WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Amazing Spider-Man #57 by Nick Spencer, Mark Bagley, John Dell, Andrew Hennessy, Andy Owens, Rachelle Rosenberg, Edgar Delgado & VC's Joe Caramagna, on sale now.

Since the very start of writer Nick Spencer's run on The Amazing Spider-Man, a monstrous figure has been haunting the web-slinger and his loved ones, the demon known as Kindred. After a long time spent lurking in the shadows, tormenting Spidey in his dreams, pulling the strings of his master plan from afar, Kindred finally lured Spider-Man into a macabre confrontation in the final pages of The Amazing Spider-Man #51.

Throughout his torment of Peter Parker, his friends and foes, Kindred has unleashed a terrifying arsenal of demonic powers, transcending the realms of nightmares, death, and, of course, mind-controlling centipedes. However, the revelation that the man behind the monster's mask was none other than Peter's old friend, Harry Osborn, introduced a human vulnerability to Kindred. This mix of a tortured soul and vengeful demon resulted in a complex antagonist whose chilling powers and personal weaknesses merit a closer look.

Related: Spider-Man: Kindred Admits the REAL Reasons Behind His Attacks

From his origins as a prisoner of Hell who worked his way up to the rank of a demon, it seemed safe for readers to assume Kindred's abilities were always going to play with the line between life and death. Resurrection is chief amongst Kindred's powers .and it's one he has used to chilling effect. In a sense, this was the first of Kindred's powers readers ever saw at work. All the way back in 2006, readers saw Quentin Beck, Mysterio, return from the dead. Only now has it become apparent that this was Kindred's work. In more recent issues, Kindred resurrected Sin-Eater to help torment Spider-Man. But his power to defy death was put to its most twisted use when, in Amazing Spider-Man #54, Kindred brutally murdered Peter Parker, again and again, forcing Peter to relive memories of the friends he had lost or put in harm's way with every death.

In fact, Kindred had a knack for getting into his enemies' heads. Long before he got his hands on the wall-crawler, the demon was invading his dreams. Using this power of dream manipulation to begin sowing fear in Peter's mind, Kindred first fed him nightmares of Mary Jane's murder and later forced him to bear witness to the very real murder of Quentin Beck. And Kindred's mind meddling didn't stop with dreams. Like any true demon, he displayed a skill for possession when he took over Peter's fellow spiders - Miles Morales, Ghost-Spider, Silk, Spider-Girl, Spider-Woman and Madame Web - to turn them against him. Kindred also took control of the mind of Norman Osborn to stop him from killing Spider-Man before his plans were complete, though not through possession. Norman was manipulated with a command carried by one of Kindred's signature pets.

Every time Kindred has appeared, it has been with a hoard of centipedes ready to do his bidding. Whether tiny enough to crawl into Norman Osborn's ear or large enough to encircle Kindred's entire body, these creepy creatures have become the villain's trademark. They appear to be a manifestation of Kindred's demonic will and certainly their ability to hide in the shadows or devour a man whole is a sinister reflection of Kindred's own capabilities.

Related: Spider-Man: Kindred Recreates a Classic Batman Moment on Peter Parker

Kindred vs Green Goblin

Despite this wealth of power, every villain has their weaknesses. While Kindred may be the very image of death and damnation to many, the heart of Harry Osborn still beats beneath that devilish guise. With that come all the fears, fixations, and frailties that have defined Harry through the years. The son of the Green Goblin will forever be living in his father's shadow and in fear of his father's cruelty. It is his feud with his father that ultimately distracts Kindred long enough to allow him to be captured by the Kingpin, working in league with Norman and using technology derived from the Spot. When Spider-Man visits Norman and the captive Kindred, he muses that all that remains of Harry are the demons he created himself and the ones he inherited from his father.

Harry's soft spot for Mary Jane Watson also left him vulnerable as he conducted his sinister plan. Norman used her as a distraction, knowing MJ would still be able to get inside Harry's head, giving him the opening he needed to intervene. It was MJ's apparent death that drove Kindred mad enough to enter a brawl with his father without seeing the trap that had been laid. By the end of Amazing Spider-Man #57, it is clear Kindred has been driven by the pain Harry felt as his father and best friend constantly kept secrets from him and went to war behind his back. While the greater truth he wanted to teach Peter and Norman is yet to be unveiled, one thing is eerily apparent Kindred isn't finished yet, despite his capture.

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