Sin-Eater (comics)

Sin-Eater is a name given to several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character usually appears in comics featuring Spider-Man and Ghost Rider.

For the DC Comics character sometimes called Sin Eater, see Onimar Synn.
Sin-Eater
The Sin-Eater, on the cover of The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5, #45 (May 2020).
Art by Josemaria Casanovas.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearancePeter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #107 (October 1985)
Created byPeter David (writer)
Rich Buckler (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoStanley Carter
Team affiliationsS.H.I.E.L.D.
New York City Police Department

Publication history

The character was introduced in The Spectacular Spider-Man #107 (Oct 1985).[1]

Stanley Carter

Stanley Carter was born in Fort Meade, Maryland. He was an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. working in research and development. He was injected with experimental drugs to increase strength and endurance, but when the program was designated too dangerous it was discontinued. Carter became violent and resigned from S.H.I.E.L.D., eventually becoming a detective with the New York City Police Department. After his partner was killed by several young criminals, he became obsessed with killing anyone who "sinned" by abusing authority.[2]

As the Sin-Eater, his first victim was Captain Jean DeWolff (in "The Death of Jean DeWolff" story arc). As a detective, he is assigned to find the killer, and works closely with Spider-Man.[3] His next victim is Judge Horace Rosenthal, a friend of Matthew Murdock. During his escape after killing Rosenthal, he is attacked by Spider-Man and kills a bystander during the battle.[4] When Spider-Man and Daredevil discover that the Sin-Eater's next victim is going to be Betty Brant, Peter Parker's first love, they rush to save her. Spider-Man goes into a fierce rage and beats the Sin-Eater nearly to death. As he is being transferred to Riker's, a vengeful mob including DeWolff's father tries to kill him, but Daredevil and Spider-Man intervene.[2]

Carter is put in psychological and medical care, but is crippled by the beating Spider-Man inflicted. S.H.I.E.L.D. purge all the drugs from his system during this time, but he still has visions of his Sin-Eater persona. After Carter is released, he returns the favor Spider-Man did him by rescuing him from an angry mob, and begins writing a memoir of his career as the Sin-Eater. However, he has trouble readjusting to society. Finally he snaps, taking an empty shotgun and goading police officers into opening fire on him.[5] Carter is killed, though finally freed from the control of the Sin-Eater persona.[6]

The public revelation of the identity of the Sin-Eater as Stanley Carter by Peter Parker was responsible for the ruin of Eddie Brock's journalistic career, as Brock had published a series of articles on the Sin-Eater in The Daily Globe, based on his interviews with another man who claimed to be the Sin-Eater, Mr. Emil Gregg ("a compulsive confessor"). This led to Brock's hatred of Peter and eventually to his joining with the alien symbiote Venom.[7]

Kindred later resurrected Sin-Eater in his next plot against Spider-Man.[8] While in their safehouse, the Inner Demons were attacked by a revived Sin-Eater as Overdrive took his car and drove away wishing that his attacker was Punisher. Overdrive raced for three days trying to avoid Sin-Eater.[9] On the day where Spider-Man's dream predicted his death, Overdrive found Spider-Man and asked for his protection only to be shot by Sin-Eater using a special gun. Carlie Cooper examined his body in the morgue when Overdrive somehow returned to life and found no bodily damages on him.[10] When the Lethal Legion (consisting of Count Nefaria, Grey Gargoyle, Living Laser, and Whirlwind) attacked Empire State University and fought Spider-Man, Sin-Eater crashed the battle. Upon using his special gun on Grey Gargoyle and Whirlwind, Sin-Eater copied Grey Gargoyle's powers and immobilized Spider-Man. Then he used his gun on Living Laser and Count Nefaria. When the Lethal Legion was at Ravencroft, Norah Winters interviewed Count Nefaria at the approval of Norman Osborn where she learned that they have suddenly regretted their sins. Due to Sin-Eater having taken away his powers, Overdrive was placed on life support as Carlie keeps on eye on him. Spider-Man wonders how Overdrive can be in critical condition while everyone else that Sin-Eater "cleansed" were sent to Ravencroft. Norah was later confronted in her car by Sin-Eater.[11] Acting in self-defense, Norah shoots Sin-Eater point blank only for it to not harm him. Sin-Eater does allow her to record a manifesto. After showing it to J. Jonah Jameson who was apprehensive about it, Norah posts Sin-Eater's manifesto anyway. After cleansing some low-level criminals, Sin-Eater taunts Spider-Man again while overpowering him with the stolen powers while stating who his next target is. When a riot occurs at Ravencroft, Norman Osborn is informed by Count Nefaria that Sin-Eater is coming for him.[12] Sin-Eater and his followers start purging those who have committed bad acts of their sins as Spider-Man learns that he is going after Norman Osborn. Arriving at Ravencroft, Sin-Eater dispenses the powers he has stolen onto his followers and sends them after Norman Osborn. Spider-Man was able to get to him and fight off Sin-Eater's followers.[13] Having stolen Mister Negative's powers, Sin-Eater corrupts the guards to his side. Then he corrupts a clone of Ashley Kafka to release Juggernaut so that he can steal his powers.[14] Using Juggernaut's powers, Sin-Eater and his followers pursue Spider-Man and Norman Osborn as the Order of the Web considers waiting for Sin-Eater to cleanse Norman Osborn before intervening. As Spider-Man and Norman Osborn escape underground, Sin-Eater catches up to them. As Spider-Man holds onto Sin-Eater to restrain him, Norman Osborn activates an EMP to liquefy the floor beneath them.[15] After freeing himself, Sin-Eater caught up to Norman Osborn and purged him of his sins. Kindred shows up and berates Sin-Eater for his own crimes. Then Kindred presumably kills Sin-Eater by erupting him of demonic energy after he served his purpose. Sin-Eater's followers were later arrested by the police.[16]

