Curt Connors

* Curt Connors
* Lizard

**Curtis** "**Curt**" **Connors**, also known as the **Lizard**, is a supporting character in *Marvel's Spider-Man 2*. He is an Oscorp scientist who lost his arm following an incident involving an unknown alien lifeform which tried to bond with him. He would go on to perform experiments on himself using reptile DNA in an attempt to grow his arm back, only to become the monster known simply as the Lizard.

He is first mentioned in *Marvel's Spider-Man* when Spider-Man finds a backpack containing a vial of his blood. He then makes on-screen debut in the post-credit scene of *Miles Morales*. He later returns in *Marvel's Spider-Man 2* serving as a supporting character and an antagonist against Peter Parker's Spider-Man when Kraven forcibly transforms him into the Lizard.

## History

### Early History

Dr. Curt Connors was a medic at St. Martin Hospital who at some point helped Peter Parker when he injured his shoulder. He also serves as one of Harry Osborn's doctors after he is diagnosed with the same rare illness which also killed his mother, Emily.

During his time working for Oscorp, he is part of the investigation team led by Harry's father, Norman, who set out to find a meteorite which impacted Earth somewhere outside New York City. They discover a black, liquid-like lifeform that tries attaching itself to Connors’ arm. Left with no other choice, Connors orders the Oscorp guards to shoot it, which results in his arm being severed. This also provided them an opportunity to contain the creature.

Connors is entrusted with the securing the meteorite to prevent the creature, which he’d dubbed a "symbiote" from reaching it, believing that it could become more powerful in doing so.

Some time following the incident, Connors began conducting research on limb regeneration using reptile DNA in hopes of regenerating his lost arm. He created a serum and proceeded to test it on himself, only to transform into a large, humanoid reptile that would wreak havoc in the city. Dubbed "the Lizard", Connors would become one of Spider-Man's earliest foes. The latter was at some point able to extract some of Connors' blood, which he used to successfully create an antidote that reverted Connors to his human state. However, the cure appeared to be only temporary. Nonetheless, Spider-Man saved the vial of Connors' blood inside one of many backpacks he hid throughout Manhattan.

### *Hostile Takeover*

Connors' history as the Lizard was mentioned by Yuriko Watanabe to Spider-Man.

### *Miles Morales*

In *Miles Morales*, Connors is seen in his human state working for Norman, examining and studying his son and his disease while he remains in stasis and bonded to the symbiote. Norman, upon noticing his son waking up, demanded that Connors release him, insisting angrily against his advice.

### *Marvel's Spider-Man 2*

Connors constantly monitors Harry as he lives his day-to-day life bonded to the symbiote, which seemingly cured his disease. He appears at the Emily-May Foundation to run some tests on Harry, to ensure he is not developing any sort of side effects from the symbiote.

Unbeknownst to Connors, he is one of the targets on Kraven's list for his "Great Hunt". Not long after arriving in New York City, Kraven and his Hunters begin tracking Connors, eventually finding and successfully capturing him with intent to forcibly transform him into the Lizard with a serum of their own design. Mary Jane Watson stows away in a Hunter vehicle bound for an abandoned zoo where Kraven is holding Connors. She successfully locates the doctor, only to be confronted by Kraven, who easily overpowers her and injects Connors with the new serum.

As Connors begins to turn, he and MJ work together to try and improvise an antidote, whist Peter, as Spider-Man, and a symbiote-powered Harry fend off the Hunters. This proves futile, and soon after, Connors transforms into the Lizard and escapes the zoo, prompting the Hunters to continue tracking him.

Connors, in his Lizard form, wanders the city. He makes it home, where he attempted to test his own blood only to end up turning an even more animalistic monster. Peter, having created a cure for Connors, tracks him down to the fish market in Manhattan. Peter enlists fellow Spider-Man Miles Morales and his friend Ganke Lee to help, but Connors (now expanded to 10 feet long) escapes through the water. Peter, now wearing Harry's symbiote, pursues Connors alone.

After Spider-Man tracks Connors to a secret Oscorp lab beneath Manhattan, the pair engage in a brutal battle that ends when Peter unsuccessfully attempts to apply the antidote, and the Lizard flees into the city. Peter pursues him, leading to a destructive chase that Kraven intercepts, using explosives to knock the Lizard off of a building and destroy his tail. Falling beneath the streets, Peter and the Lizard resume fighting until the former finally manages to administer the antidote in the Lizard's mouth, successfully reverting Connors to his human form.

