Spidercide
Spidercide is a male comic supervillain who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Peter Parker was a male clone that had been created by the Jackal as one of his many experiments using the genetic material of the original Peter Parker. (Web of Spider-Man v1 #122)
It was said that he was the result of a 5 yearlong experiment. He was considered the ultimate creation of the Jackal who christened him Spidercide and tasked him with eliminating everyone connected to Spider-Man. (Spider-Man: The Jackal Files v1 #1) Spider-Man and the Scarlet Spider confronted the newly resurrected Jackal in his Catskills lab and were shown a third Peter Parker in a stasis pod. The Jackal teased that the third Parker might be the real Peter Parker, held in suspended animation for five years. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #399) After a fight between the Jackal, Spider-Man and the Scarlet Spider left the Jackal's lab in ruins. Seemingly abandoned, Kaine searched through the Jackal's computer files for proof of the identity of the true Peter Parker. Accidentally activating what he believed was a self-destruct fail-safe, the pod that contained the third Peter Parker instead rose and opened. The third Parker slipped away during a fight between Kaine and the Jackal who had not actually abandoned the lab. Wandering further upstate, the clone was eventually picked up by a trucker while hitchhiking, unable to remember how he got there, where he was going or what his name was. (Spectacular Spider-Man v2 #222) Later that night, the third Peter Parker got out at a New York truck stop and, wracked with confusion, slept behind a dumpster and managed some degree of comfort, but a group of thugs approached the third Parker. Acting on instinct, he swiftly defeated them, intensifying his confusion. (Web of Spider-Man v1 #123)
Dishevelled and slumped over on a bench, the third Peter Parker tried to make sense of his thoughts. A police officer approached, telling him he'd been sitting there for two hours and should go home. When the third Parker told him that he did not know where to go, the officer replied that he should have thought of that before drinking himself into a stupor. Asked for his I.D., the third Parker freaked out and leapt away, terrified by who he might be. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #400) His jumbled memories led him to the Queens neighborhood where Peter Parker had grown up, and the third Peter Parker found himself in the path of a runaway criminal. Acting on instinct once again, he stopped the criminal using his mysterious powers. A man chasing the criminal tried to congratulate him but the third Parker continued on, remembering something about power and responsibility. Perched on a rooftop overlooking the city, he realized where he should go. (Spider-Man v1 #57) In the next 24 hours after his emergence from the stasis pod, the third Peter Parker spotted a Daily Bugle headline announcing Peter Parker's arrest. Stunned that a suspected serial killer looked exactly like him and vaguely remembering the name 'Peter Parker', the third Parker continued toward his mission, unaware that the enigmatic Scrier was following him. The third Peter Parker, desperate for something to stir his memory, arrived at the warehouse where the burglar who had killed Uncle Ben Parker hid out in. Recognizing it as the place that defined his life, the third Parker realized where to go for answers. As he entered a cemetery, images of Aunt May and Uncle Ben, the spider bite that gave Spider-Man his powers, as well as scores of other memories, flooded the mind of the third Parker. Kneeling in front of May and Ben Parker's headstones, the third Parker realized who he was. (Spectacular Spider-Man v2 #223)
The clone returned to Forest Hills and entered the old Parker residence, still deeply entrenched in the delusion that he was the genuine Peter Parker. He wandered through the familiar rooms of his childhood home, haunted by fractured memories and a desperate need for stability, unaware that he was merely a pawn in the Jackal's grand design. His presence did not go unnoticed, as the lethally scarred clone Kaine lurked in the shadows, observing the newcomer with cold calculation. While the clone attempted to reclaim a life that was never truly his, Kaine intervened, eventually leading to a tense confrontation that moved toward the hospital where Mary Jane Watson was staying. Throughout the issue, the clone exhibited a fragile mental state, clinging to his 'Peter' identity even as the genetic instability and the Jackal's influence began to simmer beneath the surface, setting the stage for his eventual descent