Mindworm

First Appearance - Amazing Spider-Man #138

by Ross Andru, 1974

When Peter Parker was forced to move in with Flash Thompson, his presence was detected by the one called the Mindworm. Sensing his deep emotions and complex sense of life, the Mindworm attempted to feed on Peter along with the rest of the residence of the apartment.

Having a strong enough will to resist the Mindworm, Spider-Man investigated the shack the Mindworm was living in. The Mindworm first defended himself by turning the mob against Spider-Man. Next he tried sapping Spidey's will with his mental powers and mentally batter Peter into submission with mind blasts. When that all failed, the Mindworm attacked Spider-Man physically and came close to crushing him in a bear hug.

Spider-Man prevailed though by catching the Mindworm with a concussive blow to the head. The Mindworm was so stunned by the deafening blow that he lost control of the crowd and was unable to reassert his mental will on others. At this point, the police arrived and took him into custody.