Warning! Spoilers for Spider-Man: Spider's Shadow below!
A new series from Marvel Comics imagines what would happen if Spider-Man kept his black symbiote suit instead of it finding a new host in Eddie Brock. In Spider-Man: Spider's Shadow, Peter Parker keeps the alien suit but finds himself giving in to his dark side, which ultimately leads to him killing one of his longtime villains, the Hobgoblin, as he loses control.
Spider-Man first sported his black costume in 1984's Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #8, where he ended up getting the symbiote after his original costume was destroyed. Spider-Man would bring the symbiote back to Earth, but after it tried to bond with him permanently, the hero split himself from it. However, by doing so, the symbiote bonded with another human, Eddie Brock, leading to the creation of Venom. Now, a new series is exploring what would happen if Spider-Man never got rid of the symbiote and the answer is pretty dark.
In Spider-Man: Spider's Shadow #1 by Chip Zdarsky (Daredevil), Pasqual Ferry (Ultimate Fantastic Four), Matt Hollingsworth (Hawkeye), the comic asks "what if Spider-Man never got rid of the symbiote suit?" In the first issue, Peter opts to keep the suit, but while it has some cool advantages such as being able to respond to his thoughts, unlimited webbing, and the ability to mimic previous suits, its dark side is apparent. Parker is having nightmares and the suit is telling him to act on darker impulses. He even lashes out at the Fantastic Four when they suggest he leave the suit with them so they can study it. But, nothing is darker than when he battles the Hobgoblin.
When Hobgoblin attacks Peter at his Aunt May's house, Spider-Man's symbiote suit takes over. After the explosion seemingly kills his aunt (and being unable to save her due to the symbiote's weakness to fire), Peter embraces the darkness. He wraps up Hobgoblin in webbing and in a more Venom-like form, he tells the villain "I'll finish it." Spider-Man grabs his head and pushes down until Hobgoblin is dead.
Spider-Man killing the Hobgoblin is a terrifying moment that sees the hero give in to the darkness. As he kills his foe, he says "I have the power. It's time to use it." So, it's fully possible that Spider-Man's moral code is completely gone and he's going to kill more of his enemies with his symbiote suit giving him such massive power. In this "What If?" story, Spider-Man has embraced his dark side and become a killer - leading to the shocking end to the first issue. Spider-Man: Spider's Shadow is in stores now.