THE GAMESMAN
(of Earth-8107)

Real Name: Unrevealed (see comments)

Identity/Class: Alternate reality (Earth-8107) human technology user

Occupation: Criminal

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: His hypnotized followers

Enemies: Louise, Spider-Friends (Firestar/Angelica Jones, Iceman/Bobby Drake, Spider-Man/Peter Parker), Videoman (Francis Byte), citizens of New York City

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Mobile across New York City, New York, USA

First Appearance: Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends cartoon episode, "The Education of a Superhero" (October 1, 1983)

Powers/Abilities: The Gamesman had no superhuman powers but he had a genius level intelligence, which he used to create technology such as his hypno-ray that he could project through various machines to hypnotize anyone looking at the machine's screen. He also built his sophisticated headquarters designed with a gaming motif (such as giant playing cards on the walls) and equipped with various offensive and defensive devices such as chessboard-like floors with trick tiles, video game-like screens that could project holographic characters that could seemingly leap off the screen and attack and an inner sanctum equipped with a laser cage.

He could also fly a helicopter.

Height: 6'3"
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 175 lbs.)
Eyes: Yellow-green
Hair: Unrevealed

History: (Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends cartoon episode - "The Education of a Superhero" (fb) - BTS) - The Gamesman, via unrevealed means, built a massive hideaway in "a lonely part of town" (see comments) and designed it with a game motif.

(Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends cartoon episode - "The Education of a Superhero") - The Gamesman unleashed his latest invention, a hypno-ray. He broadcast the ray across the city and it affected various machines, including arcade games. The Gamesman directed the ray directly into the potential arcade players' eyes. Once hypnotized via the Gamesman's hypno-ray, his victims marched towards Central Park with the Gamesman soon noting that he had over twenty thousand people in his thrall. Following success with projecting his hypno-ray via arcade machines, the Gamesman's computer noted that one arcade machine was in danger of overloading, specifically the game Zellman Command being played by Francis Byte, which was having trouble accepting the hypno-ray's commands due to Byte's playing. The Gamesman increased the hypno-ray's power in hopes of getting the commands through but the increase in power destroyed the arcade game.

After the Gamesman's hypnotized crowd swelled to three hundred thousand, he took his personal helicopter and flew to the local park. Noticing a streak of light nearby, the Gamesman investigated and found Firestar and the rest of the heroic Spider-Friends. He bombarded his hypnotized crowd with flashing hypno-light from his helicopter and ordered them over a loudspeaker to destroy the Spider-Friends. Seeing Firestar and Iceman soon leave the scene, unaware of why they had left, the Gamesman rejoiced and thought the team had deserted their leader, Spider-Man. He then ordered the crowd to focus all their destructive efforts on the remaining Spider-Man.

When the returning Spider-Friends freed the crowd and the rookie hero Videoman arrived, the Gamesman, who had witnessed Videoman talking to the student Louise, opted to retreat but not before taking Louise with him. With Louise locked in a cage, the Gamesman figured she was the key to controlling Videoman and, with him forced to do the Gamesman's bidding, his master plan would unfold. The first part of the Gamesman's plan occurred when the Gamesman sent out a message via the hypno-ray, this time focusing on all video screens with the order to take over all local police stations throughout the city. When Videoman arrived, having apparently tracked the villain to his hideout, the Gamesman had defenses already in place to nullify his powers. The Gamesman promised to release Louise, provided Videoman took control of an orbiting communications satellite and linked it to the Gamesman's systems thus giving him the ability to broadcast his hypno-ray over the entire globe. He gave Videoman one hour to complete the task.

The Spider-Friends soon traced the Gamesman's pulse signals back to his hideaway and the Gamesman watched them arrive on a monitor, declaring his endgame had begun. When the heroes entered his hideaway, the Gamesman first sent holographic knights against them. When the holograms did nothing, the Gamesman turned on the lights to reveal the heroes were on a giant chessboard. The Gamesman then took down Iceman by turning the tiles he was standing on red hot. For Firestar, the Gamesman made the tiles freezing cold. Once the mutant heroes were downed, the Gamesman caused them to fall into dungeon-like cells via trap doors. Next focusing on Spider-Man, the Gamesman first had holographic planes fly out of a video screen and blast at the hero with lasers. When Spider-Man complained about the deadly nature of the games, the Gamesman changed the game to resemble the Electric Piranha video game. Spider-Man was dismissive of the electric fish as they flew out of the screen but he changed his tune when he was both bit and shocked. When Videoman returned and revealed that he had done what the Gamesman had asked, the mastermind put the rookie hero into an electric cell and called him a fool. He then tried to unleash his hypno-ray against the world but the Spider-Friends, having been freed by Videoman, and Videoman himself broke into his control room. Iceman then encased the Gamesman in solid ice, ending his plans.

Comments: Created by Dennis Marks and Marvel Productions, Ltd. (see Appearances list for list of artists involved).

The hideaway is described as being in a lonely part of town, implying New York City, but the visuals show it surrounded by vast farmland and hills.

Pat Fraley was the credited voice actor for the Gamesman.

Gamesman's height was stated to be 6'3" and his eyes yellow-green in color on his Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends animation model sheet. --Proto-Man

Profile by David Lawrence.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Earth-8107's Gamesman should be distinguished from:

• Gamesman (Timothy Braverman) - Earth-616 Spider-Woman foe - Spider-Woman I#23
• Gamesman (Calvin Felder) - successor to the original Earth-616 criminal - Spider-Woman I#24
• Gamesmaster - Earth-616 X-Men foe - Uncanny X-Men I#283
• or any other "Game" or video game-related characters
  

First posted: 12/16/2021
Last updated: 06/27/2022

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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