into the monstrous persona of Spidercide. (Web of Spider-Man v1 #124) The bewildered clone arrived at the hospital, still fervently believing he was the one true Peter Parker. He managed to locate Mary Jane’s room, intending to reunite with his 'wife', but his arrival was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Kaine. The scarred clone did not hesitate to shatter the newcomer’s reality, brutally informing him—and a terrified Mary Jane—that he was nothing more than a genetic copy created by the Jackal. As the clone reeled from this psychological blow, a violent skirmish broke out when Peter Parker and Ben Reilly intervened. The clone found himself caught in a chaotic four-way confrontation, struggling to process the existence of two other men wearing his face and name. Despite the overwhelming evidence of his origins, the clone’s programmed instincts drove him to flee the scene, still desperately clinging to the remnants of his manufactured identity while Kaine continued to stalk him through the city. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #401)
Spidercide traveled to a secret laboratory where he met with the Jackal and observed the ongoing genetic experiments involving the Peter Parker clones. He received new instructions from his creator regarding the elimination of those who interfered with the Jackal's plans. During this time, he monitored the movements of Ben Reilly and Peter Parker, preparing for a future confrontation. He demonstrated his increasing physical instability and growing resentment toward the other clones. Eventually, he departed the laboratory to begin a specific mission tasked to him by the Jackal, focusing on a target that threatened their current operations. Spidercide stood atop a skyscraper in Manhattan and monitored the city while contemplating his directives from the Jackal. He intercepted Peter Parker and Ben Reilly as they traveled across the rooftops, initiating a physical confrontation by shifting his limbs into bladed weapons. He utilized his unique molecular density control to phase through their web-based attacks and reformed his body to deliver powerful physical strikes. During the battle, he vocalized his belief that he was the only true heir to the Jackal's legacy and expressed his intent to eliminate both Spider-Men. He grew in size and mass to overpower his opponents, eventually pinning them down with elongated, mace-like hands. After asserting his physical dominance, he withdrew from the immediate fight when the police arrived, melting his form into a liquid state to flow into the sewer system and escape. (Spider-Man v1 #58)
Afterwards, Spidercide appeared at a genetics laboratory where he confronted the Jackal regarding his true identity and purpose. He expressed increasing mental instability and physical agitation as he questioned whether he was the original Peter Parker or merely another disposable clone. During this exchange, he shifted his body into various liquid and solid forms to demonstrate his power and threaten his creator. He eventually received new orders from the Jackal to hunt down and eliminate the other clones, specifically targeting Kaine. He departed the laboratory and traveled across the city, using his tracking abilities to locate his quarry. Upon finding Kaine, he initiated a brutal physical assault, elongating his limbs and hardening his fists to deliver heavy blows. He engaged in a high-speed chase across the rooftops, ignoring the collateral damage caused by his shifting mass. He finally cornered his target and prepared to deliver a lethal strike before being interrupted by the arrival of the police, at which point he dissolved his form into a puddle to evade capture. (Spectacular Spider-Man v2 #224)
Afterwards, he experienced an evolution in his powers that improved his shapeshifting ability and could operate through multiple bodies. Similarly, he gained a new outlook where he wanted to understand humanity and went out into the world to interact with people whilst in various disguises. Under the guise of a dating, he met various people only to murder them when they refused to 'reveal' the secret of being human to him. (Ben Reilly: Spider-Man v1 #4) This led to him taking the guise of Joshua where, on one occasion, he went on a date with a 24 year old woman named Gail Harrison where he accompanied her to her apartment only to murder. Her body was later discovered by the authorities with the media beginning to refer to these events as the First Date Murders. (Ben Reilly: Spider-Man v1 #1)
The Jackal has recently acquired a fresh sample of Kaine's DNA. Ignoring his own advice of never cloning a clone, Jackal plans to create Spidercide 2.0.
