| Spider-Boy | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Cover ofSpider-Boy #1. Art byHumberto Ramos. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Spider-Man Vol. 4 #7 (April 2023) |
| Created by |
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| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Bailey Bartholomew Briggs |
| Species | Human mutate |
| Team affiliations | Spider-Army |
| Partnerships | Peter Parker / Spider-Man Gwen / Kidpool |
| Notable aliases | Spider-Boy Spider-B |
| Abilities |
|
Spider-Boy (Bailey Bartholomew Briggs) is asuperhero appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Created by writerDan Slott and artistHumberto Ramos, the characterfirst appeared inSpider-Man (End of the Spider-Verse) vol. 4 #7 (April 2023).[1][2] He is a child superhero with spider-like abilities.[3] He was erased from existence and forgotten by everyone who knew him before being brought back.[4] The character is also an ally of the superheroPeter Parker / Spider-Man andGwen / Kidpool[5] and the main character of the comic book seriesSpider-Boy andKidpool & Spider-Boy.[6]
Spider-Boy creatorDan Slott stated "So, the idea came from when we were writing. I said to my editor, "Wouldn't it be funny if there was one more guy? And now, no one remembers him." And we started talking about who that [could] be, what kind of character they would be. I was pitching really hard for it to be Spider-Boy. Why? This all-new character would be the youngest spider character we'd ever done because both Miles and Peter, when they got bit, were teenagers. I thought it would be really fun to see the adventures of a preteen Spider-Man character, someone Spider-Man won't want running around. It's child endangerment [laughs]. If you're Spider-Man, you're all about responsibility, and what kind of responsible hero would you be if you let this nine or ten-year-old kid run around and fight crime? So that's kind of where that came from."[7] Slott later said Spider-Boy was created to be an entertainingSpider-Man supporting character, but became popular enough to get his own comic series.[8]
Spider-Boy debuted inSpider-Man vol. 4 #7 (April 2023), created by Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos.[9] He later appeared in the 2023Edge of Spider-Verse series,[10] and in the 2023Spider-Boy series, his first solocomic book series.[11] The first monthly issue was released in November 2023.[12] He also appeared in the 2023Superior Spider-Man series,[13] and in the 2023Marvel Unlimited exclusiveInfinity Comic series.[14]
Slott left Marvel in 2025 to work forDC Comics, in the comicSuperman Unlimited, part of theSummer of Superman relaunch ofSuperman. As a result, he ended theSpider-Boy comic he was writing.[15]
Bailey Briggs was originally a normal boy before being kidnapped byMadame Monstrosity. He and fellow prisoner Eli Hartman are respectively spliced with the DNA of a spider and an elephant and rhinoceros, with Eli being dubbedHellifino.[16] Eventually, Bailey managed to escape and, after training withDaredevil to gain control of his powers, became Spider-Boy, Spider-Man's sidekick.
In "End of the Spider-Verse", following the defeat ofShathra andMorlun, Bailey is among their victims who are resurrected. After realizing that nobody remembers his existence, he leaves and ends up living at a F.E.A.S.T. building after saving a young girl namedChristina Xu fromMister Negative'sInner Demons.[17]
Spider-Boy had encounters withSquirrel Girl when it came to fightingBalloon Man and received aid fromSanta Claus, helpedCaptain America fightTaskmaster when he targetedSuper-Adaptoid, persuadedToy Soldier into not working forKillionaire, and helpedThor reuniteUlik with his pet giant spider.[18]
Spider-Boy later battles Hellifino and Madame Monstrosity's creationBoy-Spider to capture him.[19][20] He also reunites with his mother Tabitha Briggs, who has no memory of him and was transformed into a tabby cat Humanimal by Madame Monstrosity. Madame Monstrosity captures Spider-Boy and transforms herself into achimera to battle him when he attempts to escape with help from Spider-Man, Miles Morales, Squirrel Girl, Captain America, Thor, and Toy Soldier. The rest of the Humanimals learned the truth about Madame Monstrosity unable to restore them to normal completely. However, she is saved by theHigh Evolutionary who plans to experiment on her.[20]
