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Spider-Man (Pavitr Prabhakar)

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Pavitr Prabhakar
Spider-Man
Cover of Spider-Man: India #1 (2004)
Art by Jeevan J. Kang.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceSpider-Man: India #1 (2004)[1][2]
Created by
In-story information
Alter egoPavitr Prabhakar
SpeciesHuman mutate
Place of originMumbai/Mumbattan, India
Supporting character of
AbilitiesSuperhuman strength, speed, agility, reflexes, durability, and balance
Altered in-story information for adaptations to other media
Partnerships

Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics in collaboration with Gotham Entertainment. Pavitr Prabhakar is an Indian alternate version of Spider-Man who lives in Mumbai, India.[3][4]

In the Marvel Comics universe, Spider-Man lives on Earth-50101. His secret identity is Pavitr Prabhakar, a shy high school student living with his Aunt Maya and Uncle Bhim in Mumbai. He has several supporting characters, such as Meera Jain, Flash Thompson, Nalin Oberoi, and Doctor Octopus. Pavitr moved to Mumbai from a small village. Despite financial struggles, his uncle was determined for him to receive a good education at the Heritage International School, one of the top schools in Mumbai.[citation needed]

Pavitr was often bullied in school for being from a village and wearing a dhoti. A Yogi gives him the magical powers of a spider, which he uses to fight Nalin Oberoi, an evil businessman searching for a powerful, magical amulet. In his quest, Oberoi destroys Pavitr's village, killing everyone. As Spider-Man, Pavitr defeats Oberoi and hands him over to the police.[5]

Pavitr "Pav" Prabhakar / Spider-Man India made his cinematic debut in the 2023 animated feature film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, voiced by Karan Soni in English and Shubman Gill in Hindi and Punjabi. He is depicted as a member of Miguel O'Hara's Spider-Society.[6] He is set to reappear in the film's sequel, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.

Publishing history

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Pavitr Prabhakar first appeared in Spider-Man: India #1 (January 2005).[7][8][9][10][11] Marvel created this Indian version in collaboration with the Gotham Entertainment Group, with Debdatta Das as a co-creator.[12]

Fictional character biography

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Pavitr Prabhakar, an Indian boy from a remote village, moves to Mumbai with the encouragement of his aunt Maya and Uncle Bhim after receiving a partial scholarship to attend Heritage International School, a prestigious academy. At school, he is frequently bullied for his rural background. His uncle urges him to endure the challenges and stay in school, believing in his potential. A popular girl, Meera Jain, befriends him after they bond over their shared experience of moving to the city from a small village.[citation needed]

Meanwhile, a local crime lord named Nalin Oberoi uses an amulet to perform an ancient ritual, becoming possessed by a demon intent on opening a gate for other demons to invade Earth. While being chased by bullies, Pavitr encounters an ancient yogi who grants him the powers of a spider to combat the evil threatening the world. Pavitr dons the iconic Spider-Man costume and tests his new abilities, such as creating webs and clinging to walls. While exploring his powers, Pavitr witnesses a woman being attacked but dismisses it, thinking the police will intervene. Unbeknownst to him, his uncle attempts to help the woman and is fatally injured. Hearing his uncle's cry, Pavitr rushes to the scene, but it's too late. Overcome with grief, he confronts the attackers, nearly killing them before regaining control. He then realises that with great power comes great responsibility, and vows to use his abilities to protect others.[7]

Nalin Oberoi briefly reverts to human form and transforms a mild-mannered doctor into a demon with four magical tentacles (the Indian version of Doctor Octopus), sending him to kill Spider-Man as instructed by the demon voices. "Doc Ock" fails, and Spider-Man makes his public debut as a hero. However, the newspapers label him a threat.[7]

Oberoi kidnaps Pavitr's aunt and takes her to a refinery outside Mumbai. There, he betrays Doctor Octopus, blasting him into the ocean. Spider-Man arrives to fight Oberoi, who has also kidnapped Meera. Oberoi drops both Maya and Meera from the top of the refinery. Spider-Man dives to save his aunt but fails to rescue Meera, who is saved by Doctor Octopus. Pavitr reveals his identity to Meera and asks her to take his aunt to safety.[7]

