Bentley Wittman is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writers Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Strange Tales #102 (November 1962). Wittman is a supervillain known under the codenames Wizard and Wingless Wizard. He is an illusionist and tech-genius who appears as a recurring antagonist of the Human Torch and the Fantastic Four.
Publication history
Bentley Wittman debuted in Strange Tales #102 (November 1962), created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby. He subsequently appeared in several Marvel series, including Amazing Spider-Man (1963), Avengers (1963), FF (2011), and Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver (2024).
Fictional character biography Bentley Wittman grew up possessing near-superhuman levels of genius and was a child prodigy and chess champion. As an adult, he became an inventor of great renown, selling his futuristic inventions to the wealthy and becoming quite rich. He became known as the Wizard by legally assuming this stage name and using his advanced scientific inventions to perform feats of "magic" as a stage magician and escape artist. Intellectually bored, however, he decided to become a professional criminal and defeat Johnny Storm, who had just appeared to the world as the Human Torch. Pretending to be a victim by pretending his attempt to use a new drill had gone wrong and he was trapped, he really had enough air for weeks, he was rescued by the Torch and invited him to his high-tech, futuristic mansion on Long Island. There he captured the Human Torch with ease by pretending to take a three-dimensional photo, but really squirting a liquid onto the Human Torch. The Human Torch was then locked in an asbestos cell at gunpoint. The Wizard impersonated the Human Torch, launching a crime spree to destroy the Human Torch's reputation. However, the Human Torch escaped and with help from the Invisible Girl, got photos showing the Wizard had impersonated him, and the Wizard was sent to prison.Strange Tales #102 (November 1962)
The Wizard had a rematch with the Human Torch before long, escaping from prison using a chemical which melted through stone. He got to his house and used a force field to prevent the police from entering, but allowed the Torch to enter, threatening to blast the police if they tried to get in. The Torch melted a shell the Wizard fired, then created a flaming barrier to protect himself from nerve gas. However the Wizard succeeded in using the Invisible Girl as a hostage, as she had foolishly entered and the Wizard was alerted by an alarm. He trapped both her and the Human Torch in a chamber with a bomb that would activate if the temperature increased by one degree. However the Torch was able to destroy the device, escape, and capture the Wizard.Strange Tales #105 (February 1963) With Paste-Pot Pete, he battled the Human Torch again while impersonating him again,Strange Tales #110 (July 1963) and the Wizard captured the Torch and the Invisible Girl after escaping by disguising himself and using an anti-gravity device. However the two escaped when the Torch used his flame to alert Mister Fantastic and the Thing to their location.Strange Tales #118 (March 1964) The conclusion of one encounter with the Torch sent him flying uncontrollably upward by one of his anti-gravity discs, unable to descend safely. He was rescued by two other adversaries of the Torch: Sandman and Paste-Pot Pete (soon after renamed Trapster). After he suggested they team up, a suggestion by the Trapster inspired him to form a team that would be a criminal counterpart to the Fantastic Four, with himself, his two rescuers, and Medusa, who was then suffering from amnesia; becoming the Frightful Four.Fantastic Four #36 (March 1965)
In his continued quest to crush the Fantastic Four, the Wizard has tried many iterations of the Frightful Four and has very rarely operated outside the Frightful Four. He forms a new version of the Frightful Four with Trapster, Sandman, and Electro who would later wear a special outfit that would imitate the Human Torch's powers. They were defeated by Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four.Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #39-42 (February - May 1980)
The Wizard replaced Medusa with Thundra in the Frightful Four, and they battled the Fantastic Four and Medusa.Fantastic Four #129-130 (December 1972 - January 1973) However, Thundra also ended up betraying him and allying herself with the Fantastic Four as Medusa did, with the Brute being recruited to replace her.Fantastic Four #133 (April 1973)Fantastic Four #176-178 (November 1976 - January 1977) In a later appearance, Llyra also joins the Frightful Four.The Amazing Spider-Man #213-215 (February - April 1981)
When the Sandman appeared to give up his life of crime, the Wizard formed a new Frightful Four with Hydro-Man, Klaw, and Titania. They invaded Fantastic Four headquarters, but sided with the real Fantastic Four against the Fantastic Four clones created by Aron the Rogue Watcher. After Klaw was defeated, Wizard brought in Dragon Man as a replacement.Fantastic Four #326-333 (May - November 1989)
When the Fantastic Four's popularity reached an all-time low, the Wizard decided it was time to re-form the Frightful Four once more. No longer motivated by petty jealousy, the Wizard believed the Fantastic Four to be the source of all his troubles, his fall from grace. He rescued the Trapster from the Negative Zone, boosted the powers of Hydro-Man, and called upon his ex-wife Salamandra to round out the Frightful Four.Fantastic Four #514 (July 2004) He also manipulated Cole, his and Salamandra's daughter, to develop a relationship with the Human Torch in order to teleport to her and bypass the Fantastic Four's defenses. During the resulting battle, the Wizard turned on the Trapster, revealing that he intended Cole to be the next member of the Frightful Four. When the Frightful Four defeated the heroes, the Wizard flaunted his success on television and left them humiliated.Fantastic Four #515 (August 2004) However, when the Wizard admitted that he only wanted to include Cole once he saw her exhibit superhuman powers, she turned on him. She sought out the Fantastic Four to lead them back to her father and to try to find a cure for her powers. The Wizard and Cole confronted each other, and Cole used one of the Trapster's traps to ensnare her father, then used her powers over gravity to bring the Wizard's lair down around him.Fantastic Four #516 (September 2004) He has since appeared alive and founded the Frightful Five (himself, Titania, Trapster, Hydro-Man, and Klaw).Fantastic Four #546 (July 2007)
The Wizard is among the characters recruited in The Hood's syndicate of villains. He is then seen in a blue uniform reminiscent of his original outfit.New Avengers #33 (October 2007) Wizard helped them fight the New Avengers but was taken down by Doctor Strange.
