Doctor Curt Conners had a very personal stake in the research he was conducting with reptiles. Having lost an arm while serving as a field surgeon in the war, Conners became obsessed with the reptilian capability of regenerating lost limbs.

Ultimately, he isolated the component of reptile DNA that triggered regeneration, and recklessly ingested the formula he’d concocted. He did regrow his missing arm, but the formula had unforeseen side effects, transforming Conners into a humanoid Lizard, complete with scales, tail, and reptilian cranial configuration.

The Lizard has been a recurring adversary of Spider-Man since his first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #6 (November 1963). Concurrently, Spidey’s alter-ego, science student Peter Parker, took a job as Conners’ teaching assistant in college as a way to secretly keep a watch over him.

After a couple of teases in the Sam Rami-directed Spider-Man films, now the Lizard has made it to the big screen.