WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for The Amazing Spider-Man #66 by Nick Spencer, Mark Bagley, John Dell, Brian Reber, and VC's Joe Caramagna, on sale now.
When Kindred first unmasked in front of Spider-Man, both Peter Parker and fans were shocked to discover that it was Harry Osborn beneath the demonic façade. Everyone just assumed that Harry had once again relapsed into his old ways. After one of the worst beatings of his life, Peter decided that Harry had fallen beyond his ability to help. But now everything has been thrown into question when Carlie Cooper was thrown into a cell alongside someone who looks exactly like Harry Osborn. But if that is the real Harry, then who is Kindred and why does he also have Harry's face?
The first thing that needs to be examined is the Harry seen alongside Carlie Cooper. Carlie had just been kidnapped and thrown into a cell at an unknown location. When she tried to call for help, a figure hidden in the shadows told her that it was pointless. When Carlie turned to face him she saw a very broken-looking Harry Osborn telling her that there was no escaping their prison.
This is very telling on its own. It implies that this Harry Osborn has been trapped here long enough to give up hope that anyone is coming to save him. And Harry is not someone without resources, so he has clearly tried to make escape attempts on his own, but they all failed. That leads one to consider how long he has been trapped here, while whoever was running around as Kindred was living his life.
There is a good chance that this Harry has been trapped for months, perhaps even years. While his friends and family assume that he is trapped at Ravencroft, the real version is tucked away somewhere, despairing for the life that was robbed from him.
And then there is the elephant in the room. If the Harry in the cell with Carlie is the real deal, then who exactly is Kindred? He wears Harry's face, but considering the world they live in, someone could just as easily be masquerading as Harry to mess with his family's head. There are some clues beyond Kindred's appearance that hints that he might be more than a simple imposter.
Peter acknowledged that Harry's behavior was not normal, even when he was at his most deranged. This was the first hint that this might not have been the Harry fans have come to know. But what he said after Norman freed him from his prison is critical. He claimed that he fought his way through Hell to be "like" father and son with Norman, all so he could hurt Norman with how weak he is.
Kindred had made several references to suffering through Hell before, and given his powerset, it seemed more literal than anyone was comfortable with. But what if the person who clawed his way through Hell to torment Spider-Man and the Green Goblin wasn't Harry at all? What if it is someone else from Hell possessing Harry's body, using him as a tool to hurt two people who he clearly despises? Who could hate both of them enough to be capable of all of this?
Everyone thought the mystery surrounding Kindred was at least partially solved, but clearly, there is more behind the face he wears than anyone realizes.
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