Overview
Personality and attributes
It was the Jackal who gave him the name Spidercide on account that he would eliminate everyone connected to Spider-Man. (Spider-Man: The Jackal Files v1 #1) Kaine initially came to call him Freakface on account of his hideous features. (Spectacular Spider-Man v1 #224) With his powers, he was able to assume the identity of other people such as Scorpion, Lady Octopus and Kraven. At one point, the media came to refer to him as the First Date Murderer for the deaths he perpetrated on various people in the city. (Ben Reilly: Spider-Man v1 #4)
He was considered a savage without a shred of humanity. (Ben Reilly: Spider-Man v1 #4)
At first, he came to believe that he was the original Peter Parker and refused to think that he was a clone or genetic tool. Upon his mutation, he thought that Professor Warren had done something to him to make him into a freak. He claimed that normally he did not want to hurt anyone but that he could not live like his monstrous self. As such, he would go to any lengths to be turned back to normal even if it meant killing others. (Spectacular Spider-Man v1 #224) Spidercide came to know that the memories of Peter Parker's existence were just shadows and echoes downloaded into his head. (Ben Reilly: Spider-Man v1 #4)
He longed to serve no one but himself. Spidercide later looked to understand humanity and wanted to know the secret of the human heart. Despite this though, he came to consider himself to be something vile and akin to a disease where he wished he was never born. Facing his own extinction, he concluded that he could never fathom being human and decided to embrace his nature as a warped inhuman monster by rejecting humanity. (Ben Reilly: Spider-Man v1 #4) He came to believe that he lacked a soul. (Ben Reilly: Spider-Man v1 #5)
His creator the Jackal considered him to be the perfect Peter Parker and the ultimate Spider-Clone. He was intended to be his maker's living doomsday weapon and was to serve as a fail-safe to be triggered as part of a dead-man's switch. (Spider-Man: The Jackal Files v1 #1) Initially, he worked for Professor Warren under the belief that he would be cured of his appearance and turned normal. (Spectacular Spider-Man v1 #224) Spidercide considered the Jackal to be his father but was happy to see him dead. (Ben Reilly: Spider-Man v1 #4)
Spidercide ultimately claimed that he had no desire to fight his clone brothers and that was simply the Jackal simply pitting them against each other. (Ben Reilly: Spider-Man v1 #4)
Powers and abilities
Spidercide was a clone of Peter Parker and thus possessed all his traits as Spider-Man. These included all his memories and unique abilities such as his agility, strength and Spider-Sense. However, he also experienced genetic changes by his creator the Jackal that gave him the power to control his physical make-up on a molecular level. This allowed him to alter his mass, density, shape and state through force of will. He was created to be adaptable to any contingency and was considered to be the evolution of Spider-Man in 100,000 years. (Spider-Man: The Jackal Files v1 #1) All these feats were achieved by instantaneously recoding his own DNA allowing him to morph his body at will. This allowed him to grow his limbs to monstrous sizes or shape them into mallets that he could use to crush his foes. These abilities also allowed him to survive catastrophic damage from debris that would normally kill a person. The Jackal had specifically designed him to counter the powers of Kaine which included his Mark of Kaine ability. (Spectacular Spider-Man v1 #224)
Originally, he resembled Peter Parker until he fell into the depths of madness whereupon a genetic trigger erupted from within him. This caused the manifestation of his shapeshifting abilities but caused his features to become distorted and hideous as a result. (Spectacular Spider-Man v1 #224) He could alter every aspect of his being allowing him to reform his body that could be turned into other shapes. This allowed him to assume the identity of another person and appear as anyone. Furthermore, he could turn his fist giant-sized or into tendrils to grab onto another person. In addition, he could reform his body to repair any injuries made to his body. In one case, he could engulf a person in his substance and trap them in a sac made of his own bio-matter. (Ben Reilly: Spider-Man v1 #4)
It was said that he was different from the Jackal's other creations though it was not known if this was intentional or not. Spidercide had the ability to evolve where over time he came to learn to increase his own strength. This led to him learning to divide his form and being allowing him to exist in multiple places. However, the more he multiplied himself then the weaker some of his bio-matter constructs bonds became allowing for a restrained enemy to free themselves from Spidercide's grip. Constant replication could break his genetic matrix leaving his body and those of his duplicates unstable where they began to break down. Such moments were said to be painful with it being akin to being on fire. The molecular structure could become so unstable that he could explode. Some of his aspects could die but Spidercide could still survive so long as the real version of him remained. (Ben Reilly: Spider-Man v1 #4) He came to refer to these other aspects of himself as a Duplicides. (Ben Reilly: Spider-Man v1 #5)
As he was constantly evolving, he came to discover new abilities. One of these manifested in his ability to place a small aspect of himself into the bodies of others. It was then a simple matter to have these burrow inside another person and have them activate dormant DNA in their cells. Alternatively, he could place a tiny fragment of his DNA into others where this could empower them by giving them an adrenaline boost. Such individuals could find themselves given strength enough to stand up again and again. This could also be used to help heal an injured person by having these small fragments of his DNA repair wounds though this was dependent on how much life force Spidercide had left in him. (Ben Reilly: Spider-Man v1 #5)
He could also manipulate nearby minds thus allowing him to negate a person's Spider-Sense. (Ben Reilly: Spider-Man v1 #4)
Notes
- Spidercide was created by J.M. DeMatteis and Mark Bagley where he made his first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man v1 #399 (January, 1995).
Appearances
- Amazing Spider-Man v1: (1995)
- Spectacular Spider-Man v1:
- New Warriors v1: (1995)
- Spider-Man: The Jackal Files v1:
- Ben Reilly: Spider-Man v1:
External Links
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