SCOTTY McDOWELL

Real Name: Scott "Scotty" McDowell

Identity/Class: Human (former mutated human)

Occupation: Criminologist

Group Membership: California Crime Commission

Affiliations: Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) (former) Dr. Karl Malus

Enemies: Angar the Screamer, Dr. W. Lee Benway, DeFalco Gang, Rupert Dockery, the Enforcer, Gamesman, the Human Fly, Killer Clown, Dr. Karl Malus, the Shark Mob, Turner D. Century, Werewolf, Johnny Yen, (former) Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: the Hornet

Base of Operations: Los Angeles, California

First Appearance: (as McDowell) Spider-Woman I#21 (December, 1979); (as Hornet) Spider-Woman I#31 (October, 1980)

Powers/Abilities: Scotty McDowell has no superhuman powers, but he is highly trained criminologist with exceptional deductive skills. He also seems to have some small degree of skill in first aid.

For a brief time, he possessed powers equal to the Fly (Richard Deacon). He had superhuman strength (Class 10), stamina, reflexes and insect wings which allowed him to fly at extra-ordinary speeds. He could also fire bio-electric energy blasts from his hands.

Limitations: Scotty McDowell has lost the use of his legs and is now a paraplegic. He is confined to a wheelchair. He also seems to require corrective eyeglasses.

History: (Spider-Woman I#21 (fb))- Scotty McDowell is a criminologist who once hoped his experience in the subject would help him to live his dream of becoming an FBI Agent. An accident, however, robbed him of the use of his legs and he instead set up his own crime-fighting lab in his apartment loft.

(Spider-Woman I#24 (fb, BTS))- Spider-Woman appeared to McDowell telling him that she wanted to be a professional crime-fighter. He entered into a partnership with her and started sending her out on assignments to capture certain criminals for the rewards and bounties on their heads.

(Spider-Woman I#21)- McDowell sent Spider-Woman out on her first assignment to capture jewel thieves Lou and Sidney DeFalco. Turning them into the police, she had the $20,000 bond on them transferred to McDowell’s account. Scotty used the money to invest in new computer equipment for his lab. He then sent her out to confront the Shark-Mob whom he suspected of planning a heist of gold bullion. Later that evening, Scotty had a date for dinner in the apartment of Jessica Drew, but all he could do was dream about Spider-Woman.

(Spider-Woman I#22)- McDowell sent Spider-Woman out to stop the Killer Clown from taking another victim despite the fact that there was no bounty on him.

(Spider-Woman I#23)- McDowell became suspicious when a Los Angeles Times Reporter named Bart Braverman comes to Spider-Woman’s defense against a gang of thugs. He did some checking and learned that the newspaper has no such reporter. He tried to inform Spider-Woman of his suspicion that Braverman might be the Gamesman, but she refused to accept any of it. Suspecting that Spider-Woman might be in danger, McDowell rushed to save her as Braverman has a change of heart and returned to confess of being the Gamesman.

(Spider-Woman I#24)- McDowell removed a bullet from Spider-Woman’s shoulder after one of the Gamesman’s former goons took a shot at her. He then realized that she was visiting Braverman in prison and warned her against risking her crime-fighting career.

(Spider-Woman I#26)- After Spider-Woman saved the life of publisher Rupert Dockery, Scotty started to worry about the publicity around her affecting the success of her role as a bounty hunter.

(Spider-Woman I#27)- McDowell heard on the news about how the Enforcer had captured Spider-Woman. He went to confront Dockery, accusing him of being in league with the Enforcer to create headlines for his newspaper. Planting a hidden microphone on Dockery to learn where she was being held, he rushed off to save her only to find she had already freed herself.

(Spider-Woman I#28-29)- Confronting the Enforcer, McDowell ended up shot by one of his toxic darts. To waylay the affects of the dart, McDowell was frozen in a meat locker so that his bloodstream could slow down the poison’s affects. Concerned for him, Spider-Woman was blackmailed into several heists until she could get the cure. The Enforcer continued stringing her along until Spider-Man appeared and forced the Enforcer to confess that there was no antidote to his toxins. Scotty was moved to a hospital cryogenics lab.

(Spider-Woman I#30)- McDowell’s cryogenic chamber became damaged during an altercation between Spider-Woman and the Fly. As the Fly’s powers started fading after getting hit by her bioelectric blasts, he consulted Dr. Karl Malus claiming he could cure him with a blood sample from Spider-Woman. The Fly kidnapped McDowell from his chamber to lure Spider-Woman into a trap, but she defeated him anyway. Terrified for his life, Malus admitted to having created the Enforcer’s darts and administered the antidote along with a sample of the Fly’s DNA to McDowell.

