Real Name: Frederick Foswell
Occupation: Reporter, Professional criminal
Identity: Publicly known
Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with a criminal record
Other Aliases: Patch
Place of Birth: Queens, New York City
Place of Death: Manhattan, New York City
Marital Status: Married
Known Relatives: Janice (daughter, deceased)
Group Affiliation: The Daily Bugle
Base of Operations: New York City
First Appearance: AMAZING SPIDERMAN #10
Final Appearance: (as Big Man) AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #10, (as Foswell) AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #53

History: Numerous criminal organizations exist in New York City, but for years no single one of them was able to challenge Maggia domination of East Coast organized crime. Frederick Foswell, a reporter for the New York Daily Bugle, secretly led a criminal career and was determined to organize under his leadership the New York area criminal gangs that were not part of the Maggia. Foswell created for himself the secret, masked identity of the Big Man, using a padded costume and other means to make himself look bigger and otherwise disguise his true identity. Employing the three original Enforcers as his principal henchmen, the Big Man quickly seized control of some of New York's non-Maggia criminal gangs. The Big Man thereupon directed a massive crime wave in the city, the phenomenal success of which led many more New York gangs into joining his new crime syndicate.

The costumed crimefighter Spider-Man clashed with both the Big Man and the Enforcers, all of whom got away. Subsequently, Spider-Man fought and defeated the Big Man, the Enforcers, and many of their criminal associates at the Big Man's headquarters. The Big Man escaped, but the police, alerted by Spider-Man, took the other criminals into custody. Foswell himself was arrested a short time later by the police, who knew he was the Big Man.

Foswell went to prison, but was released a surprisingly short time afterwards. It has been speculated that his conviction was overturned on a technicality. Foswell did not intend to resume his criminal career, and Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson decided to rehire him as a reporter. Foswell remained deeply grateful to Jameson for this second chance.

Jameson assigned Foswell to report on New York area crime. To observe criminal activities unsuspected, Foswell designed for himself the secret identity of the underworld figure Patch. For the Bugle Foswell investigated the Crime-Master, a criminal mastermind attempting to gain control of the New York gangs as Foswell himself had done, and Foswell aided the police in capturing him.

Foswell remained honest for quite some time, but then Spider-Man vanished from New York City. (Peter Parker, who was secretly Spider-Man, decided to abandon his costumed identity.) With the man who had upset his criminal career seemingly gone, Foswell decided to try to take control of the rackets once more. The overconfident Foswell met with Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of crime who himself was planning to take over the non-Maggie criminal organizations of New York City. Foswell arrogantly told Fisk that he, Foswell, planned to take over the rackets, and offered Fisk a position as one of his lieutenants. Infuriated, the Kingpin had Foswell taken prisoner. Soon afterwards, the New York gang leaders outside the Maggla agreed to accept the Kingpin as their overall leader. Just before this vote was taken, however, Peter Parker resumed his career as Spider-Man.

Fisk released Foswell, and invited him to join his organization. Foswell accepted, but then Fisk assigned Foswell, as a test of loyalty to abduct Jameson, who had been publishing editorials against the Kingpin's criminal activities. Jameson was indeed made prisoner and brought before the Kingpin, who revealed to him that Foswell had turned criminal. Thus Fisk intended to ensure that Foswell could not turn aside from his resumed criminal ways. Next the Kingpin captured Spider-Man as well, and he had both Spider-Man and Jameson placed in a death trap.

Spider-Man saved the lives of both himself and Jameson, but the Kingpin, not knowing of their survival, informed Foswell that they were dead Foswell, who still felt grateful to his benefactor Jameson, was shocked, and told the Kingpin that he objected to murder. Believing that Foswell might betray him, the Kingpin seized Foswell, only to be interrupted by the arrival of Spider-Man. As the Kingpin and Spider-Man battled each other, Foswell departed, procured a gun, and found Jameson, who was being pursued by the Kingpin's gunmen. Foswell tried to hold off the gunmen to protect Jameson, and was fatally wounded himself. Spider-Man rushed to the scene and overcame the gunmen, but Foswell died. Jameson moved by Foswell's self-sacrifice, memorialized him in the Daily Bugle as a hero.

Foswell's daughter Janice blamed her father's imprisonment and the rest of the chain of events leading to his death on Spider-Man. While at a private school in Europe, she met and felt in love with a young man named Nick Lewis, Jr., who was the son of the deceased Chime-Master. Lewis became the second Crime-Master and Janice Foswell, using a padded costume to conceal her sex, became the second Big Man to take revenge on Spider-Man. Not knowing each other's true identity, the two avengers joined forces in battling Spider-Man and various allies of his. In a quarrel, the second Crime-Master shot the second Big Man, and was horrified to discover her true identity. Janice Foswell died, and Nick Lewis. Jr.'s fate is unknown.

Height: (as Foswell 5 ft. 10 in.) (as Big Man) 6 ft. 1 in.
Weight: 185 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Grey

Strength Level: The Big Man possessed the normal human strength of a man of his age, height, and build who engaged m no regular exercise.

Known Superhuman Powers: None

Abilities: The Big Man was a superb criminal strategist, a master of disguise, and a good marksman with a handgun.

Weapons: The Big Man carried handguns.

Paraphernalia: As the Big Man, Frederick Foswell wore a padded costume to make himself seem heavier and more robust, lifts in his shoes to make himself seem taller, and a device that altered his voice to make it sound deeper.