A Classic X-Men Villain’s Deadliest Creation Becomes Spider-Man’s Biggest Problem

Marvel’s Spectacular Spider-Men are going head-to-head with an enemy born from a classic X-Men villain’s greatest creation.

After a brutal confrontation with an army of Arcade’s superpowered robots and the Maggia gang lord known as Hammerhead, the eponymous heroes of Spectacular Spider-Men #7 find themselves staring down an even greater threat. Thanks to the manipulations of Miles Warren—better known as the Jackal—the artificial intelligence in control of Arcade’s new Murderworld, the Arcadium, has been given a life of its own. Worse still, the newly christened K.N.A.I.V.E. has a body of its own, too, and it has no intention of backing down from the fight at hand.

Written by GREG WEISMAN Art by HUMBERTO RAMOS Inks by VICTOR OLAZABA Colors by EDGAR DELGADO Letters by VC’s JOE CARAMAGNA Main cover art by HUMBERTO RAMOS & EDGAR DELGADO Variant cover by FRANCESCO MANNA & EDGAR DELGADO

The villain known as Arcade made his comic book debut back in 1977’s Marvel Team-Up #65 by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne. Although Arcade’s exact origin story has been called into question numerous times over the years, there is no doubt that he made his reputation as one of the Marvel Universe’s most stylish assassins. Rather than simply killing his targets, Arcade creates lavish arenas known as Murderworld populated by robotic monstrosities and lethal traps, all of which serve to carry out his gruesome games in the most extravagant fashion possible.

Arcade has long been associated with the X-Men who, among other mutants, have been his prime targets for the majority of his career. It’s only in more recent years that Arcade has officially disavowed himself of targeting mutants following countless failed attempts to destroy the likes of the X-Men. Instead, Arcade has begun focusing on more ordinary victims who are less likely to survive his games and more likely to help him rake in the cash of unscrupulous audience members who place bets on the inevitable bloody outcome.

Spectacular Spider-Men marked the debut of Arcade’s latest creation, the Arcadium, which is the successor to his previous Murderworlds. This high-tech locale is capable of creating lifelike illusions and recreating various scenes and landscapes all within the confines of itself. Developed alongside the similarly villainous Mentallo, the Arcadium was intended to serve as a means of keeping wealthy New Yorkers captive without their knowledge, all so their fortunes could be stolen away without worry of any recourse. Soon enough, both Peter Parker and Miles Morales found themselves dragged into the Arcadium’s halls of horror, which, in turn, gave the villains behind it a chance to try and uncover the secret identities of the heroes in question.

Spectacular Spider-Men #7 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.

Source: Marvel Comics