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This article is about the Marvel Comics character. For other uses, see Spider-Boy (disambiguation).
Spider-Boy
Cover of Spider-Boy #1.
Art by Humberto Ramos.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceSpider-Man Vol. 4 #7
(April 2023)
Created by
In-story information
Alter egoBailey Bartholomew Briggs
SpeciesHuman mutate
Team affiliationsSpider-Army
PartnershipsPeter Parker / Spider-Man
Gwen / Kidpool
Notable aliasesSpider-Boy
Spider-B
Abilities
  • Superhuman strength, agility, stamina, and reflexes
  • Precognitive spider-sense
  • Wall-crawling
  • Venom bite
  • Spider-speaking

Spider-Boy (Bailey Bartholomew Briggs) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Dan Slott and artist Humberto Ramos, the character first appeared in Spider-Man vol. 4 #7 (April 2023).[1][2] He is a child superhero with spider-like abilities.[3] He was erased from existence and forgotten by everyone who knew him before being brought back.[4] The character is also an ally of the superhero Peter Parker / Spider-Man and Gwen / Kidpool[5] and the main character of the comic book series Spider-Boy and Kidpool & Spider-Boy.[6]

Development

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Concept and creation

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Spider-Boy creator Dan Slott stated "So, the idea came from when we were writing. I said to my editor, "Wouldn't it be funny if there was one more guy? And now, no one remembers him." And we started talking about who that [could] be, what kind of character they would be. I was pitching really hard for it to be Spider-Boy. Why? This all-new character would be the youngest spider character we'd ever done because both Miles and Peter, when they got bit, were teenagers. I thought it would be really fun to see the adventures of a preteen Spider-Man character, someone Spider-Man won't want running around. It's child endangerment [laughs]. If you're Spider-Man, you're all about responsibility, and what kind of responsible hero would you be if you let this nine or ten-year-old kid run around and fight crime? So that's kind of where that came from."[7] Slott later said Spider-Boy was created to be an entertaining Spider-Man supporting character, but became popular enough to get his own comic series.[8]

Publication history

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Spider-Boy debuted in Spider-Man vol. 4 #7 (April 2023), created by Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos.[9] He later appeared in the 2023 Edge of Spider-Verse series,[10] and in the 2023 Spider-Boy series, his first solo comic book series.[11] The first monthly issue was released in November 2023.[12] He also appeared in the 2023 Superior Spider-Man series,[13] and in the 2023 Marvel Unlimited exclusive Infinity Comic series.[14]

Slott left Marvel in 2025 to work for DC Comics, in the comic Superman Unlimited, part of the Summer of Superman relaunch of Superman. As a result, he ended the Spider-Boy comic he was writing.[15]

Fictional character biography

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Bailey Briggs was originally a normal boy before being kidnapped by Madame Monstrosity. He and fellow prisoner Eli Hartman are respectively spliced with the DNA of a spider and an elephant and rhinoceros, with Eli being dubbed Hellifino.[16] Eventually, Bailey managed to escape and, after training with Daredevil to gain control of his powers, became Spider-Boy, Spider-Man's sidekick.

In "End of the Spider-Verse", following the defeat of Shathra and Morlun, Bailey is among their victims who are resurrected. After realizing that nobody remembers his existence, he leaves and ends up living at a F.E.A.S.T. building after saving a young girl named Christina Xu from Mister Negative's Inner Demons.[17][18]

Spider-Boy later battles Madame Monstrosity, who sends Hellifino and her creation Boy-Spider to capture him.[19][20] He also reunites with his mother Tabitha Briggs, who has no memory of him and was transformed into a tabby cat Humanimal by Madame Monstrosity. Madame Monstrosity captures Spider-Boy and transforms herself into a chimera to battle him when he attempts to escape with help from Spider-Man, Miles Morales, Squirrel Girl, Captain America, Thor, and Toy Soldier. The rest of the Humanimals learned the truth about Madame Monstrosity unable to restore them to normal completely. However, she is saved by the High Evolutionary who plans to experiment on her.[20]

