Venom was the first symbiote introduced by Marvel Comics, but in the years since, countless others have followed. A few have become every bit as iconic as the original (Carnage, for example), but there are others even the most die-hard comic book fans have likely forgotten.
In today's Amazing Spider-Man #17, Peter Parker finds himself trapped in Limbo by Ben Reilly, a.k.a. Chasm. His only means of escape is to willingly give his soul - and memories - to the clone. Until then, the wall-crawler is stuck in a demon-filled, twisted version of his life alongside J. Jonah Jameson and Robbie Robertson.
On his way to work, Peter saves one of those demons from taking a nasty beating, inspiring him to also be a hero.
Rejected by Ben and Madelyne Pryor - who have just created the Insidious Six - the demon is offered the chance to become something more by his brother (who acquired a piece of the symbiote in a recent issue of Venom). Using a combination of the alien, magic, and the Spider-man t-shirt above, a new symbiote is born.
Later, with the actual Spider-Man overcome by the Insidious Six, an unexpected ally arrives on the scene: Rek-Rap. We're not sure how much of a future this symbiote has in the Marvel Universe, but Limbo just got a formidable new protector who we'd love to see make it to Earth down the line.
We can see Rek-Rap (yes, that is just "Parker" backwards) being a hit with fans, though if he is just part of the Dark Web storyline, then we're hoping his role in the story is a fun one.
This battle against the Insidious Six looks set to play out in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man #18, and we'll be sure to let you know what becomes of the pint-sized demon turned Venom-like "superhero" a couple of weeks from now. In the meantime, let us know your thoughts on Rek-Rap's debut in the comments section below.