Religion: not determined yet
Name: Tinkerer
Alter Ego: Phineas T. Mason
Other Names: The Terrible Tinkerer; Phineas Mason
Classification:
villain
scientist
First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #2 (May 1963): "The Uncanny Threat of the Terrible Tinkerer!"
Creators: Stan Lee, Steve Ditko
Super? (Has Super Powers/Special Abilities/Technology): Yes
Number of Appearances: 104
Enemy of: Spider-Man
Ally: Justin Hammer
Occupation: inventor, technician
Race: white
Gender: male
Note: serves the underworld
BELOW: Eddie Brock ("Venom") was moved by Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ" to renounce villainy, sell The Symbiote, and donate the money to charity: The Terrible Tinkerer conducts an auction for super-villains in which Eddie Brock is auctioning off the alien symbiote that transforms him into Venom - selling the symbiote to the highest bidder. Note how Mysterio questions whether Eddie Brock's actions are truly "Christ-like." It is not every day you see a super-villain question whether somebody's actions are "Christ-like." But Eddie Brock's spiritual motivations in this case are very sincere, and hearken back to the earliest beginnings of this Catholic character, who first merged with The Symbiote after a sincere prayer in a Catholic church. Note how the Tinkerer refers to Eddie Brock's "crisis of faith." This term is usually used to describe as a period of doubt that causes one to question one's beliefs. In this case, Eddie Brock has come to doubt his life as a villain, and is actually turning back to his religious faith.

Source: Marvel Knights Spider-Man #6 (Nov. 2004): "Venomous: Part Two", pg. 23, panels 2-4. Written by Mark Millar. Art by Rachel Dodson, Terry Dodson. See also: charity; Christ-like; faith; repentance; crisis of faith; Catholic; Venom (Eddie Brock); Jesus Christ (Jesus of Nazareth); Tinkerer (Phineas T. Mason); The Symbiote; Mysterio (Daniel Berkhart); Mel Gibson
The Amazing Spider-Man
Avengers: The Initiative #27 (Oct. 2009): "Even The Losers / The Taking of 42" (mentioned)
Cable (vol. 1) #65 (Mar. 1999): "Acid Bath"
Captain America
Dark Reign Files #1 (Apr. 2009)
The Deadly Foes of Spider-Man #1 (May 1991): "Book I: Punishment and Crime"
Marvel Knights Spider-Man
Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #37 (May 2009) (mentioned)
Punisher War Journal (vol. 2) #16 (Apr. 2008): "The Survivors Guild"
Spider-Man: Dead Man's Hand #1 (Apr. 1997): "Dead Man's Hand"
Vengeance of the Moon Knight #2 (Dec. 2009): "Shock and Awe: Chapter 2: The Sentry's Curse" (8-panel cameo)
Suggested links for further research about this character:
- http://www.comicvine.com/tinkerer/29-3144/
- http://www.comicboards.com/marvelguide/t2.html
- http://www.marvunapp.com/master/titn.htm