Joseph Martello

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Biographical information
Occupation	Crimelord, Maggia Don
Membership	Maggia (Hammerhead crime family)
Physical information
Height	6'5"
Weight	290 lbs
Gender	Male
Abilities	Criminal mastermind Superhuman strength, speed and durability Adamantium skull
Behind the scenes
Portrayed by	Keith Silverstein

Joseph, better known as Hammerhead, appears as the primary antagonist of The City That Never Sleeps DLC for Marvel's Spider-Man, the PlayStation 4 video game. He is the head of the Hammerhead family, one of the "families" of the criminal organization known as the Maggia.

History

Early history

The man who would become Hammerhead was born in Russia. A don of the Maggia crime syndicate, Hammerhead was nearly killed following a brutal beat-down. However, a surgeon found him half-dead and saved his life by putting a carbon steel plate in his head.

The City That Never Sleeps

The Heist

Sometime after Doctor Octopus's incarceration, Hammerhead broke the ceasefire between the Maggia families, planning to regain the respect and fear that the Maggia used to have. He hired Black Cat to steal the five data drives needed to access the shared Maggia bank account (one of which was in his possession).

However, the Black Cat had no intention of giving Hammerhead the real drives, and gave him fake ones while she kept the real ones to herself, even going so far as to manipulate Spider-Man into helping her by claiming she had a child that Hammerhead was keeping captive and was using as leverage to force Black Cat to work for him. Upon Spider-Man and Black Cat heading to the Maggia hideout where he stored his own drive, Spider-Man found no child but instead a large artillery of Sable International weaponry, and was quickly ambushed by Sable-armed Hammerhead thugs. His subordinates soon learned of Black Cat’s true motives, driving Hammerhead into a murderous rage, ordering his men to blow up Black Cat’s penthouse with her as vengeance. Despite Spider-Man‘s earnest attempts to save her despite the fact she remorselessly manipulated him, Black Cat seemingly perished in the explosion, with Hammerhead watching from a distance.

Turf Wars

Black Cat's deception forced Hammerhead to change his plans. He shifted to instead killing the other Maggia dons, giving him complete control over their operations and controlled districts. While the other four dons joined together to defend their territory, Hammerhead's acquisition of illegally acquired Sable technology gave him a powerful advantage. With their new weaponry, Hammerhead and his goons declared war on the other Maggia factions, resulting in a bloody gang war throughout New York.

Hammerhead’s base of operations, the dilapidated Harlem Sanitarium, was attacked by a NYPD squadron lead by Captain Yuri Watanabe and Spider-Man. However, Hammerhead and his thugs overwhelmed Watanabe and her squadron, and began executing her officers one at a time. Spider-Man made it in time to prevent Hammerhead from killing Watanabe herself, but Hammerhead escaped in the ensuing confusion.

Going into hiding in the meantime, Hammerhead began his plan to assassinate the other Maggia dons, who were hiding out at the Auerbach Theatre. Despite Spider-Man‘s best efforts, Hammerhead’s men succeeded in capturing the dons. Next, Hammerhead had his men create a diversion for Spider-Man and the NYPD by going after a convoy of police-acquired Sable weaponry. His real motive was to attack the Upper East precinct, which had possession of Sable International's Project Olympus, slaughtering many officers and civilians in the process.

As the final stage in his plan to bring back "the good ol' days", Hammerhead planned to his status by killing the other dons in a public and televised execution by burying them in a pit with cement at Hudson Yards. In the meantime, Hammerhead enhances himself with Project Olympus, an experimental battle armor. However, the execution of the dons was foiled by Spider-Man, who confronted Hammerhead on top of the construction site. Shrugging off Spider-Man's interference, Hammerhead decided to kill Spider-Man, in order to get the fear and respect that he craved. Despite the power boost given by the armor, and the aid of several of his men, Hammerhead is ultimately defeated.

Before the police could take him into custody, Captain Watanabe arrived on the scene. Driven over the edge by Hammerhead's schemes, she restrained Spider-Man with a Sable bola and held the crime lord at gunpoint. Before Spider-Man and the other officers could stop her, Watanabe coldly shot Hammerhead in the head with a Sable rifle.

Hammerhead's body was placed in an ambulance, likely to be taken to the morgue. However, the transport was sabotaged by one of Hammerhead's men, who revived Hammerhead with a taser.

Silver Lining

By the time Hammerhead returned to his underground base and demands that his scientists make him less human, which the scientist agreed to, transforming him into a cyborg. Over to Silver Sable's base, Hammerhead battled against Spider-Man while Sable tried to attack him. Eventually, Hammerhead was killed by Sable's aircraft, when she crashed her ship into him, before having to angrily get up and die from dysfunction.

Characteristics

Appearance

Hammerhead is a large man with dark brown hair. His face, particularly his forehead, is heavily scarred, likely the result of the incident that led to him getting the plate in his head.

After Yuri Watanabe's attack on his life, most of the flesh on the left side of his forehead has been burned off, exposing the plate underneath.

Personality

Hammerhead is characterized as a ruthless and sadistic man. He has no qualms about igniting a gang war or stealing humanitarian aid for his own benefit, and will resort to whatever means necessary to get what he wants.

Hammerhead believes in the "good ol' days", the time where the Maggia controlled New York through fear and the police "knew their place". Hammerhead insists that his only wish is for the Maggia to be feared and respected again by New York’s community, believing the other dons got “too soft” and allowed the organization’s reputation to fall apart.

Abilities

• Project Olympus: Hammerhead has been refined and enhanced by Project Olympus. Initially only using an exoskeleton, Hammerhead's temporary death at Yuri Watanabe's hands pushes him to replace most of his body with mechanical components, transforming him into a cyborg.
  • Enhanced durability: Hammerhead's cranial implant gives his head great durability, and allows him to kill someone with a single headbutt and survive being shot in the head by a Sable rifle. His Project Olympus improvements have transformed him into a true cyborg, giving him shielding mechanisms and superhuman durability.
  • Increased strength: Hammerhead has above-average strength, being able to lift a fully-grown man into the air with one hand. His strength increases upon his usage of Project Olympus, making him capable of restraining and easily overpowering Spider-Man.
  • Enhanced speed: Through the usage of Project Olympus, Hammerhead is capable of short bursts of superhuman speed.

Weakness

• High temperatures: Due to the nature of the steel used in his implant, Hammerhead's plate is susceptible to higher temperatures.

Equipment

• Cranial implant: Hammerhead has a carbon steel plate implanted into his skull.
• Sable International weaponry:

Original appearance

For more background of Joseph Martello throughout comic book history, see all appearances of Hammerhead and the original appearance of Joseph Martello on the Marvel Database

Hammerhead first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #113 (October 1972).

Behind the scenes

Hammerhead is voiced by Keith Silverstein.

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