[1] The character's first appearance was in The Amazing Spider-Man #655 (published April 2011), during the Big Time storyline and was created by Dan Slott and Marcos Martin.

He and his wife Judy Lyman were successful traders for a local Wall Street firm in New York City until an unhappy client planted a car bomb on their vehicle.

The bomb killed Judy Lyman but Marcus survived with a piece of shrapnel from the explosion stuck in his forehead, penetrating his brain.

The shrapnel was successfully removed but not without consequence: the damage had caused certain connections in Lyman's brain to no longer function.

[10] Having temporarily lost his Spider-sense,[11] Spider-Man arrived on the crime scene in an attempt to free the hostages, but was barely able to do so due to Massacre's heavy artillery.

Massacre resurfaced not long after, kidnapping another set of hostages at his former Wall Street firm but Spider-Man arrived on the scene prepared.

Although New U Technologies is supposed to revive individuals without any defects, Massacre assumedly retains the shrapnel in his brain as he is seen with the metal plate over his head.