During the "Last Remains" storyline, Sin-Eater survived the attack as he regains his memories of killing Jean DeWolff. The few followers that evaded capture catch up to Sin-Eater and confirm that Norman Osborn has been cleansed of his sins. After praying to Sin-Eater for forgiveness, he beats a dissenter in his followers to death. Then he makes plans to take the powers of someone who has hunted the Spiders after hearing about the Order of the Web being controlled by Kindred. It is shown that Morlun has escaped his imprisonment.[17] Sin-Eater and his remaining followers break into a vault to steal the spider-virus that Spider-Queen once used to turn Manhattan into Spider-Island. Once that was done, Sin-Eater exposes some of his remaining followers with the Spider-Virus turning them into Man-Spiders. This was enough to attract Morlun to their location.[18] As Morlun started feasting on the Man-Spiders, he is attacked by Sin-Eater. As Morlun starts to overwhelm him, Sin-Eater traps Morlun and uses his grenade to subdue him and his gun to shoot him.[19] Kindred shows Spider-Man the mirror that revealed that Sin-Eater has purged Morlun of his sins. Then Sin-Eater is shown in the cemetery awaiting for the Order of the Web to enter. To make matters worse for Spider-Man, Mary Jane is shown about to enter the cemetery.[20] Using the powers of Morlun, Sin-Eater fights the Order of the Web. He started to defeat them until Madame Web talked Sin-Eater into absorbing her sins. When he does, he taps into Madame Web's precognition to see that Kindred was just using him. This caused Sin-Eater to turn the gun on himself. Madame Web tried to resuscitate him only for her and the Order of the Web to be captured by Kindred.[21] As a side-effect of Sin-Eater's suicide, those who had their sins purged from them regain their sins and go on a rampage in New York City.[22]

Michael G. Engelschwert

A Sin-Eater copycat killer appears in the Venom: Sinner Takes All mini-series. Michael Engelschwert, a veteran of the Gulf War, bunked in a homeless shelter next to Sin-Eater copycat Emil Gregg. Gregg's late night ramblings drive Engelschwert to emulate Gregg's Sin-Eater delusions.[23] He appears on the steps of a courthouse wielding a shotgun and kills several people, while injuring Anne Weying, the ex-wife of the anti-hero Venom. He breaks into a hospital in order to finish Weying off, only to find that Venom has set himself up as her protector.[24] Despite his lack of super-powers, Engelschwert is able to consistently stay two steps ahead of Venom and the police as he continues his killing spree.[25] He is finally stopped when another psychopath with a shotgun shoots him in the back. Realizing the wound is fatal, he sets off a bomb strapped to his chest.[26]

Supernatural Sin-Eater

During the "AXIS" storyline, a new and supernatural Sin-Eater emerges to terrorize New York City, gunning down members of the press. Carnage, whose morality had been altered by a spell cast by Doctor Doom and the Scarlet Witch, comes into conflict with the Sin-Eater when he stops him from murdering a reporter named Alice Gleason. The Sin-Eater later manages to track down and abduct Alice, taking her to his lair and implying that he is an undead Emil Gregg, the man who told Eddie Brock that he was the first Sin-Eater. Before the Sin-Eater can harm Alice, she is rescued by Carnage, who allows the Sin-Eater to absorb all of his repressed evil. Overwhelmed by Carnage's sins, the Sin-Eater grows to gigantic size and explodes as Carnage declares "Rest now, wandering soul. Your work is done".[27]

Empowered by the Grendel symbiote during the "Absolute Carnage" storyline, Cletus Kasady later resurrects Gregg as a zombie-like creature, which he lets loose in New York City. Donning a facsimile of the Sin-Eater costume, Gregg kidnaps several children with the intention of sacrificing them to the symbiote god Knull, but he is stopped and destroyed by Eddie Brock.[28]

Powers and abilities

The first Sin-Eater had an artificially heightened physicality, similar to that of Captain America. Though his strength, agility, stamina and reflexes was greater than that of any Olympic athlete, it did not exceed the hypothetical natural limitations of the human body and would not be considered truly superhuman. The same clandestine experiments that heightened his physique probably also drove him insane. He had also undergone military training, though it was rendered less effective by his insanity. He is an expert hand-to-hand combatant and skilled marksman, with his signature weapon being a double-barreled shotgun. When revived by Kindred, Sin-Eater wielded a special gun that removed their powers and destroyed their sins. In addition, he can turn the sins into actual monsters, teleport, and absorb the powers of anyone he shoots. He has demonstrated making use of Overdrive's limited technopathy and vehicle alteration, Count Nefaria's ionic abilities, Grey Gargoyle's petrifying touch, Living Laser's laser projection, Whirlwind's rotation and wind-based abilities, Mister Negative's corruption touch, and Juggernaut's Cyttorak-based empowerment.

