Marvel Reveals The Identity Of Spider-Man's New Iron Spider

Marvel Comics just revealed the answer to one of the biggest mysteries of Marvel Legacy: the identity of the new Iron Spider.

Spoilers for Spider-Man #234 follow.

Spider-Man #234 begins Miles Morales' Marvel Legacy story, "Sinister Six Reborn." The cover of the issues reveals the members of this new version of supervillain alliance that has traditionally fought against the original Spider-Man, Peter Parker.

The members are Hobgoblin, Bombshell, Spot, Sandman, Electro, and the Iron Spider, who is wearing a modified version of the Spider-Man armor suit that Iron Man originally designed for Peter Parker during Marvel's first Civil War era.

While the threat of the villainous new Iron Spider has been known, his identity was kept hidden until now, and the character beneath the Iron Spider mask has a surprising connection to Miles Morales.

As revealed in the final pages of Spider-Man #234, the new Iron Spider is Aaron Davis, the Prowler of the Ultimate Marvel universe and Miles Morales' uncle.

Davis was instrumental in Miles Morales' origin as Spider-Man in the Ultimate Marvel universe. As the Prowler, Davis took a job from Roxxon that involved breaking into Osborn Industries and stealing some technology. During the job, a genetically altered spider crawled into Davis's bag. Davis inadvertently took the spider home. It was this spider that bit Miles and gave him his powers.

After Peter Parker died in the Ultimate Marvel universe, information came out about his origin. Using this information, Davis was able to figure out that his nephew was the new Spider-Man. He used this knowledge of Miles' secret to blackmail Miles into working for him. When Miles finally refused to do any more for his uncle, Davis tried to kill Miles, but one of Davis's gauntlets was damaged and exploded. The blast killed Davis.

However, things have changed a lot for Miles. The events of Secret Wars transplanted Miles and his entire life and history into the Earth-616 mainstream Marvel Universe. While some of the finer points of how these universal shifts work remain unclear, the deal apparently includes a resurrected Uncle Aaron.

With Hobie Brown being the Prowler of the main Marvel Universe, it seems Davis has found a new villain persona in the Iron Spider armor he purchased from the black market. Whether or not Davis remembers anything about his life in the Ultimate Universe, or if this is simply the main Marvel Universe version of Aaron Davis that is being introduced for the first time - much like how the Earth-616 version of Miles Morales was introduced earlier this year in Spider-Men II - remains to be revealed.

Spider-Man #234 is now on sale.