(Spider-Woman I#31-32)- McDowell started having dreams of fighting Spider-Woman as his behavior and attitude became more erratic. Discovering that he had spouted wings enabling him to fly, he found a costume in his possession (placed by Malus) and started calling himself the Hornet in the hopes of going on adventures with Spider-Woman. Keeping his identity a secret, his strong-handed approach became too much for her to handle as McDowell’s newfound power went to his head. She humiliated him as the Hornet in public as Malus appeared to McDowell in his apartment and offered to give him the added powers of Spider-Woman. Malus sent the Werewolf to engage Spider-Woman simultaneously to assist the Hornet, but Scotty's behavior was so erratic that he attacked the Werewolf himself. Spider-Woman, however, defeated the Hornet again as he attempted to abduct her as she discovered his true identity. She took him to the hospital to have Malus’ drugs washed out of his system.

(Spider-Woman I#32 (BTS))- McDowell lost his powers as the Hornet while in the hospital. After a week, he was back to normal.

(Marvel Team-Up I#97)- McDowell sent Spider-Woman to Jude, New Mexico to bring Johnny Yen back to Los Angeles for trial. He also received word that Dr. W. Lee Benway was in Jude as well trying to capture the Hulk and contacted the New Mexico State Patrol in order to pick him up.

(Spider-Woman I#33)- McDowell sent Spider-Woman to San Francisco to capture Turner D. Century but lost his temper when she let him escape in order to save innocent bystanders. As Century continued to threaten innocents, McDowell trusted Spider-Woman to bring him in as she traced him to Morgan McNeil Hardy.

(Spider-Woman I#34)- McDowell was contacted and pumped for info by Spider-Woman on Hammer and Anvil and the Deterrence Research Corporation. He also gave her an electronic ID card in order that she might enter the premises.

(Spider-Woman I#35)- McDowell tried to give Spider-Woman data on Angar the Screamer, but she blew him off. She captured Angar anyway, but McDowell accepted a job with the Governor of California’s Crime Commission. He amiccably broke up his partnership with Spider-Woman so that they could at least stay friends.

(Spider-Woman I#50)- After Morgan le Fay snuffed out her life force, Spider-Woman had her mentor, the former wizard Magnus, remove all memories of her from McDowell and everyone else who ever knew her so they wouldn’t pine for her.

Comments: Created by Michael Fleischner, Frank Springer and Mike Esposito.

Chronologically, Marvel Team-Up I#97 occurs while McDowell was still suffering from the Enforcer’s toxic dart. It’s placed here after his experience as the Hornet and its connected aggressive personality was over.

Since Poltergeist, Tigra, Shroud and others later regained their memories of Jessica, perhaps Scotty has since regained his memories of her as well.

by Will U

CLARIFICATIONS:
Scotty McDowell should not be confused with:

• The Fly, Richard Deacon, deceased foe of Spider-Man, @ Amazing Spiderman Annual #10
• Hornet, Peter Parker, alias Spiderman, brief alias during Identity Crisis, @ Sensational Spider-Man #27
• Hornet, Eddie McDonough, member of the Slingers, Slingers #0
• Dr. Derek McDowell, scientist who revived Frankenstein’s Monster, @ Monsters Unleashed #2
• The Scotsman, slayer of Count Dracula, @ Tomb of Dracula I#15
• Scott, former student at University of Wisconsin-Madison, @ Inhumans V#4
• Scott of Earth-Ultraverse, friend of Kevin Green, @ Prime I#4
• Mary Scott, victim of the Phantom Hound of Cardiff Moor, @ Captain America Comics #10
• Montgomery Scott, USS Enterprise Science Officer from Star Trek, 1960s NBC-TV series
• M’Shulla Scott, member of the Freemen in Killraven’s alternate future, @ Amazing Adventures II#19
• Peter Scott, reporter of WFET/WFSK, @ Daredevil I#294
• Wasp, Janet Van Dyne, size-shifting Avenger, @ Tales to Astonish I#44
• Yellowjacket, Dr. Henry Pym, scientist and founding member of the Avengers, @ Avengers I#59
• Yellowjacket, Rita DeMara, member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, former member of the Masters of Evil, @ Avengers I#264
• Or any other character named after annoying buzzing insect.

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