As thanks, Connors conducts research on the symbiote to try and devise a way for Peter to give it back to Harry, whose condition has worsened without it's healing properties. However, Connors explains its origins through the meteorite he has been studying and observing its effects on him, implores that it be destroyed. Spider-Man refuses and intimidates Connors before leaving the area. After a grueling fight with both Kraven and Miles, Peter is able to tear the symbiote away from his body and contain to give to Connors to destroy. He arranges the meeting via cell phone, which Connors agrees to. However, a withdrawn Harry confronts Peter and manages to re-bond with the symbiote, becoming Venom in the process and going on a rampage.

Venom eventually finds Connors at the underground Oscorp lab and dispatches him, reclaiming the meteorite and using it to launch a full-scale invasion of the city. The Spider-Men set out to stop it, and Connors informs Peter that he believes the symbiote leaves behind traces of itself in its hosts, advising him to be cautious. This ultimately proves true, as a symbiote latches onto Peter and reawakens the lingering Venom symbiote inside Peter. However, with help from Miles and Martin Li, the symbiote's hold on Peter is severed, creating the Anti-Venom symbiote.

## Characteristics

### Appearance

While not transformed as Lizard, Curt is a Caucasian male with red hair. He possesses good physical condition. He was born with two arms. However following his initial encounter with Venom, his right arm was torn, leaving him with only his left arm.

When Kraven injects Connors with a special mutating serum, his Lizard form unleashes. Because of the addictiveness of the serum, Lizard becomes a much more feral and beastly creature than normally. He sheds all his clothes, gains incredibly large muscles, and grows to be 10 feet in height. He retains his slimy green skin with dark green stripes and light green accents, an iguana-like jaw, and his razor-sharp fangs. However, both of his arms now possess huge five fingered claws, large clawed feet and a huge tail about the length of his body. His body is now also covered with large, tan spikes. These spikes in question are on his head, back, tail, and forearms. Lizard also grows a hanging dewlap on his neck.

The Lizard's animalistic instinct and beastly features lead him to run and climb on all fours. And finally, Connors' lizard form gives him a long, forked tongue. When transformed, Connors can only roar, screech, and growl instead of talking. While initially only marginally taller than Connors' human form, the high dosage Kraven administers also forces the Lizard form to keep regenerating and growing, leading it to become 10 feet tall before Spider-Man cures him.

### Personality

According to Norman Osborn, Connors is a dedicated scientist, typically never taking days off. He was also once a happy family man, but because of his incident as Lizard, his wife left him, which took a toll on him. Since his time as Lizard, Connors has learned from his past, making him a better man, never desiring to become Lizard again.

As the Lizard, however, all his human qualities and personality are gone. Connors acts like a prehistoric dinosaur, running wildly throughout New York, not caring if he kills any humans.

### Abilities

While Connors' human does not any notable powers or abilities, the man is a gifted scientist, in fields such as herpetology (study of reptiles) and even the fields of medical science, as he has been treating Harry Osborn's condition for sometime.

When transformed into the Lizard, Connors gains a number of abilities such as enhanced physical strength, speed, durability and even stamina. His most notably power is his accelerated healing, which not only allowed him to heal his amputated limb, but also regenerate his tail when it was removed.

The Lizard's senses have also been heightened, allowing him to hear, see, smell, taste and even touch better than normal, and emit a high-frequency sonic roar, which was enough to weaken the symbiote while it was bonded to Peter, and can even generate large spikes on his body. While the Lizard, Connors is also an excellent swimmer, allowing him to traverse the rivers of New York with little issue. Furthermore, whenever Connors grows, he sheds his skin, leaving it behind as he gains a new, larger one. Much like Spider-Man, he is also able to scale solid surfaces with no issue, despite his massive size and can even take the superhero by surprise, Spider-Man's spider-sense only detecting the Lizard just as the creature attacks.

However, the Lizard form has a few notable weaknesses. The primary one is his lack of higher thinking; he loses his ability to talk and reacts only on instinct in this feral state. Therefore, when fighting Spider-Man, he does not utilize his sonic roar often, despite it weakening Peter while wearing the black suit. With the symbiote, Spider-Man was also able to subdue the Lizard when realizing he could expand and use its large tentacles to grapple the beast.

## Original appearance

For more background of Curt Connors throughout comic book history, see **all appearances of The Lizard** and the **original appearance of Curt Connors** on the **Marvel Database**

## References

* PlayStation [@PlayStation] (2023, May 24). *Marvel's Spider-Man 2 - Gameplay Reveal | PS5 Games* [Video]. YouTube.

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/mpwhitten/status/1712152684554571814
2. ↑ *Marvel's Spider-Man: Hostile Takeover* Chapter 12
3. ↑ PlayStation May 2023