After Madame Monstrosity is defeated, the people she transformed into Humanimals are returned to normal after her husband Jeremy, who she transformed into an owl, works with her former henchmen Squeakerton and Mr. Cricket, Spider-Man, and the android Toy Soldier to modify her transformation chamber. Boy-Spider, Jeremy, and Hellifino are unable to be returned to a human form, so they choose to live on Madame Monstrosity's farm with Tabitha.[21]

Afterwards, Bailey returns to school and begins learning everything that happened while he was missing. Tabitha also joins the F.E.A.S.T. staff, regains her memories, and learns Bailey's secret identity, but allows him to continue being a superhero.[22]

Spider-Boy and Daredevil later travel to Madripoor to take part in the Challenge of the Jade Dragon tournament. There, they take on different opponents, including Bullseye and Spider-Girl.[23] After the tournament, Spider-Boy finds that Boy-Spider is living with Tabitha after gaining the ability to assume a humanoid form. They have a brief fight until Tabitha breaks it up.[24]

Spider-Boy then meets a female variant of Kidpool whose the same age as him and falls in love at first sight with him. The two of them then fight Archon and Stegron.[25]

Spider-Boy saves Christina Xu from the Inner Demons where one member was revealed to have been fused with an earthworm by Madame Monstrosity. Due to a key that Christina has, Spider-Boy plans to raid a bank that is owned by Mister Negative. Spider-Man confronts them in the bank and learns of why they are "robbing it". Just then, Mister Negative enters with some brainwashed police officers. Once in the vault, Spider-Boy and Christina find the files on the Humanimals that Madame Monstrosity made for Mister Negative. Spider-Boy as Bailey Briggs pretends to get brainwashed in order to help defeat Mister Negative and freeing everyone from the brainwashing. After Mister Negative is arrested, Spider-Man tells Spider-Boy that their partnership is done as he confiscates his Spider-Boy gear.[26]

Powers and abilities

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Spider-Boy possesses superpowers similar to those of Spider-Man.[27][28] He can transform into a spider hybrid at will, gaining paralyzing venom, enhanced vision, and the ability to communicate with spiders.[29] Additionally, he has a variety of the Spider-Sense that manifests as psychometry.

Supporting characters

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Enemies

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Spider-Boy has his own rogues gallery:

Name / alter ego Creator(s) First appearance Description
Madame Monstrosity Dan Slott
Paco Medina 		Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 6) #31 (August 2022) Melodia Stillwell experiments on human beings to turn them into human/animal hybrids called Humanimals. She is the mother of Farley Stillwell, Harlan Stillwell, and Shannon Stillwell.[30]
Gutterball Spider-Boy (vol. 2) #1 (November 2023) A bowling-themed supervillain with a bowling ball for a head.
Balloon Man Emilio Helio possesses gaseous powers after an accident that changed his respiratory system. This enables him to control gases including the helium in balloons.[31]
Killionaire Spider-Boy (vol. 2) #3 (March 2024) A rich social media influencer.
Red Heron Steve Foxe
Carola Borelli 		Spider-Woman (vol. 8) #5 (May 2024) A heron-masked villain who Spider-Woman helped Spider-Boy defeat.
Puzzle Man Dan Slott
Jason Loo 		Spider-Boy (vol. 2) #8 (August 2024) Krys Crossman is a Daily Bugle worker who specializes in puzzles and breaks the fourth wall to challenge readers.
Funhouse / Spider-Girl Dan Slott
Michael Cho 		Spider-Boy (vol. 2) #11 (October 2024) Maka Akana / Funhouse is the apprentice of the assassin Bullseye who is able to copy the powers of anyone who makes eye contact with her. After making eye contact with Spider-Boy causes her to acquire all his memories, she makes it her mission to kill him, briefly taking the name "Spider-Girl" to compete against him at the Challenge of the Jade Dragon.
Bada Bros Dan Slott Spider-Boy (vol. 2) #17 (April 2025) Two supervillains that can manifest energy bombs who were hired by Killionaire.

