Tinkerer (Marvel Comics)

Tinkerer
The Tinkerer (Phineas Mason) from the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition. Art by Peter Poplaski.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	The Amazing Spider-Man #2 (May 1963)
Created by	Stan Lee Steve Ditko
In-story information
Alter ego	Phineas Mason
Species	Human
Team affiliations	Masters of Evil
Notable aliases	The Terrible Tinkerer Hophni Mason
Abilities	Genius-level intellect Proficient scientist and engineer

The Tinkerer (Phineas Mason) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an adversary of the superhero Spider-Man and the father of Rick Mason. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, and made his first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #2 (May 1963).^[1] The Tinkerer is generally depicted as a genius in engineering who is able to create gadgets and other devices from nothing more than spare parts left over from ordinary household appliances. While in his initial appearances he sought to personally eliminate Spider-Man, more recent storylines depict him under the employ of other supervillains, whom he supplies with his gadgets for their personal vendettas against Spider-Man or other heroes.

Since his introduction in comics, the character has been adapted into several other forms of media, such as animated television series and video games. The Tinkerer made his live-action debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), portrayed by Michael Chernus. Additionally, a younger female black version of the Tinkerer named Phin Mason appears in Spider-Man: Miles Morales, voiced by Jasmin Savoy Brown, depicted as the sister of Rick Mason and the childhood friend of Miles Morales.

The Tinkerer was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, and made his initial appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #2 (April 1963), opposing Spider-Man as a villain.^[2] It would, however, be several years before he would return, and made his second appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #160 (September 1976), once again opposing Spider-Man in a losing effort.^[3] The Tinkerer would be mentioned in The Amazing Spider-Man #182 (July 1978). This was his first mention in the publication as a supporting side character to the other villains.^[4]

Phineas Mason is a brilliant inventor and technician who designs advanced weaponry for criminals and sometimes undertakes crimes of his own. As "the Terrible Tinkerer", he runs an underground fix-it shop disguised as a radio repair shop. On at least one occasion, a potential customer gained the inventor's attention by presenting a transistor radio and telling Mason that "I've got a radio that just can't carry a tune". The Tinkerer's original scheme involved the employment of a team of petty has-been stuntmen and thugs. They specialized in placing bugs into radios and blackmailing state officials and politicians.^[5][6]

Since he is a small business operator who works alone (and arms criminals), the Tinkerer takes precautions to prevent being cheated. For instance, Killer Shrike commissioned Tinkerer to improve weapon gauntlets. At delivery time, the criminal decided to use the weapons to threaten the inventor and avoid paying. The gauntlets backfired on Killer Shrike due to a failsafe created by Tinkerer and implemented into his products for such situations.^[7]

Tinkerer's son Rick Mason is a world-class mercenary for the American government and freelance operative. Despite the two being on opposite sides of the law, father and son remained on good terms and met frequently. Tinkerer even aided Rick from time to time, and once provided his son with information about a coup in South America.^[8] After Rick was seemingly killed in action, the grief-stricken father decided to mend his ways while still maintaining links to supervillains to give information he could discreetly pass along.^[9]

In the Secret War miniseries, Nick Fury discovered a link between the weaponry of most of the known technology-based villains in the Marvel Universe and the kingdom of Latveria. Tinkerer was revealed to have received a vast portion of his funding and presumably the resources and technology from which he has developed most of his clients' arsenals over the years from Latveria. This was part of an ongoing "terrorist" initiative fostered by Latveria's leader Doctor Doom and prime minister Lucia von Bardas.^[10] S.H.I.E.L.D. agents discovered Tinkerer's workshop by using Killer Shrike as a mole. When the agents converged on the workshop, the canny villain detected this. Killer Shrike was struck down by Tinkerer's security systems, and Tinkerer fled to Latveria rather than face justice.

The Punisher finds and confronts Tinkerer after a confrontation with Stilt-Man to which Tinkerer begs for death. Not only was his son dead, but his grandson died in the Stamford, Connecticut explosion that heralded the Civil War's beginning. Without his family, Tinkerer has become suicidal and continues his work in the hope that both superheroes and supervillains would wipe each other out. The Punisher stabs Tinkerer in the back, likely leaving him paralyzed.^[11] Now reliant on a wheelchair, Mason has been contracted by Cyber to subject the resurrected villain's new body to the Adamantium-epidermal bonding process. Mason agrees to create a "pacemaker" for Cyber's heart condition, as well as three carbonadium bullets for Logan in exchange for the use of Logan's carbonadium synthesizer.^[12]

During the "Secret Invasion" storyline, he is freed from Prison 42 to help Human Torch, Thing, Franklin Richards, and Valeria Richards return to the Earth dimension. It is mentioned that Mason had retired the Tinkerer identity but is imprisoned for breaking the Superhuman Registration Act regardless. He is initially reluctant to help his old foes, but Franklin's and Valeria's resemblance to his own grandchildren causes him to relent.^[13] It was revealed Rick is in fact still alive, under deep cover, and in a conspiracy which resulted in Carol Danvers's apparent murder for Norman Osborn in exchange for his father's release and cleared record.^[14]

