Warning: Spoilers for Amazing Spider-Man #33!
Summary
- Spider-Man has become the new Green Goblin after Kraven the Hunter and Queen Goblin force him to absorb Norman Osborn's sins.
- The issue explores Peter Parker's frustration with villains viewing him as a pushover and his determination to punish them for their crimes.
- Spider-Man's first target in his new Goblin persona is Kraven, whom he buries alive, suggesting that he plans to achieve payback against other villains he feels he should have dealt with a long time ago.
Villains beware: there is a new Green Goblin in town, and his name is Spider-Man. Previously, Kraven the Hunter and Queen Goblin decided to team up with coinciding vengeance schemes: the former plotting against Spider-Man and the latter wanting revenge against a redeemed Norman Osborn. Their schemes force Spider-Man to become the new Green Goblin after they ister Norman's former sins into Peter Parker's body.
The immediate aftermath of this moment is shown in The Amazing Spider-Man #33 by Zeb Wells, Patrick Gleason, Marcio Menyz, and Joe Caramagna. The issue starts off with a monologue from Peter, in which he reveals why he still has his infamous Black Suit after all this time — but he clearly has more to say than just that.
As he continues to narrate, while Spidey isn't completely aware of what's happened to him, he knows for sure that Kraven did "something" to him, because he's always doing "something" to him, as most of his villains tend to do. All because he's the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. But this Spider-Man is done being friendly.
Spider-Man Is Finally Sick of His Villains
This darker, edgier Spidey basically finds himself ranting about how people like Kraven the Hunter view him as easy pickings because he's so friendly. One can argue that not only do other villains feel the same way, but Peter knows that they all feel the same way. "No more of that," Peter says as he makes it clear that in this new state he's in, no villain's evil deed will go unpunished.
Readers have watched for decades as villains within Spider-Man's rogues gallery have committed the most brutal of crimes, ranging from totaling towns to killing Spidey's girlfriend. More often than not, the worst punishment they'd ever receive for their heinous actions is getting thrown in jail, because Spider-Man never goes too far. No matter how far he's pushed or how frustrated, angry, or sad he gets, he's still the friendliest hero a Marvel baddie can run into. So it's easy for bad guys to view Spider-Man as nothing more than a pushover, at least as far as this new Goblin-ized Peter is concerned. Many villains have literally gotten away with murder because Peter Parker is Spider-Man.
That explains why so many villains test Spider-Man's limits so consistently and so disrespectfully. It's because they know they can get away with anything, as long as Spider-Man is the hero opposing them. Now that Spider-Man is aware of this, he's acting on it in his Goblin form. Kraven is the first man crossed off his hit list, as the issue ends with Spider-Man burying him alive. There's a good chance that this new "Goblin" persona will help Spider-Man achieve some payback, especially as he targets villains he feels he should have given just desserts a long time ago.
Amazing Spider-Man #33 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.
