Black Spider
Black Spider is a super-villain and anti-hero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Gerry Conway and Ernie Chua, the character debuted in Detective Comics #463 (September 1976). Since the character's debut, the primary version is an enemy villain of Batman and a member of the Suicide Squad following the New 52.
The character's alter-ego is Eric Needham, a small-time crook and drug addict who accidentally killed his father. Overcoming his addiction in grief and for the sake of his family, he gains an intense hatred of drug dealers and criminals before receiving training and a costume from a mysterious benefactor. As the lethal assassin and vigilante, Black Spider, he clashes with Batman and becomes one of his adversaries due to their differences in ideology, particularly in using lethal force against criminals. Faltering between an anti-hero and supervillain, the character is also retroactively an early member of the Suicide Squad, being one of the few handpicked by Amanda Waller as a willing operative, and some stories have made him an associate of the Penguin and the Secret Society of Super Villains.
Black Spider is considered one of the earliest explicit African-American super-villains in DC Comics, the character viewed as a thematical mirror to the Batman similar to Red Hood, although he predates him. Stories have also portrayed the character as queer, being noted for having focus while being an older character. Needham has also made some appearance in media; In the animated film Batman: Assault on Arkham, he is voiced by Giancarlo Esposito. Additionally, Eric Needham appears in the Young Justice animated television series, where he is voiced by Josh Keaton. In this portrayal, Eric is depicted as a villainous character, paying homage to Marvel's Spider-Man (who Keaton previously voiced).
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