After Madame Monstrosity is defeated, the people she transformed into Humanimals are returned to normal after her husband Jeremy, who she transformed into an owl, works with her former henchmen Squeakerton and Mr. Cricket, Spider-Man, and the android Toy Soldier to modify her transformation chamber. Boy-Spider, Jeremy, and Hellifino are unable to be returned to a human form, so they choose to live on Madame Monstrosity's farm with Tabitha.[21]
Afterwards, Bailey returns to school and begins learning everything that happened while he was missing. Tabitha also joins the F.E.A.S.T. staff, regains her memories, and learns Bailey's secret identity, but allows him to continue being a superhero.[22]
Spider-Boy and Daredevil later travel toMadripoor to take part in the Challenge of the Jade Dragon tournament after gaining the entry item fromHulkette and her master Enormo. There, they take on different opponents, includingBullseye andSpider-Girl (whom Spider-Boy andMs. Marvel previously fought under the alias of Funhouse).[23] After the tournament, Spider-Boy finds that Boy-Spider is living with Tabitha after gaining the ability to assume a humanoid form. They have a brief fight until Tabitha breaks it up.[24]
Spider-Boy then meets a female variant ofKidpool whose the same age as him and falls inlove at first sight with him. The two of them then fight Archon andStegron.[25]
Spider-Boy saves Christina Xu from the Inner Demons where one member was revealed to have been fused with an earthworm by Madame Monstrosity. Due to a key that Christina has, Spider-Boy plans to raid a bank that is owned by Mister Negative. Spider-Man confronts them in the bank and learns of why they are "robbing it". Just then, Negative enters with brainwashed police officers. Once in the vault, Spider-Boy and Christina find the files on the Humanimals that Madame Monstrosity made for Negative. Spider-Boy as Bailey Briggs pretends to get brainwashed in order to help defeat Negative and freeing everyone from the brainwashing. After Negative is arrested, Spider-Man tells Spider-Boy that their partnership is done because Spider-Boy broke Spider-Man's rule against battling "A-list villains", causing Spider-Man to confiscate Spider-Boy's gear.[26]
After an argument with Spider-Man over some lives being endangered, Bailey summons the Gaping Maw and leaves telling Spider-Man to give his Spider-Boy outfit to another kid. After coming across a shoe, Bailey traces the guy who is being attacked by a villain called Card Shark as he summons the Gaping Maw to deal with him. Spider-Boy and the Gaping Maw bring Mr. Krupke and some people to Stillwell Farms. As Krupke is restored to normal, Spider-Boy persuades Hellifino to become a superhero and takes the name of Captain Pachyderm. They alongside Boy-Spider, Hulkette, Ms. Marvel, and Spider-Girl work to fight Balloon Man and his minions as Spider-Man and Daredevil show up and help to defeat Balloon Man. After some persuasion from Daredevil and the arrival of Toy Soldier, Spider-Boy releases the Gaping Maw from his control. Toy Soldier states that he possesses the powers of the Avengers including Spider-Man and states that he is proud of him. Spider-Man allows Bailey to be Spider-Boy again as they go on patrol.[27]
While Norman Osborn is operating as Spider-Man, Spider-Boy accompanies Miles Morales,Silk, andAraña in confronting him. Osborn defends himself against them untilGhost-Spider shows up to help them, causing Osborn to stop attacking her. Osborn states that Peter trusted him with his Spider-Man identity and tells them what happened to Spider-Man.[28]
Spider-Boy possesses superpowers similar to those ofSpider-Man.[29][30] He can transform into a spider hybrid at will, gaining paralyzing venom, enhanced vision, and the ability to communicate with spiders.[31] Additionally, he has a variety of the Spider-Sense that manifests aspsychometry.
