Answer is the name of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. There have been three distinct incarnations of the character.
Publication History
The first incarnation, Aaron Nicholson, first appeared in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #91 (June 1984), created by writer Al Milgrom and artist Jim Mooney. The second incarnation, David Ferrari, debuted in Captain America (Vol. 3) #20 (June 1999), created by Dan Jurgens. The third incarnation, an unnamed criminal, made his first appearance in Superior Spider-Man #26 (January 2014), created by Dan Slott and Christos Gage.
Fictional Character Biographies
Aaron Nicholson
Aaron Nicholson is a criminal genius and a former hitman in the Las Vegas division of Hydra, working for the Kingpin's criminal organization. He was empowered by the laboratory machines of Harlan Stillwell (brother of Farley Stillwell), gaining the ability to temporarily develop whatever superhuman attribute he needs for any situation. He has clashed with Spider-Man and the Black Cat, and later became a member of the Hood's criminal syndicate, fighting the New Avengers and battling Skrull forces during the Secret Invasion storyline.
David Ferrari
David Ferrari is a former agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and a member of the U.S. Army. He is the brother of Connie Ferrari. He led a mission to an A.I.M. base to prevent the release of the Omega Compound, and later allied with the Crimson Dynamo in an attempt to steal missiles from Khamistan. He was opposed by Captain America.
Unnamed Criminal
After Aaron Nicholson's apparent death, his gear was sold to Roderick Kingsley, who gave it to an unknown criminal. This Answer was present when Hobgoblin led forces into battle against the Goblin King's Goblin Nation, and later defected to the Goblin Nation after Hobgoblin's death.
Powers and Abilities
Aaron Nicholson underwent genetic manipulation granting him the ability to develop any power needed in a specific situation (e.g., superhuman strength, pyrokinesis, or turning into pure energy). Manifested powers typically last for five minutes, and he can display up to two separate powers simultaneously. He also possesses genius-level intellect and superhuman intuition. His body armor is coated with a friction-eliminating chemical that allows him to slip from any grasp and prevents anything from adhering to him.
David Ferrari and the unnamed criminal have not been depicted with superhuman abilities, relying instead on the original Answer's gear and technology.
