Marvel Reinvents A Villain’s Lore In New Series, And They’re Much Scarier Now

Published Oct 11, 2026, 8:30 PM EDT

Jared is a writer, editor, and Communications Studies graduate who loves popular nerd culture (almost anything to do with Marvel, DC, Star Wars, or The Lord of the Rings) and the interactive storytelling medium. Jared's first console was the PS1, wherein he fell for Spider-Man, Spyro the Dragon, and Crash Bandicoot.

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Warning! The following contains SPOILERS for Midnight Spider-Man #1.

In its debut issue, Midnight Spider-Man proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that it isn’t interested in telling a traditional superhero story. To be fair, Spider-Man has never been all that traditional as an orphaned teenager whose character is richer with every new blemish and otherwise experiencing the same trials and tribulations that ordinary kids his age do. However, some incredible silk layers have already been woven into Midnight Spider-Man’s harrowing narrative, unraveling what we thought we knew about Peter Parker’s Spider-Man origin story.

Several iconic Spider-Man villains have been name-dropped, including Norman Osborn, Dr. Otto Octavius, and Dr. Curtis Connors, and Norman could well be the ultimate main villain of Midnight Spider-Man when all is said and done, considering that this continuity’s Oscorp is once again the central hub from whence all manners of terror and wickedness spawn. That said, Oscorp itself could be the main antagonist.

Midnight Spider-Man’s Main Villain Is Revealed In Issue #1

Norman doesn’t appear in this first issue—if he does, he isn’t named, nor is the reader necessarily meant to know he was there all along. Instead, a far greater evil is depicted.

There is a panel at Oscorp, maybe one of many, that conducts ‘interviews’ on applicants who are unbeknownst to their fates. A poor young man named Mr. Zinkievich’s ambition and earnestness are taken advantage of by this panel, who immediately subject him—and a spider, supposedly unknowingly—to “methandrostenolone, testosterone catalyst O-6 and Mutant Growth Hormone,” as well as gamma exposure. As Oscorp’s After-Action Memorandum states, Subject #2518’s reaction was severe, causing him to “liquefactive necrosis,” “hemorrhaging of the diaphragm,” and “acute hyperemesis,” all of which readers bear witness to.

While Mr. Zinkievich is experiencing what would surely be an extraordinary amount of pain, the Augustine Project panel not only lacks empathy for him but also openly mocks him. Before his insides are virtually all evacuated and his dead body hits the floor like a swollen, deflated balloon, Mr. Zinkievich’s last words are devastatingly out of concern for his little sister Ella. It’s easily the most disturbing aspect of the book so far, and that’s impressive, considering what happens to Uncle Ben later on.

Furthermore, the After-Action Memorandum details a series of post-study actions taken at the behest of the Augustine Project donors, which upsettingly describes how Ella was “collected and provided for offsite personal study”:

• At request of Augustine Project Donor 9, Subject #2518’s eyes and genitals were fortified, collected, and provided.
• At request of Augustine Project Donor 3, Subject #2518’s legal dependent Ella Zinkievich (10) was collected and provided for offsite personal study.
• At request of Augustine Project Donors 4, 5, and 12, video footage of Subject #2518’s death was provided to each.

Peter Parker Must Become A Monster In Order To Stop Another

Mr. Zinkievich’s mother and brother worked at Oscorp, and with him “raising” Ella, the implication made is that their parents (and brother, potentially) are dead. It’s unclear whether anything untoward happened to them at Oscorp, particularly with Mr. Zinkievich basically idolizing the corporation—“In my house growing up, science was church, Oscorp was the holy temple… and we were true believers.” Still, his naivety suggests he’d be none the wiser, and it’s possible that his mother and brother were experimented on and murdered like he was.

Fascinatingly, Peter and Uncle Ben believe Oscorp is responsible for the deaths of Richard and Mary Parker. If Peter’s parents worked for Oscorp, then it’s not out of the realm of possibility that they, too, were swiftly absorbed into the “Oscorp family” and experimented on. For all we know, the Parkers could turn out to be a couple of the remotely controlled individuals who compose the eight hands of Midnight Spider-Man’s Doctor Octopus.

It’s hard to imagine that Midnight Spider-Man’s Felicia Hardy isn’t privy to any of the abhorrent ongoings at Oscorp, though she admittedly does appear perturbed and alarmed in the preview pages for Midnight Spider-Man #2. This issue isn’t available on LCS shelves for another month, but was given early to Spider-Man fans who were fortunate enough to attend Marvel Comics’ Midnight Hour panel.

Midnight Spider-Man #1 is out now.