Geekscape’s Guide To The Spider-Verse!

The Spider-Verse has begun and it’s massive. With so many characters and history the story could be daunting for the new or casual comic book fan. That doesn’t mean that it’s not worth diving into, as the writing by Dan Slott and art by Olivier Coipel in the Amazing Spider-Man is some of the best storytelling you’ll find on the stands. So don’t worry. I’ve written a little introductory guide  to help you along the way. For those wanting to get involved, here’s everything you to know to get started in The Spider-Verse!

The Spider-Verse takes places in a number of different dimensions collectively known as the Marvel Multiverse, like the Ultimate Marvel Universe or the 2099 Marvel Universe from the late 90s. Most of these dimensions have their own Spider hero, or “Spider-Totem.” A totem is essentially just a being that bridges man and beast, but we’re focusing now on the Spider-Totems that generally manifest themselves as that Universe’s equivalent of Spider-Man. Now, each Spider-Totem is being hunted and killed across the Multiverse by a superhuman group of quasi-vampires known as The Inheritors.

The Inheritors are a clan from Earth-000 that feed on the life force of Totems. At the beginning of the storyline, they’ve enslaved the spider deity The Master Weaver and are using his power to travel between dimensions and hunt down all of the Spiders, in order to satiate their hunger.

The core Marvel 616 universe’s Spider-Man (the one we all know and love) has encountered and defeated one of The Inheritors, Morlun, on two previous occasions. The first time came after Spider-Man met Ezekiel, a mysterious man who shared similar spider-powers and revealed the history of the Totems. This was during J. Michael Straczynski and John Romita Jr.’s awesome run on Amazing Spider-Man back in 2001. If you want to read up on it, seek out the Coming Home trade paperback.

In Coming Home, Ezekiel explained that Peter’s powers were no accident and that the spider wanted to pass on its abilities before death and in doing so made Peter the totem for 616. Ezekiel warned Peter that as a totem beings would seek to destroy him. Shortly after this, Morlun began stalking and tormenting Peter’s spider-sense. When Morlun ultimately chose to reveal himself he hit Spider-Man with the hardest punch he had ever felt. After making physical contact, Morlun acquired Spider-Man’s scent and would always be able to find him. Spider-Man eventually defeated Morlun by injecting himself with radiation and because Morlun couldn’t absorb it, he began to disintegrate. It wasn’t Spider-Man but Morlun’s own minion who finally shot him in the head.

In their second encounter Peter was already suffering from a mysterious, terminal condition. Their battle resulted in him having his eye ripped out and being nearly beaten to death. Peter’s face was unidentifiable when he was taken to the hospital.  Morlun pursues him there in order to finish him feed but instead the a primal, animalistic force known as “The Other” takes over Peter and transforms him into a spider-like creature that attacks and kills Morlun for good.

Alright. You’re caught up. So enough with the history lesson and time for The Spider-Verse. Now, who exactly are the major players?

The Superior Spider-Man (aka Otto Octavius in Peter’s body) – The 616 Universe

In recent events, Otto managed to replace Peter Parker’s mind with his own. Influenced by Peter’s memories, Otto set out to become a hero, a Superior Spider-Man. Before Otto relinquished control of Peter’s mind, Otto was transported to the year 2099 and became aware that Spiders were being murdered across dimensions. He began to recruit a team to fight back. The Superior Spider-Man in Spider-Verse is the Otto Octavius from 616 during the events of his time slip into the future.

Silk – “The Bride?” – The 616 Universe

In current Amazing Spider-Man continuity, Peter is trying adjust to all of the changes Otto has made to his life during his recent mind switch while balancing being a super hero. On top of this, he recently discovered that he wasn’t the only person who had been bitten by that original radioactive spider way back when! Cindy Moon inherited the same sort of powers when she was bit by the same spider as Peter. Ezekiel secretly took Cindy away and began training her but eventually placed her in a bunker to prevent Morlun from tracking her scent. She stayed there for 13 years before Peter recently came to free her. Cindy warned Peter of the danger of releasing her but that didn’t stop him. Cindy improvised her first costume out of webbing and told Peter to call her Silk. She’s new to the superhero game, and a bit of a fangirl, which isn’t helped by her uncontrollable attraction to Peter due to their shared origin.

Spider-Man 2099 – The Future 616 Universe

Elsewhere in New York, Miguel O’Hara, aka Spider-Man 2099, is stuck in the present after recently traveling back to save the life of his grandfather. Miguel has a more painful, physical reaction to other versions of himself being killed. He recently encountered Morlun, who left him with the corpse of an alternate version of himself.

Kaine – “The Other” – The 616 Universe

Another central character is Kaine, a flawed clone of Peter Parker. His mind was once unstable and his actions villainous. He later settled for a bit in Houston as The Scarlet Spider, a tribute to Ben Reilly (another clone of Peter). After dying in battle he was forced to embrace The Other in order to be reborn. Kaine eventually left Houston for Mexico and later become a member of the New Warriors. He is the current reciprocal of The Other.

So on top of all of these 616 Universe Spider-Totems, there are plenty of others from across the Multiverse that play into the events of Spider-Verse. Here’s a little more info on some of them:

Jessica Drew – The Black Widow of Earth 1610 – The Ultimate Universe

Jessica is a clone of Peter Parker created by Doctor Octopus in the Ultimate Marvel universe.

Miles Morales – Ultimate Spider-Man of Earth 1610 – The Ultimate Universe

Miles was bitten by a genetically enhanced spider and eventually became Spider-Man in the Ultimate Marvel universe. In addition to spider-like powers, he also has the ability to camouflage and a stunning blast.

May “Mayday” Parker – Spider-Girl of Earth-982 – The MC2 Universe

In this dimension Mayday is the first child of Peter and Mary Jane Parker. Mayday began developing versions of her father’s powers when she was 15. Her parents worried about her when she first started fighting crime but eventually that worry turned to support. Daemos, another member of The Inheritors, tracked down Mayday and her family. Peter and Mary Jane sacrificed themselves so that Mayday and her baby brother Benjy could escape through a portal with other Spiders. Before leaving she vows revenge on Daemos.

Gwen Stacy – Spider-Woman of Earth-65

Gwen is back! In this dimension a teenage Gwen becomes Spider-Woman after, you guessed it, being bitten by a radioactive spider.

Peter Porker – The Spectacular Spider-Ham of Earth-25

Spider-Ham comes from a world of talking animals. He began his life as an ordinary spider but when May Porker irradiated herself and bit Peter he turned into a super-powered pig! Spider-Ham is one of the hammier characters of the Spider-Verse.

Peter Parker – Spider-Man Noir of Earth-90214 – The Marvel Noir Universe

A Spider-Man from the great depression. He relies more on parkour movements and his pistols than he does his spider powers.

Lady May Reilly – Steampunk Lady Spider of Earth-803

May was bit when trying to pet one of her father’s caged spiders. The bite gave her no superpowers but it taught her to let no one cage you. May is frustrated with her role in society in New York City, 1895 and uses her deep understanding of technology to create a 4-armed spider harness and web shooters to battle other steampunk villains.

Okay, so that should set the stage for your enjoyment of Spider-Verse! It’s not that confusing, right? Start with Amazing Spider-Man #9 and get going. You can read the tie in books like Scarlet Spiders and Spider-Woman but if you just want the core story, you’re okay sticking with just the Amazing Spider-Man title and ignoring the spin-offs (even though they are great)!

So which Spiders will live? Which ones will die? And more importantly, which characters do you want more of? Let us know in the comments and get reading!