DADDY LONGLEGS

Real Name: Ramsey Kole

Identity/Class: Human mutate

Occupation: Would-be dancer

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Karl Malus;
    briefly associated with the following after his capture by Locksmith: Angar the Screamer, Dansen Macabre, Enforcer, Flying Tiger, Gypsy Moth, Hangman (Harlan Krueger), Killer Shrike, Needle, Nekra, Poltergeist, Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew), Tatterdemalion, Tigra, Werewolf

Enemies: Bill Foster (a.k.a. Goliath), Locksmith, Tick-Tock
    formerly Spider-Woman;
    possibly Firestar, Iceman (Bobby Drake), and Spider-Man (Peter Parker)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: "Crazy Legs"

Base of Operations: San Francisco, California

First Appearance: Spider-Woman I#47 (December, 1982)

 

 

 

 

Powers/Abilities: Ramsey is a skilled dancer, possessing exceptional agility and speed. As Daddy Longlegs, he retained his agility and speed, and he was about 15' tall and possessed superhuman strength (Enhanced Human to Class 10). His skills and his slender build made him a hard target to hit. He also used a steel cane as a weapon; it's base was sharp.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

History:
(Spider-Woman I#47 (fb)) - Ramsey Kole was a talented (at least in his opinion) dancer, but his short stature (he looked to be about 4'6" or shorter) prevented him from getting work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Spider-Woman I#47) - Ramsey Kole showed up at the Los Angeles offices of Stark International, confronting Bill Foster who was working on the means to fortify his cellular structure so he could again safely grow as Giant-Man. After Kole explained for his needing the growth formula, Foster sympathized but refused as his formula was untested. Kole drop-kicked Foster into unconsciousness then grabbed one of several beakers of chemicals and downed it (and then drank several other formulas as well). He then fled, and soon thereafter he grew to about six feet tall; and he was quite happy until he continued to grow, achieving a height of 15'. He did not retain his proportions; instead he was extremely tall and lean with long arms and legs. He dejectedly realized that he had turned himself into a freak.

    When Spider-Woman stopped by to visit Bill Foster, he told her what had happened and asked her to find the tiny dancer.

 

 

 

 

    Later that afternoon, Kole, now wearing a black tuxedo and top hat to accentuate his appearance and calling himself Daddy Longlegs, showed up at the stage of an empty theatre. He terrified the cleaning lady, Dailsy, then proceeded to demolish the set. Angered by an advertisement for the dance show Arain, Longlegs targeted it, while Jessica Drew saw the same ads and suspected that he might do so. Hiding out amongst the shadows of some bare trees, Longlegs waited for the crowd to enter the theatre, then he scaled the wall, entered, and leapt down onto the stage in mid-act. He began to dance, but when the audience began to laugh at him, he became enraged. Spider-Woman showed up before he could attack the crowd, and she led him outside to fight in the parking lot. Longleg's thin form, combined with his speed and agility, enabled him to dodge her attacks and to strike her with impunity. When he tried to skewer her with his cane, she caught it and snapped it in half. She took advantage of his surprise, kicking him in the head and then grabbing his hand and unleashing a venom blast. This produced a bizarre bio-feedback that left them both stunned. Recovering first, Spider-Woman used her adhesive power to scale his body and deliver a knockout punch to his face. He began to recover shortly after she bound him in metal from a fence she had ripped down, and he burst into tears, calling himself a hopeless freak and begging her to kill him. He told her neither his current state nor his previous one -- a small, useless man with broken dreams -- was worth living. She wandered away, trying to figure out who to call: the police, a mental hospital, Bill Foster...

(Spider-Woman I#50 (fb)) - While Spider-Woman's back was turned, the Locksmith and his assistant, Tick-Tock, slipped a gag over Kole's mouth and drug him underground through a trap door.

(Spider-Woman I#47) - When Spider-Woman turned around, Kole was gone without a trace.

(Spider-Woman I#50 (fb) - BTS) - Kole was imprisoned at the Locksmith's base, alongside a number of other super-heroes and villains he had captured to prove his superiority over them since his escape acts had become less popular over the years.

(Spider-Woman I#50) - Kole was imprisoned within a small cell, stuck in the fetal position. He despaired, feeling that a freak deserved to go from womb to tomb. After Locksmith captured Spider-Woman, however, she joined with Gypsy Moth to break everyone out, and the Locksmith was defeated and sent to prison. Afterwards, Spider-Woman invited all of the former prisoners back to her apartment. Kole told Jack Russell and Lindsey McCabe that he sympathized with the Locksmith, seeing him as another frustrated artist.

(Spider-Woman I#50 / Avengers I#240 (fb)) - Soon thereafter, Spider-Woman was pulled back in time and seemingly slain in battle with Morgan le Fay. She asked her sorcerer ally, Magnus, to make everyone forget about her so they wouldn't be sad. Kole and everyone else at the party suddenly realized that they had no idea what they were doing there. Kole and Gypsy Moth quickly took off.

(Spider-Man, Fire-Star, and Iceman at the Dallas Ballet Nutcracker) - Daddy Longlegs employed a bunch of criminals to rob Dallas' Fair Park Music Hall. Unfortunately for him, Spider-Man, Iceman, and Firestar were present and planning attend the Nutcracker Suite performance. They defeated Longleg's men, after which he confronted them himself. He evaded their initial attacks, but then Firestar let him catch her, distracting him sufficiently for Spider-Man to web his feet together. After Firestar burned out of Kole's grasp, Iceman taunted him, and his effort to attacked caused him to trip and fall to the ground. Iceman made a large ice mound on which they placed Kole until after the show when the police could take him.

(Iron Man Annual#7 (fb)) - Kole came to Dr. Karl Malus, seeking his aid. Malus restored Kole's normal height and sent him on his way. From samples taken from Kole, Malus purified the Pym Particles, adding them to his arsenal of mutagenic treatments. Malus soon used the Pym Particles to transform Erik Josten into Goliath.

 

 

 

Comments: Created by Ann Nocenti, Brian Postman, and Carl Potts.

    Hold me close I'm Tiny Dancer...

Thanks to R S for pointing out the Dallas Ballet Nutcracker appearance, which I then bought off eBay. The story would technically take place in the Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends cartoon continuity, but as its been shown that Spider-Man did indeed work with Firestar and Iceman for a time,

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
No KNOWN connections to:

images: (without ads)
Spider-Woman I#47, p4, panel 2 (dancer)
            panel 8 (normal face)
        p10, panel 5 (Daddy Longlegs face)
        p14, panel 1 (full body)
        p20 (punched out by Spider-Woman)

Appearances:
Spider-Woman I#47 (December, 1982) - by Ann Nocenti (writer), Brian Postman (penciler), Carl Potts (inker), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Spider-Woman I#50 (June, 1983) - by Ann Nocenti (writer), Brian Postman (penciler), Sam DeLaRosa (inker), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Spider-Man, Fire-Star, and Iceman at the Dallas Ballet Nutcracker (1983) - by Jim Salicrup (writer), Jim Mooney (pencils), John Tartag (inks)
Avengers I#240 (February, 1984) - by Roger Stern (writer), Ann Nocenti (story consultant), Al Milgrom (breakdowns), Joe Sinnott (finisher), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Iron Man Annual#7 (1984) - by Bob Harras (writer), Luke McDonnell (penciler), Akin & Garvery (inkers), Mark Gruenwald (editor)

First Posted: 08/27/2006
Last updated: 10/23/2013

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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