Spider-Boy has his own rogues gallery:
| Name / alter ego | Creator(s) | First appearance | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madame Monstrosity | Dan Slott Paco Medina | Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 6) #31 (August 2022) | Melodia Stillwell experiments on human beings to turn them into human/animal hybrids called Humanimals. She is the mother ofFarley Stillwell, Harlan Stillwell, andShannon Stillwell.[32] |
| Gutterball | Spider-Boy (vol. 2) #1 (November 2023) | A bowling-themed supervillain with a bowling ball for a head. | |
| Balloon Man | Emilio Helio possesses gaseous powers after an accident that changed his respiratory system. This enables him to control gases including the helium in balloons.[33] | ||
| Killionaire | Spider-Boy (vol. 2) #3 (March 2024) | A rich social media influencer. | |
| Red Heron | Steve Foxe Carola Borelli | Spider-Woman (vol. 8) #5 (May 2024) | A heron-masked villain whoSpider-Woman helped Spider-Boy defeat. |
| Puzzle Man | Dan Slott Jason Loo | Spider-Boy (vol. 2) #8 (August 2024) | Krys Crossman is aDaily Bugle worker who specializes in puzzles and breaks the fourth wall to challenge readers. |
| Funhouse / Spider-Girl | Dan Slott Michael Cho | Spider-Boy (vol. 2) #11 (October 2024) | Maka Akana / Funhouse is the apprentice of the assassinBullseye who is able to copy the powers of anyone who makes eye contact with her. After making eye contact with Spider-Boy causes her to acquire all his memories, she makes it her mission to kill him, briefly taking the name "Spider-Girl" to compete against him at the Challenge of the Jade Dragon. |
| Bada Bros | Dan Slott | Spider-Boy (vol. 2) #17 (April 2025) | Two supervillains that can manifest energy bombs who were hired by Killionaire. |
| Card Shark | Dan Slott | Spider-Boy (vol. 2) #20 (June 2025) | A villain in a card-themed shark suit. |
An alternate future timeline variant of Spider-Boy appears during theVenom War event.[34]
Casey Donahue ofScreen Rant named Bailey Briggs one of the best new heroes of 2023.[35] D. R. Bickham ofComic Book Resources called Bailey Briggs one of the most interestingincarnations of Spider-Man, writing, "While his youth, quirkiness, and awkward similarities to his mentor make him immediately endearing to fans, another contributing factor to Spider-Boy's newfound popularity and staying power lies in his unique rogues gallery."[36] George Marston ofNewsarama referred to Bailey Briggs as one of Marvel's newest breakout characters.[37]
In 2023, the introduction of Bailey Briggs as Spider-Boy inSpider-Man vol. 4 #7 was credited as one of the main reasons the comic book sold out.[38] Matt Devoe ofComicBook.com ranked the comic book 1st in their "Top 10 Comic Books Rising in Value in the Last Week Include Midnight Sons and Tons of Spider-Verse" list.[39] His appearance inEdge of Spider-Verse #3 was also credited as one of the key reasons the comic book sold out.[40]
Diamond Comic Distributors reported thatSpider-Boy #1 was the 3rd top advance-reordered comic book by retailers between November 20 to November 6, 2023.[41] ComicHub reported thatSpider-Boy #1 was the best-selling comic in November 2023. The ComicHub Top 200 Comics sales chart reflects sales data collected from the ComicHub system at comic shops across the globe that sell American comics. This report was created based on information from more than 125 stores that used the ComicHub system during the reporting period.[42][43]
Sayantan Gayen ofComic Book Resources calledSpider-Boy #1 a "positive debut issue," asserting that it offers the freshest take on an old formula from Marvel in recent history. He praised the potential for the character, noting that Bailey's future looks bright if the creators invest the necessary love to help him grow.[44] Matthew Aguilar ofComicBook.com gaveSpider-Boy #1 a score of 4 out of 5 stars, praising the emotional depth of Bailey's origin story and the poignant reunion that unfolds, calling it a "heartfelt" experience. He noted that the villains in the series have an appealing absurdity, which adds to its charm, with artist Paco Medina and colorist Erick Arciniega effectively embracing this whimsical style in their artwork and character designs. Aguilar also highlighted the entertaining second story, "Balloonacy," by Ty Templeton and Dee Cunniffe, appreciating the inclusion of Squirrel Girl and Tippy-Toe. He remarked that when Spider-Boy takes center stage, the series evokes a unique quality that feels special, leaving him eager to see where the story goes next.[45]
| # | Title | Material collected | Pages | Format | Released | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | End of the Spider-Verse | Spider-Man (vol. 3) #1–7 | 176 | TPB | June 6, 2023 | 978-1302946562 |
| 2 | Who Is Spider-Boy? | Spider-Man (vol. 3) #8–11 | 112 | TPB | November 14, 2023 | 978-1302946579 |
| 1 | The Web-Less Wonder | Spider-Boy #1–4; material fromAmazing Spider-Man (vol. 6) #31 | 136 | TPB | April 30, 2024 | 978-1302957155 |
| 2 | Fun & Games | Spider-Boy #5–8 | 136 | TPB | September 10, 2024 | 978-1302957162 |
| 3 | The Dragon's Challenge | Spider-Boy #11–16 | 136 | TPB | July 1, 2025 | 978-1302960377 |
| 4 | Full Circle | Spider-Boy #17–20;Kidpool/Spider-Boy (2024) #1 | 136 | TPB | November 11, 2025 | 978-1302963163 |
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