Spider-Man is overall a balanced hero, who doesn’t often fall into ultra violence. Often considered the friendly little spider of the neighborhood, it’s rare for Spider-Man to lose control of his powers or fall into overconfidence and violence. However, one of his abilities clearly sends shivers down the spine…
An ability inherited from Kaine Parker
Peter Parker isn’t the only Spider-Man in the Marvel Universe. There are many other variants of our dear friend. The most famous being obviously Spider-Woman, Milles Morales and Spider-Gwen. Among the other Spider-Men, we can also quote Kaine Parker. This last one is a clone of Peter Parkercreated by Le Chacal during the Clone Saga. Basically, Kaine Parker is created to replace Peter and become a dark Spider-Man in the service of the Jackal. But Kaine manages to free himself from the yoke of his creator, and decides to take his destiny into his own hands. He then becomes a Spider-Man too, by calling himself Scarlet Spider.
Kaine Parker is capable of doing everything that Peter Parker is capable of. He uses webs, has spider-sense, and can climb walls. But in addition to the usual spider-man abilities, he has an additional power that he develops himself. Kaine can indeed channel in his hands the heat of the walls he is climbing. He can then use this heat to leave a burning handprint on his enemies. A power he quickly called Kaine’s Mark.
Kaine’s Mark
When Kaine Parker gets killed instead of Peter in the arc Grim Hunt, Spider-Man decides to take back the Mark of Kaine as a tribute to his fallen brother. In Amazing Spider-Man #637, Peter Parker seeks revenge on the Kraven family who made him drool and murdered Kaine Parker. Dressed in his black suit, which he uses on his most morally questionable missions, Peter attacks Sasha Kravinoff, Kraven’s wife. The latter is partly responsible for the deaths of Kaine but also of Madame Web, another ally of Spider-Man. In mad rage, Peter then uses the Mark of Kaine to rip Sasha Kravinoff’s face off.. This is one of the moments where Spider-Man goes off the rails.
None of the film adaptations of Spiderman did not take over this unprecedented ability from Peter Parker. It must be said that in many respects, the films Spiderman embody the character’s abnegation and sensitivity. None of the films really tackles the dark side of the hero, who always remains the friendly neighborhood spider. But if one day someone has to come up with a Spiderman more violent, might as well incorporate the Mark of Kaine into the equation.