How did Marvel get the idea for black suit Spider-Man? Exploring its creation amidst upcoming appearance in Spider-Man 2 

The first gameplay reveal for Spider-Man 2 finally gave us the first look at the black-suit Spider-Man. Watching him tear down Kraven the Hunter's forces as the symbiote took control of Peter's nature was proof enough that the gameplay stayed true to the root of the concept and created a faithful depiction of the comics.

The symbiote arc is one of the most iconic stories, and it looks like Spider-Man 2 is surely taking a page out of the comics. And while the comic is great, the tale behind the creation of the symbiote as a concept is quite interesting too. With a fan-pitched idea becoming one of Marvel's most iconic stories, let's dive deep into how the concept came to be.

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The idea of a black suit Spider-Man came to Marvel from a fan

First appearance of the Black Suit Spider-Man on Secret Wars' cover (Image via Marvel Comics)

Black suit Spider-Man is easily one of the character's most iconic looks, but you'll be shocked to learn that the concept didn't originate from Marvel. According to Fandom, back in 1982, Marvel ran a competition where fans could pitch ideas to them, and a 22-year-old fan named Randy Schueller came up with the concept.

According to his original concept, Spidey would get a new upgrade in the form of a new suit from Mr Fantastic and the Wasp, and that suit would give him some new abilities as well. The entire idea behind it was that it would act as a stealth costume for Peter. Marvel's Jim Shooter liked that idea and brought it from him for $220.

Schueller submitted his story for how the costume would come about to be, but Marvel had different plans and added its own twist to his idea. The costume finally debuted in 1984's Secret Wars, where the iconic red and blue costume gets damaged, and Parker finds a machine that could replicate fabric. When Peter uses it, a black gooey substance, which would later be known as the symbiote, emerges and gives him a brand new suit, strengthening his powers.

This was basically how the black spider-suit was created and debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #252. However, fans weren't too accepting of it, and Marvel had to scramble to come up with the idea that saw Peter wanting to remove the suit because the alien lifeform would want to bond with him permanently.

However, after the removal of the symbiote, fans pretty much started liking the idea again. Marvel then decided to have the suit return with Felicia Hardy stitching up a black cloth suit for Peter. This gave birth to countless other ideas, leading to the creation of one of the most iconic villains - Venom. This happened when Peter Parker's acquaintance, Eddie Brock, found himself bonding with the symbiote.

The symbiote has become one of the biggest parts of the Spider-Man mythos since then. We have had countless films, games, and shows deal with that storyline, and it is perhaps one of the biggest steals in the comic book industry. As a matter of fact, actor Tom Hardy is currently portraying the character in the films with a third entry on the way.

With the upcoming Spider-Man 2, Insomniac Games is all set to put its spin on the storyline, which we will only be able to check out when it releases for the PlayStation 5 this fall.