WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Amazing Spider-Man #42 by Nick Spencer, Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn, Nathan Fairbairn, and VC's Joe Caramagna, on sale now

Over the years, various characters throughout both the Marvel and DC Universes have been reinvented or reimagined. Recently, there's been a trend of taking classic Silver Age characters and applying a more tragic aspect to their stories. Such is the case with Gog, the giant Silver Age monster character, who just reappeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #42.

Gog's new origin story is darker and more tragic -- it basically makes him Marvel's answer to Kite-Man.

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The Sad Story of Gog

Gog first appeared in 1971's The Amazing Spider-Man #103, when Kraven the Hunter found him in the Savage Land. Initially raising the tiny, alien creature as a pet, Kraven's plans changed when the alien adapted to Earth by growing massive in size. Kraven used the creature in his attempts to take over the Savage Land, but was stopped by Spider-Man. Gog was later used by other villains like the Plunderer and Doctor Octopus for their similar goals. But after suffering a defeat alongside the Sinister Six, Spider-Man and Mister Fantastic took pity on Gog. Reed was able to restore him to his natural size and create a ship to send him back to his home dimension.

The Amazing Spider-Man #42 adds a tragic beginning and ending to the story. Gog was actually a pet, belonging to the son of a queen of an alien civilization. He lived a happy and simple life as a member of the family, but then things took a serious turn when a number of ships descended on the planet and opened fire. The royal family was ordered to evacuate, but Gog ended up on a different ship than the "Boy" that he bonded with. While the ship carrying the Queen and her son escape the chaos, the cargoship carrying Gog was shot and blasted off-course. Gog eventually ended up on Earth, where he was found by Kraven.

When he returns home thanks to Reed Richards, he finds the world at war with itself. Gog is able to locate the Boy and try to race to him on the battlefield -- even stopping a sniper from firing on his former owner. Before Gog can reach him, a massive explosion kills the Boy. Gog refuses to leave his side as the battle continues on around him. When the battle ends, the Queen finds Gog. She reveals that the Tablet of Life ended up in their dimension, but her attempts to use it against their enemies only made the wars more destructive. She charges Gog with taking the now shattered parts of the Tablet back to Earth and to hide them away. She entrusts him to protect the pieces, giving him a new motivation and drive -- which explains why he's back on Earth and so aggressive.

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MARVEL'S KITE-MAN

Gog follows a recent trend in comics to give dour origins to some obscure and bizarre characters from the Silver Age. This famously occurred with Kite-Man, an inherently goofy Batman villain who was reinvented in Tom King's run as a sad sack who had the death of his son serve as his core motivation. It juxtaposes the silly character with an almost comically over the top dramatic reveal. Gog's story is similar, finding a way to make the former giant alien henchman for Doctor Octopus and give him his own WE3 storyline.

It's an unexpected twist for the character, especially given how straight-forward the monster was before this development. This redefines his loyalty to anyone who shows interest in him as an attempt to find love he lost when he was sent to Earth. It also makes him a far more dangerous figure, as he now has a purpose and drive to protect the Tablet of Life, meaning he'll likely be more dangerous in a straight-forward fight.

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