Spider-Gwen Is Teaming Up With an Expert on Symbiotes to Deal With Her Latest Threat

1 month ago 20

John Dodge is an MTV Writer for CBR who specializes in movies, television, comics, and pop culture. He has a deep knowledge of franchises like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Marvel, and DC Comics, along with a passion for indie and horror titles. An expert on obscure productions from the ’80s and ’90s, John is known for his encyclopedic recall of cult classics like Beetleborgs.

Marvel's Ghost-Spider is in desperate need of some backup in dealing with her new symbiote nemesis, and she just got the best help she could ever ask to see.

After facing off against her own former symbiote and seeing it sink its tendrils into her superpowered boyfriend Fabian LaMuerto, better known as Black Tarantula, the titular hero of All-New Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider #3 (by Stephanie Phillips, Paolo Villanelli, Matt Milla, and VC's Ariana Maher) finds herself staring down a threat she can barely keep up with. Fortunately, for her, Gwen isn't alone in this fight. In fact, it isn't long before Agent Anti-Venom himself shows up to put an end to it all, and Flash Thompson might just be the one person who truly understands what is happening.

All-New Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider #3

Written by STEPHANIE PHILLIPS
Art by PAOLO VILLANELLI
Colors by MATT MILLA
Letters by VC's ARIANA MAHER
Design by STACIE ZUCKER and KAT WALKINGTON
Main cover art by DAVID MARQUEZ & FEDERICO BLEE
Variant covers by CORIN HOWELL; LUCIO PARRILLO; and C.F. VILLA

When Flash Thompson was introduced in Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's "Spider-Man!" from the opening pages of Amazing Fantasy #15 all the way back in 1962, he was little more than a high school bully who couldn't get enough of tormenting a teenage Peter Parker. Over the decades that followed, Flash's life took several drastic turns, starting with his time in the military, which subsequently led him to join Project: Rebirth 2.0 after losing his legs in combat. Soon enough, Flash was back in action as Agent Venom, the then-latest and greatest heroic host of the Venom symbiote.

As Agent Venom, Flash fought against threats ranging from Carnage to the Savage Six and alongside superhero teams ranging from the Secret Avengers to the Guardians of the Galaxy. Eventually, Flash would lose his bond with the Venom symbiote, only to become the first host to a new breed of Anti-Venom. Although Flash later lost his life during a battle against Norman Osborn's Red Goblin, he would cement his place as one of the greatest symbiote heroes of all time when his latent consciousness within the symbiote Hive quite literally forced its way through to the outside world, resurrecting Flash as a being of pure symbiote. At least, that was the case until Eddie Brock restored Flash's human form using his powers as the King in Black.

The Gwen Stacy of Earth-65, better known as Spider-Gwen or the Ghost-Spider, has been a part of the Marvel Universe for far less time than Flash Thompson, yet she has an origin story that is nearly as complex, nonetheless. Originally a universe-hopping Spider Totem from another timeline, Spider-Gwen has been involved in all manner of Multiversal epics, the most recent of which saw her imbued with all the power of a Cosmic Cube. After standing firm in the face of even the likes of King Loki, Spider-Gwen found a permanent place for herself in the primary Marvel Universe of Earth-616. In taking on this new life, Gwen gave up the symbiote powers that had defined her for so long. Unfortunately, her former other half was left behind in search of a host completely unbeknownst to Gwen, only to emerge in recent months in the form of the latest symbiote supervillain — Tantrum.

All-New Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider #3 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.