Spider-Man ‘94 #3 review — Morlun’s backstory and plot revealed

When last we saw our beloved 90’s webslinger, he’d just had his first fight with Morlun. A fight that —spoiler— did not go well for him. Adding to this climax was Aunt May’s bombshell to Mary Jane that she knew Peter was Spider-Man, and a final panel appearance by Kraven the Hunter. So after a month of living with that trio of cliffhangers, it’s time to see how issue 3 will resolve them, if in-fact it does. 

*Mild spoilers ahead for Spider-Man ‘94 #3*

Issue 3 picks up from exactly where issue 2 left us: with Kraven the Hunter and his pet lion standing atop a roof. How did Kraven get a lion up onto a New York rooftop without anyone seeing? No idea. Before one can ponder that question for long, though, the story cuts to a little history lesson about its antagonist, Morlun. As I touched on in my review of Spider-Man ‘94 #2, this series has taken some creative liberties with Morlun, creating quite a few differences between him and his main-timeline version. This issue continues that trend, crafting an origin story for the immortal menace that draws some inspiration from his original namesake, but largely remains its own thing. This change is something that could leave some readers frustrated or dissatisfied, but for what it is, I personally think it works well for this universe. 

To sum it up, we learn that Morlun was once a prince in an ancient kingdom known as Lokka. His mother wanted him to take the throne and restore the kingdom to its former glory, but Morlun had no such desires. His heart craved adventure, not to sit upon some chair and govern a nation. So he left, roaming the ancient world until he returned home to find it under attack by beings known as Totems. At some point, Morlun discovers that he has some kind of connection to these invaders that allows him to absorb their lifeforce to extend his own lifespan. Obsessed with this realization, he abandons Lokka to journey around the world in search of more Totems in the hopes of becoming immortal. Somewhere along the way he decided that this quasi-immortality must be for some great purpose rather than simply a long, empty life. In an instant, he had an epiphany: he should use his drastically extended life to save the world. So he’s a hero, right?

Well, not exactly. 

You see, while he believes his actions —no matter how good or harmful— are ultimately for the greater good of mankind —where have we heard that before?— Spider-Man quickly calls him out for his lack of concern for individual lives. Morlun may strive for his idea of a perfect world where humanity prospers, but he doesn’t care about the people that will inhabit that world. They —just like Peter and the countless Totems Morlun has consumed over the centuries— are little more than insignificant specks to the ageless villain. It doesn’t matter how many must be sacrificed in the name of his glorious vision. Of course, Morlun is far past the point of being able to see past his own misguided point of view, and actually expresses some disappointment in Spider-Man for not seeing the logic in his reasoning. Nevertheless, it doesn’t truly matter to him whether Spidey agrees with him or not. After all, it isn’t the webhead’s help he needs in this venture; just his lifeforce. In a cruel ironic twist, Morlun suddenly ensnares Peter in a web cocoon, telling him that he will return to consume him once he is finished attending to other matters. 

Elsewhere, Mary Jane is reeling from Aunt May’s revelation that she knows Peter is Spider-Man. May tells her that she’s known for some time, but never let Peter know what she knew because it would just add further stress onto him. Though short, it’s a heartfelt scene that really helps to reinforce to Mary Jane the vital role she plays in Peter’s life both out of costume and in. 

While all of this is going on, Kaine struggles with his own plight. He’s already begun to question his place in Morlun’s plans, in particular thanks to his “father’s” obsession with Spider-Man. His already considerable confusion grows all the worse as he experiences some kind of psychic connection with the unconscious Peter, stirring memories he doesn’t understand and causing him to go off in search of Mary Jane. 

Not much truly happens in this issue beyond Peter gaining an understanding of who he’s fighting against. Admittedly, Spidey is in no condition to be battling anyone, and after dealing with Kaine in issue 1 and Morlun in issue 2, it’s time we got some answers, even if there’s clearly still much to be revealed. 

For one, there’s clearly more to Kaine than what we’ve been told thus far. For starters, this psychic connection he has when interacting with Peter. In the mainline comics he’s a flawed clone of Peter. Could this perhaps be a hint that his origins in this universe aren’t as different as we’ve been led to believe thus far? A discovery near the end of the issue hints that this could potentially be the case, though at this point nothing has been confirmed. 

Kraven’s role in all of this is equally left as a mystery, as he barely appears in this issue more than he did the previous one, and reveals just as little. It could be that he’s hunting Morlun just as Morlun once hunted countless Totems, but for what purpose will likely not be revealed until the next issue. 

The interaction between Aunt May and Mary Jane, while short, was one of the nicer parts of this issue as it emphasized the importance of both characters (and hopefully put an end to Mary Jane’s conflictions in regards to her relationship with Peter). While it doesn’t fully pull either character out of the “love-interest/supporting female” roles that they’re so often shoehorned into, it does emphasize how important both women are in what Spidey does. I also like that the interaction wasn’t dragged out longer than it needed to be. It picked up from the cliffhanger in issue 2 and immediately moved forward with it, resolving it neatly and concisely. Whether this will be the end of the whole “Mary Jane questioning her relationship with Peter because he’s Spider-man” trope in this universe remains to be seen, but one can hope. 

Because of the interaction, however, the timeline of this issue becomes a bit difficult to pin down. It seems like a fair amount of time has passed for Peter since his fight with Morlun, yet only seconds appear to have passed for Mary Jane and Aunt May. Yes, this could simply be blamed on comic book logic (or me overanalyzing the story as I’m prone to do), but for me personally it made the pacing of the comic a tad confusing. 

Overall, Spider-Man ‘94 #3 is a decent issue that progresses the story well. I liked the way Morlun’s backstory was handled, as well as the continued mystery in regards to Kaine’s origins and purpose and Kraven’s still unknown role in all of this. Like the previous issue, it leaves us on a few cliffhangers to entice readers to come back for issue 4, especially since it looks like things are about to start heating up drastically. 

Spider-Man ‘94 #3 is available now from Marvel Comics.