revealed to be ], the son of the original Crime Master and - ironically - her fiancé.<ref>''Marvel-Team-Up'' #39-40</ref> Many years later, his younger prodigy - Frederick Jr. - would also attempt to avenge his father and sister's death on Spider-Man, only to be defeated by him and Jameson, who felt remorse for his own role in leading Frederick Jr. to his revenge road.<ref>''The Amazing Spider-Man'' vol. 5 #13 (2019)</ref>

During the '']'' storyline, Frederick Foswell as the Big Man is "reanimated" by ]'s company New U Technologies,<ref>''Clone Conspiracy'' #2</ref> before he apparently dies again to the Carrion Virus.<ref>''Clone Conspiracy'' #5</ref>

==Other versions==
===Ultimate Marvel===
The ] version of Frederick Foswell is referenced during the ] storyline that covered the "Death of Spider-Man", where he is credited with writing an article on Peter Parker's death at the hands of the ].

==In other media==
* Frederick Foswell appears in the '']'' episode "King Pinned". This version is an employee of the ] who works undercover at the '']''.
* Frederick Foswell / Patch appears in '']'', voiced by ]. This version is a reporter for the ''Daily Bugle'' who works undercover as a criminal. Additionally, he won a ] for writing an exposé on ]'s criminal activities.

==References==
{{reflist}}


==External links== ==External links==
* at Marvel Wiki
*
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060630182845/http://spiderfan.org/characters/big_man.html |date=2006-06-30 }}

{{Spider-Man characters}}
{{Stan Lee}}
{{Steve Ditko}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Foswell, Frederick}}
]
] ]
] ]
] ]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 07:22, 10 May 2024

Marvel Comics supervillain
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Comics character
Frederick Foswell
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceThe Amazing Spider-Man #10 (March 1964)
Created byStan Lee and Steve Ditko
In-story information
Alter egoFrederick Foswell
SpeciesHuman
Team affiliationsDaily Bugle
Enforcers
Notable aliasesPatch
Big Man
Abilities
  • Criminal mastermind
  • Expert marksman
  • Skilled hand-to-hand combatant
  • Master of disguise

Frederick Foswell, also known as the Big Man and Patch, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Publication history

Frederick Foswell first appeared, as the Big Man, in The Amazing Spider-Man #10 (March 1964), and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

The character subsequently appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 (1964), The Amazing Spider-Man #23-27 (April–Aug. 1965), #29-34 (Oct. 1965-March 1966), #37 (June 1966), The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #3 (1966), The Amazing Spider-Man #42-47 (Nov. 1966-April 1967), #49-52 (June–Sept. 1967). The Big Man also made appearances in Marvel Team-Up #40 (Dec. 1975) and Marvels #2 (Feb. 1994). The character died in The Amazing Spider-Man #52 (Sept. 1967).

The Big Man received an entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #16, and in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Spider-Man #1 (2005).

Fictional character biography

Frederick Foswell was born in Queens, New York. He worked as a reporter at the Daily Bugle for evidently quite a number of years, though the sliding timescale puts some of the hints of this into question: in the Night Raven story in Marvel Super-Heroes (UK) #394 (Feb. 1983), Foswell is referred to as a friend of Scoop Daly and as having attended Scoop Daly's funeral. A man named Fredrick was shown working for the Bugle in Sgt. Fury #110.

Foswell begins leading a double life as the Big Man, head of New York's crime and the boss of the notorious Enforcers. Frail and diminutive in stature, Foswell conceals his identity by wearing a mask, oversized coat, and giant platform boots whenever he appears as the Big Man. Although he has a considerable run of success as a crime boss, a confrontation with Spider-Man ends with his Enforcers being apprehended, and shortly afterwards the police deduce his identity and arrest him.

