After being mugged one night while leaving work, an elderly tailor loses an eye and his ability to speak. However, he also discovers that he has the power to paralyze with his gaze. Seeking revenge, the unnamed tailor assumes the guise of the professional criminal the Needle. Armed with a yard-long needle, the mute villain attacks young men on the streets at night, sewing their mouths shut. After victimizing S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jerry Hunt, the Needle incurs the wrath of Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew), the agent's girlfriend. Somewhat resistant to the Needle's paralyzing gaze, Spider-Woman takes him out with a close-range venom blast. He is subsequently arrested. With other superhuman adventurers and criminals, the Needle was imprisoned by the Locksmith, but then freed by Spider-Woman. The Needle joined the Night Shift, and teamed up with Captain America against the Power Broker and his augmented mutates. Alongside the Night Shift, he tested whether Moon Knight could take over as leader of the Night Shift. Later, alongside the Night Shift, he battled the West Coast Avengers[​5], and did so again with his abilities enhanced by Satannish's black magic.The Needle was later defeated by Armory.

Needle has the ability to hypnotically paralyze a victim with his gaze. For a time, the Needle's powers were enhanced by Satannish, increasing his physical attributes to that of an athletic man, allowing his hypnotic gaze to work instantaneously, and rendering his weapon sharp enough to rend cinder block.The Needle is a fair hand-to-hand combatant, and he is an expert tailor. The Needle is both mute and mentally disturbed.