Spider-Man's Tangled Web #3
The Coming of the Thousand Part 3
A prisoner in his own apartment, Spider-Man is about to be consumed by the Thousand, a collective of spiders that was once Carl King, Peter Parker’s old elementary school bully. Before the spiders can consume the wall-crawler his screams draw Mister Ambrose, Peter’s landlord. Annoyed by the interruption, the Thousand swarms Ambrose, consuming his insides and taking possession of his body. This horrifies Spider-Man who asks Carl how he came to be like this. King decides to tell him, since he intends to consume Spider-Man’s body and take possession of him just the same way soon enough. He explains that after he saw Peter get bit by the radioactive spider and become Spider-Man, he decided he wanted the same power as well.[1] He went back to the exhibition hall where he found the dead spider and ate it, thinking the radiation will give him his spider-powers. Instead, it turned him into the Thousand, a collective of spiders that live within the skin of a human host. Horrified by this transformation, Carl’s screams drew his mother into the bathroom and he was even more horrified when he consumed his mother and took her skin. Although this was horrific for Carl King, he found it easier when he later killed his dead beat father. He soon discovered that with each new body he took he became stronger and vowed that he would eventually go after Spider-Man and takes what he believes was rightfully his.
Hearing all of this convinces Spider-Man what he always knew about Carl King, that he was a sick sadist that everyone feared. Breaking free from his bonds, Spider-Man tries to fight King, but gets thrown out onto the roof of the building next door. As Carl pounds on Spider-Man, he blames Peter Parker for everything that happened to him after he became the Thousand. He tells the web-slinger how his next victim after his parents was his girlfriend and how he has killed at least a dozen people each year after that.[2] When Spider-Man doesn’t fight back, King gloats, thinking that Peter has reverted back to his old role of being a victim. However, Spider-Man gets to his feet and removes his mask, telling Carl that he is not afraid of him. He then punches Spider-Man’s host body, cleaving off the top half of its head, revealing the large spider the controls the Thousand. Although Spider-Man gets a few good punches in, the Thousand overpowers him and throws the wall-crawler up against an electrical box.
When King tries to land the killing blow, Spider-Man leaps out of the way, causing the Thousand to strike the electrical box. The resulting electrical jolt sets the Thousand’s host body catch on fire. Scrambling to get away, the Thousand falls off the roof and falls to the ground where his body is seemingly burnt to ash. Later, Peter Parker goes to his Aunt May’s house where he asks to stay while his apartment gets repaired. When she asks about his injuries, he tells her that he tripped and fell down the stairs. As the two dance the night away, the Carl King — who is now just one surviving spider — vows to get his revenge. However, this lone spider falls victim to the hustle and bustle of Times Square and is squashed under the foot of a passerby.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, The Thousand, Aunt May
Continuity Notes
Spider-Man's origins are recounted in Amazing Fantasy #15.
Per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616, the events of Amazing Fantasy #15 took place roughly 10 years prior to this story. This would suggest that Carl King has murdered around 120 people since becoming the Thousand.
