Max Dillon was an ordinary electrical engineer who worked for the Osborn Group, maintaining its electrical systems.
He was introverted and insecure, ignored and even mocked by his coworkers for years. He had no presence at all; his coworkers could not even remember his name on his birthday.
Only Spider-Man had saved him during an accident and called him a "friend," which made Max idolize Spider-Man.
From then on, his home was covered in Spider-Man posters. Max saw Spider-Man as the only person who had ever acknowledged him, and he even fantasized about becoming Spider-Man's "partner."
But one accident changed his fate.
While repairing a circuit, Max made an operational error and fell into a tank full of genetically modified electric eels. High-voltage current coursed through his body, scorching him black from head to toe.
The Osborn Group employees thought he was dead and planned to dispose of him hastily to protect the company's reputation.
But Max suddenly woke up in the morgue, the charred crust falling away from his body.
He discovered that he could actually see the bioelectric currents inside his body. What was more, the electrical devices around him seemed to sense the energy leaking from him and began operating on their own without being plugged in.
Max still did not know that he was no longer human. He grabbed some clothes nearby and wandered out into the streets without any particular destination.
Everywhere he went, nearby cars began blaring their alarms, and Max felt an unprecedented hunger.
He slowly placed a hand on a car headlight. The next second, he completely absorbed its faint electrical current.
That bit of power eased Max's hunger slightly, but it was nowhere near enough.
His gaze turned toward the brightly lit Times Square in the distance.
To Max, it was