Sandman - charactor profile, film, facts and memorabilia

Villains Beginning With 'S'

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Sandman, AKA
William / Flint Baker

1st appeared
Amazing Spider-Man #4 (1963)

Like most Marvel Villains, Sandman has gone through a few changes in depiction, but his general biography goes thus;

William Baker was born in Queens, New York. At the age of three, young Billy was abandoned by his father and forced to live with his mother, who succumbed to alcoholism. Because she could not provide luxuries for young Billy, she sometimes took him to Coney Island beach, where Billy used to create sand sculptures. He also enjoyed sculpting and working with sand in school.

Billy was bullied by a boy named Vic and his two other friends at school, until he learned to fight by his observations of the sand and water at the beach. He used a technique in which he used his opponents' motion against them, "slipping through their fingers like sand". After this, they became Billy's friends through school, during which Billy played football, and adopted the nickname "Flint".

After beating a his coach for accusing him of never being able to make something of his football, Flint was expelled and turned to a life of crime, and became a mob enforcer. His violent and bitter personality eventually landed him in prison on Ryker's Island where he met his father, Floyd Baker. He befriended his father, but, giving only his nickname, Flint, and a false surname, Marko, which was inspired by his former coach's taunts about "making a mark" on the world. Marko spent years in and out of jail, which was made bearable only by the presence of his father. Once Floyd was released from prison, Marko escape.

He fled to a nuclear testing site on a beach near Savannah, Georgia where he became irradiated from toxic sand near an experimental reactor. His body and the sand bonded, and Marko's molecular structure altered into a sand/dirt-like substance that could transform. Impressed, he adopted the name Sandman.

Marko clashed with Spider-Man and was defeated so later became a member of the Sinister Six led by Doctor Octopus. Again being defeated he took to battling other super heroes. Most notably, he joined the original Frightful Four to combat the Fantastic Four but was unsuccessfully.

Sandman discovers that his body is slowly transforming into glass, although he is able to reverse the effect, but once again decides to battle Spider-Man, and allies himself with Hydro-Man. A freak accident briefly merges the two into an unintelligent and largely ineffective mud monster, but Spider-Man and the police managed to dehydrate it. Later, Sandman manages to disconnect from Hydro-Man. Baker becomes depressed, and the Fantastic Four encourages him to use his power for good. He then makes many appearances with Spider-Man and Silver Sable, the Outlaws, and the Avengers as a reserve member. Later, he becomes a full-time mercenary for the Silver Sable, as a member of her Wild Pack, serving alongside heroes such as Paladin and Battlestar.

Sandman then rejoins the Sinister Six, which is working with Venom. Venom reveals that he had joined the team to make sure no one else kills Spider-Man, and turns on the remaining five. Dealing with Baker, Venom rips off and swallows a chunk of sand, which apparently destabilizes Sandman's body structure. His body slowly begins to crumble away apparently dead.

Sandman's body and mind scatter with the grains of sand. The major part of his mind merges with a local beach and begins swallowing people in an attempt to piece himself back together. Spider-Man attempts to free the captured people, and succeeds when Baker explodes from too many clashing mindsets. The beach sand begins to spread to different areas around New York, and parts of Sandman's shattered mind are gathered by Spider-Man who attempts to convince them to return to one being. The new Sandman abandons his good side completely and becomes pure evil.

Sandman is one of the villains recruited to recover the Identity Disc, but is seemingly killed due to mutinous behavior. Later Sandman is revealed to be alive and working along with the Vulture.

SUMMARY

ARCH RIVAL :	Spider-Man, Fantastic Four.
STRENGTHS :	The Sandman has the ability to transform into a sand-like substance which can be hardened, dispersed, or shaped according to his will. Even if his body is blown apart, he is capable of reforming it. His striped shirt and cargo pants are both a part of his mass sand-like body. He is mainly seen transforming his arms and hands into a sand mace or a sledgehammer to battle Spider-Man and his other enemies. He can merge with natural sand if it is in his direct vicinity like a beach or desert, thus he can manipulate the environment and add it to his physical size and strength, or use it to reform himself. Sandman has mental and physical control over every particle of sand in his body. He once wore a uniform devised by the Wizard, which enabled him to mix chemicals into his body for various effects, but he has long since discontinued its use. He is invulnerable to most physical attacks and projectiles.
WEAKNESSES :	If exposed to extreme heat, Sandman will turn to glass, but if shattered, he can control his glass shard form and reform himself. This, however, takes time to complete. He is also vulnerable to large amounts of water and ice.
WEAPONS :	He can transform his form into hitting implaments such as a mace or a large hammer.
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