| Sin-Eater | |
|---|---|
.png) The Sin-Eater, on the cover ofThe Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5, #45 (May 2020). Art by Josemaria Casanovas. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #107 (October 1985) |
| Created by | Peter David (writer) Rich Buckler (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Stanley Carter |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations | S.H.I.E.L.D. New York City Police Department Sinful Six |
| Abilities | Expert hand-to-hand combatant Skilled marksman Enhanced physical condition Wields a special gun |
Sin-Eater is a name given to several fictional characters appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. The character usually appears in comics featuringSpider-Man andGhost Rider.
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The character was introduced inPeter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #107 (October 1985).[1]
Stanley "Stan"Carter was born inFort Meade, Maryland. He was an agent ofS.H.I.E.L.D. working in research and development. He was injected with experimental drugs to increase strength and endurance, but when the program was designated too dangerous it was discontinued. Carter became violent and resigned from S.H.I.E.L.D., eventually becoming a detective with theNew York City Police Department. After his partner was killed by several young criminals, Carter became obsessed with killing anyone who "sinned" by abusing authority.[2]
As the Sin-Eater, his first victim was CaptainJean DeWolff (in "The Death of Jean DeWolff" story arc). As a detective, he is assigned to find the killer, and works closely withSpider-Man.[3] His next victim is Judge Horace Rosenthal, a friend ofMatt Murdock. During his escape after killing Rosenthal, he is attacked by Spider-Man and kills a bystander during the battle.[4] When Spider-Man and Daredevil discover that the Sin-Eater's next victim will beBetty Brant, they rush to save Betty. Spider-Man goes into a fierce rage and beats the Sin-Eater nearly to death. As he is being transferred to Riker's, a vengeful mob including DeWolff's father try to kill him, but Daredevil and Spider-Man intervene.[2]
Carter is put in psychological and medical care, but is crippled by the beating Spider-Man inflicted.S.H.I.E.L.D. purges all the drugs from his system, but he still has visions of his Sin-Eater persona. After Carter is released, he returns the favor Spider-Man did him by rescuing the latter from an angry mob, and begins writing a memoir of his career as the Sin-Eater. However, he has trouble readjusting to society. Finally he snaps, taking an empty shotgun and goading police officers into opening fire on him. Carter is killed, though finally freed from the Sin-Eater persona's control.[5][6]
Years after his death, the Sin-Eater is resurrected as part ofHarry Osborn/Kindred's plot against Spider-Man.[7] He begins attacking criminals, stealing their powers with his gun and causing his victims to regret their sins.[8] During theLast Remains storyline, the Sin-Eater absorbs the sins ofMadame Web at her request. Sin-Eater also absorbs Madame Web's precognitive abilities, learning that Kindred was using him. This causes the Sin-Eater to turn the gun on himself. Madame Web tries to resuscitate him only for her and the Order of the Web to be captured by Kindred.[9] As a side-effect of the Sin-Eater's suicide, those who had their sins purged from them regain their sins and go on a rampage in New York City.[10]
During theSinister War storyline, Kindred revives the Sin-Eater again. He is still angered at Kindred for forsaking him. Demonic centipedes emerge from Sin-Eater's body and possessGrey Gargoyle,Living Laser,Whirlwind,Juggernaut, andMorlun.[11]
The public revelation of Stanley Carter as the Sin-Eater by Peter Parker was responsible for the ruin ofEddie Brock's journalistic career. Brock previously published a series of articles on the Sin-Eater in theDaily Globe based on interviews withEmil Gregg, Carter's delusional neighbor, who claimed to be the Sin-Eater. This led to Brock's hatred of Peter and eventually to the former's joining with theVenom symbiote.[12]
During the "AXIS" storyline, a new and supernatural Sin-Eater emerges to terrorize New York City, gunning down members of the press.Cletus Kasady (whose morality had been altered by a spell cast byDoctor Doom and theScarlet Witch) comes into conflict with the Sin-Eater when he stops him from murdering reporter Alice Gleason. The Sin-Eater later manages to track down and abduct Alice, taking her to his lair and implying that he is an undead version of Emil Gregg. Before the Sin-Eater can harm Alice, she is rescued by Carnage, who allows the Sin-Eater to absorb all of his repressed evil. Overwhelmed by Carnage's sins, the Sin-Eater grows to gigantic size and explodes.[13]
Empowered by theGrendel symbiote during the "Absolute Carnage" storyline, Kasady resurrects Gregg as a zombie-like creature, which he lets loose in New York City. Donning a facsimile of the Sin-Eater costume, Gregg kidnaps several children with the intention of sacrificing them to the symbiote godKnull, but he is stopped and destroyed by Eddie Brock.[14]
A Sin-Eater copycat killer appears in theVenom: Sinner Takes All mini-series.Michael Engelschwert, a mentally unstable veteran of theGulf War, bunked in a homeless shelter next to the Sin-Eater copycat Emil Gregg. Gregg's late night ramblings drive Engelschwert to emulate the Sin-Eater delusions. He appears on the steps of a courthouse wielding a shotgun and kills several people, while injuringAnne Weying, the ex-wife of the anti-hero Eddie Brock. He breaks into a hospital to finish Weying off, only to find that Venom has set himself up as her protector. Despite his lack of super-powers, Engelschwert remains two steps ahead of Venom and the police as he continues his killing spree. He is finally stopped when another psychopath with a shotgun shoots him in the back. Realizing the wound is fatal, he sets off a bomb strapped to his chest.[15]
The true version had an artificially heightened physicality, similar to that ofCaptain America. Though his strength, agility, stamina and reflexes was greater than that of any Olympic athlete, it did not exceed the hypothetical natural limitations of the human body and would not be considered truly superhuman. The same clandestine experiments that heightened his physique probably also drove him insane. He had also undergone military training, though it was rendered less effective by his insanity. He is an expert hand-to-hand combatant and skilled marksman, with his signature weapon being a double-barreled shotgun. When revived by Kindred, Sin-Eater wielded a special gun that removed any superhuman's powers and destroyed their sins. In addition, he can turn the sins into actual monsters, teleport, and absorb the powers of anyone he shoots.[16]
The second version introduced claims of being able to detect the evil within others, and of absorbing a green energy which he claims is all of their sins after killing them. He is also unaffected by being repeatedly shot with a handgun and regrows his own head (which is merely a skull) after it is destroyed by Carnage.[13]
The third version wielded a heavy assortment of guns, bombs, knives, and rocket launchers, and wore a bulletproof costume.
An earlier character named Sin-Eater first appeared inGhost Rider #80.Ethan Domblue was a pastor obsessed with having a sinless congregation. Ghost Rider foeCenturious gave Ethan the power to "eat" his congregation's sins, leaving them in a passive, "sinless" state. He did not realize that by placing his parishioners' souls in the Crystal of Souls, he was creating an army of zombie-like slaves loyal to Centurious. Eventually,Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze) defeated Centurious and freed the souls in the Crystal. As a last redemptive act, Ethan Domblue removed Zarathos from Blaze and placed the demon in the Crystal of Souls, freeing Blaze from the curse of Ghost Rider.[17]
TheDan Ketch Ghost Rider also had a foe that was referred to as the Sin-Eater.Jim Sharp akaReverend Styge, a cannibal under service ofCenturious was granted power byChthon to raise the dead by eating the living.[18]
In 2022,Screen Rant ranked Sin-Eater 4th in their "10 Most Powerful Silk Villains In Marvel Comics" list.[19]
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