Other versions

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An alternate future timeline variant of Spider-Boy appears during the Venom War event.[32]

Reception

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Critical response

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Casey Donahue of Screen Rant named Bailey Briggs one of the best new heroes of 2023.[33] D. R. Bickham of Comic Book Resources called Bailey Briggs one of the most interesting incarnations of Spider-Man, writing, "While his youth, quirkiness, and awkward similarities to his mentor make him immediately endearing to fans, another contributing factor to Spider-Boy's newfound popularity and staying power lies in his unique rogues gallery."[34] George Marston of Newsarama referred to Bailey Briggs as one of Marvel's newest breakout characters.[35]

Impact

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In 2023, the introduction of Bailey Briggs as Spider-Boy in Spider-Man vol. 4 #7 was credited as one of the main reasons the comic book sold out.[36] Matt Devoe of ComicBook.com ranked the comic book 1st in their "Top 10 Comic Books Rising in Value in the Last Week Include Midnight Sons and Tons of Spider-Verse" list.[37] His appearance in Edge of Spider-Verse #3 was also credited as one of the key reasons the comic book sold out.[38]

Literary reception

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Volumes

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Spider-Boy (2023)

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Diamond Comic Distributors reported that Spider-Boy #1 was the 3rd top advance-reordered comic book by retailers between November 20 to November 6, 2023.[39] ComicHub reported that Spider-Boy #1 was the best-selling comic in November 2023. The ComicHub Top 200 Comics sales chart reflects sales data collected from the ComicHub system at comic shops across the globe that sell American comics. This report was created based on information from more than 125 stores that used the ComicHub system during the reporting period.[40][41]

Sayantan Gayen of Comic Book Resources called Spider-Boy #1 a "positive debut issue," asserting that it offers the freshest take on an old formula from Marvel in recent history. He praised the potential for the character, noting that Bailey's future looks bright if the creators invest the necessary love to help him grow.[42] Matthew Aguilar of ComicBook.com gave Spider-Boy #1 a score of 4 out of 5 stars, praising the emotional depth of Bailey's origin story and the poignant reunion that unfolds, calling it a "heartfelt" experience. He noted that the villains in the series have an appealing absurdity, which adds to its charm, with artist Paco Medina and colorist Erick Arciniega effectively embracing this whimsical style in their artwork and character designs. Aguilar also highlighted the entertaining second story, "Balloonacy," by Ty Templeton and Dee Cunniffe, appreciating the inclusion of Squirrel Girl and Tippy-Toe. He remarked that when Spider-Boy takes center stage, the series evokes a unique quality that feels special, leaving him eager to see where the story goes next.[43]

Collected editions

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# Title Material collected Pages Format Released ISBN
1 End Of The Spider-Verse Spider-Man (vol. 3) #1–7 176 TPB 6 Jun 2023 978-1302946562
2 Who Is Spider-Boy? Spider-Man (vol. 3) #8–11 112 TPB 14 Nov 2023 978-1302946579
1 The Web-Less Wonder Spider-Boy #1-4; material from Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 6) #31 136 TPB 30 Apr 2024 978-1302957155
2 Fun & Games Spider-Boy #5-8 136 TPB 10 Sep 2024 978-1302957162
3 The Dragon's Challenge Spider-Boy #11-16 136 TPB 1 Jul 2025 978-1302960377
4 TBC Spider-Boy #17-20; Kidpool/Spider-Boy (2024) 1 136 TPB 11 Nov 2025 978-1302963163

