Spider-Man’s new outer space costume has a deep dive X-Men origin, Marvel writer reveals

Wondering if it’s one of those Mighty Marvel Coincidences that The Amazing Spider-Man comic book series currently features Peter Parker in space with a member of Warlock’s alien race, the Technarchy? Of course not — because, in Marvel Comics, there’s no such thing as coincidence… especially when it comes to creators’ own fandom.

“New Mutants was the first ever comic I bought for myself,” Amazing Spider-Man writer Joe Kelly revealed during the Spider-Man and his Venomous Friends panel at New York Comic Con 2025, talking about the series where Warlock (and the techno-organic Technarchy) was first introduced, back in 1984’s New Mutants #18.

Warlock — a mutant amongst his technological race for his compassion and absence of desire to kill in order to sustain his own life, and therefore deserving of membership in the junior X-Men team the series centered around — was a regular in the New Mutants series through 1990’s New Mutants #90, at which point he apparently died. (It’s comics; he got better years later.)

Of course, the fact that Peter Parker is now wearing a suit made of the Technarchy — a race that, as I said above, needs to kill in order to sustain its own existence — does suggest that problems might be awaiting Spider-Man sooner rather than later. No wonder that Kelly is teasing that a “wardrobe malfunction” is awaiting the hero in The Amazing Spider-Man #15, due out November 5.

The question might be, what are the odds that we’ll get some more New Mutants-related shout-outs, knowing Kelly’s own fandom? Where’s Lila Chaney these days, anyway?

New York Comic Con 2025 continues through Sunday, October 12.