There’s a new friendly neighborhood Spider-Man on the block, and they’re already upstaging Peter Parker in one key area. Marvel’s original Spider-Man is currently lost in space, while Norman Osborn pretends to be the web-slinger on Earth. However, a new challenger steps to the throne, and they’re determined to make a name for themselves.
Readers are already familiar with this mystery hero, even though they’re slinging around New York City in an updated costume wearing Spider-Man’s signature red-and-blue colors. This Spider-Man replacement certainly looks the part, but what makes them stand out from Peter Parker is just how funny they are.
This is saying something when you consider how Peter is known for his wisecracking nature. Our new Spider-Man is the pairing of Venom and Mary Jane Watson, and they’ve already proven themselves to be better than Peter Parker at trolling the opposition: namely, Doctor Octopus and New York City Mayor Luke Cage.
Venom And Mary Jane Are The Perfect Comedic Pairing As Spider-Man
Venom #252 By Al Ewing, Paco Medina, Frank D’Armata, and VC’s Clayton Cowles; On Sale From Marvel Comics
A prime example of Mary Jane and Venom’s comedic timing happens during a confrontation with Doctor Octopus. Venom #252 begins with the Venom duo, dressing as Spider-Man, in a fight with Doc Ock, who doesn’t take kindly to their masquerading as Spider-Man. The reason Venom isn’t in his trademark black is because symbiotes are outlawed in the city.
However, one web-slinging hero who is on the right side of the law is Spider-Man. The only problem is that Venom/Spider-Man has a mouth and an elongated tongue on his mask. Plus, there’s the matter of Venom’s muscular frame now stuffed into a Spider-Man suit. Let’s just say that it’s not fooling Doctor Octopus.
Doc Ock even calls out the error, but Venom/Spider-Man brushes it off, removing his mouth from the mask as if it never happened. This infuriates Otto Octavius, since he clearly remembers seeing the mouth, teeth, and tongue himself. The only problem is that his henchmen can’t corroborate because everything happened so quickly.
Spider-Man/Venom continue the ruse, claiming that Tony Stark created a nanomachine costume for them, even quoting Tom Holland’s Spider-Man from the MCU by referring to the Iron Man hero as “Mister Stark.” While Peter Parker’s brand of humor is quick-witted, Venom’s humor is more subtle. You can feel the gaslighting oozing off the pages.
Peter Parker could never be that convincing while trolling a villain. The trolling even extends to Luke Cage, who tells Spider-Man/Venom that they’ve been hitting the gym, referring to all those muscles inside the symbiote. And when Spider-Man/Venom try to act cool, they make the mistake of exposing their mouth again in another hilarious bit.
Venom’s Version Of Spider-Man Saves The Day, But How Long Will They Stick Around?
Seeing Venom In A Spider-Man Costume May Have Been A One-Time Deal
While it’s fun to see Venom doing his best Spider-Man impression, the odds of that continuing appear to be slim. Venom editor Jordan D. White states in the issue’s letters column that the suit was created for a backup story by Jordan Morris and Jesus Saiz. Once Al Ewing heard about it, he integrated it into his main story.
It’s all in celebration of the first appearance of the Venom symbiote in Amazing Spider-Man #252. “If ASM #252 featured Spider-Man getting a black costume, then Venom #252 should be Venom going red and blue!” White wrote. Therefore, readers now know the true origin story of Venom pretending to be Spider-Man.
What readers didn’t expect was for Venom to be a funnier Spider-Man than Peter Parker has ever been. Venom #252 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.