Mister Negative is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is usually depicted as an enemy of Spider-Man, the Punisher, Shang-Chi, and Cloak and Dagger. The character was created by Dan Slott and Phil Jimenez and first appeared in "Swing Shift", a story in Free Comic Book Day: The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (May 2007). The name "Mister Negative" is a reference to photographic negative, as the colors of his skin, hair, and costume are inverted when he transforms into his alter ego.
Originally a gangster and human trafficker whose real name was never revealed, the man who would become Mister Negative was captured by the crime boss Silvermane to serve as a test subject for an experimental procedure involving a synthetic drug created by Simon Marshall. The experiment gave him control over both the Darkforce and the Lightforce and led to the creation of two opposite personalities: Mister Positive, posing as a benevolent and kind philanthropist named Martin Li, who establishes the F.E.A.S.T. Project as a means to help homeless people; and the ruthless crime lord Mister Negative, who leads the Inner Demons gang to try and take over New York City's criminal underworld. Originally, the character was depicted as suffering from dissociative identity disorder, as neither personality could access the other's memories; both were later shown to be fully aware of the other's existence. As Mister Negative, his powers include healing, mind-controlling people through "corruption", and charging weapons with his energy.
Since his original introduction in comics, the character has been adapted into several other forms of media. Keone Young, Eric Bauza, and Bowen Yang voiced Mister Negative in the animated series Ultimate Spider-Man, Spider-Man (2017), and Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, while Stephen Oyoung portrayed him in the Marvel's Spider-Man video game series.
Publication history Mister Negative was created by writer Dan Slott and artist Phil Jimenez and first appeared in Free Comic Book Day: The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (May 2007), which was set in the aftermath of the "Spider-Man: One More Day" storyline. The character then appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #546 (January 2008), the first issue of the follow-up storyline "Spider-Man: Brand New Day".
Fictional character biography Martin Li is introduced with the backstory of a Chinese immigrant from Fujian who attempted to travel to America to be with his wife. His mode of transportation, the Golden Mountain, was a slave ship operated by the Snakehead gang as a way to sell Fujian captives as overseas slaves in Kenya. During a storm, the ship's crew evacuated, leaving the captives alone to make a break for the New York shores. Li was the only survivor and spent the following years building a large fortune and dedicating himself to helping those less fortunate.Dark Reign: Mister Negative #1 (August 2009)
The story is later revealed to be partially false, though only the Mister Negative persona appears aware of it. It is revealed that Negative was actually one of the crew members of the Golden Mountain. When the ship nearly crashed onto the New York shores, he stole the identity of one of the deceased Fujian slaves (the real Martin Li). This gang member was eventually captured by Silvermane and experimented on with a synthetic drug created by Maggia chemist Simon Marshall. He escaped with the help of two other experimental inmates and soon developed two personalities, the kind-hearted Martin Li and the villainous Mister Negative, the latter of the two developing the ability to generate a black electrical energy that could be used to heal, control others, or charge objects with his touch. The Mister Negative side dedicated himself to becoming Chinatown's Kingpin of Crime while the Martin Li side attempts to run the F.E.A.S.T. center with humility.Dark Reign: Mister Negative #3 (October 2009)
Martin Li opens and operates a soup kitchen in Chinatown: the F.E.A.S.T. Project (Food, Emergency Aid, Shelter and Training), where Peter Parker's Aunt May volunteers.The Amazing Spider-Man #548 (February 2008)The Amazing Spider-Man #547 (March 2008) Neither Peter nor May are aware of Li's dual identity as a Chinatown crime boss under the Mister Negative name. Despite being a crime lord, Li is a seemingly kind and generous man. The F.E.A.S.T. Project has displayed healing powers for people of various illnesses, although the cause of this healing has yet to be revealed.The Amazing Spider-Man #568 (October 2008)
In the "Brand New Day" storyline, Mister Negative first comes into conflict with Spider-Man when he makes a power play toward taking control of New York's criminal underworld by attempting to wipe out all existing members of the Karnelli and Maggia crime families using a bioweapon called Devil's Breath. In exchange for leaving the Maggia families' children alive, he takes a sample of Spider-Man's blood to use in a Devil's Breath formula. Spider-Man recruits Black Cat to help steal Spider-Man's remaining blood from Negative and replace it with a vial of pig blood so Negative is unaware of his loss.The Amazing Spider-Man #621 (April 2010)
Martin Li endorses Bill Hollister for mayor of New York City, putting him against Randall Crowne, adding him to a list of opponents (many of whom become targets of the villain Menace). It also causes him to become the target of a smear campaign by Dexter Bennet, editor of The DB and supporter of Crowne.The Amazing Spider-Man #558 (July 2008) After Menace is revealed to be Hollister's daughter and Hollister resigns as mayor, Li unsuccessfully runs in a special election, losing to J. Jonah Jameson.The Amazing Spider-Man #591 (June 2009)
