Spider-Man: Fake Red (スパイダーマン／偽りの赤,Supaidāman: Itsuwari no Aka) is a Japanesemanga series written and illustrated by Yusuke Osawa and "supervised" byMarvel Comics,[2] based on theSpider-Man brand byStan Lee andSteve Ditko. Published byViz Media, and set in its owncontinuity within theMarvel Multiverse, the series follows teenage high school student and amateurrock climber Yu Onomae who is compelled to fill in for the missingPeter Parker asSpider-Man on finding the hero's suit in an alley. Over the course of his journey, he faces off against thesupervillainsScrewball,Mysterio, andVenom, and teams up with the original Spider-Man's partnerSilk in an effort to find him.[3]
The series, originally published across fourteen issues ofMagazine Pocket between July 2019 and March 2020 (following the original three-partone-shot), was published as agraphic novel,Spider-Man: Fake Red: Phase 1 inJapanese on April 9, 2023,[4] and inEnglish on June 13, 2023,[5][6][7] although a second volume has not been ordered.[8] In April 2024, the series was digitally published to themobile applications Viz Media andMarvel Unlimited.[9] The series has received a universally positive critical reception.
Yu Onomae is an unpopular high school student, who has no friends and is failing his classes. All that changes when he findsSpider-Man's suit abandoned in an alleyway, which he uses to impersonate the hero. Only when Spider-Man's enemies attack and it becomes clear the superhero has vanished (and that due to Yu having been wearing the suit, no one else had realised the original Spider-Man to be missing), Yu uses his amateurrock-climbing skills and can-do attitude to attempt to fill in for the hero, having to use his mind to outmanoeuvre supervillains who mostly outmatch him physically, assisted by his best friend Emma and Spider-Man's partnerSilk.[10] Meanwhile, a flashback storyline showswhat happened to the original Spider-Man,Peter Parker.
Yu Onomae – AJapanese-American high school student and would-be amateurrock climber who is compelled to become a new, powerless Spider-Man on finding the original's suit abandoned in an alleyway.
Emma Pearson – A classmate of Yu's and a fellow rock climber who discovers him close to the Spider-Man suit and, believing him to have always been Spider-Man, decides to assist him as his "girl in the chair". While Yu is reluctant to tell Emma the truth due to nursing acrush on her, he relents when shecomes out to him, and she becomes hisgaybest friend.
Cindy Moon / Silk / Spider-Woman – Peter's best friend and a fellow spider-themed superhero who is searching for the missing hero, as the only person other than Yu to know he is missing. While insisting to Yu that Peter is "just like a brother" to her, Cindy is revealed to have acrush on Peter.[11]
Quentin Beck / Mysterio / Venom – A supervillain who pursues Yu, thinking him to be Peter, whosesecret identity he has uncovered. Having adapted his illusions to overwhelm Peter'sspider-sense, Mysterio is surprised when the powerless Yu is unaffected, and he beats Mysterio (disguised asMJ Watson), whom Yu does not recognise) as a result. After Peter is freed from the Venom symbiote, it takes Mysterio as a host, and he fights Parker and Yu.
Mary Jane "MJ" Watson – Peter's ex-girlfriend, who is oblivious to his disappearance due to Yu's activities.
Sarah Jane Watson – MJ's younger cousin and one of Yu's classmates, on whom Emma has a crush.
Spider-Man: Fake Red has received a universally positive critical reception, with the characterisation of its original Spider-Man incarnation Yu Onomae being praised,[12][13][14]CBR praising the "great story [and] lovable main characters".[15]
