WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Sinister War #3, available now from Marvel.
When the demonic villain Kindred first showed up in Spider-Man’s life, he emphasized that he ultimately wanted to prove a point. He set out to show both Spider-Man and Norman Osborn their perceived sins and he did everything he could to destroy both of their lives.
In Sinister War #3 -- by Nick Spencer, Ed Brisson, Mark Bagley, Carlos Gomez, Ze Carlos, Andrew Hennessy, Andy Owens, John Dell, Brian Reber, Andrew Crossley & VC’s Joe Caramagna -- Kindred revealed the real reason behind his plans. The dark villain released all the villains upon the wall-crawler to prove that no one can really change their lot in life.
Kindred unmasked during his last major battle with Spider-Man, revealing himself to be Harry Osborn. In his twisted mind, this proved that even Peter Parker’s oldest friend couldn’t reform and put his villainous legacy behind him. Harry's biggest problem is that he always felt like he never had a chance in life. Some of the villains Kindred recruited for the war against Spider-Man had reformed yet are still taking part in the plan, reinforcing Kindred's belief that no one can ever really change.
Spider-Man, on the other hand, struggled to understand why the reformed villains were trying to kill him, unaware that Kindred is manipulating them with threats of eternal damnation if they fail. This threat has caused formerly reformed villains and sometimes allies such as Doctor Octopus, Sandman, Mysterio, and Beetle (who is dating one of Peter's closest friends) to effectively turn against the web-slinger.
There were a few former villains who resisted turning against Spider-Man, but Kindred forced their hand. Curt Connors refused to revert to his evil ways, so The Sinister Six separated him from his monstrous persona, the Lizard. Boomerang still showed remorse for betraying Spider-Man during "King's Ransom," so he secretly provided a chance for his former friend to escape the assault. However, despite it all, the bad guys remain pawns of Kindred, who is determined to prove that no one really has a choice of being good or evil in life.
The story is leading to what is sure to be an epic conclusion in the next issue. Doctor Strange remains an important element of the story, with him visiting Mephisto in Sinister War #1 to learn the truth of “One More Day,” as does Mysterio, who appears to know more about the intricacies of the war than he has let on.
The Kindred storyline is about showing that, no matter how hard someone tries, they cannot escape their predetermined roles in life. Spider-Man proving that wrong could determine the fate of several villains, from Doctor Octopus and Sandman to Boomerang and even Osborn himself. Kindred believes there is no hope, and it is up to Spider-Man to prove there is always hope.
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