In the latest issue of “Amazing Spider-Man,” one of Peter Parker’s video game villains reveals why he willingly sought out Sin-Eater and gave up his powers.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Amazing Spider-Man #58 by Nick Spencer, Marcelo Ferreira, Wayne Faucher, Morry Hollowell, & VC’s Joe Caramagna, on sale now.
When Sin-Eater died, most of the sins and powers he took from his victims raced back to their original owners. However, two villains appear to have remained free from their previous lives, Norman Osborn and Mister Negative, Martin Li.
Norman explained to Spider-Man he did not get his powers or sins back, and he has a clear head for the first time since the two met. Martin Li appears to have had a similar experience, and Amazing Spider-Man #58 sees him venturing to the F.E.A.S.T. Project and asking Aunt May for help. After explaining to May what happened after Sin-Eater died, Li explained the shocking moment he willingly turned himself over to the villain and allowed his powers to be taken.
Before becoming Mister Negative, Martin Li was one of three people captured by the Maggia crime family and experimented on. He and two teenagers were the only ones to survive the experiments and escape. These three people became Cloak, Dagger, and Mister Negative. The experiments gave him amazing powers, the ability to control the Darkforce and Lightforce. However, the powers also had the side effect of splitting his personality into the good-hearted Martin Li and the villainous Mister Negative.
Martin Li explained to Aunt May his decision to go to Sin-Eater and voluntarily give up his powers and accept the cleansing. He admitted that he opened up the F.E.A.S.T. Project to become a savior as Martin Li while Mister Negative grew in power and had given up on fighting Mister Negative’s presence. He knew that his human half was subservient to his villainous side, and he remained buried in his own mind, losing more and more power by the day.
Then, Martin heard the news about Sin-Eater cleansing criminals around the city. He realized this was his chance to escape from the effects of Mister Negative. Martin said it took all his strength to regain control and ask for Sin-Eater to cleanse him. It worked, and he was finally free. He woke up to peace for the first time in a very long time and loved it. However, his newfound peace was not meant to last. The sins came back in brute force and tried to reattach themselves to him, proving that his freedom had only been temporary.
Martin Li felt Mister Negative trying to retake control, and he blacked out more than once but finally cast the force out. He doesn’t know how he did it, but he was free again and sought out Aunt May for help. Unfortunately, his demon followed him and used vessels to attack the F.E.A.S.T. Project. Fortunately, Spider-Man arrived in time to fight off the vessels as Aunt May and Li tried to escape. Although Martin Li has been able to temporarily resist giving Mister Negative control again so far, the demonic force is hellbent on returning to business as usual, and it is willing to do whatever it takes to see it through.
About The Author
