One of Spider-Man's most underrated enemies is getting a long overdue shot at redemption thanks to Marvel's newest elemental shapeshifter.
Spectacular Spider-Men #9 finds the eponymous heroes doing everything they can to help Juliet Marcos come to terms with her unexpected new powers. After learning that she can transform into a being of pure water, it only makes sense for Peter Parker to call in one of his worst enemies to try and help Juliet through the process. Thankfully, Hydro-Man is more than happy to do what he can, especially if it helps get the Wall-Crawler off his back a little while longer.
Spectacular Spider-Men #9
- Written by GREG WEISMAN
- Art by ANDRÉS GENOLET & EMILIO LAISO
- Colors by EDGAR DELGADO
- Letters by VC's JOE CARAMAGNA
- Main cover art by EMILIO LAISO & EDGAR DELGADO
- Variant covers by DAVE JOHNSON and JOSEMARIA CASANOVAS
Juliet Marcos was one of the many New Yorkers who found themselves trapped within Arcade and Mentallo's sprawling Arcadium, an artificial world where all a person's biggest hopes and dreams could come true. Unfortunately, this was just another ploy by the villains to amass power and wealth for themselves, one which ultimately turned against them. After the artificial intelligence behind the Arcadium gained sentience, it reimagined itself as the hulking K.N.A.I.V.E., which attempted to strike out on its own before being destroyed by Peter, Miles, and their allies.
Not long after being released from the Arcaidum, Juliet joined several others in a support group for those directly affected by Arcade and Mentallo's plot. Like so many others, Juliet was left with some truly devastating traumas because of her experiences within the Arcadium, though her troubles hardly ended with its destruction. For whatever reason, Juliet has developed the ability to transform herself entirely not just into a being made of pure water, but air, earth, and fire, as well. As astonishing as this is, the apparent lack of answers regarding how her powers work or where they came from has turned her entire life into a superpowered mystery.
Morris Bench made his Marvel Comics debut back in 1980's Amazing Spider-Man #212, which saw him working as part of the crew tasked with overseeing the implementation of an underwater generator just off the coast of New York City. When things went awry, Spider-Man leaped into action, accidentally pushing Bench into the water in the process. Due to the strange energies produced by this generator, Bench found himself imbued with a kind of power he could never have imagined before. In the end, Bench was given the ability to transform into a being of pure living water, giving rise to his early career as the villainous Hydro-Man. In recent years, Hydro-Man had his powers stolen away by the serial killer symbiote known as Carnage, though he escaped an untimely demise when the latter failed to absorb the one molecule containing his consciousness.
Spectacular Spider-Men #9 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.