Wizard later appears as a member of the Intelligencia.Fall of the Hulks: Alpha one-shot (February 2010)Fall of the Hulks: Gamma one-shot (February 2010) Along with a new Frightful Four, the Wizard attacks the Baxter Building to capture Reed Richards. While the Red Hulk, who came to stop the villains, is distracted by the Thing and an open portal to the Negative Zone, Reed is captured.Hulk (vol. 2) #19 (March 2010)
Wizard collaborated with Blastaar, with whom who enslaved Medusa and tried to get to know his son Bentley 23. He transported the Baxter Building to the Negative Zone where he and Blastaar had to contend with Ant-Man, She-Hulk, and Miss Thing. When handed over to the Inhumans, Wizard later develops dementia due to Black Bolt injuring him as punishment for enslaving Medusa.FF (vol. 2) #5-6 (May - June 2013)
Wizard creates a new Frightful Four with Klaw, Karl Malus, and Carnage. He attempted to control Cletus Kasady's mind, but due to his lobotomy, it was impossible. Wizard instead transferred Kasady's blood into Malus and made him into Superior Carnage.Superior Carnage #3 (November 2013) Wizard's goal was to take over NYC City Hall and impress his son, but Superior Spider-Man was able to stop him. Despite losing the battle, Wizard was able to reconnect with his son and regain his mental facilities.Superior Carnage #5 (January 2014)
The Wizard subsequently joined the plans of the behind-the-scenes villain known as 'the Quiet Man' to destroy the Fantastic Four, but after his clone rejected him in favour of his friends, followed by him witnessing the scale of the Quiet Man's plans, the Wizard decided to aid the FF against the villain so that he could ensure that his 'son' would grow up in peace.Fantastic Four #642-645 (March - June 2015)
During the Secret Empire storyline, Wizard joins Helmut Zemo's Army of Evil.Captain America: Steve Rogers #13 (May 2017)
Wizard later takes the Fantastic Four to court to claim custody of Bentley-23, claiming that his caregiver Dragon Man is unsuited for the job. This plot is thwarted when a man claiming to be the real Bentley Wittman appears and claims that Wizard was his clone. Unbeknownst to anyone, the man is actually a perfect clone of Wizard created by Bentley-23.Fantastic Four (vol. 6) #38-39 (February - March 2022)
Skills and abilities Bentley Wittman has no superpowers, but is described as a genius with Ph.Ds in multiple sciences, particularly in the field of physics. In addition to being an inventor and engineer, Wittman is also a skilled stage magician, escapologist, and disguise artist.The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Vol 1 #12 (December 1983)
Equipment The Wizard constructed a number of devices for which he employs in his criminal activities:
His anti-gravity discs allow him to fly and can lift several hundred pounds each. His gauntlets (alternatively referred to as Wonder Gloves) can generate potent electrical blasts or utilize directed gravitational fields to strengthen those hands. The gloves' strength are unknown. They even also launch air vortexes for engulfing their targets known as "Typhoon-Spheres". His body armor provides him with physical protection, generates a force shield around himself, and mimics powers of the Human Torch. The helmet possesses built-in circuitry that allows a technopathic link to his suit, thus manipulating it by mental commands.
Clones of Wizard Bentley 23 The Fantastic Four managed to find an adolescent clone of the Wizard and rescued it from a super robot the Wizard made.Fantastic Four #570 (October 2009) He has since been taken in by the Fantastic Four and only refers to himself as 23 feeling he "hasn't earned his name" as the original Wizard did. At first, he was a highly introverted child, who over time becomes far more outgoing, also becoming more openly proclaiming of wanting to grow up to become a supervillain. He has since joined the Future Foundation.Fantastic Four #580 (August 2010)
When faced with the chance of working with his father to trap the rest of the Future Foundation and analyze Franklin's powers, Bentley turned against his 'father' because he decided that he wanted to do the right thing, with Wizard accepting his decision as he regards it as an example of how he might have been if he grew up with a more loving family.
When Wizard took the Fantastic Four to court claiming that Dragon Man is unsuited to be a caregiver, Bentley-23 created a perfect clone of Bentley Wittman behind everyone's back and used the perfect clone to fool Wizard into thinking that he was a clone of Bentley Wittman. Afterwards, Bentley-23 left the Baxter Building and became his own version of Wizard with help from Dragon Man.
Perfect clone of Bentley Wittman To avoid getting placed in his creator's custody through the "corrupt" legal system, Bentley-23 created a perfect clone of Bentley Wittman to fool Wizard into thinking that he was the clone of him.
Other characters named Wizard