A new Spider-Verse themed variant cover for May’s Scarlet Witch #5 reveals a mashup that can best be described as the “real Scarlet Spider.”
This May, the Scarlet Witch will get a new costume in cover art inspired by the Spider-Verse, making her Marvel’s real “Scarlet Spider.” In June, audiences will once again enter the Spider-Verse in the animated film Across the Spider-Verse and to celebrate, not only is Marvel releasing a brand-new Edge of Spider-Verse title, but also a line of variant covers featuring Spider-variants of some of the publisher’s most popular characters–and on the cover for May’s Scarlet Witch #5, Wanda gets a new spider-themed costume, making her the real “Scarlet Spider.”
Marvel unveiled the cover by Marc Aspinall as part of a line-wide reveal of the Spider-Verse variants, which will go on sale throughout the month of May. The cover features the Scarlet Witch wearing a spider-themed variant of her current costume. She is swinging on a web through what appears to be a magical portal, with a view of the New York City skyline in the background. As the Scarlet Witch swings through the portal, her hair billows in the breeze, revealing a trippy and cool cosmic effect.
Wanda is cool and confident, wielding the powers of the spider well; this also reflects Wanda’s characterization in her new ongoing title, which has seen her take charge of her life and come to terms with past mistakes. Wanda truly has become the “Scarlet Spider.”
The Scarlet Witch is Perfect to Have Spider-Powers
Long-time Spider-Man fans will recognize the name “Scarlet Spider.” Shortly after Ben Reilly, the clone of Peter Parker returned to the Marvel Universe, he took the name the “Scarlet Spider,” and created an outfit distinctly different from Spider-Man’s. For a brief period, Reilly, believing himself to be the real Peter Parker, took up the mantle of Spider-Man, but when the real deal returned, he resumed a career as the Scarlet Spider. But now, on this new variant cover, Wanda Maximoff debuts a new costume that shows she is the real Scarlet Spider.
While the Spider-Verse has been around in the comics for several years, the 2018 film Into the Spider-Verse helped popularize the concept and now Marvel has seized on the excitement surrounding the release of its sequel. These new variant covers feature some of the unique Spider variants seen yet–including the Scarlet Witch. Aspinall’s cover shows that if Wanda had been bitten by the radioactive spider instead of Peter, she would have been an amazing Spider variant. Not only would she have access to the proportional strength and agility of a spider, but combining these newfound abilities with her powerful magic could serve her well in the Spider-Verse, which is imbued with mysticism and magic. Interestingly enough, both Scarlet Witch and Ben Reilly have a great deal in common. The two have suffered greatly, experiencing massive personal and psychic trauma; both Wanda and Ben have also been viewed with mistrust and suspicion by their fellow heroes and the two are sometimes viewed as unstable.
Currently, in the comics, both Ben and Wanda find themselves at a crossroads in their careers. The Scarlet Witch has opened her own business, which doubles as a front for a supernatural investigation firm, whereas Ben was recently corrupted by the Goblin Queen, becoming the evil Chasm. The Scarlet Witch is well on her way to making amends for past misdeeds and restoring burnt bridges, but Ben once again has a long road to recovery ahead of him. Both Ben Reilly and the Scarlet Witch are outsiders, making this Spider-Verse mash-up, which creates the real Scarlet Spider, perfect.
Peach Momoko’s Demon Wars: Scarlet Sin will feature the talented creator’s Japanese folktale interpretation of Wanda Maximoff as its main antagonist.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for Demon Wars: Down in FlamesPeach Momoko‘s magical “Momoko-verse” has been a delight since it first started in Demon Days: X-Men, and the conclusion to her second Marvel series, Demon Wars, will feature a Japanese folktale interpretation of the Scarlet Witch, as the terrifying antagonist of Demon Wars: Scarlet Sin.
Marvel’s “Momoko-verse” is an alternate universe completely curated by the talented Japanese artist and writer Peach Momoko that offers an ethereal, exciting, and beautiful interpretation of classic Marvel characters and events, all grounded in real life Japanese folklore. Momoko’s Demon Days and Demon Wars focuses on protagonist Mariko Yashida, revealed to be a descendent of the ancient Oni King Kigandoshi, as she travels to the yokai spirit world of Ikai in an attempt to resolve a centuries-long feud between rival yokai groups. The recent Demon Wars: Down in Flames has revealed that the true big bad is Momoko’s version of Wanda Maximoff, called Momiji.
Peach Momoko’s Scarlet Witch Is Called “Momiji”
Marvel recently unveiled Peach Momoko’s designs for Momiji, which in Japanese is the word for the red-brimmed leaf of the Japanese Maple tree. Momiji is a haunting figure with massive demonic horns who adorns a hannya mask from traditional Japanese Noh theater. Speaking on her interpretation of the Scarlet Witch Momoko said, “The first thought that came to mind to represent Scarlet Witch was her anger and betrayal… Hannya in Japan is used in Noh theater to represent a woman’s anger and jealousy, and these vengeful spirits turn her into a demon.” This indicates that Momoko’s interpretation may have been influenced by Wanda in Multiverse of Madness. The great mystery of Demon Wars revolves around Kigandoshi’s head, which was severed by a samurai after the Oni King threatened to destroy the human world. It was later turned into a set of red jaw armor passed down through Mariko’s family until it was given to her in Demon Days, which was the beginning of her Oni abilities. The two rival factions of the yokai are led by Bake-yoroi, an amazing interpretation of Iron Man, who wants to keep Kigandoshi depowered and Yamato, Momoko’s interpretation of Captain America, who wants Mariko to return Kidandoshi’s head to him to empower him and allow them to once again emerge into the human world.
The conclusion to Demon Wars: Down in Flames revealed that the yokai Yamato was in fact not Yamato at all, but a being controlled by Momiji, or “The Scarlet Hannya,” who is clearly holding intense anger and vengeful energy against the human world. Marvel revealed that Momiji is just as powerful as Wanda Maximoff of Earth-616 and that this new devilish enemy, “…has a scheme of her own, and she wants to paint the world…scarlet.” Momoko’s design for Momiji is downright terrifying, showing a version of Scarlet Witch at her most vengeful and angry, willing to do whatever it takes to get revenge on those who have harmed her. Presumably Demon Wars: Scarlet Sin – which is co-scripted by Zach Davisson – will delve into just what happened to make Momiji have such violently righteous rage. Mariko Yashida is an incredibly powerful yokai in her own right, the direct descendent of the Oni King himself, but none ofher powerful fighting abilities would seem to be useful against the destructive power of a yokai with chaos magic. What sets Mariko apart from the yokai living in the Ikai is that she doesn’t have centuries of festering resentment and anger, allowing her to view things more practically and empathetically. Hopefully her desire for peace and safety for both the human and yokai world will be enough to stop Momiji’s path of destruction.
omiji Represents A Terrifying, Vengeful Anger
Unsurprisingly, the powerful Scarlet Witch is terrifyingly powerful in whatever universe she appears in, and Peach Momoko‘s Japanese folktale interpretation of Wanda Maximoff is sure to turn Mariko’s world scarlet in the epic conclusion to Momoko’s Demon Wars event.
source: mavel
