Marvel’s villain the Chameleon has been around almost as long as Spider-Man has, appearing first in Amazing Spider-Man #1 (March 1963). In the comic, the Chameleon stole a portion of the plans for a classified missile defense system. To cover his tracks, the Chameleon intended to frame Spider-Man for the theft of the remaining plans. However, Spidey captured the Chameleon and exposed him as the real guilty party, clearing his name.

The Chameleon was born Dmitri Smerdyakov in Russia. As a master of disguise, he possesses the ability to assume the appearance of any one he chooses, including pigmentation, hair, and body shape. He requires his computer belt to trigger this power and if he loses the belt, he reverts to his normal, dead-white form.

Originally, the Chameleon used masks that could be formed into a life-like copy of a chosen person’s face. When Chameleon sprayed it with a special gas, it dissolved and reverted to another shape, such as a different likeness or his normal white mask.

The Chameleon’s head and face are smooth and featureless when he is not actively mimicking someone. His clothing is made of a special fabric that can reshape and recolor itself when triggered by his computer belt.

He is also a master of espionage, politics, and business administration as well as an explosives expert and a pretty good marksman with his air-pistol, which contains darts that have a potent anesthetic that knocks its victim unconscious for several hours.