Classic Marvel Spider-Man Comic Featured Mysterious Corona Villain Who Spread a Virus

While many people across the globe stay indoors due to the ongoing spread of coronavirus, some Marvel Comics fans have rediscovered a classic issue of The Spectacular Spider-Man. The issue in question revolves around a surprising new villain who terrorizes the streets of New York City all while a sickness spreads on the streets. While the affliction is referred to as the “Soho Fever” by the Daily Bugle, the mysterious villain goes by a moniker that should raise more than a few eyebrows: Corona.

The mysterious Corona appears to have her own sickness that is seemingly causing her outburst of violence, and Spider-Man has to use his intelligence to figure out her connection to the growing threat of Soho Fever.

Corona eventually reveals that her own brother created the Soho Fever sickness by accident and has since developed a cure, though he’s keeping it secret and hoping to profit off of the antidote by releasing it on the market. When Spider-Man obtains the antidote, it puts him on a collision course with Corona.

The new villain wants the serum to cure her own affliction, caused by her brother’s machinations, while Spider-Man wants to use what little of the supply he’s obtained to cure the citizens of New York City — including Mary Jane.

It is an interesting issue considering the current times we live in, and speculators are already attempting to take advantage of the coronavirus pandemic by flipping The Spectacular Spider-Man #176 for a great profit on sites such as Ebay. Just a few days ago, the issue was selling for as little as $1.95, but now people are asking for as much as $75 to cash in on the craze.

The issue is not noteworthy for any other reason; there are no drastic changes to the character, no major storylines featured, and Corona herself has since become a minor footnote in Spider-Man’s vast gallery of rogues.

It’s an interesting coincidence considering the villain’s name and the nature of the virulent threat Spider-Man is facing, and one that Marvel fans are digging into considering the spread of coronavirus and the subsequent lockdowns going across the world in an attempt to combat COVID-19.