They say that a hero is only as good as their villain. That isn’t entirely true, but good villains definitely elevate good heroes, and great villains can make even the most boring story entertaining and worthwhile. Spider-Man is a fantastic hero, and he has an equally extraordinary catalogue of villains that he calls his own. The Wall-Crawler is universally regarded as having one of, if not the greatest, rogues galleries in Marvel, and it’s easy to see why. Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Kraven the Hunter, Venom, and so, so many more awesome villains have made it their life’s purpose to destroy Spider-Man.
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Of course, what makes Spider-Man’s villains so great is how they constantly evolve, and the issue we’re highlighting today is all about that. Amazing Spider-Man #48 featured Spidey battling the Vulture, but not the geriatric that everybody knows and loves. This was an entirely new Vulture named Blackie Drago. He conned the Vulture into giving him his wings and made it his mission to show the world what a much younger, more brutal Vulture could do. While Drago didn’t stick around very long, he had a massive impact on Spider-Man’s comics that is still felt to this very day.
The Beginning of Reinventing with Legacy
Spider-Man’s supervillains are undeniably iconic, but one of the aspects that makes them so popular and so enduring is how willing they are to change. Green Goblin is Spider-Man’s number one nemesis, but he’s also the poster child for this phenomenon. He started as Norman Osborn, driven to insanity by the Goblin Formula and his own greed. When Norman died, Harry became the next Green Goblin, operating as a foil to Peter as a betrayed friend instead of just a monstrous opponent. When Harry hung up the glider for a time, the Green Goblin mantle was carried on by Hobgoblin, who was another villain who captured the energy of the Green Goblin but brought his unique spin to the legacy.
Norman and the other Goblins are far from the only examples of this phenomenon. There have been multiples of and legacy villains of practically every major Spider-foe at some point, but even when they haven’t been replaced, they’ve all changed how they operate on some level. Doc Ock has been redeemed and struggled with his ego versus his conscience. Venom has evolved from an evil parasite to the leader of a cosmic empire of symbiotic creatures spawned from the primordial darkness. The current Kraven the Hunter is a clone of the original, raised like a son. Spider-Man’s villains always change, and this is the issue that showed us that it can work.
This issue marked the first time that a major Spider-Man villain passed the torch, allowing a whole new type of Vulture to take to the skies. Sure, Drago didn’t stick around, but he opened the door for future reinventions of villains. He proved that fans would still buy a comic if Marvel changed up the villain they love, so long as said villain still scratches the same itch as the original. This issue set the stage for every major villain development that Spider-Man would have, even if its Vulture has been forgotten to time.
Villainy and Heroism Are Constantly Evolving
Amazing Spider-Man #48 had Blackie Drago take up the Vulture’s wings, and while he wouldn’t fly very far with them, he would show everyone that Marvel was willing to take risks with Spider-Man’s biggest foes. It’s an incredible issue that was put together by the legendary team of Stan Lee and John Romita Sr., which is enough of a reason to want to see it on its own. Now, thanks to the ComicBook Vending Machine, you have the chance to add this foundational issue to your own collection. The ComicBook team purchased this copy from a local shop, and it’s ready and waiting to find a brand-new home.
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What do you think about the second Vulture and legacy villains in general? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
