In a huge change toSpider-Manlore, Marvel has introduced the secret seventh member of theSinister Six. The most iconic team of villains who face down Spider-Man, the Secret Six was founded when Doctor Octopus, Mysterio, Sandman, Electro, Vulture and Kraven the Hunter decided to unite against Peter Parker’s Wall-Crawler. However, it turns outthere was always a seventh member of the legendary team, whose bleak story confirms that fans have been lied to for 60 years.
InSpider-Man: Black Suit & Blood #3’s ‘Whatever Happened to Master Blood?’, from Al Ewing, juann Cabal, Edgar Delgado and Joe Caramagna, fans flash back to the 1984Secret Warsevent, where various heroes and villains were spirited away to an alien world and forced into battle. However, not everything is as readers remember -the villains' side now includes a costumed figure named MasterBlood, who recounts his many adventures alongside Marvel’s other villains.
All the stories that Master Blood references are from classic Marvel issues, including his claim that he was a founding member of a team he remembers as the"Sinister Seven.“This rewrite of history is explained whenKang the Conqueror turns on Blood, erasing him from the timeline.The twist reveals that the Marvel history fans know and love is one where Master Blood originally played a part in many classic stories, but he’s been wiped from their memories by Kang’s time travel weaponry.
Master Blood’s reminiscences show art fromAvengers #3,X-Men #72andAmazing Spider-Man Annual #6, now edited to include Master Blood.
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Master Blood Is a Secret Founder of the ‘Sinister Seven’
The Villain Was Erased from Time, Hiding His Significance to Marvel Lore
TheSinister Six first appearedin 1964’sThe Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1. The team has since become a fixture of Spider-Man lore, with many different villains joining its ranks at different times (indeed, Stilt-Man once formed his own Sinister Sixty.) However, Master Blood’s role in the original team - and the fact it used to be called the ‘Sinister Seven’ - is a huge change to Marvel lore, buried in an anthology series depicting Spider-Man’s adventures with his original black suit, which later revealed itself to be the alien lifeform named Venom.
Marvel’s Master Blood Retcon Isn’t Unprecedented, But There’s One Big Difference Here
Marvel Just Set Up Master Blood’s Return as Its Next Symbiote Villain
This isn’t the first time Marvel has pulled the trick of totally ‘removing’ a character from official continuity. In 2006’sShe-Hulk vol. 2 #3(from Dan Slott and a range of artists), the villainous Clockwiseattacks the Time Variance Authorityduring the trial of She-Hulk. Clockwise steals a gun which can remove people from the timeline, gunning down ‘Knight Man’ and ‘Dr. Rocket,’ only for Marvel’s heroes to forget they ever existed seconds after they vanish. Likewise, the Sentry’s ‘return’ to Marvel Comics used the logic that he was a classic Marvel character who had removed himself from the memory of everyone on Earth, including Marvel’s longtime readers.However, what’s unique about Master Blood’s case is that while readersseehim removed from the timeline, it’s likely he’ll return.
‘Whatever Happened to Master Blood?’ sees Master Blood (very briefly)become the first human to bond with Venom. The symbiote species are all connected to a metaphysical realm called the Hive, with a history of them storing the genetic imprints of those they bond with. This makes resurrection possible, even for people whose bodies have been destroyed. Fans saw exactly that with Flash Thompson’s Agent Anti-Venom, with the hero returning to life after being accessed via the symbiote Hive, using symbiote matter to build himself a new body.
Kang states he’s able to remove Master Blood from the timeline because he always works through others, making it possible to eliminate him without changing any key events. Should Master Blood return, he’ll likely want to prove his relevance with a major scheme that doesn’t depend on any other villains.
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Of course, Master Blood wasn’t just killed - he was removed from the timeline - however, this isn’t the barrier it may seem. Symbiotes have a unique relationship with time, with their leader the King in Black able to project his mind into any symbiote matter that exists at any point in time. Given this,it’s possible Master Blood is still stored somewhere in the Hive, eventually to be rediscovered and return. That’s particularly likely given that Al Ewing, the writer of this short story, is currently also the writer onVenom, and has madeKang the Conqueror an unlikely playerin the fate of the symbiote species.
Marvel Just Set Master Blood Up as an Incredibly Satisfying Villain
This ‘Origin Story’ Could Make for an Awesome Return
Meeting Master Blood puts a smart new spin on Spider-Man lore, as Kang’s tampering is revealed to have hidden a major piece of Sinister Six history. However, even more exciting is that Master Blood’s connection to Venom could lead to his imminent return.Spider-Manbetter watch out, as it’s likely that theSinister Six’s long-forgotten member will be back soon with a need to prove himself - and Peter Parker doesn’t even know they’re rivals.
Spider-Man: Black Suit & Blood #3is available now from Marvel Comics.
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is the name given to several individuals who have employed a spider-moniker throughout Marvel Comics. Typically gaining their powers through a bite from a radioactive spider, the different Spider-Man heroes employ super-strength, agility, and intellect while utilizing webbing to swing and tangle up their foes. The most notable of these Spider-Men is Peter Parker, who remains one of the most popular superheroes throughout the world.
