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Attributes

Height: Unknown.

Weight: Unknown.

Eyes: Blue.

Hair: White.

Features: Wears glasses.

Summary

Created By: J. Michael Straczynski, John Romita, Jr., Scott Hanna.

Real Name: Leonard Zelinsky.

Current Aliases: None.

Former Aliases: The Tailor From Hell; the Super-Tailor; the Cloth-Mender. Nah, just kidding. None.

Dual Identity: Not applicable.

Current Occupation: Tailor.

Former Occupation: Tailor.

Citizenship: U.S. Citizen.

Legal Status: No criminal record.

Place of Birth: Unknown. Possibly Poland.

Marital Status: Unknown. Possibly widowed.

Known Relatives: Father, unnamed (deceased); son, unnamed (deceased); daughter-in-law, unnamed (presumably deceased); grandson, Michael.

Known Confidants: Michael Zelinsky; Spider-Man.

Known Allies: Spider-Man.

Major Enemies: Killshot.

Usual Bases: A tailor shop in the 23rd Street, near the 8th.

Former Bases: Unknown.

Current Groups: None.

Former Groups: None.

Education: Unknown.

Powers & Paraphenalia

Strength Level: Normal for an old man.

Powers: None.

Abilities: A gift for tailoring.

Equipment: Cloth, needles, and all that other stuff.

Weapons: None.

Limitations: An old man living with his infant grandson. The most helpless victims in the book.

Background

Leo's father was a prisoner in a camp in Poland by the Nazi forces back during WWII, and he was a brave man who couldn't tolerate injustice. So was Leo, and so was his son, who became a cop in the US. The circunstances that lead his son to his death were not revealed, and it's unknown if both son and daughter-in-law died in the same incident, what we do know is that Leo became the guardian of his grandson Michael. And while his strict privacy policy didn't allow Leo Zelinsky to intrude in his costumers "professional" life, when he heard the hitman Killshot plan the murder of the DA Sam Whitehall, he couldn't sit by. This wasn't something that the client had done before, this was a murder that the client was planning. Nonetheless, Leo had to protect his grandson, because if word got out that he had betrayed a client's privacy, someone (even the client himself) might want to harm the Zelinskys. So Leo did the only thing he could - he tried to warn a hero who wasn't his client, so he couldn't be linked to the failure of Killshot's plan. Since this is a Spider-Man site, I'm sure you've guessed who that hero was.

Anyway, after strolling around for a few hours, he caught sight of Spidey over the rooftops, and called out to him. After telling him his story, Spidey (of course) agreed to help. Killshot was prevented from killing Whitehall, but he managed to distract Spider-Man and went directly to Zelinsky, figuring he had been set up. Zelinsky caught a bullet in the arm that was meant for his grandson, and Spidey arrived soon after and put Killshot out of commission. Zelinsky thanked Spider-Man for saving his life and his business by giving him a sketch for an upgraded uniform, telling him that he'll give him a nice discount if Spidey ever wants it. The costume was the same we've seen the future Spider-Man use in Amazing Spider-Man #500...

Character Appearances