In the pages of Amazing Spider-Man, the Sin-Eater has returned. While Spider-Man has faced multiple adversaries who take the name of the Sin-Eater, the most notorious villain to have that name is a serial killer who first appeared in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #107, by Peter David and Rich Buckler. Even though this killer wasn't armed with more than a shotgun, he appeared in one of the biggest Spider-Man stories of the '80s, "The Death of Jean DeWolff," by David and Buckler.

Jean DeWolff was a reoccurring character in the Spider-Man mythos first appearing in 1976's Marvel Team-Up #48, by Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema. The NYPD detective would often collaborate with Spider-Man, serving as one of the few authority figures to treat the wall-crawler with any degree of trust. She'd tell Spider-Man about any new villains the police had detected, including the Black Cat. However, DeWolff is more famous now for the story surrounding her death, in part because it marked a far darker era going forward for the wall-crawler. This story still led to a compelling mystery narrative surrounding the Sin-Eater, and culminated in the creation of one of the most famous Marvel villains of all time.

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The Death of Jean DeWolff

Amazing Spider-Man Sins Rising Sin-Eater

In the Sin-Eater's first appearance, he killed Jean DeWolff in her sleep with a close-range shotgun blast. The sheer brutality of the crime and suddenness of it starts the story arc titled "The Death of Jean DeWolff" on a dark note since Spider-Man isn't present for the event and only hears about the murder in passing. What follows is a mystery in which Spider-Man teams up with Daredevil to track down the elusive murderer.

We eventually see someone calling themselves the Sin-Eater break into the Daily Bugle, but he's actually subdued by Peter Parker out of costume. This person, named Emil Gregg, claims that the voices in his head told him to go out and kill people, which leads to a media storm surrounding the killer, culminating in a tell-all interview with another reporter named Eddie Brock.

However, Daredevil realizes that Gregg isn't the same killer that he and Spider-Man fought earlier. They ultimately determine that the man who killed Jean DeWolff was Stan Carter, the police officer who told Spider-Man about the death of Jean DeWolff at the start of the story. Emil happened to be next-door neighbors to Carter, and the "voices" he heard were actually Carter's own recordings.

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The Test of Strength

The Sin-Eater almost ends up killing Betty Brant, another close friend of Peter's, but she survives the attack. However, this does little to calm Peter's rage, especially since Carter killed one of Peter's closest friends and almost killed another, all while putting his entire life in disarray.

When Spider-Man finally confronts Carter, he almost kills the Sin-Eater and needs Daredevil to subdue him in order to avoid ending Carter's life. Ironically, he has to save Carter later on from the angry mob of people who want to murder the Sin-Eater themselves. The story really tests Spider-Man's resolve to protect every life by pushing Spider-Man to the point where he really might kill someone.

What makes this so compelling is that Spider-Man has traditionally placed such a premium on saving human life and is constantly pushes himself to act responsibly through his actions. In the end, Spider-Man's resolve almost breaks when he captures the Sin-Eater. In so many ways, the Sin-Eater is the villain who almost forced Peter to act irresponsibly with his great power.

Venom

Eddie Brock as Venom grinning over a defeated Spider-Man.

The story itself really doesn't focus on Emil Gregg too much after it's revealed he's just a delusional copycat. However, Eddie Brock is held accountable for not properly investigating the killer since he staked so much of his reputation on his interview with Gregg. Even though his errors were understandable with the information available, he's fired and turned into a laughing stock in media. Without his work, Brock is left bitter and alone. It also does not help that Brock, at this time, is dying of cancer, leaving him without any outlet to focus his anxieties. Rather than direct his anger at either of the Sin-Eaters, he blames Spider-Man for exposing the real culprit.

Without the Sin-Eater, Eddie would never have garnered his grudge against Spider-Man, which led to the creation of Venom. Even if "The Death of Jean DeWolff" wasn't essential on its own merits, it's formative role in creating one of Marvel's most famous characters would make it a turning point in Spider-Man history.

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