Peter Parker’sSpider-Manhas faced few foesmore dangerous than the Sinister Six- Doctor Octopus' team of deadly villains, working together to kill off the Wall-Crawler. Now, that team of villains is expanding and adding some truly unexpected heavy hitters, as Spidey takes on the Sinister Sixteen.
InSpider-Man vs the Sinister Sixteen #1, Spidey will take on agroup of villains including Magneto, Loki, Mystique and the Leader. While theSinister Six has expanded its roster before, it’s never been with this kind of A-list selection of villains, with Hulk and Thor rivals like Absorbing Man, Mr. Hyde and Grey Gargoyle also in attendance.
The new, 30-page one-shot comes from J. Michael Straczynski and Phil Noto, and sees Spider-Man out for a nice dinner with Mary Jane Watson when a selection of uber-powerful heroes and villains arrive. It turns out the restaurant’s owner is running an insurance scam, and hasdeliberately gathered a bunch of heroes and villainsknowing that the resulting fight will likely destroy the building. The issue’s summary reads:
SPIDER-MAN VERSUS EVERYONE! Peter Parker was just trying to have a nice night out with Mary Jane, but wouldn’t you know it: The Parker Luck has filled his evening with an assortment of some of the world’s most vile villains! With Spidey, Thor, Doctor Strange, Magneto, Loki, Doctor Octopus and many more all in one room, things are bound to explode!
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Spider-Man vs the Sinister Sixteen #1is the epic topper to Straczynski’s recent series of Marvel one-shots which bring unusual heroes and villains together - for example,Doctor Doom & Rocket RaccoonandGhost Rider vs Galactus.These comics have revealed never-before-seen rivalries and unexpected friendships, and even changed how fans see some character (especially the Asgardian warrior Volstagg, whose adventures with Captain America revealed his true heroism.)
The intent of the issue is to hurl a huge number of heroes and villains into close proximity and watch the fireworks. Straczynski says:
One of the most common tropes in the super hero world is that of the amount of destruction that comes when heroes and villains lock horns. We all accept that it just happens. This led to thinking: What if the owner of a popular restaurant has run it into the ground and needs the place to be destroyed for the insurance money, and invites a ton of heroes and villains to dine all at the same time in the hope that a fight breaks out? What if initially everyone tries to stay calm to enjoy the experience, but sooner or later, with that roster…the storm comes.
It became a great opportunity to shove a truckload of characters, good and evil, into one room at the same time, and watch the situation deteriorate into chaos. Given the mandate of this book, to show unlikely combinations, this was the ultimate and only possible conclusion: put everyone into one 30-page story, roll in a grenade, and see what happens. This was probably the most fun book to write, and one of the funniest. So appreciative of Marvel giving me this chance to just write whatever the heck I wanted, and come up with fun stories with unlikely associations.
While the preview does show thatSpider-Man will have Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Doctor Strange, Clea, Black Bolt and Medusa in his corner, he’s still never faced a version of the Sinister Sixthisintimidating. Recently, Grey Gargoyle and Mister Hydecame incredibly close to killing Thor himself, while Absorbing Man and Titania have made a living out of antagonizing the Hulk. Despite wanting nothing more than a fancy meal with the love of his life,Spider-Manwill find himself at the center of an epic hero vs villain conflagration - one that could wreak destructionfarmore extreme than a single restaurant.
Spider-Man vs the Sinister Sixteen #1is coming July 30 from Marvel Comics.
