Montana (comics)

Montana
Cover art for Daredevil (vol. 2) #102. Art by Marko Djurdjevic.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	The Amazing Spider-Man #10 (Mar 1964)
Created by	Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
In-story information
Alter ego	Jackson W. Brice
Team affiliations	Enforcers

Montana (Jackson W. Brice) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Publication history

Montana first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #10 (March 1964), and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

The character subsequently appears in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 (July 1964), #19 (December 1964), The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 (1964), Marvel Team-Up #39-40 (November–December 1975), The Spectacular Spider-Man #19-20 (June–July 1978), Dazzler #7-8 (October–September 1981), Marvel Team-Up #138 (February 1984), Tales of the Marvels: Inner Demons #1 (1996), Civil War: War Crimes #1 (February 2007), Daredevil #99-100 (September–October 2007), #102 (January 2008), and The Amazing Spider-Man #562-563 (August 2008).

Montana appeared as part of the "Enforcers" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #4.

Fictional character biography

Jackson Brice was born in Bozeman, Montana. Along with Fancy Dan (Daniel Brito) and Ox (Raymond Bloch), he was a founding member of the Enforcers. He has great proficiency with the lariat.

Montana, Fancy Dan and Ox make their first appearance under the employ of the Big Man (Frederick Foswell). During this time, they have their first run-in with their longtime nemesis Spider-Man. During their first fight against the web-slinger, Montana's lasso skills initially prove successful but Spider-Man defeats the trio.

Over the next couple of years, Montana and the team would be employed by Lightmaster in one of his many schemes, again bringing them into conflict with Spider-Man, with similar results. They would then lend their services to Tech-Master in his revenge plot against Harry S. Osgood, only to be defeated by Dazzler. Montana and the team would also go up against She-Hulk at one point.

Post-Civil War

Montana alongside Ox (Ronald Bloch) and Fancy Dan came back together to work for Mister Fear, which pitted them directly against Daredevil. After Mister Fear's arrest, the Enforcers are taken in by the Hood's organization.

Brand New Day

Following the events of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the Enforcers are patrons at the Bar With No Name. they take bets with a person calling himself "The Bookie", over whether Spider-Man will show up to battle "Basher", an unknown villain who claimed to have fought Spider-Man. Spider-Man shows up, but is revealed to be a fake when the real web-head shows up. The Enforcers decide to get revenge on The Bookie, capturing him. The Bookie's father calls Spider-Man for assistance, and he agrees to help. Spider-Man defeats Fancy Dan and Montana.

Big Time

In the story arc "Kill To Be You", Montana is the right-hand man of the Kingpin (Wilson Fisk), and shows contempt toward the new Hobgoblin (Phil Urich). When Spider-Man and the Black Cat come to steal back the Reverbium, Montana falls out a window to his death while Hobgoblin saves Kingpin. Hobgoblin cruelly joked that "he'll be missed by everyone - except the pavement".^[1]

Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy

During the Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy storyline, Montana was among the villains cloned by Miles Warren and his company New U Technologies.^[2] He was involved in a fight with the other cloned supervillains until it was broken up by a clone of Prowler.^[3]

Other versions

Earth X

In the Earth X reality, Montana had mutated where he developed the ability to change his hands into lassos. He and his fellow Enforcers would be hired as heavies to protect President Norman Osborn. This protection proved to be ineffectual when the Skull came to New York to take over America. He took control of Montana and the others and then murdered Osborn. Montana's fate following the defeat of the Skull remain unrevealed.^[4]

Marvel Noir

Montana and the other Enforcers are muscle for crime boss known as the Goblin.^[5]

Ultimate Marvel

The Ultimate Marvel incarnation of Montana is Montana Bale, an employee of the Kingpin of Crime in New York along with Fancy Dan (Dan Crenshaw) and Ox (Bruno Sanchez).^[6]

In other media

Television

Montana / Shocker in The Spectacular Spider-Man.

• Montana appeared in the 1960s Spider-Man TV series. This version is referred to as Cowboy and was portrayed as being more intelligent. He works with Ox as they're hired to steal blueprints for the Plotter.
• Montana appears in The Spectacular Spider-Man, voiced by Jeff Bennett. A trained mercenary, this version is the Enforcers' field leader, and the series' incarnation of the "Shocker".^[7] He is a major antagonist in the pilot episode with his fellow Enforcers hired by the Big Man of crime to eliminate Spider-Man but instead the Enforcers were defeated. Montana's the only one that manages to escape while Fancy Dan and Ox are arrested. Montana returns as Shocker in the episode "Market Forces" via stolen TRICORP gauntlets to continue his mission and is able to defeat Spider-Man with ease. But after realizing the web-slinger is still alive, Shocker fights Spider-Man again at a condemned theater and is defeated when the whole building is brought down on top of him. Montana is then shown webbed up with his Shocker costume on the ground as the police arrive.^[8] Montana/Shocker gets busted out of jail in the episode "Group Therapy" along with the Vulture, Electro, Sandman, Rhino and Doctor Octopus as a supervillain group to defeat Spider-Man. Shocker takes part in the group's victory over Spider-Man during their first fight, however, the group's rematch depicts Spider-Man (under the symbiote's influence) defeating Shocker once again after his gauntlets are removed/destroyed then he's knocked unconscious.^[9] Montana returns in the episode "Probable Cause". With the Tinkerer modifying his Shocker equipment, he works with Ricochet and Ox as the New Enforcers but the group is eventually stopped by Spider-Man after Hammerhead double-crossed the group.^[10] In the episode "Opening Night", Montana and his fellow Enforcers are seen as inmates at the Vault. When released by the Green Goblin, Montana and the other inmates try to capture Spider-Man but they're all recaptured by another inmate.^[11] Series producer Greg Weisman made a creative choice to make Montana as Shocker instead of Herman Schultz during production of this series.^[12]
• Montana appears in Ultimate Spider-Man: Web Warriors, voiced by Troy Baker. He appears in the episode "Nightmare on Christmas" along with Fancy Dan and Ox to fight against Spider-Man while the Enforcers steal an Oscorp truck.

References

1. The Amazing Spider-Man #651
2. Clone Conspiracy #2
3. Prowler Vol. 2 #1
4. Earth X #9
5. Spider-Man Noir #1
6. Ultimate Spider Man #10
7. "The Spectacular Spider-Man Past and Future part one". IGN. Retrieved 27 June 2008.
8. "Market Forces". The Spectacular Spider-Man.
9. "Group Therapy". The Spectacular Spider-Man.
10. "Probable Cause". The Spectacular Spider-Man.
11. "Opening Night". The Spectacular Spider-Man.
12. http://s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/latest.php

External links

• Montana at Comicvine