Spider-Man (1981) Episode Sixteen: The Unfathomable Professor Gizmo

The Unfathomable Professor Gizmo

First Aired: December 26th, 1981

Synopsis: The villainous Professor Gizmo has a plan to raise the sunken Spanish ship, El Conquistador, from the ocean, so that he can acquire the gold on it, but will need Spider-Man's help since only Spider-Man can survive pressure at those levels. Shortly afterwards, Professor Gizmo attacks a yacht J. Jonah Jameson is hosting a party on, hoping to draw out Spider-Man. It's unsuccessful since Peter Parker - who is on the yacht - lost his mask in the subway. Professor Gizmo next steals a plane from the Smithsonian, before controlling machinery all over New York to rob several banks. While J. Jonah Jameson of course thinks that Spider-Man is working with Gizmo, Robbie Robertson - Peter's best friend - defends him. Professor Gizmo then announces via blimp that he'll trade all of the loot he's stolen for Spider-Man.


Spider-Man agrees to the trade, and the next day he's captured by a giant balloon version of himself which shoots out paralysing gas. While Gizmo explains to Spider-Man what he needs to do, he also explains his origin - he used to work with a famous scientist who he claims stole from him, and so he set a very slow and antiquated robot to kill him. Spider-Man is then sent underwater, using his webbing to make an ersatz diving bell. He's able to make it to El Conquistador after fighting an octopus, but after he attaches a gadget Professor Gizmo has given him to it which starts raising the ship, Gizmo cuts Spider-Man's webbing so that he can't return. Luckily, Spider-Man attaches his webbing to a nearby shark and to El Conquistador, so that when Gizmo stands on El Conquistador the shark pulls it apart and Gizmo is pulled off into the distance. Spider-Man nearly goes underwater and drowns, but the Daily Bugle, which is recording everything from a helicopter, sends him a line - leading to Jonah being caught on camera directly saving Spider-Man.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• Professor Gizmo mentions when describing Spider-Man's task that, "You'll start your descent to my fortune!" So...if he wants the gold on El Conquistador, then why was he so happy to trade the loot he already had stolen?

Review: I honestly can't decide whether this is one of those absolutely bonkers, anything-goes episodes and I love it, or whether it's a horrible mess of pacing and plotting. There's plenty of evidence for the former - Spider-Man's jumping on the outside of a plane to get to Washington, then leaving almost immediately after getting there! Now there's a giant balloon which shoots paralysing gas! Now there's an underwater octopus battle! Now there's a shark that's come out of nowhere! - but there's equal evidence for the latter - Gizmo spends most of the episode doing random crap which very quickly becomes filler, and a lot of it is portrayed very dully. (Or...maybe mundane made awesome. I haven't quite decided).

Whether intentional or not, there are some absolutely hilarious moments in this episode, which work in its favour. Professor Gizmo's origin is absolutely bonkers, as he sets the world's ugliest, least-lethal looking robot to kill (or maybe capture? It was unclear) his lab partner, and the way he's defeated - a shark pulling apart half of the ship he's on and dragging him away - is beyond Silver Age levels of silliness. Jonah reluctantly saving Spider-Man is also hilarious, and oddly enough, isn't the sort of thing we've seen that often, in spite of how good a setup it is for humour.

Still there is an awful lot of faffing about in this episode, and a few quick cuts that just sort of end some of the scenes without giving them a proper conclusion. Some parts of the episode are absolutely golden, others really don't have a place in it. It's really one of those ones where you have to see it yourself to decide whether it works for you or not.