Warning: Spoilers for The Amazing Spider-Man #60!Aside from a few changes thanks to some different alter egos under the mask, the primary colors of Spider-Man they were red and blue (with a little black). In addition to heroes like Miles Morales or Benjamin Reilly, Peter Parker is a fundamental pillar of the Spider-Verse in each iteration. But with a colorful twist, Marvel offers the possibility of a whole new mythos for the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man that I actually think has a whole spectrum of potential.
In The Incredible Spider-Man #60, “Team-Up: Part 2,” by Zeb Wells, Todd Nauck, Rachelle Rosenberg and Joe Caramagna, finds Spider-Man finding himself in one of the strangest situations I’ve ever seen. Mary Jane and Spider-Man are fighting the Die-Chromator, a villain with a magical scepter that controls the light spectrum. However, Die-Chromator offers an idea of how many Spider-Men there could be.
Using his powers, this Spidey villain spreads Spider-Man’s colors, showing Spider-Man beyond the iconic red and blue. From here, a series of Colorful Spider-Man in combinations such as green and black as well as yellow and green gives Spider-Man the option to expand into a Green Lantern-style mythos with various colors and personalities.
Spider-Man has had many colorful looks over the decades
Peter Parker is ready for a rainbow makeover
Spider-Man has had more than a few alternate personas. After all, Spider-Man is a symbol, and It’s not just Peter Parker under the mask. There’s Miles Morales, who gives the suit a black and red look – plus some extra powers, including his newfound vampirism. Otto Octavius had his stint as Superior Spider-Man, changing his costume to red and black. Furthermore, there have been many different Spider-Man personalities throughout the Spider-Verse, as well as in this reality, when Ben Reilly took over the role of Spider-Man as Peter Parker’s clone.
I don’t see why he can’t expand to the entire color spectrum, just like Green Lantern.
While that’s a lot of Spider-Men for me to keep track of, I firmly believe there is only one Spider-Man – until Die-Chromator changed his mind. Still, when it’s Peter Parker as Spider-Man, I also think about his iconic black suit, which he recently returned to after all this time. Spider-Man bonded with the Venom Symbiote shows that Spider-Man can have different personalities that correspond to the color. If that’s the case, I don’t see why he can’t expand to the entire color spectrum, just like Green Lantern.
Spider-Man is ready for a Mythos expansion similar to Green Lantern
Peter Parker takes a page out of DC’s colorful lore
The Green Lantern lore has been one of my favorite pieces of comic book history. While it may seem strange to link Marvel and DC in this tenuous way, there is something satisfying to me about color matching suit variations. In DC’s case, the Lanterns are fueled by different emotions: yellow means fear, indigo means compassion, red means anger, and so on. At the end of the day, the Green Lanterns are still the central heroes with their willpower and are only stronger when compared to the other colors of the so-called Emotional Spectrum.
The same could happen with Spider-Man, with other colors making the red and blue stand out even more. I really see Potential here for Spider-Man to expand from his playful, light-hearted self into something more complex. Just like the Venom symbiote, a darker color could correspond to a darker version of Spider-Man, while a bright yellow Spider-Man could mean something completely different, with powers closer to Hyperion or Nova. The possibilities are endless – as endless as the color spectrum.
As a Spider-Man fan, I truly believe there can never be too many Spider-Men
Spider-Man has his pigments split
Sometimes I think there are already enough Spider-Men, especially with the Ultimate universe still in play, redefining Peter Parker’s story. But after yet another death of an iconic Spider-Man character, it might be nice to see the Spider-Verse expanded right here in New York. The solution could be Expand Spider-Man’s family in Rainbow Spideys who do not need to share your same name or identity. As with the Scarlet Spider, the different colored versions of the webslinger do not need to share anything with Spider-Man, other than being another strand of the famous web.
It has been noted that many famous Marvel characters are just rejected Spider-Man costumes. Canonically, Deadpool himself wears a costume that Spider-Man turned down because it just didn’t look right. Even Blade had a stint as Spider Hero. Spider-Man casts a long shadow, and there’s no reason for me to see that Spider-Man shouldn’t have a colorful family full of wild personalities. The friendly neighborhood Spider-Man It will always be there for fans like me to love, but there is potential for a new Spider-Men series with untold stories – some lighter, some darker. I, for one, am ready to read them all.
The Amazing Spider-Man #60 is now available from Marvel Comics!