Sandman

Guide Note

Sandman is a fictional character created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko for the Marvel Universe comic books from Marvel Comics. While initially portrayed as a common villain, the character was later portrayed in a more sympathetic light and has even been allied with established super-heroes.

Fast Facts

1. First appeared: Amazing Spider-Man #4, Marvel Comics, September 1963
2. Real Name: William Baker
3. Aliases: Flint Marko, Sylvester Mann, Quarryman, "Mud-Thing"
4. Birthplace: Queens, New York
5. Father: Floyd Baker
6. Powers/abilities: Shape-changer, density control, camouflage
7. Team Affiliations:
   1. Sinister Six
   2. Frightful Four
   3. Avengers
8. Portrayed by: Thomas Hayden Church, Spider-Man 3

William Baker's father left when he was very young, and his mother struggled with alcoholism for much of his life. Baker turned a life of crime as a young man, becoming a thief and mob enforcer. After escaping a brief stint in Ryker's Island prison, Baker found himself on a nuclear testing site on a beach near Savannah, Georgia, where he experienced the accident that transformed his body to living sand.

After years on the wrong side of the law, a freak accident temporarily fused his body with a man made of living water. After regaining his individuality, Sandman reformed, and has remained largely on the right side of the law since that time.