Abner Jenkins was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He became a mechanic for an aircraft producer. Tired of his boring, low-paying job and not getting promotions he thought he deserved he decided to strike out on his own in search of fame and fortune. Using a suit of armor, Jenkins became the Beetle.

His first battle was against the Human Torch and the Thing, hoping that defeating half of the Fantastic Four would make him an overnight sensation. Spider-Man in particular was a constant problem, whom he first encountered while attempting to kidnap the Human Torch's girlfriend Dorrie Evans. He was among the many costumed menaces assembled by Doctor Doom to disrupt the wedding of Reed Richards and Susan Storm.

At one point, the Beetle was mentally dominated and recruited by the Collector to serve as his unwilling agent. Under the Collector's domination, the Beetle faced the Avengers. He later became a member of the group of super-villains who briefly posed as the Defenders in order to confuse the authorities.