Supervillain Origins: Slipknot

Supervillain Origins: Slipknot

Give some guys enough rope and they'll hang themselves. Don't try that with this dude. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we will explore the comic book origin of Slipknot.
As with most comic book characters, there are often re-imaginations and different versions to a character’s past. We have chosen primarily to follow the storyline which unfolded in 1984's Fury of Firestorm #28 and was expanded upon in 1986's Fury of Firestorm #47.

Rope-slingers are associated with the Wild West, but the villainous Slipknot is definitely a more modern kind of guy. He's a master with the lasso and the noose, and the special chemicals he uses on his ropes make them stick tight to anyone – even a superhero like Firestorm.

Slipknot slipped into Firestorm's life without much fanfare in 1984. As his debut story opened, the mysterious alien known as the Monitor was speaking with a member of the deadly 2000 Committee. The Committee, whose goal was the\ complete takeover of the U.S. government, wanted to kidnap the superhero called Firehawk for reasons unknown.

Meanwhile, Ronnie Raymond, half of the dual identity of the hero known as Firestorm, was taking a shower after a big basketball game. In the middle of the shower, Ronnie was pulled away by his partner Martin Stein, and the two formed Firestorm. Lorraine Reilly, the secret identity of Firehawk, had asked Firestorm to come to her aid. It seemed Lorraine's father had been kidnapped.

However, before Firestorm could learn much more, he was lassoed around the neck by Slipknot. He tried to break free, but the villain’s noose was made of rawhide – and Firestorm's powers don't affect organic material. Regardless, the Hero did break free and took off in pursuit ofSlipknot. Lorraine attempted to follow, but fell into a trap Slipknot had set for her. With Firestorm gone, henchmen arrived to capture Lorraine.

Again Slipknot managed to tie Firestorm up and sent him to his doom. Firestorm couldn't break out of the ropes, but he was able to cushion his fall – and was then freed by a few astonished bystanders. Angry now, he went after Slipknot again – and this time used his brains AND his powers to subdue the villain.

Slipknot is one of those villains who just appeared out of the blue without a real origin story, and readers never got a chance to learn much about him. Eventually it was revealed that his real name was Christopher Weiss. And it wasn’t until a couple of years after his debut that a little bit more came out. While battling the Blue Devil, it is revealed that Slipknot’s his ropes were treated with a special chemical that made them super-strong – and super-adhesive as well. While bragging about this, Slipknot revealed that he used to work for a chemical company down south – presumably in his civilian identity.

Slipknot has made some appearances since the New 52 relaunch, and judging by these, he's moved on to fighting the likes of Robin and Ragman now. Whether this new Slipknot will have an expanded origin story is still to be seen.

For a time, Slipknot was part of the motley crew of heroes and villains working together – rather reluctantly – as the Suicide Squad. His dazzling mastery of rope tricks makes him a very visual villain, and there's great potential in this underused bad guy.

Are you a fan of the rope-wrangling Slipknot? For more comic book origins, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.