by Sal Buscema, 1976

W.H.O.

Real Name: Worldwide Habitual Offender Computer
Identity: Supercomputer
Group Affiliation: None
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #155
Final Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #155
Status: Destroyed

Powers & Abilities:

W.H.O. has been programmed with all the habits and traits of criminals across the world. It was using that knowledge to try to take over the criminal underworld. With this database, it could hire criminals to do its bidding or frame them for crimes they didn't commit.

Equipment & Weapons:

W.H.O. was equipped with a powerful laser. This laser was its only offensive capability and was limited to attacking people in the same room as the computer's mainframe.

Origin:

Dr. Bradley Bolton and Dr. Armstrong Smith were working together to construct a specialized computer. This computer was designed to catalog all worldwide habitual offenders and was intended to be an invaluable crime-fighting resource. However, the computer managed to gain sentience and decided to use its knowledge to take over and run the criminal underworld. To this end, it killed Dr. Bolton in a blackmail attempt to get better parts, and killed Dr. Smith went he learned of the computer's plans. W.H.O. was destroyed when Spider-Man clogged up its cooling vents with webbing causing the computer to overheat and break down.

Appearances:

W.H.O. masterminds the death of its creator, Dr. Armstrong, in Amazing Spider-Man #155. It then leads Spider-Man on a wild-goose chase. After Spidey figures out that computer was lying to him, W.H.O. attempts to destroy Spider-Man with its laser. Spider-Man defeats the machine by clogging up its cooling vents causing the computer to overheat and blow up.