Bring me your tired, your poor, your huddled Spider-Men, yearning to be free.
Spider-verse, that little storyline that could, is continuing to deliver unto us many a Spider-variation, and it doesn’t look to be letting up anytime soon. Every wave of Spider-man figures now seems guaranteed to have at least some Spider-verse representation.
The best part of Spider-verse is that it has, for lack of a better word, “legitimized” any Spider-variation. Ordinarily, I would not have been too keen about a “House of M” Spider-man, because I thought House of M was the comic book equivalent of watching fingernails grow. But because of Spider-verse, I am cool with it.
“Because of Spider-verse” has become as good a reason as any to get all of these variations on a theme.
Even better than legitimizing comic Spidey stylings, the fact that the storyline spanned Spider-men across a wide variety of media, that immediately makes everything is fair game. Any Spider-man costume can be considered a part of the overall Spider-Man lore. This means, for instance, the recent movie Spider-men, or the upcoming Gamestop Exclusive PS4 Spider-man can stand beside the traditional 616 Spidey and not feel out of place. It’s just another Spider-Man.
Two years ago, I did a top five detailing my then-most-wanted Spider-verse variations. Looking back at it, I have managed to get 4 out of 5 of my wants. That is not a bad batting average at all. But, incredibly, there are still so many more to choose from. And with a cartoon adaptation coming soon, the Spider-verse well is not going to dry out anytime soon.
So without further babble, here is an updated top five from what remains.
In no order:
Spider-armor
Making a very brief appearance in Spider-verse, the Spider-armor is still a very unique look that would make a great looking figure. In the traditional marvel Universe the suit only showed up once, but it has gone on to make several appearances in other media. If the metal was given an effect similar to the upcoming Walgreens Silver Surfer figure I think it would make a great, unique looking figure. The only thing standing in its way is that it would require a completely new sculpt, but they haven’t been shy about that for many other Spider-verse characters, so I’d like to think he’s got a shot.
Lady Spider
Steampunk Spider-person. That’s unique enough on its own, but the entire design varies wildly from any other Spider-lady out there, eschewing the spandex for era-appropriate attire. With those four extra arms and the whole “Rocketeer” vibe she’s got going on, this would make a very different-looking figure for the Spider-verse display. Again, another new-tooling-heavy character, but the end result would be worth it.
Assassin Spider-Man
The lone carryover from my previous top five, the Spider-Assassin is still waiting for his time to shine. I think it’s only a matter of time, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed. There are a lot of variations on the Spider-costume stretched across Spider-verse, but I think this has to be my favorite. Mostly black, with some red accents on the chest and wrists, it somehow manages to look colder, perfect for a killer Spider-Man.
Spider-Cyborg
I shouldn’t have to explain this one, but I will: cyborgs are awesome. Man and machine, merged together in strange ways. Spider-Man got some cybernetic add-ons in a 90s Spider-man story, but that, like the Spider-armor, was brief. This version of Parker is cybernetic all the time. Hasbro should be working on this one as we speak.
Indian Spider-Man
I remember when the Spider-man: India comic came out, back in 2004. It had a minor bit of buzz due to the concept, so I bought the first issue, and then never gave it another thought until Spider-verse happened ten years later. At the time, I would not have had much interest in the Indian version of Spider-Man, but now, after Spider-verse, I’d be all for it. I think it would make a unique figure, even among the unique figures we’ve already received. Plus the pants and shoes could be reused for Arabian Knight. Yes, that will surely happen.
Incredibly, what we’ve already managed to get is still just the tip of the spider. There are a lot of choices to pull from. These are my top five, but I’m pretty happy with any choice made.
I just need a Morlun to kill them all, please and thank you.
