Marvel Gives a Classic Spider-Man Foe a Major X-Men Villain Upgrade

The new Uncanny Spider-Man brings a classic Spidey foe into the X-Men's world with an evil upgrade!

The worlds of Spider-Man and the X-Men are colliding, and one former Spidey foe just got a major anti-mutant upgrade, as a result. 

(SPOILERS) The new Uncanny Spider-Man series sees X-Men's Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner) trying to find his own way to survive the "Fall of X" event, which has seen the mutant country of Krakoa ambushed and annihilated by humanity's anti-mutant organization Orchis. Not only did mutants lose their homeland – they also lost nearly their entire population, who were transported away to an unknown realm. The surviving X-Men left on Earth have been surviving in a new world order where Orchis has been put in charge of policing the world, with Iron Man Sentinels constantly scanning for the X-gene. 

Noble Nightcrawler finds his purpose in taking tutelage from Peter Parker and joining the growing ranks of Spider-themed crimefighters. As 'Devil Spider' (as one chat thread names him) Kurt gets to still be a hero, while also avoiding fear, hatred, and death as a mutant operating in the open. The ruse is tricky to maintain, however – especially when even the bystanders that Nightcrawler saves are fitted with Orchis mutant detection technology.  

The epilogue of Uncanny Spider-Man #1 takes us inside an Orchis science lab, where one program director is busy fitting a mutant specimen for the new Orchis "Hound Program" using cybernetically-grafted Phalanx technology. When that subject freaks out and breaks free, the Hound program director is revealed to be Adrian Toomes, aka The Vulture

...Although when Vulture suddenly has a suit of Phalanx cybertech spring from his own body, he makes it clear to his subordinate Travers that the upgrade comes with an official name change: "Director Vulture." 

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(Photo: Marvel Comics)

Marvel has been finding ways to weave the somewhat isolated bubble of X-Men's Krakoa Era back into the mainstream Marvel Universe – especially now that the Krakoa Era is officially ending with "Fall of X." Director Vulture's monolouging makes it clear that Toomes is now leaning into human pride extremist views as his motivation, giving us all the more reason to rooot for Nightcrawler and/or Spider-Man to take him down. 

SYNOPSIS: THE NIGHTCRAWLING WALL-CRAWLER! On the darkest of days, he is the spark in the shadows! After the devastating events of the Hellfire Gala, Kurt Wagner is on the run – and having the time of his life?! Swashbuckling about NYC in disguise, the Uncanny Wallcrawler sets aside his mutant angst and dedicates himself to the hero's life: saving civilians, hanging with fellow wallcrawlers, battling baddies, and hunting down the best pizza on the planet. But he can't ignore the mutant plight forever... Si Spurrier and Lee Garbett launch a joyful, sexy series that will shake Nightcrawler to his foundations – and have a hell of a good time doing it!

You can pick up Uncanny Spider-Man #1 at Marvel Comics. 

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