Fan Casting Gladiator in Joe Carnahan's Daredevil: The Man Without Fear

Melvin Potter was a skilled tailor and gifted athlete who ran a costume shop in Hell's Kitchen, Spotlight Costumes and Custom Tailoring, that secretly catered to the superhuman population of New York City, both heroic and criminal. Melvin and his wife, Li Ling, are able to produce custom designed outfits in under 24 hours for a client. The Potters prefer to operate on a "no questions asked" basis for their custom outfits, intending to remain neutral in the battles between superhuman opponents. Among the outfits he is known to have produced are Captain America's uniform as The Captain, Daredevil, Spider-Man, the Ani-Men, and replacements for the X-Men. Melvin Potter is, however, mentally unstable. Without his wife's knowledge, he designed a uniform to his own specifications, which in a way resembled that of a modern-day arena gladiator. Calling himself Gladiator, Potter was hired by the criminal mastermind Owl as an enforcer, and has come into conflict with Daredevil twice. The second time, he was arrested and sent to prison at Ryker's Island. His attorney filed an insanity plea, and Potter was transferred to the psychiatric ward for evaluation. He was later seen among those engaged in the mass breakout led by the Rhino. At present, Gladiator is still at large. His wife, Li Ling, continues to run their costume shop.