Tombstone’s real name is Alonzo Thompson “Lonnie” Lincoln, and he was born in Harlem as the neighborhood’s only African-American albino. His peers bullied him for his appearance, but he used his size and strength to become a feared extortionist in school. He had a childhood “friend” named Joseph “Robbie” Robertson, who was the school newspaper editor and planned to expose Lonnie’s crimes. However, Lonnie silenced Robbie, and the two parted ways after high school.

Lonnie dropped out of school and joined the ranks of organized crime, becoming a hitman and enforcer. He filed his teeth to points to enhance his intimidating image and earned the nickname Tombstone for his pale skin and cold demeanor. He also developed a keen intellect and a mastery of combat and firearms. He crossed paths with Robbie again, who had become a reporter for a local paper. Robbie witnessed Lonnie kill an informant for a story and was once again threatened by him. Robbie kept quiet for 20 years until he decided to testify against Tombstone and had him incarcerated.

However, Robbie was also sent to prison for withholding evidence and was put in the same cell as Lonnie. Tombstone broke free from prison and took Robbie with him, setting a trap for him at the Osborn Chemical plant. Spider-Man intervened, but Robbie shot Tombstone, sending him into a room with an experimental chemical called Diox-3. This gave Tombstone superhuman abilities, such as enhanced strength, stamina, durability, and reflexes. He also became immune to pain and aging.

Since then, Tombstone has been involved in many criminal activities and conflicts with superheroes. He has worked for both the Kingpin and Hammerhead, two of the most powerful crime lords in New York City. He has also been a member of the Sinister Twelve, a group of supervillains assembled by the Green Goblin to kill Spider-Man. He has clashed with Daredevil over control of Hell’s Kitchen and Punisher over drug trafficking. He has also faced against Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Black Cat, Ghost Rider, and others.

One of the most important storylines involving Tombstone is “The Death of Jean DeWolff,” which ran from Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #107-110 (October 1985-January 1986). In this story, Tombstone is revealed to be the killer of Jean DeWolff, a police captain and a friend of Spider-Man. He was hired by the Sin-Eater, a vigilante who targeted people he deemed sinful. Spider-Man and Daredevil teamed up to stop them, but not before Tombstone brutally beat Robbie and left him in critical condition.

Another notable storyline is “Gang War,” from The Amazing Spider-Man #284-288 (January-May 1987). In this story, Tombstone is one of the many gangsters who vie for power after the Kingpin’s apparent death. He allies with Hammerhead, but they are opposed by other factions led by Silvermane, Jack O’Lantern, Hobgoblin, and others. Spider-Man tries to prevent the city from descending into chaos, but he is also targeted by several assassins hired by an unknown enemy.

Some little-known facts about Tombstone are:

– He has a daughter named Janice Lincoln, who followed in his footsteps into crime. She became the second Beetle, a high-tech armored villainess who is also a member of the Sinister Six.
– He has a personal code of honor that prevents him from killing women or children. He also respects Robbie as his only friend, despite their hatred.
– He has appeared in several media adaptations outside of comics, such as animated series (Spider-Man: The Animated Series, The Spectacular Spider-Man), video games (Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, Marvel: Avengers Alliance) and movies (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse).
– He is one of the few villains who knows Spider-Man’s secret identity as Peter Parker, having learned it from Norman Osborn during the “Dark Reign” storyline.