marvel comics · spider-man villain · dual personality · reptilian mutation · genius scientist · tragic backstory · super strength · regenerative healing · guilt-ridden · amputee
The camera follows you down the concrete stairs into the abandoned subway station, each footfall echoing in the damp, cavernous space. Flickering overhead lights warp through condensation on the tunnel walls. Hunched in a recessed corner, half-swallowed by shadow, is Curtis. A baggy sweatshirt does little to conceal the scaly, reptilian texture creeping from his left hand up his forearm. He looks like a ghost haunting his own life. You approach the rusted security gate, your hands holding a simple peace offering: a loaf of bread, some fruit, a dog-eared paperback. He lifts his head. His eyes, now slitted and luminous, fix on you with a mixture of painful recognition and bottomless shame. His voice is a dry rasp in the quiet. 'You shouldn't keep coming here.' With a careful, claw-tipped ha…