The Rhino has never been a big name Spider-Man villain, at least in the same way Green Goblin, Venom and Doctor Octopus are. That’s not to say he’s a nobody – he’s inarguably one of the classic members of the wall-crawlers rogues gallery – but how many memorable Rhino stories can you rattle off the top of your head? Peter Milligan and Duncan Fegredo’s two-issue “Flowers for Rhino” story, that time he showed up in Cable & Deadpool... and that’s about it. There's nothing truly character defining for him in the same way something like "Kraven's Last Hunt" or the original Hobgoblin saga are for their title villains. For the most part, he’s always been an ends to a means character. Need a heavy hitter in your story? You use Rhino.

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That is, up until Joe Kelly and Max Fiumara’s two-part story in Amazing Spider-Man #617 and #625. In these two issues Kelly and Fiumara tear through the Rhino’s indestructible hide, exploring the man inside the beast by asking a simple question: Can you fully escape your past and start again?

Before he became the Rhino, Aleksei Sytsevich was a just a no-name thug, driven entirely by his own greed. Hailing from a non-specific Soviet state (back when that was still a thing), he opts to undergo an experimental treatment. If becoming a science project meant making more money, then that's a sacrifice he’s willing to take. Through these treatments he's given superhuman abilities, making him both stronger and more durable, and is also equipped with an artificial skin making him more-or-less invulnerable. He’s given great powers, but chooses to wield them without any responsibility.

Amazing Spider-Man #617 and #625 take place during “The Gauntlet” storyline, which saw Spidey facing a non-stop onslaught of his rogues gallery (orchestrated by Sasha Kravinoff and Ana Kravinoff, the respective wife and daughter of Kraven the Hunter) every issue for just over half-a-year. ASM #617 changes things up by presenting us with a reformed Rhino. He’s hung up his horn, having chosen to settle down with Oksana, a waitress he met when he had most recently been released from prison. He’s Aleksei Sytsevich now, a man willing to do anything to make his wife happy because she makes him feel like an actual person instead of a sideshow oddity.

Mad scientist Doctor Tramma, who offers to upgrade his Rhino suit on behalf of the Kravinoffs, approaches Aleksei. He turns her down, leading to her reach out for a replacement criminal, who she equips a powerful exo-suit. This second Rhino becomes obsessed with killing Sytsevich, believing the only way he can properly ascend and take the mantle of The Rhino is by killing the original.

Rhino II tracks down Aleksei, now working as security at a casino, and challenges him to a fight. Aleksei tells the newcomer he’s given up that life, willingly passing him the Rhino mantle of the Rhino.

ASM #617 ends on a positive note. The new Rhino is still at large, but Sytsevich has promised Spider-Man that he won’t take up his old mantle, if only for Oksana’s sake. “For her, I can do anything. I can even be a coward.” After the previous Gauntlet stories had run Spidey through the wringer, it’s a refreshing change of pace. Finishing out that issue, you genuinely felt hopeful for the future. Sytsevich seems to free from his past, redeemed by Oksana, and things aren’t going to end so badly after all.

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Tragedy Strikes like a Raging Rhino

That was far from the end, however; the story's trudgen's finale was published two months later in ASM #625. When the new Rhino makes another attempt on Sytsevich’s life, Spider-Man helps organise witness protection for Aleksei and Oksana. As they cross the Tri-Borough Bridge, leaving New York City behind, Rhino II attacks again, this time resulting in Oksana’s death. Heartbroken and yearning for revenge, Sytsevich finally dons the Rhino costume again and brutally kills the wannabe Rhino with relative ease.

In these two issues, Kelly creates a complex dilemma, where it doesn’t feel like there’s a real “right” answer to Sytsevich’s situation. If he had put the Rhino suit instead of letting Spider-Man talk him out of it, would things still be the same if he defeated the new Rhino – would Oksana still be alive? Just before he can re-don his second skin, Spider-Man tells Aleksei, “Put that suit back on, no matter what the intentions, and the old life comes with it. You know it does.” Even if he did try to fight the new Rhino, would he be strong enough to defeat him without the overflowing rage he feels from Oksana’s death? Was this situation just inevitable all along – was Aleksei’s past due to catch up with him regardless?

With great power comes great responsibility. It’s a simple concept, right? If you have a power or privilege that others don’t it’s your duty to use it to the benefit of everyone. It’s the cornerstone that Spider-Man’s character is built on – and if you want to get real broad, the concept of superheroes as a whole. I think that mantra extends past that however, in that even without superpowers you still have a duty to make the world a better place. That’s what Spider-Man represents; the idea that everyone has an inherent goodness inside of them, and it’s their responsibility to do good.

That’s what Kelly explores with Sytsevich, this idea that we’re defined by our actions. He’s strong on the outside, but inside he’s weak. Aleksei has the power to defeat Rhino II, but doing so would most likely destroy the life he’s created with Oksana. It’s a heart-breaking Catch-22, because as much as Aleksei wants to redeem himself, wipe his slate clean and become a new person, he can’t escape his own past because he doesn’t have the strength to do so. He isn't strong enough to take the necessary steps forward to change. When Spider-Man faces Rhino II, furiously questioning why he couldn’t leave Aleksei alone, the new Rhino tells him, “Animals carry nothing with them, and [Aleksei] needed to be reminded what he truly is.”

Just before he delivers the final blow to Rhino II, Aleksei coldly tells Spider-Man, “All of this happened because I tried to be something I am not.” It’s devastating, because he genuinely believes he cannot be redeemed. The man strong enough to shrug off a horse being broken over his head isn’t strong enough to escape his own past and change. He tried to redeem himself, but fails because he isn't able to fully let go of who he was.

Kelly draws a comparison between Spider-Man and the Rhino. Both Sytsevich and Parker both know loss, and it’s a loss they both feel responsible for (Peter didn’t stop the burglar who’d later kill Uncle Ben and Sytsevich didn’t defeat the new Rhino when he had the chance). What differs is how they choose to react to these events – Spider-Man vows to use his powers for good, choosing to become a superhero; the Rhino uses his for revenge, undoing everything Oksana helped change. Spider-Man walks forward, the Rhino takes a big step back. What could've been a heroic moment – instead of killing the new Rhino Sytsevich could have spared his life, refusing to come down to his enemy's level – ends up being an incredibly tragic one. In the end no one wins, but was there any other way this could've ended from the start? Once a Rhino, always a Rhino.