Variant Deep Dive - Shocker Buggy Variant
When the loot for the one year anniversary Twitch drops was revealed, some people were left scratching their heads.
Why are we getting a Shocker variant? What in the world is happening in this scene? Is the shocker driving a buggy?
Allow us to enlighten you!
Backstory
The Shocker has had it rough. Once an A-list Spider-Man villain, he's been relegated to a laughing stock or punching bag a lot in the past few decades. To make matters worse, in Marvel Snap, he was given no ability beyond the quote "I'm gonna blast you!" And while High Evolutionary made Hulk huge, gave Cyclops a sick ability, and even made Misty Knight a high-win rate card, the Shocker is still lightly utilized.
In 2013 Marvel put out a hilarious comic called The Superior Foes of Spider-Man, created by Nick Spencer and Steve Lieber. The Shocker (real name Herman Schultz) spends much of the series as a loser. Until, that is, in the final issue of the series he has one of the most outrageous and awesome redemption moments in all of comics. In the middle of a mob war, the Punisher is going to take down both sides. The Shocker busts in in his buggy (that has no apparent special equipment, it's just a normal car with Shocker quilting on it), blasts the Punisher into the stratosphere, and is crowned the new boss for saving all of the mobsters.
What makes Shocker's redemption all the more complete is the inspiration Spencer and Lieber used. There was a 70s comic aimed at little kids called Spidey Super Stories. Fans have long used the following panel to mock the Shocker:
This 70s Spider-Man / Shocker buggy battle might not be entirely responsible for Shocker's slide into being a less serious villain, but it definitely didn't help.
So when Spencer and Lieber included the buggy in Shocker's redemption arc, it was a meta textual redemption in addition to an in-story redemption.
The Shocker buggy variant marks one of the first times we're getting interior comic book art for a card, which opens up an amazing new world of sweet variants.
So, from October 18th at 9AM PT through October 31st at 11:59 PT., head to Twitch to support your favorite content creators and earn some sweet Shocker swag and, whatever you do, DON'T MOCK THE SHOCKER!
- Watch 2 Hours to Earn: Shocker Variant Avatar
- Watch 4 hours to Earn: 155 Shocker Boosters and 500 Credits
- Watch 6 Hours to Earn: Shocker Buggy Variant Card