Peter Parker returns to his Six-Armed Spider-Man days due to his newfound mutation. X years into the Age of Revelation, those humans and superhumans not killed by the X-Virus have developed mutations. For example, Iron Man has become a fully-metal man and Black Cat has turned into an anthropomorphic feline.
Society marches on largely the same even though the whole world has changed. However, Doug Ramsey’s reign has emphasized the divide between humans and mutants. All heroes and villains who had little to do with mutantkind’s struggle are now deeply involved in their eternal struggle.
Spider-Man is no exception to the Age of Revelation’s status quo. Enhanced by the X-Virus, Peter Parker continues to fight crime as a friendly neighborhood wall-crawler, now nicknamed “Radioactive Spider-Man.”
Spider-Man Develops A New “Six-Armed” Transformation
Radioactive Spider-Man #1; Written by Joe Kelly; Art by Kev Walker & Chris Sotomayor
In Radioactive Spider-Man #1, Peter Parker stops a conflict between an insurgent and a new dystopian police force, the PDC. Radioactive Spider-Man’s costume doesn’t look too different from the regular Spidey’s iconic attire, with the addition of gleaming eyes and a new spider symbol. However, what stands out the most about Radioactive Spider-Man is his four extra appendages, which look like an incomplete replica of Peter Parker’s famous “Six Arms” mutation.
Peter originally developed his additional four arms during the “Six Arms Saga”, where he ingests a serum to remove his powers but evolves into a more arachnid being instead. A sample of Morbius’ blood restored Spider-Man’s original body, but multiple other six-armed Spider-Men exist somewhere out there in the Spider-Verse. Now, Earth-616’s Spider-Man is stuck with even less useful extra limbs.
Radioactive Spider-Man doesn’t seem to be bothered by his additional appendages. By this point in the Age of Revelation, Peter may have already gone through the anguish he suffered during the Six Arms Saga. Now, he’s cracking jokes about “mutated espresso” just like his usual self.
Spider-Man May Have Gotten The Short End Of The Stick In The Age Of Revelation
Spider-Man Has Had Better Upgrades Throughout The Years
Spider-Man’s X-Virus mutation doesn’t give him any particular edge in battle. With four underdeveloped limbs under his own arms, it’s even worse than the Six-Arms transformation he fought so hard to escape. Other characters have gotten more useful upgrades elsewhere. For example, Leonard aka Wendigo has become Marvel’s Wonderful Wolverine.
The X-Virus could have given Spider-Man a better upgrade. While it ultimately led to the birth of one of his archnemesis, Spider-Man’s first encounter with the symbiote amplified his strength. And for a brief time, Spider-Man’s stint with the Enigma Force as Captain Universe made him the most powerful Marvel hero. On the bright side, Radioactive Spider-Man’s name may not be as literal as it is during the infamous Spider-Man: Reign, where he exudes lethal levels of radioactivity.
- First Appearance
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Amazing Fantasy
- Alias
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Peter Parker, Ben Reilly, Otto Octavius, Yu Komori, Kaine Parker, Pavitr Prabhakar, William Braddock, Miles Morales, Kurt Wagner
- Alliance
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Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Secret Defenders, Future Foundation, Heroes for Hire, Mighty Avengers, New Avengers, Web-Warriors
- Race
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Human