References

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  1. ^ "Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos' Top-Secret New Spider-Hero Revealed". Marvel.com. March 29, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  2. ^ Dodge, John (November 9, 2023). "Marvel's Various Spider-Boys, Ranked". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  3. ^ Dodge, John (August 4, 2023). "Spider-Man's Kid Sidekick is Finally Finding the Home He Never Had". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  4. ^ Bonomolo, Cameron (October 30, 2023). "Spider-Man's Forgotten Sidekick Stars in Marvel's Spider-Boy #1 Preview". ComicBook.com. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  5. ^
  6. ^ Marvel (November 8, 2024). "'Deadpool & Wolverine's' Kidpool Makes Her Comic Book Debut in 'Kidpool & Spider-Boy' #1". Marvel.com. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  7. ^ C., Jenny (November 1, 2023). "Dan Slott Teases Spider-Boy's Origins and Superior Spider-Man's Return". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  8. ^ Richards, Dave (March 3, 2024). "INTERVIEW: Dan Slott Hypes Up Spider-Boy". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  9. ^ "Breakout Hero Spider-Boy Shares His Sensational Story in 'Edge of Spider-Verse' #3". Marvel.com. May 15, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  10. ^ Bonomolo, Cameron (August 2, 2023). "Marvel's Spider-Boy to Reveal the Secret Origin of Spider-Man's Sidekick". ComicBook.com. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  11. ^ "Spider-Boy Lands His First Ongoing Series". Marvel.com. June 26, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  12. ^ Terror, Jude (October 28, 2023). "Spider-Boy #1 Preview: Spider-Man's Kid Sidekick Finally Gets His Due". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  13. ^ Dodge, John (December 1, 2023). "Spider-Boy's Biggest Crisis Could be Solved by a Classic Spider-Man Villain". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  14. ^ "'Gang War' Is Now on Marvel Unlimited". Marvel.com. January 10, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  15. ^ Epps, Justin (March 25, 2025). "RIP, Superman Is About to Kill Off One of Marvel's Best Spider-Verse Heroes". Screen Rant. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  16. ^ Spider-Boy #1 (January 2024). Marvel Comics.
  17. ^ Edge of Spider-Verse (vol. 3) #3 (August 2023). Marvel Comics.
  18. ^ Spider-Man (vol. 4) #7 - 10 (June - September 2023). Marvel Comics.
  19. ^ Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 6) #31 (October 2023). Marvel Comics.
  20. ^ a b Spider-Boy #4 - 7 (April - July 2024). Marvel Comics.
  21. ^ Spider-Boy #8 (August 2024). Marvel Comics.
  22. ^ Spider-Boy (vol. 2) #11-12 (October - December 2024). Marvel Comics.
  23. ^ Spider-Boy (vol. 2) #13-16 (January - April 2025)
  24. ^ Spider-Boy (vol. 2) #17 (May 2025). Marvel Comics.
  25. ^ Kidpool & Spider-Boy one-shot (February 2025). Marvel Comics.
  26. ^ Spider-Boy Vol. 2 #18-19. Marvel Comics.
  27. ^ Johnston, Rich (July 4, 2023). "Spider-Boy's True Nature Gets A New Wrinkle (Spider-Man #10 Spoilers)". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  28. ^ King, Samantha (August 6, 2023). "Spider-Man's Sidekick Has a Huge Upgrade on Peter Parker's Spider-Sense". Screen Rant. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  29. ^ Dodge, John (July 23, 2023). "Spider-Man's Kid Sidekick Just Revealed His Secret Superpowers – And They're Horrifying". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  30. ^ C, Jenny (November 2, 2023). "Marvel Gives Spider-Boy a Brand-New Rogues' Gallery". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  31. ^ Lapin-Bertone, Joshua (November 1, 2023). "Balloon Man: Marvel's newest villain isn't full of hot air". Popverse. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  32. ^ Venom (vol. 5) #36 (October 2024). Marvel Comics.
  33. ^ Donahue, Casey (September 25, 2023). "15 Best New Marvel Heroes of 2023 (So Far)". Screen Rant. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  34. ^ Bickham, D. R. (December 9, 2023). "Spider-Boy Has Marvel's Most Unique (And Humorous) Rogues Gallery". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  35. ^ Marston, George (January 26, 2024). "Spider-Boy attempts to write his own theme song in this preview of Spider-Boy #3". Newsarama. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  36. ^ Johnston, Rich (April 3, 2023). "Printwatch: Spider-Boy First Appearance Sells Out, Goes For Seconds". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  37. ^ Devon, Matt (May 31, 2023). "Top 10 Comic Books Rising in Value in the Last Week Include Midnight Sons and Tons of Spider-Verse". ComicBook.com. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  38. ^
  39. ^ "Comichron: November 2023 Comic Book Sales to Comics Shops". Comichron. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  40. ^ "Top 50 Comics - November 2023". ICv2. December 7, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  41. ^ "November 2023 Single Issue Comic Book Sales Rankings - Comic Book Revolution". Comic Book Revolution. December 18, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  42. ^ Gayen, Sayantan (November 5, 2023). "REVIEW: Marvel's Spider-Boy #1". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  43. ^ Aguilar, Matthew (November 1, 2023). "Comic Book Reviews for This Week: 11/1/2023". ComicBook.com. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
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