Background

Growing up in Harlem, a predominantly-black borough of New York City, Lonnie Thompson "Tombstone" Lincoln found his albinism made him a social outcast. He thought of Joe Robertson, one of the few people who didn't join in the taunts, as his friend, and developed a very strange sense of loyalty to Robbie. When Robbie's high school newspaper was going to publish a story about Lonnie's extortion activities in school, Lonnie intimidated Robbie into killing the story.

The two men parted company after high school. Robbie went on to become a newspaper reporter. Receiving info from a snitch that something important was about to happen, Robbie went to meet his informant, only to find him dead at the hands of his old high school classmate, Tombstone, who now worked as a mob enforcer. Once again Tombstone intimidated Robbie into silence, a silence he kept for 20 years.

Discovering he could no longer live with his guilt over suppressing the truth, Robbie testified in court against Lonnie, and was himself sent to prison for withholding evidence. Tombstone arranged to have Robbie put in his own cell block, where he made live miserable for Robertson, and even tortured a friend of his, Bruiser, to death. His will broken, Robertson refused help from Spider- Man, and allowed himself to be dragged along during a prison break. When Spider-Man's life was imperiled, however, Robbie attacked Tombstone, sending them both flailing out of the helicopter they were in.

Fortunately enough for both men (hey, this is comics!), they landed in a river in an Amish community and survived. When Tombstone threatened an Amish family, Robbie grabbed a pitchfork and defended them. Totally stunned that his "old friend" would turn on him, Tombstone walked away from the fight.

Becoming the enforcer for Hammerhead, Tombstone was insulted that his boss would hire the Hobgoblin (Jason Macendale) to kill Robertson. "Hey boss, Robbie's my pal from way back. Anybody's gonna kill him, its me." Hammerhead told him he was too involved and the job required an outside professional. Lincoln didnt listen and stood guard over Robbie from a distance with a sniper rifle. He shot Hobgoblin's razor bats out of the air every time Hobby was about to deliver a death blow. One of the shots caused Hobgoblin's glove blast to misfire, blinding him. As Hobgoblin flew away, Tombstone reminded himself "Like I said, nobody kills my pal Joe Robertson...except me."

Tombstone next tried to set up Mark Raxton, aka the Molten Man. He hoped to force Raxton to steal a chemical called DIOX-3, an experimental plant preservative, to preserve the plants that make cocaine. If Raxton didnt cooperate, Tombstone would steal the chemical anyway and frame the Molten Man, an ex-con. The heist was prematurely sprung by Spider-Man, the Molten Man, and Harry Osborn's Green Goblin. Robbie Robertson also showed up, hoping to make a citizens arrest but realized that he had been set up to be implicated as taking part in the robbery. Faced with Lonnie, Robbie pulled a gun and shot him, sending Tombstone staggering into a room filled with Diox-3. The preservative gave Tombstone enhanced strength, impervious skin, and lightning fast reflexes. In a melee with Spider-Man at Hammerhead's compound, Tombstone was presumed killed when a munitions shed blew up.

Tombstone latter showed up facing off against Spider-Man's friend Darkhawk, and was one of a number of big-name super-villains that the Scarlet Spider fought against. He has also faced other villains, such as the Spot and the Kangaroo (Hibbs).

Lincoln stayed low for a while, but took a job from Doctor Octopus to kidnap the newborn infant of Menace and the Green Goblin. Octavius believed that the Goblin Formula that was produced by the mixing of Lily Hollister's and Norman Osborn's DNA would cure him of his deteriorating physical condition. Tombstone and Shocker chased the very pregnant Lily to a restaurant, where Harry Osborn, Peter Parker, Carlie Cooper and Mary Jane were having lunch. After Spider-Man escaped with the infant, Lincoln followed Cooper back to her apartment, having overheard her mention that she knew Lily Hollister personally. He reasoned that he could find the infant if Spider-Man brought it back to its mother. Instead, he found a Goblin glider ramming him in the back once he got to Carlie's apartment.

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.