L. Thompson Lincoln. If that name doesn't ring a bell, you probably haven't spent enough time with Greg Weisman’s 2008 masterpiece. Most people think of Tombstone as a B-list heavy with chalky skin and filed teeth—a literal street thug who got lucky with a power-up. But The Spectacular Spider-Man did something different. It took a character who was usually just muscle for the Kingpin and turned him into the Big Man of Crime. Honestly? It was a stroke of genius.
The Big Man of Crime: Reimagining a Legend
For decades, Wilson Fisk owned the title of the "Big Man" in Marvel media. But when The Spectacular Spider-Man launched, Sony and the showrunners faced a weird legal hurdle: Kingpin was tied up in the Daredevil movie rights at the time. Instead of whining about it, the writers looked at Lonnie Thompson Lincoln and saw potential. They didn't just swap a fat guy for a pale guy. They rebuilt the entire underworld hierarchy around him.
He is cold. He is calculated. He doesn't scream or throw temper tantrums like a Saturday morning cartoon villain. In this show, Tombstone is the personification of "untouchable." You see it in the very first episode, "Survival of the Fittest." He isn't out there punching Spidey in the face immediately; he’s sitting in a high-rise office, sipping something expensive, and delegating the chaos to the Enforcers.
The voice acting by Kevin Michael Richardson is doing a lot of the heavy lifting here. That deep, rumbling bass makes every line sound like a death warrant. When he tells Peter, "I have no desire to kill you, little spider," you actually believe him. He’s too busy for petty murders. He’s running a business. That business just happens to involve illegal super-soldiers and city-wide extortion.
Why This Version Beats the Comics
In the original 1980s comics by Gerry Conway, Lonnie Lincoln was a bully. He was Robbie Robertson’s personal nightmare. He was scary, sure, but he wasn't a mastermind. He was a hitman. The Spectacular Spider-Man elevated him to a level of sophistication we usually only see in characters like Doctor Doom or Lex Luthor.
He’s a PR expert. Seriously. Look at how he handles his public image as a philanthropist. He’s "the most benevolent man in New York," while secretly funding the creation of Sandman and Rhino. It’s a dual-identity dynamic that mirrors Peter Parker’s own struggle, just on the opposite side of the moral spectrum.
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While the 616 comic version eventually got some upgrades, he often felt like a blunt instrument. In the show, he’s the conductor. He recognizes that Spider-Man is actually good for business in a twisted way. A city with a hero creates a market for "super-villain protection." It’s basic economics. Sick, twisted, brilliant economics.
The Hammerhead Dynamic
You can't talk about Tombstone without mentioning Hammerhead. Their relationship is basically a masterclass in tension. Hammerhead serves as the hands-on lieutenant, the guy who actually enjoys the violence, but he’s constantly chafing under Lonnie’s restraint.
This creates a layered crime drama inside a kid's show. You’ve got the Maggia, you’ve got rival gangs, and you’ve got Tombstone sitting at the top of the pyramid, playing everyone against each other. It’s The Godfather with web-shooters.
The fight scenes? Brutal. When Tombstone finally does get his hands dirty, he doesn't just punch. He tanks hits. He stands there while Spider-Man pummels him, barely flinching. It’s one of the few times in the series where Peter looks genuinely terrified. Usually, Spidey is cracking jokes. Against Tombstone, the quips die in his throat because how do you mock a mountain that doesn't feel pain?
The Fall and the Power Vacuum
Season 2 brought the "Gangland" arc, which is arguably some of the best superhero television ever produced. The three-way war between Tombstone, Silvermane, and Doctor Octopus showed exactly how fragile Lonnie’s empire was.
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People often overlook the nuance of the opera house scene. Here is a man who loves the finer things in life, forced to defend his throne against a geriatric cyborg and a scientist with metal tentacles. He doesn't lose because he’s weak. He loses because the game changed. The introduction of the Green Goblin threw a wrench into the "organized" part of organized crime.
It’s tragic, in a way. Not because we like him—he’s a monster—but because he represented a certain kind of order. When Tombstone is in charge, the bodies are buried quietly. When the Goblin takes over, the whole city starts to burn.
Why We Still Care 18 Years Later
It's 2026. We've had Into the Spider-Verse, the MCU trilogy, and the Insomniac games. Yet, fans still point to this specific version of Tombstone as the gold standard.
Why? Because he wasn't a caricature.
Most villains in Spidey’s rogue's gallery are defined by their tragedies. Otto had his accident. Flint Marko just wanted to help his daughter. Lonnie? Lonnie chose this. He’s a self-made man who decided that being the apex predator was the only way to live. There’s something deeply compelling about a villain who is completely comfortable in his own skin. He isn't seeking a cure. He isn't looking for forgiveness. He’s just looking for the next quarterly profit margin.
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The "Spectacular" Legacy
If you're wondering why the show was canceled, it's a mess of rights issues between Disney and Sony. But the legacy of this specific character design lives on. You can see his influence in how Tombstone was portrayed in the 2018 Spider-Man PS4 game—the biker gang leader vibes were different, but the "unshakeable" personality was a direct descendant of the Weisman era.
The show proved that you don't need the most famous villain to make a great story. You just need a villain who is written with respect. They treated Tombstone like a protagonist in his own dark movie.
How to Appreciate the Mastermind
If you want to really understand the depth of this character, stop looking at him as a "boss fight" and start looking at him as a mirror to Peter Parker. Peter uses his power for responsibility; Lonnie uses his for control.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Writers:
- Watch the "Gangland" Episode: Pay attention to the blocking. Notice how Tombstone always occupies the center of the frame, even when he isn't speaking. It’s a visual cue for his dominance.
- Analyze the Dialogue: Lonnie rarely uses contractions when he’s being serious. It gives him a formal, almost alien quality that separates him from the "street" villains.
- Compare the Eras: Read Web of Spider-Man #36 (his first appearance) and then watch the pilot of Spectacular. The evolution from a terrifying hitman to a sophisticated CEO is the blueprint for how to modernize a character without losing their core.
- Study the Voice: Listen to Kevin Michael Richardson’s performance. He avoids the "monster" voice and goes for a "corporate" voice that happens to come from a giant. It’s a lesson in subverting expectations.
Lonnie Lincoln isn't just a guy with hard skin. He’s the reminder that the most dangerous thing in New York isn't a guy with four arms or a guy made of sand—it’s the guy who signs their paychecks. That is the true power of Tombstone in The Spectacular Spider-Man. He didn't just fight the hero; he owned the world the hero lived in.