Ai Apaec (Marvel)

Latest revision as of 05:26, 5 September 2022

The Dark Spider-Man in Dark Avengers v1 #188.

Ai Apaec is a male comic supervillain who features in Marvel Comics.

Biography

Ai Apaec was a male South American chimera god who had the head, torso and arms of a human being whilst the lower half was that of a spider. He was eventually captured by government officials and held in a secret government base located underwater where he was kept imprisoned in a cell alongside other dangerous prisoners. (Osborn v1 #1) Among the other prisoners included the demonic Kingmaker' Pryor Cashman, the alien Xirdal, the ghostly Carny Rives, and the psychotic scientist Dr. June Covington. It was there that he ended up meeting Norman Osborn after he ended up being transferred to the secret base from the Raft. He later came to join Osborn and the others when they came to stage a break-out. (Osborn v1 #2) After mocking a guard, Ai Apaec was flashed with flood lights which temporarily blinded him. An alarm went off and the guard panicked, backing up towards Ai's cell. Ai grabbed him and demanded he was released, while June insisted he release her instead. When the guard choose to release June, Ai Apaec bit his head off. Norman Osborn entered the room and agreed to release them all, provided they agreed to work with him to escape. (Osborn v1 #3) As Ai Apaec and the other escapees battled through rioting prisoners, Osborn noticed they were being observed from above and asked Ai Apaec to retrieve their watcher. He jumped through the observation deck and grabbed Norah Winters, who had been investigating the prison for the Daily Bugle. They piled into a submarine to escape for the surface, but on the way the prison exploded and damaged the submarine. Ai Apaec exited the vessel and coated it in a web which provided oxygen while he pushed it to the surface. (Osborn v1 #4) Afterwords, Osborn surrendered himself to the police and was incarcerated at the Raft, and Ai Apaec returned to his jungle home in Peru. (Osborn v1 #5)

Afterwards, he came to learn of the Queen and her plans to make a world of spiders. Such a move did not displease Ai Apaec and he even offered to spread her plague. Thus, he allied with her and came to enslave the mind of Bride of Nine Spiders. Taking control over her, he intended for the Bride to bring her Immortal Weapons comrades for Apaec to feast on. Her activities later drew the attention of Shang-Chi and Iron Fist Danny Rand who looked to stop the Bride. They managed to defeat the Bride leading to Ai Apaec revealing himself to be the mastermind of recent events. (Spider-Island: Deadly Hands of Kung Fu v1 #2) As Iron Fist fought Ai Apaec, Shang-Chi managed to free the other captives whilst he began to mutate into a humanoid spider. Upon Iron Fist using his Chi Force to cure Shang-Chi, Iron Fist gets the other Immortal Weapons members to safety while Shang-Chi collapses the hideout on top of Ai Apaec. Afterwards, the Avengers arrested Ai Apaec. (Spider-Island: Deadly Hands of Kung Fu v1 #3)

After Osborn escaped the Raft, he came to create a new organization named H.A.M.M.E.R. that replaced S.H.I.E.L.D. and he set about creating his own superpowered team that would be his Dark Avengers. He managed to track down Ai Apaec where he gave him a genetic-modifying drug that moulded his body in the shape of Spider-Man albeit one with six arms. Alongside him included Barney Barton, Gorgon, June Covington, Skaar, and Superia as well as June Covington. (New Avengers v2 #18) Ai Apaec and the other members of the Dark Avengers were defeated by both Avengers teams when it was revealed that Skaar was the Avengers' double-agent. Ai Apaec's drug wore off and Captain America knocked him unconscious. (New Avengers v2 #23)

When the Thunderbolts were missing in time, Ai Apaec was present when the Dark Avengers were recruited by Luke Cage to be a replacement team. Ai Apaec and the other Dark Avengers members were implanted with nanites in order to prevent them from going rogue, and placed under the leadership of Luke Cage.<ref>Dark Avengers #175</ref>

