Name

Aliases

What was that? TheSpider-Bride. There you are. The spinner at the center of the web. It's time. TheGreat Hunt begins. From this moment on, let all Hell break loose!

Origin[]

In the distant past, Morlun andhis family were by their father,Solus into the totem of the leech, forcing them all to feed on other totems so they could live forever.^[13][14] They took part in a battle against theMaster Weaver and succeeded in capturing it and using its power to travel between dimensions and hunt all Spider-Totemic avatars.^[5]

At some point in the past, Morlun travelled toEarth-616 and hunted a Spider-Totem namedEzekiel Sims, who managed to elude him. Ezekiel would go on to compile research on Morlun and take measures to protect future generations of Spider-Totems, such asCindy Moon andPeter Parker, explaining the totemic side of their powers, warning them about Morlun, and attempting to take them into protective custody.^[6]

After Peter's meeting with Ezekiel, Morlun and his hapless minionDex subtly began tormenting Peter from the shadows, stalking him and wreaking havoc with his spider-sense. Morlun finally revealed himself when Spider-Man was investigating a fire at the wharf, punching him with what Spider-Man claimed was the hardest punch he had ever felt.^[15] Morlun then told Spider-Man that he would eventually kill him, and now that they had made physical contact, he could find Spider-Man wherever he went. Though Spider-Man fought back, Morlun continually regained the upper hand. Peter tried to flee, but Morlun was able to find him easily and resume the fight. Spider-Man finally got away after Morlun burned down the building they were fighting in, but Ezekiel told him it was no use. Morlun would find him once again, and kill him.^[7]

Morlun continually attacked Spider-Man over the next few days, endangering the lives of innocent citizens if Peter tried to flee. With Ezekiel's help, Peter managed to briefly escape with a sample of Morlun's blood, which he discovered contained the DNA of every genus in the animal kingdom. Realizing that Morlun's DNA was pure, Peter found a weakness he could exploit.^[16] Luring Morlun to a nuclear power plant, Spider-Man injected himself with a dose of radiation that would kill a normal human being, but was only enough to weaken him due to the radiation already in his blood. When Morlun arrived, he prepared to feed, only to be burned instead by the radiation in Peter's blood. Peter explained that he wasn't a pure spider totem as Morlun had guessed due to the spider that bit him having been previously subjected to a dose of radiation, and that while Morlun could feed on the spider, he couldn't digest the radiation.^[17]

Absorbing the radiation rather than his spider-powers with every punch Peter threw at him, Morlun began to disintegrate, and he pleaded for Spider-Man to spare his life, saying he was merely doing what was necessary for his survival and that it was nothing personal. While Peter debated on whether or not to let a monster like Morlun go, Dex suddenly appeared and shot Morlun, causing him to crumble to dust.^[8]

Mysterious Return[]

Morlun reappeared months later and plagued Spider-Man with sudden and mysterious appearances, warning him that he was coming to finish him. Spider-Man, for a reason not explainable by science, was dying, and Morlun hung back to watch the causes and effects of his ailment.^[9] Finally, Morlun struck, and in a climactic battle, brutally beat Spider-Man. Morlun left when the police arrived, opting for a more appropriate time to absorb Spider-Man's life force, leaving the web-slinger one-eyed and near-death.^{[18][19][20][21][22]}

Returning soon thereafter, Morlun entered Spider-Man's room in the Emergency Ward and prepared to feast, apparently unconcerned about the presence of the Avengers (of theNew Avengers line-up) in the hospital to check up on their teammate -Captain America,Iron Man, andLuke Cage had come in the front door whileMary Jane and an uncostumedJessica Drew snuck in around the back.^[23] Mary Jane, who arrived at Peter's room just as Morlun was about to feed, tried to stop him, but he casually broke her forearm and threw her off to one side. As it appeared he would kill her, Spider-Man suddenly sprung to life in a ferocious display of mysterious new powers, including stingers sprouting from his arms that he used to pin Morlun down, and fangs that he used to rip Morlun's throat out. Morlun died once again, crumbling to dust, weakly saying that it wasn't supposed to be this way.^[24][25][26]

