| Pavitr Prabhakar Spider-Man | |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Spider-Man: India #1 (2004)[1][2] |
| Created by |
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| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Pavitr Prabhakar |
| Species | Human mutate |
| Place of origin | Mumbai/Mumbattan,India |
| Supporting character of |
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| Abilities | Superhuman strength, speed, agility, reflexes, durability, and balance
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| Altered in-story information for adaptations to other media | |
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Spider-Man is a superhero appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics in collaboration withGotham Entertainment. Pavitr Prabhakar is an Indianalternate version ofSpider-Man who lives inMumbai,India.[3][4]
In theMarvel Comics universe, Spider-Man lives on Earth-50101. His secret identity is Pavitr Prabhakar, a shy high school student living with his Aunt Maya and Uncle Bhim inMumbai. He has several supporting characters, such asMeera Jain,Flash Thompson,Nalin Oberoi, andDoctor Octopus. Pavitr moved to Mumbai from a small village. Despite financial struggles, his uncle was determined for him to receive a good education at the Heritage International School, one of the top schools in Mumbai.[citation needed]
Pavitr was often bullied in school for being from a village and wearing adhoti. AYogi gives him the magical powers of a spider, which he uses to fight Nalin Oberoi, an evil businessman searching for a powerful, magical amulet. In his quest, Oberoi destroys Pavitr's village, killing everyone. As Spider-Man, Pavitr defeats Oberoi and hands him over to the police.[5]
Pavitr "Pav" Prabhakar / Spider-Man India made his cinematic debut in the 2023 animated feature filmSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, voiced byKaran Soni inEnglish. He is depicted as a member ofMiguel O'Hara's Spider-Society.[6] He is set to reappear in the film's sequel,Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.
Pavitr Prabhakar first appeared inSpider-Man: India #1 (January 2005).[7][8][9][10][11] Marvel created this Indian version in collaboration with theGotham Entertainment Group, with Debdatta Das as a co-creator.[12]
Pavitr Prabhakar, an Indian boy from a remote village, moves toMumbai with the encouragement of his aunt Maya and Uncle Bhim after receiving a partial scholarship to attend Heritage International School, a prestigious academy. At school, he is frequently bullied for his rural background. His uncle urges him to endure the challenges and stay in school, believing in his potential. A popular girl, Meera Jain, befriends him after they bond over their shared experience of moving to the city from a small village.[citation needed]
Meanwhile, a localcrime lord named Nalin Oberoi uses an amulet to perform an ancient ritual, becoming possessed by ademon intent on opening a gate for other demons to invade Earth. While being chased by bullies, Pavitr encounters an ancientyogi who grants him the powers of aspider to combat the evil threatening the world. Pavitr dons the iconic Spider-Man costume and tests his new abilities, such as creating webs and clinging to walls. While exploring his powers, Pavitr witnesses a woman being attacked but dismisses it, thinking the police will intervene. Unbeknownst to him, his uncle attempts to help the woman and is fatally injured. Hearing his uncle's cry, Pavitr rushes to the scene, but it's too late. Overcome with grief, he confronts the attackers, nearly killing them before regaining control. He then realises that with great power comes great responsibility, and vows to use his abilities to protect others.[7]
Nalin Oberoi briefly reverts to human form and transforms a mild-mannereddoctor into a demon with four magical tentacles (the Indian version ofDoctor Octopus), sending him to kill Spider-Man as instructed by the demon voices. "Doc Ock" fails, and Spider-Man makes his public debut as a hero. However, the newspapers label him a threat.[7]
Oberoi kidnaps Pavitr's aunt and takes her to a refinery outside Mumbai. There, he betrays Doctor Octopus, blasting him into the ocean. Spider-Man arrives to fight Oberoi, who has also kidnapped Meera. Oberoi drops both Maya and Meera from the top of the refinery. Spider-Man dives to save his aunt but fails to rescue Meera, who is saved by Doctor Octopus. Pavitr reveals his identity to Meera and asks her to take his aunt to safety.[7]
Oberoi finally eliminates Doctor Octopus and touches Spider-Man with the amulet. AVenom-like creature emerges from the amulet, attempting to lure Spider-Man to the dark side. Pavitr remembers his uncle's words about responsibility and rejects the evil, shattering the link between Oberoi and the demons, turning Oberoi human again. Spider-Man throws the amulet into the ocean, and Oberoi is sent to a mental institution.[7]
Peace returns to Mumbai. Pavitr begins a romance with Meera and is seen celebratingDiwali with his aunt. The story concludes with a quote from theBhagavad Gita, hinting that the Venom-Demon is alive.[7]
During theSpider-Verse storyline, which featured Spider-Men from various alternate realities, Pavitr Prabhakar fought a mysterious new villain namedKarn, whom he mistook for a demon.The Superior Spider-Man (Doctor Octopus' mind in Peter Parker's body) saved him and recruited him into his army of Spiders.[13] In the second volume ofSpider-Verse, set during theSecret Wars event, Pavitr found himself in the domain ofBattleworld called Arachnia, where he teamed up withSpider-Gwen,Spider-Ham,Spider-Man Noir,Spider-UK, andAnya Corazon, although none of them remembered their previous encounter during the originalSpider-Verse.[citation needed]
Following the conclusion ofSecret Wars, the team of six Spiders that formed during the event was renamed and featured in a new ongoing series calledWeb Warriors, a name coined by Peter Parker from theUltimate Spider-Man TV series during the originalSpider-Verse.[14]
During theSpider-Geddon storyline, Pavitr, along with Spider-Girl,Spider-Punk, Spider-UK, andMaster Weaver, has been monitoring Earth-3145. They discover that the Inheritors have become malnourished since their last appearance.[15]
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James Whitbrook ofio9 ranked Pavitr fourteenth among the greatest alternate versions of Spider-Man, stating that he "shares much in common with the general Spider-Man legacy, but he's probably the best example of a foreign Spider-Man Marvel's ever attempted." Ryan Linch ofScreen Rant ranked Pavitr tenth, noting that the character "has some really clever deviations from his American counterparts, but still retains everything that makes Spider-Man great."[20][21]
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