The second Sin-Eater wielded a heavy assortment of guns, bombs, knives, and rocket launchers, and wore a bulletproof costume.

The third Sin-Eater introduced claims of being able to detect the evil within others, and of absorbing a green energy which he claims is all of their sins after killing them. He is also unaffected by being repeatedly shot with a handgun, and regrows his own head (which is merely a skull) after it is destroyed by Carnage.[27]

Ethan Domblue

An earlier character named Sin-Eater first appeared in Ghost Rider #80. Ethan Domblue was a pastor obsessed with having a sinless congregation. Ghost Rider foe Centurious gave Ethan the power to "eat" his congregation's sins, leaving them in a passive, "sinless" state. He did not realize that by placing his parishioners' souls in the Crystal of Souls, he was creating an army of zombie-like slaves loyal to Centurious. Eventually, Ghost Rider defeated Centurious and freed the souls in the Crystal. As a last redemptive act, Ethan Domblue removed Zarathos from Johnny Blaze and placed the demon in the Crystal of Souls, freeing Blaze from the curse of Ghost Rider.[29]

Reverend Styge

The Dan Ketch Ghost Rider also had a foe that was referred to as the Sin-Eater. Jim Sharp aka Reverend Styge was granted power by Chthon to raise the dead by eating the living.[30]

In other media
  • Stan Carter appears in the animated television series The Spectacular Spider-Man, voiced by Thomas F. Wilson.[31] This version is a uniformed police sergeant partnered with Officer Jean DeWolff and displayed a short temper with Max Dillon after he refused to return to the hospital. Stan supports Spider-Man's activities, as opposed to his partner, even barricading a construction area so Spider-Man can finish fighting Sandman.
  • Stanley Carter appears in the 2008 novel Spider-Man: Requiem, by Jeff Mariotte. This version became Carrion after the Cabal of Scrier used the carrion virus to resurrect him so he can steal the Darkhold from S.H.I.E.L.D. on their behalf. Carter came into conflict with Spider-Man, but the former eventually fights Carrion for control of his body. When the Cabal of Scrier attempted to summon Chthon, Carter seemingly sacrificed himself to stop the Elder God. In reality, he had hidden himself away at his uncle, Emory Carter's, house, where the latter became infected by the carrion virus. Carter died and Emory became the new Carrion, but he was defeated by Spider-Man.

References
  1. Brevoort, Tom; DeFalco, Tom; Manning, Matthew K.; Sanderson, Peter; Wiacek, Win (2017). Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History. DK Publishing. p. 236. ISBN 978-1465455505.
  2. Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #110. Marvel Comics.
  3. Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #107 (October 1985). Marvel Comics.
  4. Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #108 (November 1985). Marvel Comics.
  5. Spectacular Spider-Man #134-136. Marvel Comics.
  6. Cowsill, Alan; Manning, Matthew K. (2012). Spider-Man Chronicle: Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging. DK Publishing. pp. 168–169. ISBN 978-0756692360.
  7. The Amazing Spider-Man #300 (May, 1988). Marvel Comics.
  8. Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 #37. Marvel Comics.
  9. Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 #44. Marvel Comics.
  10. Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 #45. Marvel Comics.
  11. Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 #46. Marvel Comics.
  12. Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 #47. Marvel Comics.
  13. Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 #48. Marvel Comics.
  14. Amazing Spider-Man: The Sins of Norman Osborn #1. Marvel Comics.
  15. Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 #49. Marvel Comics.
  16. Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 #50. Marvel Comics.
  17. Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 #51.LR. Marvel Comics.
  18. Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 #52.LR. Marvel Comics.
  19. Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 #53.LR. Marvel Comics.
  20. Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 #54. Marvel Comics.
  21. Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 #54.LR. Marvel Comics.
  22. Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 #56. Marvel Comics.
  23. Venom: Sinner Takes All #3. Marvel Comics.
  24. Venom: Sinner Takes All #1 (August 1995). Marvel Comics.
  25. Venom: Sinner Takes All #2-5. Marvel Comics.
  26. Venom: Sinner Takes All #5. Marvel Comics.
  27. Rick Spears (w), Germán Peralta (p), Germán Peralta (i). AXIS: Carnage #1-3 (29 October 2014 - 10 December 2014), United States: Marvel Comics
  28. Donny Cates (w), Juan Gedeon (p), Juan Gedeon (i), Jesus Aburtov (col), VC's Clayton Cowles (let), Devin Lewis (ed). Venom v4, #16 (11 July 2019), United States: Marvel Comics
  29. Ghost Rider #80. Marvel Comics.
  30. Ghost Rider Vol. 3 #16-18. Marvel Comics.
  31. Comics Continuum by Rob Allstetter: Monday, February 4, 2008
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