After 61 Years, This New Design Modernizes a Retro Spider-Man Villain

Summary

• The Living Brain warns that “Peter Parker is not Spider-Man” as it evolves into the hero-combatting Walking Brain.
• A hero, the Living Brain takes center stage to confront Spider-Goblin, undergoing a major modern upgrade.
• After 61 years, a classic
  Spider-Man
  villain, the Living Brain, is reimagined as a hero set to battle Spider-Goblin.

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Amazing Spider-Man #50! The Spider-Man franchise has been the subject of some major changes and updates in its recent canon, with the return of a major villain, the corruption of an iconic hero, and the evolution of a retro bad guy. And that last point is arguably the most noteworthy of the bunch, as this evolution is one that seems to be here to stay, with Marvel Comics modernizing a Spider-Man villain who’s been under the radar for 61 years.

In The Amazing Spider-Man #50 by Zeb Wells and Ed McGuinness, Peter Parker is called to the Oscorp office (after accepting a job there to keep an eye on the allegedly reformed Norman Osborn) after there’s a problem that requires his immediate attention. Despite being on patrol as Spider-Man at the time, Parker rushes to the office, as there seems to be something wrong with the company’s most recent scientific acquisition: the Living Brain.

The Living Brain, which is housed in the sub-basement of Oscorp, has been dormant for quite some time, with Oscorp scientists (Parker included) assigned to monitor it for any activity. In this issue, that activity occurred, as the Living Brain nearly fried itself trying to send a message – a warning – to anyone who will listen: “Peter Parker is not Spider-Man”. As it did so, the Living Brain created a mechanical body for itself, within itself, that emerged from the giant green brain in order to not only pass on the incredibly important message, but presumably to do something about it.

The Living Brain evolved into a new form that could be strong enough to stop Spider-Goblin: The Walking Brain.

Marvel Comics is Paying Off a 61-Year-Old Spider-Man Story with the Living Brain’s Upgrade

The Amazing Spider-Man #8 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

Peter Parker was called into the Oscorp office in this new Spider-Man issue because the Living Brain had a message about him after nearly destroying itself to send it. However, the Living Brain also made its own message come to fruition, as Spider-Man’s arrival at Oscorp allowed the Green Goblin to corrupt Parker’s mind, transforming him into the Spider-Goblin. And now, the Living Brain has created a new form for itself to stop this new villainous version of the wall-crawler, which is an interesting parallel to the Living Brain’s first appearance.

The Living Brain debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #8 when it was brought to Peter’s high school after its creator asserted that it could answer any question. So, one student posed the most pressing question of that time: who is Spider-Man? While the Living Brain couldn’t adequately answer the question before going haywire, Amazing Spider-Man #50 confirms that it knew who Spider-Man was all along. “Peter Parker is not Spider-Man” is only a warning because he’s no longer Spider-Man, he’s the Spider-Goblin, which is only alarming if the Living Brain knew his identity from the start – just as its debut teased.

The Living Brain’s ‘Walking Brain’ Upgrade Transforms this Classic Spider-Man Villain into a Hero

The Living Brain may have been introduced as a Spider-Man villain, and carried that torch for some time afterward, but The Amazing Spider-Man #50 presents it as a hero who is willing to nearly destroy itself to stop the rise of the Spider-Goblin. Spider-Goblin has already been called the most dangerous villain in the Marvel Universe, and with its new form, the Walking Brain might be the only one strong enough to stop him.

While fans haven’t yet seen the extent of the Living Brain’s upgrade, it’s decidedly more impressive than its previous form as just a giant green brain with no body at all – and only time will tell if it will be a match for Spider-Goblin. But, until then, readers can enjoy the fact that, after 61 years, this retro villain, the Living Brain, has finally been modernized in the current Spider-Man canon.

The Amazing Spider-Man #50 by Marvel Comics is available now.