The following contains spoilers for Demon Days: Shield of Justice #1, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
Peach Momoko's Demon Days series introduced a radically different iteration of the Marvel Universe influenced by Japanese history and mythology. While Momoko's five-part "Mariko" saga whetted Marvel fans' appetites by showing off a few of the heroes and villains who inhabit this exciting new corner of the multiverse, the Demon Wars series has pulled the veil over it back entirely by introducing the "Momoko-verse" versions of many well-established Marvel characters, including the latest edition to the Spider-Verse.
Almost every universe in Marvel's ever-expanding multiverse is home to a variant of Spider-Man, and Demon Days: Shield of Justice #1 (by Peach Momoko, Zach Davisson, and VC's Ariana Maher) continues this cosmic trend with the introduction of Kumosuke, the Momoko-verse's native Web-Slinger. Drawing inspiration from one of Japan's most famous yōkai spirits, Kumosuke is an unorthodox variant of the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man who may prove to be one of Mariko Yashida's greatest allies during the Momoko-verse's impending adaption of Civil War.
Demon Wars' Spider-Man is Inspired by a Japanese Yōkai
Like many other alternate versions of Marvel heroes and villains that populate the Momoko-verse, Kumosuke is a yōkai, a diverse race of spirits featured prominently in Japanese mythology. While many spider-like yōkai can be found within Japanese folklore, Momoko herself explains in the "Yōkai Files" column at the end of the issue that Kumosuke is based on the Tsuchigumo, which has undergone a dramatic transformation through years of cultural evolution. Once a derogatory term used to describe indigenous people who refused to submit to the Emperor of Japan, the word Tuschigomo eventually became associated with the Chinese bird spider, leading to the creation of a symbol of betrayal.
Like most variations of Spider-Man that populate the multiverse, Kumosuke appears to possess many of the same abilities as his Earth-616 counterpart. With enhanced agility and the ability to stick to walls, Kumosuke is shown to be far more acrobatic than most of his fellow yōkai, effortlessly running circles around his heavily-armored, sword-wielding peers. Unfortunately, Kumosuke seems to lack the superhuman durability that many other Spider-Man variants possess, with one blow from the Momoko-verse's native Captain America Yamato forcing him to retreat and leaving him with a nasty scar.
Another distinctive Spider-Man trait that Kumosuke lacks is the Wall-Crawler's talkative nature. While most versions of Spider-Man who inhabit the multiverse share the Earth-616's tendency to whip out witty quips at his foes at any given opportunity, Kumosuke appears to adhere to the age-old adage that silence is golden. Throughout the entirety of Demon Days: Shield of Justice, Kumosuke only speaks once to try and convince Yamato that something was influencing him and making him act more aggressively, preferring to let his actions do the talking.
Demon Wars' Spider-Man is as Heroic as His Earth-616 Counterpart
While Kumosuke may be one of the least-talkative Spider-Men in the multiverse, his actions show that he's more like his Earth-616 counterpart than he may appear at first glance. Throughout the first two issues of Demon Wars, the various yōkai versions of Marvel's heroes have found themselves in opposition over whether to allow Mariko to free her imprisoned ancestor Kigandoshi by reuniting his severed head with his body. While some believe that Kigandoshi's return will restore the yōkai realm to its former glory, others fear that it will shatter the fragile peace that's been established between yōkai and humans, creating a divide with overt parallels to Civil War.
By going to battle against Yamato alongside the armored yōkai Bake-Yorei, Kumosuke seems to be following in the footsteps of his Earth-616 counterpart, who sided with Iron Man and the faction of heroes who supported the Superhuman Registration Act during Civil War. Unlike Bake-Yorei, however, Kumosuke's willingness to fight his apparent friend appears to have been driven by the desire to protect Mariko from Yamato's uncharacteristically murderous wrath rather than blind loyalty to her ancestor.
Having shown that he cares more about protecting the life of a young girl than the political intrigue surrounding her, Kumosuke has proven that he possesses the heroic spirit that defines the majority of Spider-Men. While the impending end of the Spider-Verse means that it's unlikely that Kumosuke will ever meet his interdimensional counterparts, his willingness to risk his life to protect Mariko marks him as one of the human/yōkai princess's greatest allies in the conflict to come.