As a forgettable Spider-Man villain from the Bronze Age, Big Wheel’s brief career had him rolling from failed villain to hero, to cartoon character.
Spider-Man’s villains are some of the most popular and recognizable in Marvel Comics and comic books in general. Their ranks include the likes of Green Goblin, Venom, Doctor Octopus, Mysterio and the Lizard, who have all appeared in several cartoons, movies, video games and of course, comic books. Their popularity has been fueled by cool powers, iconic and interesting backstories. On the other hand, Spider-Man has also faced several villains of much less than dubious quality.
One of these is Big Wheel, who, as his name would suggest, uses a gigantic mechanical wheel to commit crimes. An inarguably lame villain, he never made much of a splash in the game of facing off against Spider-Man. Perhaps because of his laughable nature, Big Wheel eventually ditched villainy before finally making it into the world of animation. Here’s the full circle story behind one of the Bronze Age’s weirdest Spider-Man villains.
Big Wheel Keep on Turnin’
Big Wheel debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man #182, and was created by Marv Wolfman, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. An embezzling businessman, Jackson Weele hires the hi-tech thief Rocket Racer to steal the evidence that might incriminate his crimes. Unfortunately for him, Racer intends to use the info to blackmail Weele. Aiming to get his revenge against the Rocket Racer, Weele has the Tinkerer build him a gigantic mechanical wheel with all manner of gadgets. Dubbing himself Big Wheel, he rampages throughout New York City in search of his rival.
This draws the attention of Spider-Man, who was also looking for Rocket Racer. Inexperienced in operating the bulky vehicle, however, Weele soon finds himself sinking into the Hudson River after rolling off of a building. Believed dead, the character wouldn’t appear in comics for years. He finally did in Spider-Man Unlimited #12, where he helped Spider-Man fight Stilt-Man. Having reformed after joining a supervillain version of Alcoholics Anonymous, the luckless character is allowed by Spider-Man to tag along when he faces the Shocker.
Afterwards, the character’s appearances were again few and far between. One exception was in the Civil War event, which suggested that the character retained his new heroic status. Jackson Weele would be seemingly replaced, however, in an issue of Spider-Man released for Free Comic Book Day. This unnamed occupant was an outright villain taking the wheel out for a joyride before being stopped by Spider-Man.