He fabricated the identity of his own brother Hophni Mason via a robotic suit. As Hophni, he acted a confidant of various superheroes (such as Ant-Man and Captain America),^[15] and both provided technology and an acquaintance to Teresa Parker.^[16] His façade is revealed to which he used his said disguise as a battlesuit which gets defeated by Spider-Man. However, it is revealed that Tinkerer is an ally to the Vedomi alien race of sentient A.I.s.^[17] After escaping from custody, Tinkerer (equipped with the Vedomi's battlesuit) battles Spider-Man. Spider-Man realized Tinkerer was sorrowful and resentful towards humanity and help change his point of view and stay with the Vedomi to help guide positively.^[18]

Phineas Mason has a genius-level intellect with extensive knowledge in various sciences. He is capable of designing and manufacturing numerous inventions derived from pre-existing technologies. The Tinkerer can access to a wide array of advanced devices if needed. The Tinkerer's old age limits his physical abilities.^[19]

An alternate universe version of the Tinkerer appears in the "Secret Wars" tie-in The Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows (vol. 1). This version comes from the Battleworld domain of the Regency and retired from supervillainy to open a repair shop.^[20]

An original incarnation of the Tinkerer named Elijah Stern appears in Ultimate Spider-Man. Created by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley and designed to resemble Paul Giamatti,^[21] this version previously worked for Roxxon before he was fired after discovering a way to use vibranium as a power source. After Spider-Man thwarts his attempt to assassinate his former employer Donald Roxxon, Spider-Man offers Stern the choice of either working for S.H.I.E.L.D. or death.^[22] Choosing the former, Sterns goes on to create Spider-Slayers and reluctantly assist the Ultimate Six before he is killed by the Prowler.^[23][24]

Additionally, a version of Phineas Mason appears in Ultimate Fantastic Four Annual #2. This version is a scientific prodigy associated with a U.S. government think tank called Nursery Two. After being kidnapped by the Mole Man, who sought to use him and his fellow students to seed a new civilization in Subterranea, Mason and his classmates gain help from the Fantastic Four to defeat Mole Man before deciding to stay and continue the latter's plan on their own terms.^[25]

• The Phineas Mason incarnation of the Tinkerer appears in The Spectacular Spider-Man, voiced by Thom Adcox-Hernandez.^[26] This version is depicted as younger and with more hair than his comics counterpart. Moreover, he initially works for the Chameleon in the first season before becoming the Master Planner's right-hand man in the second season.
• The Phineas Mason incarnation of the Tinkerer appears in Spider-Man (2017), voiced by Aaron Abrams.^[26] This version is an eccentric inventor who can create various forms of machinery from everyday appliances, primarily for his own amusement.
• The Phineas Mason incarnation of the Tinkerer appears in Marvel Super Hero Adventures, voiced by Michael Daingerfield.^[26] This version creates toys for children that serve evil purposes.

Phineas Mason appears in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), portrayed by Michael Chernus.^[27] Depicted around Elijah Stern's age, this version is a weapons maker and former member of a salvage company alongside Adrian Toomes, Herman Schultz and Jackson Brice before it went out of business due to interference from the Department of Damage Control. As part of their revenge scheme against them, Mason helps Toomes steal leftover technology from the Avengers' battles and build advanced weapons out of it, such as Toomes' flight suit and modified versions of Crossbones's vibro-blast emitting gauntlets. While his associates are defeated by Spider-Man and arrested by the authorities, Mason's fate is left unknown.

• The Tinkerer appears as the first boss of the Master System version of Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin.
• The Tinkerer appears in Spider-Man (1995). He serves as a boss in the Sega Genesis version and makes a cameo appearance in the SNES version.
• The Tinkerer appears as a boss in the PS2 and PSP versions of Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, voiced by William Utay.^[26]
• The Tinkerer appears in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, voiced by Philip Proctor.^[26]
• The Tinkerer appears as a boss in the Nintendo DS version of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, voiced by Jim Cummings.^[26]
• The Tinkerer appears as a playable character and mini-boss in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2, voiced by Kevin Coello.^[28][26]
• A young, female, African-American version of Phineas Mason / Tinkerer named Phin Mason appears as the final boss of Spider-Man: Miles Morales,^[29][30] voiced by Jasmin Savoy Brown.^[31] She is Miles Morales's childhood best friend who seeks revenge against Roxxon after her brother Rick Mason died trying to expose the company's corruption. In pursuit of her goals, she became the leader of a criminal group called the Underground, whom she supplies with her advanced programmable matter technology. After her vendetta nearly destroys Harlem and almost kills Morales, Phin sees the error of her ways and sacrifices herself to save him.

• Tinkerer at Marvel.com
• Tinkerer at Comic Vine
• Tinkerer at Writeups.org