Against the Panther[]

Sometime later, theCrocodile Cult resurrected Morlun so that he could devour theBlack Panther totem and in turn weaken the nation ofWakanda.^[27] As a start, Morlun fed on the long-term Panther adversaryMan-Ape. He was defeated by the new Black Panther,Shuri, who, with the help of a witch-doctor, sent Morlun into limbo,^[3] where he was forced to battle the endless hordes of Death.^[28][29]

Great Hunt[]

At some point Morlun escaped Limbo and continued with the hunt. However, his deaths made him develop a fear ofEarth-616, so he continued on to other universes. He traveled toEarth-311 and killed and drained the life essence of that universe's Spider-Man,Peter Parquagh.^[30] With the release of theSpider-Bride Morlun began the Great Hunt.^[31] Morlun also orchestratedNaamurah’s invasion ofEarth-31411 to overshadow his true plan: to find and killThe Spider-Man, and succeeded. Morlun also attacked and killed amonstrous Spider-Man who had only been a totem for three days.^[32] He later arrived atanother Earth, where he slaughteredthe Iceman andthe Firestar of that world before killingthe Spider-Man of that world, leaving a helplessMs. Lion to whimper by herself, though this was watched bya rookie Captain Britain.^[33] Morlun hunted down several incarnations of Miguel O'Hara, killing the Miguel fromEarth-6375 as he enteredEarth-616. Rather than kill the shocked Miguel fromEarth-928, however, Morlun expressed fear at the prospect of returning to a universe where he was killed three times and instead retreated.^[34] Morlun also chased theSpider-Gwen toEarth-41940, causing his family to come into conflict with theSpider-Men.^[35] He later went toEarth-13, with hisfather and brotherJennix and captured the Scion, who was revealed to beBenjy Parker.^[36]

When the Inheritors managed to gather the other two spider-totems needed to perform a ritual,The Other andThe Bride, theSpider-Army formed to oppose the Inheritors travelled to their base,Loomworld, to stop them.^[37]

In the end, the Spider-Army managed to overpower the Inheritors and stop the ritual which would've ended them all. The Inheritors were left inEarth-3145, a universe with a radioactive Earth, where they would die due to them being extremely vulnerable to radiation, and couldn't escape, because theMaster Weaver they had enslaved and used to travel across the Multiverse had been killed. However, Spider-Man gave them the knowledge of a shelter inSims Tower, where they could survive, but not pose a threat anymore.^[38]

Spider-Geddon[]

The Inheritors eventually escaped their prison after Jennix managed to hackOtto Octavius's databases, using Otto's spare clone bodies as a means of transferring their souls into Earth-616. While his brothers and sisters engaged the rest of the Spider-Army, Morlun was focused on one goal: to eliminatePeter Parker once and for all.^[39]

Locating Peter quickly, Morlun proceeded to chase him throughout the city and gravely wound him, even breaking the latter's wrist and Dimensional Travel Watch. Morlun was prevented from making the kill by the arrival of Miles Morales and several other distractions thrown at him by the Spider-Men, frustrating him immensely.^[40] Eventually, Morlun was trapped in a cage and rendered unconscious by multiple sedatives shot at him by both Peter and members of the NYPD.^[41] After the defeat of his father, the Spider-Army managed to turn Morlun's siblings in to babies and remove their hunger for Totems. Peter asked Miles to call NYPD to bring Morlun so that he could be turned to a baby too.^[13]

Last Remains[]

Morlun was however captured by an unknown group of scientists who imprisoned and experimented on him. Morlun managed to free himself, killing the scientists, and went to live in the sewers eating spiders. AfterSin-Eater injected his followers with theSpider-Virus, Morlun sensed them and went after them.^[10][42]

After feasting on the mutated man-spiders, Morlun was attacked by Sin-Eater. While Morlun firstly was easily defeating him and boasting how he would feast on Carter even if he was just a man, Carter managed to disorient Morlun with a grenade and shoot him with his shotgun,^[11] allowing Carter to absorb Morlun's powers. After the Sin-Eater committed suicide,^[43] Morlun regained his powers and was returned to normal.^[44]