After Foswell serves his sentence, his Daily Bugle boss J. Jonah Jameson rehires him, an act of trust which immediately earns Foswell's gratitude. When another masked crime lord called the Crime Master arises, working in collusion with the Green Goblin, Foswell again begins wearing a mask - an eyepatched face that he uses as the alter ego Patch. Acting as a stool-pigeon, he tips off the police to planned crimes while getting scoops.

Hoping to learn how his co-worker Peter Parker (Spider-Man's alter ego) always gets great photos of Spider-Man, Foswell follows him, and witnesses a (faked) conversation between Parker and Spider-Man indicating they've been conspiring to ensure that Parker is always present when Spider-Man goes into action. Parker and Foswell occasionally work together, with Peter tipping off Foswell as Spider-Man before a major bust and then taking pictures to go with Foswell's stories.

Following a crime war, the Kingpin takes over New York's underworld. Foswell, his ego smarting at seeing another man in his place, tries to reinstate himself as the Big Man, but the Kingpin outwits him, instead forcibly enlisting him as a lieutenant. When Kingpin kidnaps Jameson because of his editorials on the new crime wave, Spider-Man tries to rescue him, but is beaten by Kingpin. Kingpin tries to drown both Jameson and Spider-Man, but Spider-Man uses his webbing to create an air bubble that keeps them both alive. The attempted murder of Jameson turns Foswell against Kingpin, who, sensing this, tries to kill him. However, Spider-Man enters and stops him. While Kingpin and Spider-Man battle, Foswell runs into the basement of the Kingpin's building to try to help Jameson. When he finds Jameson, Foswell protects him from the thugs trying to kill him, and takes a bullet meant for him. The Kingpin escapes, and Foswell dies from the bullet wound. Jameson memorializes him as a hero in the Daily Bugle.

Frederick Foswell was revealed to have a daughter named Janice. Adopting the Big Man mantle, Janice teams up with a new Crime Master, the Sandman, and the Enforcers to seek revenge on Spider-Man, battling him, the Human Torch and the Sons of the Tiger. However, when Janice and Crime Master get into an argument about who is in charge, Janice is shot by her erstwhile partner, who is subsequently revealed to be Nick Lewis Jr., the son of the original Crime Master and - ironically - her fiancé. Many years later, his younger prodigy - Frederick Jr. - would also attempt to avenge his father and sister's death on Spider-Man, only to be defeated by him and Jameson, who felt remorse for his own role in leading Frederick Jr. to his revenge road.

During the Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy storyline, Frederick Foswell as the Big Man is "reanimated" by Ben Reilly's company New U Technologies, before he apparently dies again to the Carrion Virus.

Other versions

Ultimate Marvel

The Ultimate Marvel version of Frederick Foswell is referenced during the Ultimate Fallout storyline that covered the "Death of Spider-Man", where he is credited with writing an article on Peter Parker's death at the hands of the Green Goblin.

In other media

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. 49. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
  2. Gross, Edward (2002). Spider-Man Confidential: From Comic Icon to Hollywood Hero. Hyperion. ISBN 0786887222.
  3. Cowsill, Alan; Manning, Matthew K. (2012). Spider-Man Chronicle: Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging. DK Publishing. p. 41. ISBN 978-0756692360.
  4. The Amazing Spider-Man #10 (March 1964)
  5. The Amazing Spider-Man #23 (April 1965)
  6. The Amazing Spider-Man #26-27 (July–Aug. 1965)
  7. The Amazing Spider-Man #50 (July 1967)
  8. The Amazing Spider-Man #51 (Aug. 1967)
  9. Brevoort, Tom; DeFalco, Tom; Manning, Matthew K.; Sanderson, Peter; Wiacek, Win (2017). Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History. DK Publishing. p. 124. ISBN 978-1465455505.
  10. The Amazing Spider-Man #52 (Sept. 1967)
  11. Marvel-Team-Up #39-40
  12. The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #13 (2019)
  13. Clone Conspiracy #2
  14. Clone Conspiracy #5

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