Summary
Warning! Spoilers for “Fade to Black” fromSpider-Man: Black Suit & Blood#1 ahead!WhileSpider-Manmay be the friendly neighborhood hero of New York, there’s no denying that he has a darker side, as seen when he wore his infamous black suit. This era saw him engage in some less-than-savory activity, and his actions were soon explained as being the result of the Venomsymbiote poisoning his own mind. However, Marvel is finally making it clear thatPeter Parker knew who he was when he wore the black suit - and he liked it.
Just in time forMarvel’sVenom Warevent, Spider-Fans are getting some lore background on Peter Parker’s first time in his black suit. In a series of stories detailing the different sides of Venom and Spider-Man’s relationship, none reveals more so of their toxic dynamic than “Fade to Black,” by J. Michael Straczynski, Sumit Kumar, Craig Yeung, and Dono Sánchez-Almara, from the pages ofSpider-Man: Black Suit & Blood#1.
In a nightmarish sequence,Peter Parker talks to the spirit of Venom, lodged in his mind like the dark side of his own psyche.Venom tries to tempt Spider-Man into bonding with the symbiote again, but Spider-Man resists. Because he is completely in control and has never not been.
Spider-Man Becomes a Dark God as Marvel’s New King in Black
Spider-Man is becoming Marvel’s next King in Black, but if Peter Parker can’t wield this power without being corrupted, who will?
Spider-Man Loved His Black Suit
Venom Changed Peter Parker From a Nerd Into a Powerful Force
Power with none of the responsibility - that’s what being a villain is.
Spider-Man’s black suit was more than just a costume change. It echoed a darker period of Peter’s life, and in his own words, enabled him to get the job done. Peter Parker is first and foremost a nerd.He’s just an average kid burdened with great power and trying to use that power to achieve good means.Venom offered him a gift: power with none of the responsibility - that’s what being a villain is. For a nerd accustomed tobeing savagely beaten all his life, the lure of that dark power absolutely held him in its grasp.
Even after he rid himself of the suit, Venom still latched itself in the recesses of Peter’s mind as an unresolved trauma and tells Peter that he’s the truth Spider-Man can’t even admit to himself:that he liked having dark power.It’s only by admitting just what Venom’s hold was on him that Spider-Man can finally be free of this symbiote. Spider-Man has to fully reckon with his shadow self in order to move forward into the light.
Spider-Man Returns to the Venom Symbiote
Venom being lodged in Spider-Man’s psyche is a fantastic piece of new lore, even in the face oflore changes like Venom’s newly introduced weakness. Now, Venom is not only Peter’s physical antagonist, but the very symbolic darkness he is trying to overcome as Spider-Man in bright red and blue colors. The only way for Peter Parker to be rid of Venom is to face him.To ignore the dark parts of a personality is to let them fester in the shadows of the mind, and so Peter faces Venom head-on and tells him he’s right - he was fully conscious of his dark power while with Venom, and he enjoyed it too.
With the truth finally admitted to himself, thatSpider-Man is nothing more than a nerd needing to feel like a badass once in a while, this Psyche-Venom drifts away, nothing more than smoke. One of Spider-Man’s best fights is not physical at all but a mental battle, showing his agility and prowess in every aspect of his character. All of this sheds some light on whySpider-Man just took up the mantle of Venomonce again in the modern timeline. This time, hopefully,Spider-Manwill stay in the light and won’t drift back into the shadows.
“Fade to Black” fromSpider-Man: Black Suit & Blood#1 (2024)
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.
