Warning! Spoilers ahead for Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow #3!
The miniseries Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow sees Peter Parker kill more than half of his villains and the consequences prove that Batman is right to not wipe out all of his foes. This series centers around Spider-Man embracing his dark symbiote, taking over his body and his soul. It offers an alternate view of what would happen if Spider-Man became Venom and never took off the suit. Warped and twisted by the symbiote, Peter is easily molded into something much darker than he’s ever been. However, are his decisions conscious ones?
For the longest time, Batman fans have suggested that he should kill his villains. Killing goes against all of Batman’s rules, proven by his distaste for Red Hood, who is a seasoned killer. DC characters like Ghost-Maker have also suggested that Batman should permanently end his city’s greatest threats. Luckily, Batman is smart and knows that there are huge consequences of crossing the line. However in Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow, Spider-Man isn’t as clever. Spider-Man embraces the darkness that engulfs him and makes him more willing to kill his enemies.
In Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow #3 by Chip Zdarsky and Pasqual Ferry, Peter doesn’t think of the greater implications of his actions. Spider-Man is seen clearing house as his greatest villains plan to permanently put a stop to him. They aren’t able to fully succeed as villains like Mysterio and Rhino die, but Kraven and J. Jonah Jameson are able to detach the symbiote from Peter. Although Peter is free from its influence, it follows closely behind and the issues suggests that his killings weren’t just the symbiote controlling him. Zdarsky’s comic is built on a heavily intriguing premise that flips everything that was previously known. Having Spider-Man be the antagonist and the villains being the protagonists is fascinating.
Spider-Man’s killings not only cause Peter to lose himself but leads to the death of Mach-X, a villain who reformed and became a hero in the main Marvel timeline where Peter gave up the Venom suit. This shows that Spider-Man’s decision to kill robs Mach-X of living a full life and becoming something greater. Additionally, Kingpin’s death leads to the destruction of Peter’s personal life. Kingpin had set up a contingency that would expose Spider-Man’s identity in the event of Fisk’s death, which has been enacted by the end of the issue. Peter’s actions force Jameson down a dark path in which he teams up with the other villains to kill Spider-Man. Luckily, he seems to be one of the only people with some control and steps away from this after he defeats Peter Parker.
All of the evidence is stacked up against Ghost-Maker and Batman’s select group of fans who wish for him to kill his villains. Spider-Man has proven that by choosing a darker path, everything will turn out for the worst. The destruction of the entire Bat-Family would be imminent as Bruce would risk their safety by murdering his villains. Surely, one of Batman’s greatest villains would have a similar plan to Kingpin in the event of their death. If Batman read this comic, he would be extremely pleased to hear that his strict rules make for the perfect formula of being a great hero and protecting those closest to him.
