Spider-Slayer

Spider-Slayers
Spencer Smythe along with several of his Spider-Slayers.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	The Amazing Spider-Man #25 (June 1965)
Created by	Stan Lee (script) Steve Ditko (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Not applicable
Abilities	Varies according to model

The Spider-Slayers are a series of fictional robots appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The robots are depicted as being specifically designed to hunt down, capture, or kill Spider-Man.

The Spider-Slayers first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #25 and were created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

See List of Spider-Slayers for a full breakdown of all versions of the Spider-Slayer.

The first series of robots were originally designed and built by Dr. Spencer Smythe with the financial backing of J. Jonah Jameson who piloted them for the pleasure of personally hunting the superhero he hated for capture. However, Spider-Man always managed to defeat each robot in turn. Smythe's continual efforts to perfect his machines backfired on him, leading to himself being fatally contaminated by radiation poisoning from the building materials of his creations. Blaming both Jameson and Spider-Man for this, he attempted, as a final act, to murder them both, but died just before Spider-Man thwarted the attempt.

Later, Jameson commissioned another scientist, Dr. Marla Madison, to create a new and improved Spider-Slayer. While that attempt failed, he eventually fell in love with her and married her.

In Amazing Spider-Man Annual #19 (1985), Smythe's son, Alistair, emerged as the new builder of Spider-Slayers. He swore revenge on Spider-Man, repeatedly attacking the superhero with his own series of Slayers. Smythe later mutated into a humanoid Spider-Slayer, but remains a minor foe.

The original Spider-Slayer was seen among the robots and machines in the Reanimator's collection. Wolverine later destroyed the Spider-Slayer when the Reanimator attempted to use it against him. It was later used by J. Jonah Jameson to attack the She-Hulk after she had married his son John, but it was destroyed.