Background

Precious little is known about the criminal arms dealer and inventor, Phineas Mason, aka the Tinkerer. First encountered by Peter Parker after being sent to Mason's laboratory at the behest of Mr. Warren and Professor Cobbwell early in the webspinner's career, he appeared to be the leader of an alien task force attempting to control the world. Though Spider-Man stopped the "invasion", the Tinkerer got away leaving behind only a rubber mask, leaving a confused Spider-Man to ponder just who or what the Tinkerer really was.

Years later, Spider-Man would learn that the Tinkerer is an ordinary man who has an extraordinary talent for anything mechanical, and his "aliens" were movie stunt men in costumes, including his right hand man, a pre- Mysterio Quentin Beck.

The Tinkerer has in recent years been inventing and improving armor and weapons for various super-criminals, including the Grizzly, the Beetle, the Big Wheel, Jason Macendale, the Rocket Racer and the Scorpion. For a time, he worked for the Black Cat, who had him insert nanotechnology into her costume to enhance her athletic abilities. She used her new "powers" to try and convince Spider-Man that she was capable of being a worthy partner in crime fighting.

The Tinkerer has never been brought to justice, but has unintentionally aided those that work on the sides of the angels. Not only has he made the Black Cat more formidable, he accidentally created The Judge. When his son, Rick Mason, was killed by criminals, Phineas went after the lawyer (now a judge) that acquitted his son's killer. Breaking into his home, Tinkerer stumbled upon Micheal and Alice Hart and accidentally shot them both. Never meaning to kill either of them, he revived Micheal, whom had somehow gained supernatural powers from his brush with death. He was aided by Mason, who was still remorseful for killing Hart.

However, in no way has the Tinkerer turned his back on making money, legally or not. He recently acted as the auctioneer of the Venom symbiote. Many of Spider-Man's enemies were at the auction, including Hydro-Man, Daniel Berkhart (the second Mysterio),Sandman, Stilt Man, the Don Fortunato and his son, the Shocker and the Owl. The symbiote was sold to the Don Fortunato, who bonded it to his son. Angelo Fortunato then became the second Venom.

While Mason owns a radio repair shop as a front for his weapons business, he was found to be well financed and supplied by the dictator of Latveria, Lucia von Bardas. (Dr Doom had been deposed and Lucia was keeping his throne warm for him.) When Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD, found that von Bardas had been supplying the various super criminals with their technology, he found that Tinkerer was von Bardas's American contact. She had been supplying the criminals as part of a terrorist style plan to undermine American security. At one point in the ensuing "Secret War" with Latveria, Mason was stabbed in the back by the Punisher and left in a wheelchair. He begged to die, as his grandson (Rick's son) was one of the six hundred killed in the Stamford explosion, which started the Superhuman Civil War.

Despite being a powerless human, Mason's technological prowess and criminal affiliations made him a target of the Superhuman Registration Act. He was arrested while buying ice cream for his grandchildren, something he didn't especially appreciate. After Ben Grimm, the Human Torch and the Richard's children were forced into the Negative Zone during a Secret Invasion of shape changing Skrulls, they traveled to the villain's prison in the Negative Zone for technical assistance to return to Earth. Lyja, the Skrull who kidnapped the afore mentioned heroes (and a former girlfriend of the Torch), had smashed Mr Fantastic's computers.

Mason was not eager to help the heroes after being arrested by the "Gestapo," as he referred to the SHIELD agents. Seeing the Richards children seemed to remind him of his grandchildren, and he agreed to help. In return for his help, he was allowed to go free.

Tinkerer showed up after Phil Urich killed Roderick Kingsley and took over as the Hobgoblin. Urich's weapons were damaged during a battle with Spider-Man at the Kingpin's sky scraper, and he turned them over to Mason for repairs. The old man promised him that the price would be expensive and cost more than what Fisk was paying the Hobgoblin.

Thanks To:

The assistance of the Marvel Chronology Project is gratefully acknowledged.

Some of the above information is extracted from the various versions of the Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe and the more recent Marvel Encyclopaedias.