Ai Apaec and the rest of the Dark Avengers team are thrown into an alternate world with John Walker.<ref>Dark Avengers #184</ref> Ai Apaec was shown to have been shrunken down when he is a prisoner in Iron Man's lab.<ref>Dark Avengers #186</ref> When Hank Pym mentions having regrown U.S. Agent's limbs and shrunk Ai Apaec, Iron Man lashes out at him and realizes that Henry Pym's control implant had been reworked. The Dark Avengers make their way through Hell's Kitchen to get to Strangetown. They come across a building covered with webs as Ai Apaec claims that this world's Spider-Man had gone under a profound change to have created a long-lasting web. During the fight between the Dark Avengers and Spider-Man's gang, Ai Apaec tells Barney to load him onto an arrow and fire it at Spider-Man. Spider-Man's Spider-Senses go off and he catches the arrow as Ai Apaec and Spider-Man speak in a different language while the other Dark Avengers have been subdued.<ref>Dark Avengers #187</ref> With help from Ai Apaec, June Covington tells them that they had poisoned Hawkeye on his left side and that the venom must be sucked out. Later on, the Dark Avengers and Spider-Man's gang arrive in Strangetown where they are attacked by the All-Seeing Eye and the Soulsnake. Ai Apaec tells Spider-Man to cast some webbing and give Barney Barton a sword which he uses to destroy the Soulsnake while Spider-Man lands a hard kick to the All-Seeing Eye.<ref>Dark Avengers #188</ref> Ai Apaec is climbing on Doctor Strange's leg, telepathically calling the Dark Avengers to summon an object contained by Spider-Man's webs which would grant him the perfect distraction. Enraged at the death of Clea, Doctor Strange readies an even more powerful spell. Before he can do the spell, Ai Apaec hits him with all the poison he had killing Doctor Strange and ending his slave spell on Moonstone and Skaar.<ref>Dark Avengers #189</ref> Ai Apaec and the Dark Avengers later return to their reality. When Ai Apaec reminds the Dark Avengers that he must be restored to his proper size, June Covington steps on him.<ref>Dark Avengers #190</ref>

Overview

Personality and attributes

In appearance, Ai Apaec was a hybrid being with the lower half of a spider and the upper body of a human that had snakes for hair along with fangs. He came to be known as the Decapitator due to his desire to murder people as sacrifices to him. (Osborn v1 #1) Apaec's body came to be changed into the form of Spider-Man where he came to be known as the Dark Spider-Man. (Dark Avengers v1 #175)

He was noted to be prone for torture and bloodletting. (Osborn v1 #1)

Powers and abilities

Ai Apaec was noted for being a South American chimera god with abilities beyond that of an ordinary human. These included heightened tactical and olfactory senses with superstrength, wall-climbing and a venomous bite. (Osborn v1 #1)

Ai Apaec has superhuman strength where it was stated that he was strong enough to rip off a man's head. His long sharp teeth contains a powerful poison and he has enhanced senses. His spider legs can enable him to cling to solid walls and surfaces. Like the diving bell spider, Ai Apaec can wrap himself in a bell-shaped web held by the hair on his legs and abdomen and collect oxygen from the water to exchange the carbon dioxide with the oxygen.

Notes

• Ai Apaec was created by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Jamie McKelvie where he made his first appearance in Osborn v1 #1 (January, 2011).
• In Avengers NOW! v1 #1 (2014), the character received an entry in the guide book.

Alternate Versions

• During the Spider-Verse storyline, the Earth-1771 version of Ai Apaec is attacked by Karn. After a short battle, Karn drains away Apaec's essence reducing him to dust.<ref>Superior Spider-Man #33</ref>

In other media

Video games

• In Spider-Man Unlimited, Ai Apaec as Dark Spider-Man appeared as a playable character in the setting of the mobile video game.

Appearances

• Osborn v1: (2011)
• New Avengers v2:
• Dark Avengers v2:

External Links

• Marvel Database Entry

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