Warning! Major SPOILERS ahead for Amazing Spider-Man #73
In a new preview for Marvel Comics' Amazing Spider-Man, Peter Parker will be facing the return of a surprising character from his past, specifically the daughter of two iconic characters from the Spider-Man mythos. With the Sinister War having just concluded, Spider-Man is now able to set his sights on Kindred, the demonic foe who's been tormenting him throughout the entirety of writer Nick Spencer's run. While Kindred's identity has been known to be the demonic version of Harry Osborn who died before the controversial One More Day storyline, it's recently been revealed that Harry isn't the only one behind the Kindred persona. This new preview introduces a second Kindred who reveals their shocking identity.
In previous issues from Marvel Comics, Kindred (or Kindreds) manipulates and makes deals with six Sinister Six teams to hunt down Spider-Man with the intent to kill. However, Spider-Man manages to beat the odds, surviving the intense gauntlet thanks to the sacrifice of Boomerang and a surprising move from Doctor Octopus who temporarily knocks out the villains, giving Spider-Man the chance to finally go after Kindred directly. However, it's become clear that Kindred is more than he seems, and that he's not just a version of Harry Osborn from the past.
While concrete details are still scarce, the recent revelations of a secret Osborn lab, downloaded consciousnesses, a dark deal with Mephisto responsible for the Green Goblin's creation, and the presence of the Chameleon all point to the concept that there's always been more than one person behind the dark Kindred persona. Now, the preview for Amazing Spider-Man #73 from Nick Spencer, Zé Carlos, Carlos Gómez, and Marcelo Ferreira reveals a new identity behind Kindred. While it appears at first to be Gwen Stacy, it's actually more likely that this is in fact Sarah Stacy, the daughter of Gwen and Norman Osborn himself. Here are the preview pages and synopsis for the upcoming issue:
- AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #73
- We can't tell you a single thing that happens here without spoiling just about every issue that comes out between the time you're reading this and when ASM #73 comes out.
Despite the issue's rather unhelpful synopsis, the preview pages themselves generate quite a bit of excitement with this big surprise. While it initially appears as though Peter's first love Gwen Stacy is somehow alive and has become involved in bringing the Kindred persona to life, there's also a denial that this Gwen herself. Instead, Spider-Man's arrival in Paris seems to indicate that this is actually her daughter Sarah, who very much resembles her mother. Back during J. Michael Straczynski Sins Past storyline, it was revealed that Gwen had an affair with Norman Osborn's Green Goblin, which eventually led to her rapidly giving birth to superpowered twins named Sarah and Gabriel, whose accelerated growth came from the Goblin-formula in their blood thanks to Norman. While Norman initially told the twins that Peter was their real father and was responsible for their mother's death, the truth was eventually revealed in the resulting conflict, ending with Gabriel becoming crazed as the Gray Goblin and Sarah joining Interpol in order to receive their help in finding her brother.
However, it seems as though Sarah has become involved with Harry with the both of them working together to become Kindred. Furthermore, Gabriel's involvement is a strong possibility as well, making the three children of Norman Osborn "kindred spirits," having all suffered at the hands of the Green Goblin (and to a degree Spider-Man himself). While this is certainly a major development that creates more questions that it answers, here's hoping fans will get all the details when the full issue of Amazing Spider-Man releases on September 8th.