Spider-Man Just Achieved His Most Dangerous Form Yet, and It’s all Thanks to the Hulk

The Age of Monsters has come to Marvel, and Spider-Man just became its next victim. For the past several months, the Infernal Hulk has been on a rampage across the world. His ultimate goal is to wipe out humanity and bring about an age where his monstrous brethren rule all, but to do that, he’s going to need help from his own crew of Infernal Avengers. Unfortunately for everyone, that includes Spider-Man, as the Infernal Hulk’s corrupting blood transformed the Friendly Neighborhood hero into a massive spider form, with his own limp body hanging from the creature’s backside.

Spider-Man is no stranger to monstrous, spider-like transformations, but not even his Man-Spider days can compare to what he’s just become. Peter Parker is either dead or might as well be, and he’s set to catch countless other heroes in his demonic web. Of course, this design is also incredibly familiar, as it definitely harkens to the other famously monstrous Spider-Man of the Midnight Universe, which we know is intentional, given that both books include the same writer, which we will definitely explore down below.

Spider-Man vs. the Most Monstrous Hulk of All

Infernal Hulk’s rampage blasted through the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, with his sights now set on New York City and the Avengers. His initial target was actually Luke Cage and Jessica Jones’s daughter, Dani, but when the Hulk attacked with intent to transform her, Spider-Man jumped in the way, taking the hit. Then he scooped the kiddo up and swung around the city, buying time for the Avengers to assemble on his location. Obviously, Spider-Man didn’t stand a chance against the Hulk. The Jade Giant has always outclassed Spider-Man by leaps and bounds, but that didn’t stop Peter from doing everything he could to be as annoying an arachnid as he could.

Spider-Man managed to get Dani away from the Hulk and even used the villain’s own strength against him, bringing an entire construction site down onto his head. This issue was actually a phenomenal showcase of how Spider-Man can fight well above his weight class. He leveraged his unparalleled acrobatics and Spider-Sense to always stay a hair’s breadth from death, and kept throwing out insults and jokes to keep his opponent off guard. Spider-Man almost never wins fights through raw power, and seeing how he used his smarts to slow down someone as powerful as the Hulk to save a little girl was a perfect encapsulation of his fighting style.

However, not even that could save him from his new monstrous transformation. Even a small cut from the Infernal Hulk can corrupt a person, transforming them into a monster, just like him. For Spider-Man, this meant a gigantic spider burst from his stomach. And when I say massive, I mean towering, as this creature easily dwarves the Hulk in size, its mandibles easily being several feet long on their own. The most horrific part isn’t that Spider-Man becomes a spider, as that happens more often than you’d think, but that the spider literally burst from his chest. Just check out this clip from the classic Spider-Man: The Animated Series where the six-armed Spidey becomes the infamous Man-Spider.

A Recurring Monstrosity Across Two Universes

It’s clear that this new monster form is taking notes from Midnight Spider-Man, where the torso-sized radioactive spider fused onto Peter’s chest, but the difference in how these two new forms come to be is very interesting. In the Midnight Universe, we have a much younger Peter who is struggling to balance the life he has with the possibility of moving up in the world. He understands that power should be used responsibly, but also craves it to prove that it can be used for good. However, when he’s finally given the chance to get that level of power, he signs his soul away to Oscorp, which leads to Uncle Ben’s death and his transformation. This Peter is transformed because he fails to hold to his principles and is punished by losing his humanity.

Compare that to the mainline Spider-Man, who explicitly takes a blow meant for Dani. Instead of a punishment for a moral failing, this is meant to be a demonstration of just how heroic Spider-Man is. He knew what the Hulk was capable of, but still didn’t hesitate to get infected to save someone else. He even continued fighting the Hulk, whom he couldn’t beat on his best day, while actively transforming because it was the right thing to do. His is a sacrifice that’s painted as noble and horrific when it results in his new form. It’s no mistake that Midnight Peter has the spider fused onto his chest, but the mainline Spider-Man’s body is loosely hanging as if dead, after all.

What do you think of Spider-Man’s monstrous new forms? Let us know your personal favorite Spidey monster transformation in the comments below!

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