The most iconic rogues gallery (sorry, Batman) in pop culture is getting a new member. This April, Joe Kelly, Pepe Larraz, and John Romita Jr.'s new run of Amazing Spider-Man introduces Hellgate, a mysterious adversary hell-bent on Spidey’s destruction.
Bursting on the scene with a singular purpose to humble the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man as no one else has before him, Hellgate's motives may be unclear, but his formidable strength will be immediately evident! Today, you can see Hellgate in full for the first time in a sneak peek at John Romita Jr.'s artwork from Amazing Spider-Man #1 along with his original design.
Representing Spider-Man's greatest challenge in the new era, Hellgate will force Spider-Man to endure some of his most brutal battles ever and will significantly impact the course of Peter Parker’s life - both in and out of the suit.
First briefly teased in last month's Amazing Spider-Man #65 by Joe Kelly and Cafu, it's said we can expect big reveals about Hellgate's origin, identity, and mission throughout the upcoming run’s first year.
Of course, with a name like that - and with Amazing Spider-Man #1000 fast approaching - many fans will surely be wondering whether he has anything to do with Mephisto and the fateful deal Peter Parker made with the devil, Mephisto, during "One More Day." We'll have to wait and see.
"Even though this is a new #1, I don’t think of it as a 'restart' per see," Kelly recently told Polygon. "I’m writing the next chapter of the story of one the world’s greatest characters, lucky enough to follow in the footsteps of the folks before me."
"After that sinks in, I spend a lot of time thinking about what I love about Spider-Man and his cast, what stories resonated with me at different times of my life, and how I can synthesize all of that into something that works with what came before but breaks new ground."
"I feel a drive to take bold, unexpected swings in order to see how Spider-Man deals with Marvel-sized curve balls," the writer added.
The new Amazing Spider-Man promises to deliver classic Spidey storytelling with bold new horizons for the web-slinger; his supporting cast (including the recently redeemed Norman Osborn and Peter's new girlfriend Shay), and the greatest supervillains in all of pop culture.
This run finds Peter without a job and looking for gainful employment, but his job search is interrupted by a rampaging Rhino who is but the tip of a sinister iceberg. What major Spider-Villain is working behind the scenes weaponizing other Spider-Villains including one we haven’t seen in over seven years? And what is the Goblin-free Norman Osborn up to these days?
You can take a closer look at Amazing Spider-Man's Hellgate below.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1
Written by JOE KELLY
Art by PEPE LARRAZ & JOHN ROMITA JR.
Wraparound Cover by PEPE LARRAZ
On Sale 4/9