Warning: contains spoilers for Marvel #4!

Marvel's newest Spider-Man is a bloodthirsty assassin under the command of the Deviants - the villainous creatures soon to appear in the MCU's Eternals movie. While guilt-ridden Peter Parker is about as far from a killer as you can get, Marvel's countless alternate realities prove that a change of circumstances can radically alter even the most stalwart hero. In Marvel #4, fans meet one of the darkest Spider-Men ever - a character who's likely to return in future stories.

Marvel sees Doctor Strange villain Nightmare feasting on countless dream worlds in order to become the most powerful being in existence - a story that justifies the anthology collection handing over famous characters to acclaimed artists and writers for stories that couldn't otherwise be told. One of these stories is "Sons of Deviant World," from Daniel Acuna and Ariana Maher. The story takes place on a world where the monstrous Deviant race took over Earth in the late 1800s, achieving dominance over a technologically inferior mankind.

Related: Every Way Spider-Man Could Kill Wolverine

One hundred and fifty years later, Marvel's most famous heroes are little more than gladiators who fight for Deviant amusement. Meanwhile, Deviant rulers Kro, Monarch Tode, and Queen Vira debate the fate of the Lord Priest, who Kro reveals he intends to assassinate via an "amazing" powered human who is capable of infiltrating anywhere. The assassin is revealed to be Spider-Man, wearing a slightly revamped version of his MK I spider-armor and riding a device similar to the Green Goblin's glider. Using his wall-climbing and webs, this Spider-Man silently infiltrates the Lord Priest's palace with twin pistols, preparing to assassinate the Deviant ruler.

Marvel 4 sons of deviant world spider-man

It's an awesome reimagining of Marvel's flagship hero as a death-dealing tool of the Deviants, programmed to have no concept of free-will and derive pleasure only from serving classic Marvel villain Kro. The issue ends with the Silver Surfer arriving to judge whether or not the planet should survive, but there's reason to suspect fans will see this deadly Spider-Man again.

Namely, Marvel's Spider-Verse event, in which Marvel assembled every living version of Spider-Man (along with other Spider-Heroes) available through legal means. Both Spider-Verse and its sequel Spider-Geddon were well received by fans, and with the huge success of related movie Spider-Man: Enter the Spider-Verse, it's almost guaranteed Marvel will repeat the stunt sooner rather than later. Marvel has used such events to shift creative heroes and villains into mainstream continuity before, such as the evil Norman Osborn Spider-Man of Earth-44145 becoming a villain for the Superior Spider-Man Otto Octavius, so fans should expect to see this gun-toting assassin again soon, and perhaps in a much larger role. While the worlds Nightmare summons aren't official alternate realities yet, Marvel rarely turns down the chance to expand their Multiverse, and Spider-Verse even saw fit to include a Spider-Man from some old Hostess Twinkies ads, so the Deviants' assassin is a shoo-in.

While exploring Spider-Man's powers for their deadly potential was always going to make for a cool story - and reclaiming the spider-armor for a darker character is a smart way of honoring a much-maligned costume - this spider assassin could be a fascinating way of examining Peter Parker. Defined by his sense of responsibility, Peter is a character who agonizes over every decision and would be heartbroken if he killed even his worst enemy. Watching this Spider-Man freed from his Deviant masters, or even just working alongside other versions of Peter in a Spider-Verse style story, would allow Marvel to explore Peter's guilt from an entirely new direction, while also adding a cool new antihero or spider-villain to Marvel's roster.

Next: Marvel Reimagines Captain America & Wolverine in 'Mad Max' Style Reality