FOX

Real Name: Reynard Slinker

Identity/Class: Human, technology user

Occupation: Master thief;
    former HYDRA section chief

Group Membership: Formerly HYDRA

Affiliations: Leader of various gangs;
    former section chief in Silvermane's HYDRA fragment (defunct)

Enemies: Spider-Man; Human Torch (Johnathan Spenser Storm); SHIELD (technically)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: A room hidden under subway tracks in New York City

First Appearance: Strange Tales Annual#2/1 (1963)

Powers/Abilities: The Fox is an expert thief, and has all the cunning attributed to his animal namesake. He is a renowned criminal strategist, though his reliance on more traditional methods is ill-equipped to deal with modern security measures and superhuman crimefighters. He established numerous bases around New York City, and is highly skilled at improvising escapes and disguises using common objects.
His second gang used some moderately advanced technology, including energy blasters. Most likely, the Fox purchased this gear from a major underworld armorer like the Tinkerer or Justin Hammer.

Height: 5' 3"
Weight: 165 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Auburn

History: Almost nothing is known of Reynard Slinker's past, except that he was a renowned thief of jewelry and fine art, and was known to the New York City Police Department.

(Strange Tales Annual#2/1) - The Fox hit upon the idea of committing thefts and framing Spider-Man for the crimes. Slinker outlined his plan to a confederate while casing a museum. That evening, he and his gang cut the power to the museum, and gained access disguised as power company repairmen. Making off with a painting, the Fox sprayed a web-like substance at the scene, and the police swiftly blamed Spider-Man.

The Human Torch, already jealous of the magazine publicity Spider-Man had recently recieved, was contacted by the police and swiftly set about attacking the web-slinger. After a prolonged skirmish, Spider-Man managed to trap the Torch in specially-modified webbing long enough to exlpain that he'd been framed. The Torch told the police that Spider-Man was the victim of a set-up, and after a few minutes looking throught the files, the detective assigned to the case fingered the Fox as the likely culprit.

The Torch wrote a message in the sky telling Spider-Man to meet him at the Statue of Liberty, which both Spidey and the Fox saw. Slinker decided to leave town and lay low. By then, Spider-Man and the Torch had begun systematically searching the Fox's known bases, and Spider-Man happened upon the Fox (disguised as an old woman) in the subway station where one of his bases was located. The Torch soon appeared as well. However, the competitive young heroes got in each other's way while the Fox escaped. Spidey and the Torch followed the criminal's trail through his base, beat some members of his gang in the process, and learning from them that the thief was heading for Central Park. Once the two arrived there, Spider-Man's spider-sense allowed him to penetrate the Fox's new disguise as an astronomer, and he and the Torch, still bickering, hauled the Fox off to the authorities.

(Giant-Size Creatures#1; Daredevil I#119-123; all BTS) - The Fox was recruited to serve as the Administration Section Chief of Silvermane's HYDRA fragment, though he was not seen during the group's clashes with the Man-Wolf, SHIELD, Daredevil, the Black Widow, and others. Silvermane fled the scene of his battle with SHIELD, the Widow, and Daredevil to meet with the remaining chiefs, which included the Fox.

Silvermane's HYDRA fragment disbanded after its crushing defeat.

(Spider-Man Unlimited I#5) - The Fox observed the Human Torch attempting to play up to a crowd on a New York street corner, and being rejected and feared due to recent bad publicity (he'd destroyed part of the Empire State University campus during a battle in concurrent issues of Fantastic Four). The Fox slipped into his lair underneath the subways, and began plotting his vengeance against Spider-Man and the Torch because he blamed the two for the decline of his criminal career. Meanwhile, the Torch, still upset over recent events, managed to get into an argument with Spider-Man and a police detective at the scene of a robbery. One of the Fox's men saw the incident, and reported back to Slinker.

The Fox soon had his men setting destructive fires all over the city, and the police predictably blamed the Torch. Spider-Man and the Torch soon met at the Statue of Liberty. Deciding to return to one of the crime scenes, the two were fired on by a sniper sent by the Fox. As the Fox had planned, the sniper directed them to his old subway headquarters, and the Fox sealed the two in the room while they bickered. When Spider-Man attempted to break the room's door down to escape, the Fox also triggered automated machine guns and cannons that fired fire-retardant foam. As the two heroes destrtoyed those threats, the Fox gassed them, boasting via loudspeaker of his brilliant planning skills.

Spidey and the Torch awoke in a durable plastic cube, and the Fox explained that the cube was the same size as the jail cell he was confined to because of them. Moreover, the pair soon realized that the cube didn't have enough oxygen in it to allow the Torch to flame on. The Fox claimed that during his time in prison, security systems had improved such that, upon his release, he was hopelessly out of date and his career was ruined. Spider-Man responded by repeatedly pounding one spot on the cube while making a motivational speech about dealing with adversity. Despite the Fox's protests that the cube was unbreakable, Spider-Man cracked it enough for air to seep in. The Torch quickly melted through the plastic, and the Fox fled while summoning dozens of armored, blaster-wielding thugs to assault the duo. Nonetheless, the heroes beat their way through the thugs and again captured the Fox. Just as in their first encounter, the pair argued as they took the Fox in.

Comments: Created by Stan "the Man" Lee and Jack "King" Kirby

    Daredevil I#121 has a text page naming the Fox as a HYDRA section chief, but also lists him as "past unknown" rather than noting an issue number for his first appearance as with the others. The only other character so described is Jackhammer, a new villain introduced in that storyline. Since the pictures of several chiefs, including those of Jackhammer and the Fox, are obscured in that issue, it's possible Tony Isabella intended to create a new villain called the Fox for the story. The OHOTMU Deluxe's HYDRA entry pictures Slinker and lists his first appearance as the Strange Tales annual, so Slinker is officially an ex-HYDRA member whatever the original intent of the story.

    The Strange Tales Annual was the first team-up of Spidey and the Human Torch; they'd previously met and clashed in Amazing Spider-Man I#1 (expanded on in a backup story in the first FF annual) and ASM I#8, but not teamed against an enemy. The story also established the Statue of Liberty as the meeting place used by the pair. Spider-Man Unlimited, in addition to being an homage to the Strange Tales story, also has many scenes referencing other Silver Age team-ups of Spider-Man and the Torch.

    Reynard, for the record, is the name of the Fox in a series of medieval beast fables. (I think it's also French for Fox)

    Fox has an entry in Marvel Legacy: The 1960s Handbook.

Profile by Omar Karindu

Clarifications:
The Fox is not to be confused with:

Appearances:
Spider-Man Unlimited I#5 (May, 1994) - Tom DeFalco (writer), Ron Lim (pencils), Jim Sanders III (inks), Danny Fingeroth (editor)

Last updated: 04/20/14

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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