There is something to be said for not revealing everything about a new villain immediately. Often times a little mystery serves to make them even more interesting. Such was seemingly the case with one highly-hyped new Spider-Man villain. However, a new comic which reveals their origins and powers is sadly anticlimactic and ultimately unnecessary.

The sad history is unveiled in Spider-Man/Venom: Death Spiral – Body Count #1. Written by Charles Soule, with art by Kev Walker, the comic explores the career of the costumed serial killer Torment. This unfolds in a flashback (and a flashback within the flashback) as Torment’s life flashes before his eyes after being dropped off a building by Venom while Spider-Man was away.

(Image Source: Marvel / Kev Walker)

Torment is revealed to have been a teenage boy named Graham. The favored son of his large family, Graham was planning to go to college on a soccer scholarship. He also had a loving girlfriend named Laura, who planned to attend the same college as him.

However, there was one big problem in Graham’s perfect life. Laura’s family was toxically abusive and treated her like a slave rather than a daughter. Graham hoped to rescue Laura from them, but was unwilling to wait until they graduated to do so. This led to the fateful decision that turned him into Torment and ultimately pitted him against Spider-Man.

(Image Source: Marvel / Kev Walker)

Graham set Laura’s house on fire, but rescued her while her family burned. He explained to Laura that he had the power to see the bloodline connections between people as smoky spirals. In her case, the spiral was a chain choking the life from her. However, Laura was far from appreciative and the last Graham saw of her was Laura running into her burning house.

Spider-Man’s Torment is ultimately just plain nuts

Years later, Torment relates this history to one of his victims who is as unsympathetic as Laura was. He points out the good Torment could do with his power, from finding missing people to helping adoptees locate their biological parents. Instead, he indulges his bloodlust, trying to prove his insane point about most people being better off without families.

(Image Source: Marvel / Kev Walker)

To say that Torment’s history and motivations are underwhelming is an understatement. What is more, revealing his backstory and reasons for killing seems completely pointless after he’s been unceremoniously killed. All in all, it is a rather pathetic end to a promising villain, who will now be nothing more than a footnote in Spider-Man history, as the man who killed Paul Rabin.

Amazing Spider-Man / Venom: Death Spiral – Body Count #1 is now available at comic shops everywhere.

Originally written by Matt Morrison at SuperHeroHype