Contains spoilers for Amazing Spider-Man #24.

In Caped-Joel’s review of Amazing Spider-Man #24, he talks about Spider-Man’s newest foe, Kindred. Kindred who seems to know way too much about Spider-Man (like knowing he’s Peter Parker) tells Spidey that he can’t learn Kindred’s name until the final battle. He states that once Peter knows his name, it’s all over and they will have to battle each other and Peter will have to face what he did.

So, who is Kindred?

My theory is that Kindred is Uncle Ben.

GASP! *dramatic music sting*

Kindred looks very much like a rotting corpse. He is bandaged and his face is, well, not pleasant. He also has bugs crawling all over him–another sign of decay.

There is also the fact he is calling himself “Kindred.” It can mean like “kindred soul,” where the two are similar, but it can also mean “family or relative,” like an uncle.

Kindred also states that Peter will have to face what he did. And what is the thing that bothers Peter all the time: not being there for Uncle Ben. He let the thief pass him and the thief killed Uncle Ben. Spidey is finally going to have to confront that regret.

Lastly, over in DC Comics, they took a beloved dead family member and made them evil. I’m talking about Jor-El. Jor-El has always (or mostly) been seen as a benevolent, wise father figure. Now…he’s crazy. As we know with Marvel and DC, when one does something the other soon follows. So, who’s the most beloved dead family member in the Marvel Universe? That’s right: Uncle Ben–Mr. Great Power Great Responsibility himself.

But during the comic, Mysterio says that Kindred was just another human in the Underworld who worked his way up to being a demon. That doesn’t sound like Uncle Ben. What would kind, loving Uncle Ben be doing in “The Bad Place?” First, no theory is perfect–if it was, it’d be a law. Second, I’m thinking that this isn’t really Uncle Ben but Peter’s guilt. He’s going to have to face his guilt over what happened to Uncle Ben. We’ve seen plenty of instances where an abstract idea takes on a concrete form–such as the villain Nightmare.

Kindred even states that when Spider-Man and him fight, it’ll be the end for both. Spider-Man, the hero, was created from Uncle Ben’s death. It is what drives Peter to be Spider-Man. If he “defeats” his guilt, would he be that Spider-Man? He’d probably stay a hero, but maybe be a new version–a less angsty one always going on about “The Parker Luck.”

That’s my theory at least. What do you think? Do you think a battle between Peter and Uncle Ben would be epic or disrespectful? Feel free to check out the video (or read the comic) and make your own theory–and post them in the comments. Don’t forget to share, like, and follow.

Thanks for reading! And until the next wormhole…bye.

Alone is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and many other online retailers. Sparks of Rebellion is now available in paperback from Barnes & Noble.