Spider-Tracer: He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Other-Dimensional Evil Twin

 

If you’ve been paying attention to the current “Absolute Carnage” event, you no doubt noticed the 6-armed monstrosity bearing Spider-Man’s costume and a multitude of sharp teeth, but just what is this thing, and what’s its connection to Spider-Man? Would you believe the answers lie in “Infinity War”? No, the comic event, not the Avengers film event.

 

 

 

In 1992’s “Infinity War” #1, Adam Warlock’s evil twin, the Magus, creates several living dark mirror images of Earth’s heroes, including Spider-Man. In addition to six arms, the creature modeled after Spider-Man also came with its own supply of razor sharp webbing, in addition to being able to mimic the rest of Spidey’s powers. Spider-Man’s Doppelganger, as he would typically be referred to, was killed during a four-way battle between Spidey, Doppelganger, Jason Macendale as the Hobgoblin, and Demogoblin.

 

 

During the course of this battle that was more deeply explored in “Spider-Man” #24, the Doppelganger winds up impaled on a fence post.

 

 

However, unlike the other villainous doppelgangers, the Spider-Doppelganger found new life when he, through supernatural magic, was revived by Demogoblin, thus becoming his hideous new sidekick in the process.

The Doppelganger later returned in “Web of Spider-Man” #93 as well as in the following three issues, when it arrived, per Demogoblin’s request, to free him from confinement by attacking several guards. The dastardly duo escaped to once again go after Jason Macendale, with Spidey caught in the middle. Only, with this being the 90’s, several other guest stars pop up during the course of this battle, including Danny Ketch as Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze, two weirdos by the names of Hag and Troll, the Deathspawn, and even Venom!

 

 

Following the aforementioned battle, Doppelganger becomes separated from the Demogoblin for a time, following its own mindless path until found by Shriek and Carnage. The creature comes to view Shriek as its mother, and the three set off on a murder spree with Doppelganger’s old partner Demogoblin and Carrion for the massive “Maximum Carnage” cross-over (Doppel sure loves his crossovers doesn’t he?).

 

 

It was during this event that Carnage, in a fit of rage, decides to teach Shriek a lesson by killing her beloved pet by gutting and kicking it to the streets below.

 

 

The Doppelganger would not be seen again for quite some time until “Carnage” #1. During the course of the five issue “Carnage” mini-series, it was shown that the creature survived, complete with a new look; it had been visiting its “mother”, Shriek, for years while she was locked up in Ravencroft.

 

 

Doppelganger gets shot in half and killed again by some armored bozos, though he later revives (can anything kill him?!). By the end of the mini-series, he escapes with Carnage, later showing up in the five issue “Carnage U.S.A.” mini-series. Following Carnage’s defeat, Doppelganger gets away.

 

 

It, or another version of the Doppelganger, shows up as one of the plethora of Spider-Men during the “Spider-Verse” crossover. The creature served as little more than a background character, with no real impact upon that story.

 

 

And with that, we arrive in the present, with Doppelganger a part of Carnage’s Knull-worshipping cult, helping him tear out the spines of those who had been bonded with a symbiote previously so that Carnage could harvest the needed codexes in order to bring back Knull, the symbiote god.

 

 

Whether or not Doppelganger survives “Absolute Carnage, one thing is certain: He will be back. He always comes back…