Mister Negative eventually comes across Eddie Brock, giving Brock a job at his soup kitchen. A touch from him causes Brock's cancerous cells to completely disappear and combines with remnants of the Venom symbiote to create Anti-Venom.The Amazing Spider-Man #569 (October 2008) After the F.E.A.S.T center is torn apart during the fight between the two, Li discovers from a group of sweatshop workers (from a shop owned by Crowne) that they were experimented on with drugs made at Oscorp.The Amazing Spider-Man #572 (November 2008) Later, Negative and his Inner Demons encounter and battle Anti-Venom. In the aftermath, Brock watches Negative turn into Li, becoming the first to be aware of his double identity.The Amazing Spider-Man: Extra! #2 (March 2009)
Negative refuses to submit to Hood's rule of conquest over New York's criminal underworld. During a meeting with Hood's henchman White Dragon, Negative corrupts White Dragon and sends the man to attack the Hood's headquarters. In retaliation, the Hood decides to attack and kill him. H.A.M.M.E.R. seals Chinatown on Hood's behalf and an all out fight breaks out around Li's estate. Hood's gang gets the upper hand until Spider-Man arrives to rescue Martin. However, Spider-Man too is corrupted and sent into battle on Negative's behalf. Spider-Man battles the members of Hood's gang who are attacking the villain's headquarters; Negative then sends the web-slinger to kill Betty Brant who is interviewing the real Martin Li's widow and is coming close to finding out the truth. The Hood himself then confronts Negative at his Chinatown headquarters and battles him.Dark Reign: Mister Negative #2 (September 2009) During the battle, Negative tries to corrupt Hood but fails. Norman Osborn ends the blockade H.A.M.M.E.R. has on Chinatown when Hammerhead hands papers implicating Oscorp in the aforementioned drug tests on immigrants. An irate Hood decides to kill Negative, but he escapes. A later conversation that Osborn has with his own darker Green Goblin side reveals that he now has an alliance with Negative similar to the one with Hood. However, Spot slips in and steals back the evidence of Oscorp's tests, revealing that he is working undercover in the Hood's gang.
During the "Big Time" storyline, Mister Negative is targeted by both Anti-Venom and the new Wraith. When they, along with Spider-Man, interrupt a heroin-smuggling operation, Wraith uses visual recognition software, linked to every television broadcast in New York, to publicly out Negative as Martin Li. When the police approach, Negative and his men retreat.The Amazing Spider-Man #664 (August 2011)
During the 2011 "Spider-Island" storyline, Mister Negative is told of a prophecy that he is destined to be killed by Dagger. Negative kidnaps Cloak and Dagger and uses his touch to change their powers, making Dagger use Darkforce and Cloak use Lightforce.Spider-Island: Cloak & Dagger #1-3 (October-December 2011)
Following the 2015 "Secret Wars" storyline, Martin Li is arrested. He is rescued by Cloak and Dagger who have been corrupted by his touch and are using patches of the drug known as "Shade" to simulate the effects of Mister Negative's touch and "remain" loyal to him. After the two break Negative out of the prison ship where Li is being held and revert him to his Negative form, he has them bring him to Parker Industries' Shanghai branch, which leads to a confrontation with Spider-Man, whom Negative manages to touch.The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 4) #6 (March 2016) Although Peter exhibits an immunity to Negative's corruption power, Negative escapes to his Shanghai headquarters and reverts to Li. Li later sees a video message from Negative that he is targeting a philanthropist named Shen Quinghao, the former leader of the criminal Snakehead Syndicate which controlled the slave ship where Li became Negative, and makes a proposal to Li, which Li accepts.The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 4) #7 (April 2016) His plan fails, and after Cloak and Dagger are eventually freed from Negative's control, they vow to remain in Shanghai to protect it from Negative's future efforts.The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 4) #8 (April 2016)
A man claiming to be "Martin Li" shows up at the F.E.A.S.T. building seeking help as the Inner Demons attack.The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #58 (March 2021) This "Martin Li" later surrenders to the Inner Demons. Mister Negative meets with Mayor Wilson Fisk and informs him that they will need the sister counterpart of the Tablet of Life and Destiny called the Tablet of Death and Entropy. As Negative has the item, he states to Fisk that their desired function can only be used when both items are together. Fisk allows Negative to control Chinatown and the Lower East Side.The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #59 (April 2021)
In the series Spider-Boy, it is revealed that Madame Monstrosity previously hired Mister Negative and the Inner Demons to abduct people for her experiments. They kidnap Bailey Briggs and Eli Hartman, who Madame Monstrosity later transforms into Humanimals. When Madame Monstrosity asks how he will pay her, Negative advises her to turn all the men he brought her into his personal army and to do whatever she wants with. Madame Monstrosity accepts the offer and receives the "keys to his kingdom", which he expects her to eventually return. In the present, Negative learns that Christina Xu found the keys and sends the Inner Demons to reclaim them. Bailey, having since become the hero Spider-Boy, stops Negative, who is arrested.Spider-Boy (vol. 2) #18-19 (April-May 2025)
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