Spider-Man fans are no strangers to a bit of carnage. Cletus Kasady is perhaps the most unhinged and psychotic villain in the entire Marvel Universe, stopping at nothing to torture everyone in his path just because it's his definition of fun. Surely, no one can top his despicable acts, right? Well, someone is about to try.
Enter Torment, the "deadliest serial killer since Cletus Kasady" in Marvel's own words. After months of teasing him, the terrifying villain is finally here, courtesy of Amazing Spider-Man/Venom: Death Spiral (2026), No. 1. While the saga's opening issue spends most of its pages merely setting up a bigger (and more tragic) story to come, it also introduces Torment and reveals they have a very clear goal: kill anyone related to Peter Parker and Eddie Brock, and Mary Jane is next.
Spider-Man's newest villain, Torment, is finally here and wants to kill Mary Jane
Peter Parker, Eddie Brock, and Mary Jane haven't properly crossed paths in a long time. The wall-crawler was busy living in space while the likes of Ben Reilly and Norman Osborn attempted to cover for his absence on Earth. Eddie Brock had no option but to bond with the Carnage symbiote and go on a killing spree, hunting only the worst of the worst in the form of serial killers to keep himself alive. Meanwhile, Mary Jane bonded with the Venom symbiote and has been acting as New York's biggest protector ever since.
The three iconic characters are at completely different points in their lives, yet their paths will cross thanks to one denominator: Torment. During the events of Amazing Spider-Man/Venom: Death Spiral (2026) No. 1, comic book readers witness many people being found dead under very mysterious circumstances. One was thrown into the ocean on a cruise, another one was crushed by a falling piano, and an entire family was inside a bus when the vehicle suddenly exploded. At first, all of these murders may seem random, but looking closely, a pattern is made clear.
Torment is killing anyone whose last name is "Parker" or "Brock" (or even one remotely similar to those two options). The names of these victims are being fed to the serial killer by the Carnage symbiote, who is acting behind Eddie Brock's back. Unfortunately, the chaos isn't ending any time soon, as Torment's next victim is one Spider-Man fans are all too familiar with: Mary Jane Watson.
Marvel has teased multiple times that Torment has a "deeply personal connection" to Peter Parker. While the villain's identity remains a mystery for the time being, one big obvious candidate is Cletus Kasady, who has been mysteriously absent from the Marvel Universe in recent months. Another option is Ben Reilly, or even Peter's other clone, Kaine Parker. However, they have a bit more insight into Peter's life, so they wouldn't need to be told that Mary Jane is a good candidate for the spiral of deaths taking place in New York. Fortunately, concrete answers will come our way soon.
Amazing Spider-Man/Venom: Death Spiral (2026) No. 1 is a one-shot story, whose events will be followed in the mainline Amazing Spider-Man and Venom series. The next issue in this symbiotic storyline is The Amazing Spider-Man (2025) #23, which will be released on March 4, 2026.