New Reinvention of Spider-Man's Logo Is a Work of Genius, Giving It a Practical Purpose

Summary Spider-Man faces a life-or-death mission from Doctor Doom, with his new symbol tracking his remaining lives.

Doctor Doom grants Spider-Man eight extra lives with a dark purpose, showcasing a new use for his iconic symbol.

The new suit gives Spider-Man a crystal version of his symbol, representing his dwindling mortality in the task ahead.

It's no secret that Spider-Man often has to fight against some pretty impossible odds, and he's now going to be put to the test in 8 Deaths of Spider-Man as he tries to save the world on behalf of Doctor Doom. And it seems his new spider symbol will play a major part in helping him see if he succeeds or not.

In the upcoming Amazing Spider-Man #61 by Joe Kelly and Ed McGuinness, Spider-Man will be tasked by Doctor Doom with saving the world from an evil god. This is something that Doctor Strange has been doing this every year. However, now that Doctor Doom has taken over as Sorcerer Supreme, the Latverian dictator has designated this job to Spider-Man. But at least he gives Peter a new suit to accomplish it, while also magically imbuing him with extra lives.

This new armor of Spider-Man's comes with a gem version of his iconic symbol, and this symbol is far more useful than normal. Instead of simply looking cool, the gems actually count down how many lives Spider-Man has left. As Spider-Man's adventure continues, and he's killed again and again, the symbol will shatter, until eventually, Peter has no more lives to fall back on.

Related Spider-Man Gets a New Magic Suit and 8 Extra Lives Courtesy of Doctor Doom in 8 DEATHS OF SPIDER-MAN Spider-Man gets a new magic suit and eight extra lives as new Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Doom, tasks him with a crucial mission to save the world.

Spider-Man's Symbol Takes On A New Dark Meaning

Amazing Spider-Man #61 by Joe Kelly and Ed McGuinness

One of the most iconic parts of Spider-Man's costume has always been his chest symbol. But while the Bat-Symbol on Batman's suit has often doubled as a weapon, Spider-Man's symbol doesn't really do much. It's mostly just a cool design for his costume, with no functional purpose. This new costume completely changes that, as Spider-Man's symbol is now given a very real and very dark purpose. Dr. Doom has granted Peter eight lives to complete the task of defeating a dark god. Every time he dies, his symbol acts as a reminder of just how many lives he has left.

Plenty of writers over the years have played with the idea of giving the iconic Spider-Man symbol a functional purpose.

While Peter Parker has never found real use for his spider symbol, other Spider-Men have. During the time Ben Reilly was the corporate-sponsored Beyond Spider-Man, his spider symbol could actually be fired from his chest and act as a restraint for the more dangerous criminals that Ben went up against. It was a neat idea, and plenty of writers over the years have played with the idea of giving the iconic Spider-Man symbol a functional purpose.

Related Spider-Man's Symbol Has Officially Become The Opposite of Superman's Superman's symbol may stand for hope, but Miles Morales' Spider-Man symbol is feared by everyone in a future Brooklyn controlled by an evil Empire.

Spider-Man's Symbol Now Represents His Dwindling Mortality

Spider-Man has had tons of costume changes over the years, but this one is by far the darkest and is one of the first to give Peter's symbol an actual use. While it's not as fun as Spider-Man's old belt-mounted Spider-Signal that projected an image of his face, or as practical as Ben Reilly's symbol that could be used to catch criminals, it's still certainly useful. As Spider-Man tries to save the world from a dark god, the only thing to help him keep track of how many lives he has left is this new crystal version of his iconic symbol.

Amazing Spider-Man #61 will be available November 13 from Marvel Comics!