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Spider-Man wearing a suit of armor? It'll never work!
Peter Parker upgrades his spider suit with
advanced technology known as Spider-Armor Mk III.
While this figure is sold in white packaging denoting it as part of the Gamerverse line, it isn't exactly a videogame figure: while the Mark III armor does make an appearance as an unlockable suit in the game (for 2 Base Tokens, 4 Challenge Tokens and 4 Crime Tokens), its origin lies six years earlier, in the comics; debuting in Amazing Spider-Man #682, part of the "Ends of the Earth" storyline, the armor was designed specifically to counter the abilities of the Sinister Six. It's insulated against electrical attack, can stand up to brute strength, has lenses that can see through illusions, a hearing device to pinpoint specific heartbeats, an override device for cybernetic enhancements, and even an app to control shapeshifting. The guy thinks of everything! (In the game, it just makes you mostly bulletproof.)
This armor was designed by Stefano Caselli, and it's got a great look. It's easily one of the bulkiest things Spider-Man has ever worn, which is why it's a one-off thing for desperate times, and not something for everyday use. The helmet is smooth and red, with angular blue lenses - it actually looks a bit like SP//dr (though it is, of course, a new sculpt).
The armor is really just a series of
plates over a black suit - kind of like Stormtrooper armor. He's got bit pads on his shoulders, thick bracers, a chestplate that runs over the shoulders to connect to a spider-shaped jetpack and a mechanical spine, a combination belt/codpiece, pads on the thighs, and boots with cutouts on the sides and top. The undersuit has its own armored texture as well, really giving the impression of something that would protect him more than his regular suit could ever hope to.
Both the Mk.1 and Mk.2 Spider-Armors favored black, so this is the first one to keep his classic colors. Yes, the body is black, but the actual armored portions are red, and there's blue on the upper arms. Still, you've got to rely on the giant spider on the chest to properly identify who's wearing this.
Spidey moves at the ankles, knees, thighs, hips, waist, chest, wrists, elbows, biceps, shoulders, neck, and head. Several of the joints are very stiff to get moving, but breaking them really isn't a concern right now: both Gamerverse figures are big pegwarmers, so if he breaks, I'll surely have plenty of replacements to choose from at the store.
The figure comes with a neat little accessory. Rather just give us another one of those weblines they've been doing intermittently for years, he comes with a little sploot of web that fits onto a 6" figure's head, as though Spidey's just webbed up their face. That's a lot of fun, and will be usefully interactive for lots of toys.
Even though he's fully new molds and a new accessory, the figure still includes a Build-A-Figure bit: Demogoblin's right leg.
Spider-Man's Mark III Armor was a cool design in a very cool story, and if appearing in a videogame is what it took for it to be made into a toy, so be it!
-- 03/15/20
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