Oberoi finally eliminates Doctor Octopus and touches Spider-Man with the amulet. A Venom-like creature emerges from the amulet, attempting to lure Spider-Man to the dark side. Pavitr remembers his uncle's words about responsibility and rejects the evil, shattering the link between Oberoi and the demons, turning Oberoi human again. Spider-Man throws the amulet into the ocean, and Oberoi is sent to a mental institution.[7]

Peace returns to Mumbai. Pavitr begins a romance with Meera and is seen celebrating Diwali with his aunt. The story concludes with a quote from the Bhagavad Gita, hinting that the Venom-Demon still lives.[7]

Spider-Verse

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During the Spider-Verse storyline, which featured Spider-Men from various alternate realities, Pavitr Prabhakar fought a mysterious new villain named Karn, whom he mistook for a demon. The Superior Spider-Man (Doctor Octopus' mind in Peter Parker's body) saved him and recruited him into his army of Spiders.[13] In the second volume of Spider-Verse, set during the Secret Wars event, Pavitr Prabhakar found himself in the domain of Battleworld called Arachnia, where he teamed up with Spider-Gwen, Spider-Ham, Spider-Man Noir, Spider-UK, and Anya Corazon, although none of them remembered their previous encounter during the original Spider-Verse. [citation needed]

Following the conclusion of Secret Wars, the team of six Spiders that formed during the event was renamed and featured in a new ongoing series called Web Warriors, a name coined by Peter Parker from the Ultimate Spider-Man TV series during the original Spider-Verse.[14]

Spider-Geddon

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During the Spider-Geddon storyline, Pavitr, along with Spider-Girl, Spider-Punk, Spider-UK, and Master Weaver, has been monitoring Earth-3145. They discover that the Inheritors have become malnourished since their last appearance.[15]

In other media

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Film

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Video games

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Reception

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James Whitbrook of io9 ranked Pavitr fourteenth among the greatest alternate versions of Spider-Man, stating that he "shares much in common with the general Spider-Man legacy, but he's probably the best example of a foreign Spider-Man Marvel's ever attempted." Ryan Linch of Screen Rant ranked Pavitr tenth, noting that the character "has some really clever deviations from his American counterparts, but still retains everything that makes Spider-Man great."[19][20]

References

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  1. ^ "Spider-Man: India (2004) #1 | Comic Issues | Marvel".
  2. ^ "Spider-Man: India (2004) Issue #1 - Read Spider-Man: India (2004) Issue #1 comic online in high quality".
  3. ^ Jeevan Kang. Spider-Man: India (1 ed.). Marvel Comics. pp. 1, 5.
  4. ^ "Who is Spider-Man India in Across the Spider-Verse? Pavitr Prabhakar explained". WION. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  5. ^ Spider-Man: India #1, #2, #3 and #4 (1 ed.). New York, USA: Marvel Comics. 2004–2005.
  6. ^ Atal, Raj (2023-05-19). "Who Is Indian Spiderman Pavitr Prabhakar? Comic Origin, Powers & Abilities, And Weakness Explained". Superhero Maniac. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Spider-Man: India #1-4
  8. ^ "Spider-Man, Swinging Through India". NPR. January 6, 2005
  9. ^ Overdorf, Jason. "A Multicultural Web". Newsweek International. July 25, 2004
  10. ^ Sandhu, Sukhdev. "World Wide Web". New York Magazine. May 21, 2005
  11. ^ "Spider-Man Gets Indian Makeover". BBC News. June 24, 2004
  12. ^ "'We had Spider-Man celebrate Diwali, swing from Gateway of India'". Hindustan Times. 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  13. ^ The Superior Spider-Man #32
  14. ^ "Spider-Gwen Stars in Web Warriors Launched by Mike Costa and David Baldeon #MarvelOctober (UPDATE)". 29 June 2015.
  15. ^ Spider-Geddon #0. Marvel Comics.
  16. ^ Polo, Susana; Patches, Matt; McWhertor, Michael (2022-12-13). "Every new Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse character, explained". Polygon. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
  17. ^ "Karan Soni: Deadpool and Spider-Man have a special relationship in the comics; it will be used at some point - EXCLUSIVE". The Times of India. 2024-08-09. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
  18. ^ Hashimoto, Marika (April 19, 2024). "The Spider-Society Arrives on 'MARVEL Strike Force' to Save the Multiverse". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  19. ^ Whitbrook, James (7 July 2017). "The Greatest Spider-Men of All Time, Ranked". io9. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  20. ^ "11 Best Alternate Versions of Spider-Man". Screen Rant. 26 April 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
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