Tarantula

History

Antón Miguel Rodríguez was a revolutionary against dictatorship in the South American republic of Delvadia, but he loved killing too much and was forced out. He then joined those who he first fought. There he got the costume and the name Tarántula. But when he killed a fellow officer, he was yet again forced out. He escaped to United States, where he started his criminal career.

On his first job he met Spider-Man and Punisher, who foiled his plans. He was thrown into prison, where he escaped thanks to Jackal, who used him as tool against Spider-Man. He tried several kidnapping jobs but ultimately failed them.

Frustrated on his defeats he subjected himself to experiment to duplicate Spider-Man's power. The experiment went bad when Will O'The Wisp trashed the machines. Antón was turned into a spider hybrid. His intelligence waned and appearance turned more spider-like with moments. In the end he jumped down from the roof goading for cops to shoot him, thus ending his life.

Legacy

• Tarantula of Old West - Clay Riley
• Tarantula I - Antón Miguel Rodríguez
• Tarantula II - Luis Álvarez
• Tarantula III - Jacinda Rodríguez
• Tarantula IV - María Vásquez
• Devil-Spider - Roderick Kingsley (the Hobgoblin)

Rodríguez's daughter, Jacinda, inherited the Tarantula costume, but she was thought to be killed by Taskmaster on her very first day in costume.

A few years later, while it was assumed that Roderick Kingsley had been killed by Phil Urich during the Big Time arc, Kingsley still being active in Delvadia with Tarantula's costume under the alias "Devil-Spider".