When the Sin-Eater's master, the demonicKindred twins, enacted their final attack against Spider-Man, they used their powers to pull into their service an army of super villains, including Morlun, due to his involvement in the Sin-Eater's rampage. They participated in a battle royale for Spider-Man's head untilDoctor Octopus freed himself and the other contestants from the Kindreds' control.^[12]

End of the Spider-Verse[]

Eager to reunite with his family, who he believed had returned toLoomworld, Morlun ripped offSpider-Boy's arm and claimed hisDimensional Travel Watch in order to reachEarth-3123. ConfrontingSpider-Ma'am, who took care of the infant Inheritors, he was unaware she had eaten them after becoming a Spider-Wasp. Confronting the totemic wasp-goddessShathra, who had been freed once more, Morlun was sent toEarth-616 Beta following the conflict. Wounded and beaten, he was joined with the remaining Spiders tothe ensuing confrontation. Deciding to set his hatred for Earth-616's Spider-Man aside, he sought him out to warn him and propose an alliance. Having already been warned of another "Spider-Verse" threat, Spider-Man assumed Morlun was responsible given their past and attacked the Inheritor on-sight. However, Shathra's wasp-totems attacked and Morlun angrily elaborated the situation before he, Peter, Miles, and Cindy were confronted wasp infected former allies sent from theGreat Nest.^[45] Morlun and the others were saved byAraña and relocated to Earth-616 Beta. After they were appraised of their situation, Peter wanted to have more members to their ranks while Morlun had to clarify that all present were all that remained.^[1]

Morlun decided to use theTotem Dagger on Shathra, hopeful it would disconnect her from the Web of Life. Morlun used his Dimensional Travel Watch to return to Earth-616 and retrieve it. Fighting the corrupted Spider-Wasps--Noir,Punk,Mayday, andGhost-Spider-- that he believed were in possession, he managed to defeat them with the help ofSilk,Sun-Spider,Web-Weaver, andSpintress. However, Spinstress was turned into a Spider-Wasp and allowed the others to escape with the Dagger, which was used to disconnect Peter Parker-616. Returning to their base, Madame Web revealed who was most likely to defeat Shathra, Peter's prototype - Earth-616 Beta'sPeter Palmer.^[46]

As Shathra's plan came to fruition, the Spiders decided to bring the fight to her base, disguising as Spider-Wasps and bringing Peter Palmer there. However, he was easily subdued so Morlun grabbed the retrieved Totem Dagger and stabbed Shathra only for nothing to happen. Shathra revealed Morlun and the otherInheritors where the Totems of theleech and had no power to stop her. Humiliated and defeated, Morlun tried to absorb Silk's life-energy (who was revealed to be thereal chosen one to defeat Shathra), only for her to stab him with the Dagger and starting repair the Web of Life and Destiny with the liberated energy, resulting in every Spider-Totem he had ever absorbed to be released, restoring the Web and allowing the Spiders to defeat Shathra, leaving him weakened in the suburbs ofNew York City once again,^[47] though onEarth-31.

Morlun possesses a variety of superhuman attributes as a result of his unique physiology:

