Marvel has a vast history of creating beloved superhero characters that have existed in the pop culture zeitgeist for decades. One such character, Spider-Man, remains one of the most popular characters belonging to the giant comic book label. Of course, over time, Marvel has introduced different versions of the webslinger – and now they’ve made the announcement for a new Spider-Man.
The Spider-Man property largely revolves around Peter Parker‘s version of the character. The young newspaper photographer is closely tied to the role, and even though Parker himself has proven to be quite different in the occasional story, he’s often synonymous with the character.
Of course, in more recent years, this has changed. With variants including Miles Morales, and others pictured in the highly-successful Spider-Verse animated movies, it might not come as a surprise to see yet another take on the iconic hero. Interestingly enough, the mantle is being taken over by an unexpected character as revealed in Amazing Spider-Man #11/#975.
The recently-released issue features two Spider-Man characters – neither of which are the Peter Parker we’ve come to know. The original Parker is somewhere in outer space – with the specific details having yet to be revealed. On Earth, however, a fake Spider-Man comes across a fake Peter Parker – and the identities of the two imposters are finally confirmed.
As for the fake Spidey, that’s revealed to be none other than Norman Osborn, a character often illustrated as one of the character’s biggest enemies. Recent portrayals have portrayed him as something of a hero seeking redemption, however, and it’s a similar role we see the fake Peter Parker take on. Especially as he’s revealed to be none other than Ben Reilly.
For those unfamiliar, Reilly is also known as Chasm, and the character has been killed by Norman Osborn in the past, making their dynamic very interesting. Reilly is already a clone of Peter Parker, but with the real Parker in space, this has finally given him the opportunity to try and steal the beloved superhero’s real identity.
It’s an interesting setup for a story, one which at least somewhat mirrors the events of Doctor Octopus becoming Superior Spider-Man, so we’ll have to see where it goes from here. Amazing Spider-Man #11/#975 is now available. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding the world of Marvel Comics as we have them.