In Amazing Spider-Man #92.BEY, two of the webslinger’s most intelligent and terrifying foes come together to form a new partnership.
WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Amazing Spider-Man #92.BEY, available now from Marvel Comics.
Science has always played an integral role in the life of Spider-Man, for better and for worse. Before they became the heroes and villains they are today, many of Spider-Man’s superpowered allies and enemies were regular people whose minds and bodies were changed through some form of scientific experimentation. As a result, several of Spider-Man’s most iconic rogues adhere to the stereotypical archetype of the “mad scientist,” using their vast intellects to push the boundaries of both science and sanity.
The more intelligent members of Spider-Man’s Rogues’ gallery have been responsible for many of the wallcrawler’s greatest defeats, and two of them have just formed an alliance that could prove detrimental to the hero. Having seen how well their unique DNA meshes together through one of the Beyond Corporation’s most twisted experiments, Morbius the Living Vampire forms a partnership with the Lizard in Amazing Spider-Man #92.BEY (by Jed MacKay, Cody Ziggler, Zeb Wells, Luigi Zagaria, Bruno Oliveira, Fran Galan, Mark Bagley, and Wayne Faucher), and their combined scientific genius could spell disaster for their mutual foe.
During one of his first outings as Beyond’s patented Spider-Man, Ben Reilly stumbled upon a crazed Morbius in the middle of a feeding frenzy and stopped him with the help of Misty Knight and Collen Wing. Although the three of them initially believed that Beyond would use its resources to find a cure for Morbius’s condition, the group later discovered that the company had imprisoned the Living Vampire within a hidden laboratory and had been extracting and studying the virus that granted him his abilities to further their production of artificial superhumans. After he was freed, Morbius helped the assembled heroes defeat Creature Z, a monster created from samples of Morbius and Lizard’s DNA, but not before he expressed interest in the creature. Following his escape from the lab, Morbius tracked down and freed the real Lizard from another Beyond facility, telling him about Creature Z and proposing a partnership.
Morbius’ proposition marks an interesting change in the two villains’ relationship, as the few confrontations they’ve had with each other have been hostile. During the vampire’s debut in the “Six Arms Saga”, Morbius and the Lizard’s human form, Dr. Curt Conners, fought one another when the Living Vampire attacked a mutated and exhausted Spider-Man. Ironically, Morbius triggered a unique chemical reaction within the Lizard’s body that allowed his human half to remain in control, inadvertently providing the scientist with a means to create a cure for both himself and Spider-Man. Several years later, a reformed Morbius attempted to cure himself and the Lizard of their affliction, unaware that the Lizard had recently destroyed what remained of his Conners persona by devouring his son Billy.
Despite their history, the similarities between the duo’s backstories and motivations make them an almost perfect supervillain pairing. Before either of them became monsters, Morbius and the Lizard were both scientists trying to cure their afflictions. Unfortunately, both of their attempts resulted in them losing their humanity and becoming trapped in an endless battle with the beast that now lurks inside of them. While there have been many times where each of them has allied with Spider-Man, their inability to control their predatory instincts and willingness to forcibly mutate others to alleviate their loneliness has brought them into conflict with the webslinger just as often.
While it’s unclear what Morbius has in mind regarding their alliance, a partnership between him and the Lizard don’t bode well for Spider-Man or the people of New York City. Driven by the belief that their transformations are an improvement over their original human forms, both the Lizard and Morbius have attempted to forcibly spread their condition to others, often with disastrous results for those unlucky enough to receive the villains’ “gifts.” With their combined knowledge of genetics, Morbius and the Lizard could easily create more beings like Creature Z, which was powerful enough to take on both Spider-Man and the Daughters of the Dragon. With more of these creatures under their command, Morbius and the Lizard could easily bring New York to its knees.
While there was once a time when both of these villains wished to rid themselves of their mutations, each of them has now accepted the monsters they have become. Regardless of whether or not Morbius’ plans are noble, the Lizard will almost certainly find a way to twist them to further his own sinister agenda.
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