• Life-Force Absorption: Morlun's primary power is the ability to absorb the life force energy of other living creatures, thereby granting himself superhuman physical abilities. Even though Morlun can absorb the energies of virtually any being, he must occasionally renew himself by feeding upon pure forms of animal-related superbeings from one of the four categories that make up his own, unusually pure, DNA; such as animal, insect, human, and bird. Once Morlun has touched a human, he is able to sense that person's life force across great distances. While the limit of this ability isn't known, it allowed him to easily follow and track Spider-Man across New York City.^[16] Having absorbed so many Spider-Totems into his being, Morlun technically became a Totem himself, until he was killed, releasing all of the Totems he had absorbed.^[49]
• Superhuman Strength: Morlun possesses superhuman strength that varies according to how recently he has fed and on what kind of source, but he has demonstrated strength capable of lifting an estimated 20 tons. While fighting the Black Panther, he ripped apart anAdamantium net with his bare hands. Spider-Man states that Morlun's punches are the hardest he has ever felt, suggesting that the 20 ton capability is his baseline.^[7]
• Superhuman Speed: Morlun can run and move at speeds that are beyond the physical limits of the finest human athlete. Though the exact limit is unknown, he has been shown to climb several flights of stairs and cover several blocks in only slightly more time than it takes Spider-Man to reach the same destination by web-swinging.^[16] However this is likely due to the experience and training that themainstream Spider-Man has, as bothSpider-Punk, and theSuperior Spider-Man have stated that Morlun was too fast for their spider-sense.^[36]
• Superhuman Stamina: Morlun's musculature produces less fatigue toxins than the fatigue toxins of human beings. While his stamina depends upon he's fed, Morlun can physically exert himself at peak capacity for at least several hours before the build up of fatigue toxins in his blood begins to impair him.^{[citation needed]}
• Superhuman Durability: Morlun's body is tougher and more resistant to certain types of injury than the body of a human being. It is known that Morlun can withstand great impact forces, such as being physically struck by Spider-Man, that would severely injure or kill a human, most notably being hit by avibranium-tipped nuclear missile.^{[citation needed]} Morlun's resistant to penetration wounds from bullets and bladed weaponry is equally high, and was unfazed whenWolverine stabbed him.^[34]
• Superhuman Agility: Morlun's agility, balance, and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete.^{[citation needed]}
• Superhuman Reflexes: Morlun's reflexes are similarly enhanced and are superior to those of the finest human athlete.^[16]
• Immortality: Morlun is functionally immortal in the sense that he is immune to the effects of aging and all known diseases. However, he can be killed if wounded severely enough. However, he has been shown to survive at least two separate deaths, with one of his siblings stating that the only way to kill him permanently is to totally deplete his store of life force.^{[citation needed]}
• Flight: Morlun can fly.^[35]

• Dependency: Morlun must regularly feed on the life forces of other living beings to stay alive. However, in order to renew himself and to prolong his extremely long lifespan, he must feed on totemic (purer) sources occasionally. Morlun has also proven highly vulnerable to exposure to high levels of radiation. However, Morlun must always be concentrating on keeping himself invincible. He eventually lets his guard down when he is feeding. This weakness enabled Ezekiel to break his nose and the Other to kill him. When his guard is down, he is as vulnerable as any regular human.

• Morlun appeared to have a reptilian appearance after his first defeat by Spider-Man after being beaten bloody combined with a heavy dose of radiation^[8]
• After his repeated defeats inEarth-616 at the hand of Spider-Man, Morlun has developed a fear of Earth-616.^[34]
• It's stated inAmazing Spider-Man (Vol. 3) #9 that Morlun is Solus' heir.
• Morlun appears to be the most loved of his family. He is his father's favorite,^[50]Mortia,Malos, andThanis attempted to avenge his death,^[51] andBrix respects his wishes.^[52]
• While in Germany, he fed on a presumably badger-based totem named Patrick "Dachs" Kurz.^[53]
• After Morlun was pierced by the Totem Dagger, the life energy of every totem he ever consumed over his life was released back into the Great Web, meaning that any or all of Morlun's victims could have been restored to life.^[54]

• In the video gameSpider-Man Unlimited, Morlun is voiced byTravis Willingham.
• Morlun's palm suckers were similar to those ofMorbius fromSpider-Man: The Animated Series.
• Morlun remembers the time when Peter Parker was the receptacle of the Other.^[37] However,Mephisto's meddling with the timestream ensured that Peter rejected the Other, causing it to seek out Kaine as a host instead.
  • Since Morlun isn't from Earth-616, he most likely was outside the 616 timeline when the reality warp happened, and not subjected to that reality being rewritten.
• It is implied that Morlun prefers not to involve himself in metahuman affairs unless Spider-Totems are involved, and sees metahumans who are not spider-totems as little more than trifling distractions or minor annoyances (depending on how much they attack him), but will fight back whenever provoked.

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