| The Other | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #4 (January 2006) |
| Created by | Peter David (writer) Mike Wieringo (artist) Todd Nauck (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Ero |
| Team affiliations | Web Warriors |
| Supporting character of | Earth-616Peter Parker (mate) Earth-616Kaine Parker (host) MC2Peter Parker (host) |
| Notable aliases | "The Other" "Miss Arrow" |
| Abilities | Envenomed stingers extended from her wrists, transformation into a swarm of spiders, control of spiders |
The Other (Ero) is a fictional character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. A nigh-omnipotent physical embodiment ofSpider-Man's spider-powers, it initially takes the form ofMiss Arrow, before the reality alternation of "One More Day" leads it to takeKaine Parker andMC2Peter Parker as hosts, opposingMorlun,the Inheritors, andShathra.
The Other was created byPeter David,Mike Wieringo, andTodd Nauck, and first appeared inFriendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #4 (Jan 2006).[1]
During the events ofThe Other,Spider-Man died fighting his enemyMorlun. However, his body was later discovered as a sack of skin; Spider-Man had shed his skin and had retired to a 'cocoon' under the Brooklyn Bridge, which he later emerged from, completely healed of his prior wounds. Thus, Spider-Man had 'conquered' death.[2]
Meanwhile, inStark Tower,pirate spiders started to eat Peter's old dead body. When Spider-Man returned, the top of Stark Tower was covered in webbing. Inside the tower, Spider-Man discovered that pirate spiders had consumed Peter's discarded skin. Sated on his flesh, the spiders formed into a body of their own, female in opposition to Spider-man's male.[3]
Declaring itself to be Spider-Man's "Other", the creature explained to Peter that it exists because Peter was supposed to die, but did not. To maintain "balance" the creature had arrived to become his opposite, as well as his equal, and would evolve as he evolved, or die as he would die. It then escaped down a drain. A cocoon was later seen in a church, where the creature presumably hibernated.[4]
After Peter sentFlash Thompson into the infirmary due to a dodge ball to the face, Ero, taking on the form of theAfrican AmericanMiss Arrow, treated to Flash's injury while explaining that she was the newMidtown High School nurse. To explain her name she claimed that her parents were "inveterate hippies".[5] When the school came under attack by the threeMysterios, Arrow quickly showed that she was not all she appeared to be. Quentin Beck saw through her guise and told her that their "superiors" wanted to keep Peter at the school, while Francis Klum saw firsthand what Arrow was capable of doing.[6]
Arrow later convinced Spider-Man to stay at the school. However, when Peter became a fugitive for going againstIron Man, he had to use an image distorter to disguise himself as "Ben Reilly" to continue his career at the school.[4] Later, Arrow began to show her sinister nature little by little, most notably when Flash began datingBetty Brant. While Flash and Betty were on a date Betty had to use the restroom. While there, thousands of spiders ran out from the toilet, frightening Betty. When Flash and the restaurant manager came to the scene after Betty had left the bathroom, only some cocaine and a straw was found, making the manager think Betty had used the cocaine. Betty and Flash left while Miss Arrow appeared out of the shadows.[7]
Arrow was revealed as the being composed ofpirate spiders first seen in "The Other". She had disguised herself as a human and decides to set into motion her plan to have Flash become her "host". Meanwhile, Betty and Peter begin to suspect that Arrow is hiding something especially since Peter realizes that she does not set off his spidey-sense when she is near to discovering his secret identity.[7] After doing some research they discover that "Arrow" sounds similar to "Ero" a genus of pirate spider. Arrow, in the meantime, has tracked Flash down at a bowling alley where he has gone with his friend, professional bowlerKelly Kulick. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Arrow proceeded to reveal her true nature to the surrounding bystanders and caused mayhem in her wake. While Spider-Man arrived in time to stop the carnage and save Kulick, Arrow made off with Flash through the sewers.[8]
Ero takes Flash to the church where she emerged from her cocoon and, after webbing him to the ceiling, removes anegg sac from her stomach with her plan being to impregnate him. Spider-Man arrives in time once again to stop her.[9] As they battle, Ero reveals that Spider-Man's stingers only appear when he faces "... someone like me, someone whose being is rooted in primal forces of chaos and darkness." Ero then manages to stab Spider-Man in the shoulder, drugging him and slowing him down. Having the upper hand, Ero decides to impregnate Spider-Man instead, her logic being that while the offspring will be considerably less than Flash's, it will in the end ensure her enemy's demise. Just as Ero is about to implant her egg into Spider-Man, Betty Brant arrives and destroys it. Enraged at the loss of her eggs, and vowing revenge against Betty, she tries to escape. Spider-Man follows, and lures her into anaviary, where she is devoured alive by birds. Only a single spider remains, which Spider-Man steps on contemptuously.[10]
Kaine Parker took the offer to help his new allyHummingbird, turning him intoTarantula.[11][12] However, the Other made Kaine's mind unstable and he attacked Hummingbird.[13] They soon came into contact withThe Superior Spider-Man[14] and later Morlun who kills him.[15] Morlun performed a ritual that resurrected Kaine, but not the Other,[16][17] who later returned themselves to life using the body of theMC2 Peter Parker.[18]
The Other is composed of thousands of spiders that possess a hive mind, not unlike that of Thousand, however unlike Thousand Arrow was much more organized and had to adhere to typical spider behavior such as creating a sack to raise children.[9] The Other possessed wrist stingers that were poisonous to anyone who was stabbed by them. This was the same ability adopted by Peter and Kaine Parker. It is also shown to possess night vision.
Miss Arrow appears inSpider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, portrayed byAlice Lee.[19]
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