Spider-Man's Most Brutal Marvel Fight Still Hasn't Appeared In A Movie

The real draw of any comic book movie is the villain. Whether they're blowing up buildings or threatening entire universes, it's the villains that motivate our heroes and give them a reason to do all the heroic things that fans want to see. "Spider-Man" fans have had some great times at the movies over the past couple of decades, but they still haven't seen all the excitement that comic readers know about.

Every "Spider-Man" movie has expanded Spidey's rogues gallery in some way, but the comics have a head start that the movies will never be able to catch up to. Peter has been battling villains in New York City for well over half a century now, and it'll be a long time before some of his greatest comic book moments find their way to the big screen. Fortunately for comic book fans, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is closer than ever to adapting the most dangerous fight in Spider-Man's history.

During a comic book storyline called "Coming Home," (written by J. Michael Straczynski with art by John Romita Jr.) Peter was pushed to the limit by a villain named Morlun. That storyline introduced a whole universe of new spider-powered heroes, but while trying to save them all from Morlun's insatiable hunger, Spider-Man himself nearly died. Fans have seen some epic fights from the Marvel Cinematic Universe's take on Spider-Man, but they haven't gotten to see anything like Morlun. There's a very real chance that Peter Parker could die during "Brand New Day," but if he lives, it's time for the MCU to put Spider-Man's most brutal fight on the big screen.

Peter Parker is in a low place at the start of the "Coming Home" story arc in "The Amazing Spider-Man" volume 2 issue #30. He and Mary Jane are separated, and while she's traveling the world as a famous model, he's teaching science at his old high school. Peter's more emotionally vulnerable than ever before, and at that exact moment, a new danger strikes.

Morlun is a man who comes from a family of mystical totem feeders. He travels the world looking for "spider totems," people like Peter whose spider-like powers connect them to a being called the Master Weaver. Peter doesn't know any of that mystical history at the start of "Coming Home," but he learns it from Ezekiel, another super-powered spider totem who's trying his best to stop Morlun.

The battle that ensues when Morlun and Spider-Man finally come face to face in issue #33 is unbelievably brutal. Morlun is more than a match for Spider-Man's enhanced strength and speed, and nothing that Peter throws at him seems to do any damage. Morlun chases Spider-Man through New York City as they fight, causing collateral damage. Peter is pushed to his absolute limit, and ultimately, he knows can't beat Morlun. He blows up an apartment building as a distraction just to escape with his life, but Morlun's nigh-vampiric hunt continues. Later, Peter discovers a way to remove Morlun's powers, and the end of the arc sees Morlun's hunt come to a shocking end — at least, until the next big event.

The MCU's version of Peter Parker has always enjoyed some big differences from his comic book counterpart. In the MCU, Spider-Man has close ties to Iron Man, and he's spent a majority of his time on screen fighting extraterrestrial and multiversal villains. "Brand New Day" is bringing Peter closer than ever to some of his comic book storylines. This movie is putting Spider-Man's most disgusting form on the big screen by having Peter go through some physical spider-like transformations, and it's finally putting Peter wholly on his own as a defender of New York City.

With MCU Peter working solo and trying to figure out his personal life, he's in a very similar place, emotionally, as comic book Peter at the start of the "Coming Home" storyline. At the same time, the MCU's version of Spider-Man could really use a figure like Morlun. In the comics, Morlun's first story introduced the concept of an interconnected web of individuals with spider powers, and that laid the groundwork for what's now commonly called the Spider-Verse.

Bringing Morlun to the MCU could be a way to introduce new spider-powered heroes who could take the reigns whenever Peter (or Tom Holland, rather), decides to take a back seat. Plus, a big screen version of Morlun would let comic fans finally see Spider-Man's deadliest fight in live action glory.