WARNING: The following contains spoilers for "Short Story, Tale Tale," in Deadpool: Nerdy 30 #1, by Gail Simone, Michael Shelfer, Jim Charalampidis and VC's Joe Sabino, on sale now.
Marvel has its fair share of low-level villains who just don't get any respect. While many of these C-list foes have some serious potential, they're often treated as jokes by the heroes that they face. However, one of these villains just knocked Deadpool down to size.
Deadpool's recent humiliation takes place during "Short Story, Tall Tale" in Deadpool: Nerdy 30 #1, by Gail Simone and Michael Shelfer. Deadpool teams up with Agent X to stop some form of industrial sabotage at Kaxton Laboratories. Soon after meeting up, Wade and Agent X discover that their target is the classic villain Stilt-Man.
The villain immediately begins shooting at them, while Deadpool and Agent X grab onto Stilt-Man's body. After making fun of Stilt-Man, Deadpool is knocked into the side of a building by his enemy's hydraulic arms. However, Stilt-Man is also embarrassed when Agent X accidentally removes his belt, incidentally taking off the villain's pants. Still, Stilt-Man manages to knock around Deadpool and Agent X for a while. Deadpool is surprised at how strong Stilt-Man is. It's only when Diamondback blows up Stilt-Man's legs that he's stopped.
Stilt-Man has a long history going all the way back to 1965's Daredevil #8 by Stan Lee and Wally Wood. Wilbur Day was a scientist who invented a hydraulic device that was stolen from him by his employer, Carl Kaxton. Angry with the head of Kaxton Laboratories, Wilbur hired Matt Murdock to sue the company for stealing his work. At the same time, Wilbur used his hydraulics to become Stilt-Man and torment his former employer. Day was ultimately stopped by Daredevil, but he quickly became a recurring foe for the Man Without Fear.
In 1983's Amazing Spider-Man #237, by Roger Stern, Bill Mantlo, Bob Hall and Frank Giacoia, Stilt-Man fought Spider-Man in an effort to show he wasn't a joke. Wilbur ultimately spared the web-slinger when Spider-Man saved his life. Stilt-Man was also part of the "Armor Wars" storyline, facing off against Tony Stark in 1987's Iron Man #225, by David Michelinie, Bob Layton and Mark Bright.
More recently, Stilt-Man got a serious upgrade in Daredevil #20, by Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checcetto. In this issue, Stilt-Man stood alongside deadly killers such as Bullseye and Crossbones, inflicting major damage on Hell's Kitchen. In this issue, Stilt-Man stood alongside deadly killers such as Bullseye and Crossbones, inflicting major damage on Hell's Kitchen. Daredevil even remarked that Stilt-Man was a joke, but a dangerous one.
Despite having a fairly goofy gimmick, Stilt-Man's last two attacks prove how dangerous he truly is. During this recent battle, Wilbur Day fought off two lethal mercenaries at the same time. Deadpool and Agent X are certainly no pushovers, so Stilt-Man fared pretty well, all things considered.
Stilt-Man managed to defeat these two because they underestimated how dangerous he can be. Deadpool and Agent X didn't even know that they were fighting Stilt-Man, which left them unprepared. At the same time, Wade was too busy making fun of Stilt-Man to concentrate on the battle, as Stilt-Man's hydraulics did some major damage to both him and Agent X.
Even Deadpool notices how vastly underestimated Stilt-Man is. At the end of the story, Deadpool comments on how everyone sees Stilt-Man as a joke, but even "losers" like him can get lucky occasionally. Indeed, Stilt-Man got very lucky by handily besting Deadpool and Agent X.
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