Revamp a Villain

[Michael Watkins]

SPIRAL

This is likely going to be my least grounded. Claremont just writes weird stuff sometimes.

She would start out as Rishita Kapoor an indian child born with six limbs. As most mutants with obvious physical abnormalities, she was gifted with high intelligence, rapid learning, and just enough physicality to defend herself (in the Toad’s case, it was the ability to flee). Anyhoo she was kidnapped and taken to MojoWorld.

Take a deep breath. I am making this place Otherworld-adjacent. Both realms would run on a combination of advanced science and sorcery. But the denizens of mojoworld have been thoroughly corrupted by the perfection of this tech sorcery. They no longer have the need to perform physical labor. And their bodies reflect that. They care about entertainment and that’s about it. Rishita is brought in to train in the use of their tech and to physically recruit/kidnap “actors” because the Technet are too expensive. Because of her intellect and need to survive, Rishita (now Spiral) quickly becomes a top notch techmage. But it requires some real abstract thinking. So she’s more than a little nuts. Because she has to wrangle fighters, she’s had a couple of limb replacements and cybernetic enhancement. She has an unhealthy fixation on one of their performers, a dude named Longshot.

My motivation for altering Spiral was ocd motivated. It grates me that there were two non-mutants in Freedom Force. Julia Carpenter is an artificial mutant sent in specifically because they feared that Mystique was returning to her terrorist roots. As for the Otherworld stuff, I wanted to establish some similarities in the technology used by otherdimensional beings. In between Otherworld and MojoWorld is the realm where the Descendants (sentient A.I) live. James Braddock sr had a hand in their creation.

[Huntsman Spider]

The Sinister Six

This won’t be much of a revamp because, individually, they are near perfect creations. But I did the Syndicate. Seems fair to differentiate the two groups.

The Syndicate is a stickup or heist crew. The Sinister Six are a cabal of celebrity villains. You need a rep and an entourage before you get to be one of the Six. And each of think that they are too good to align with the other five. Lot of clashing egos. Sandman is probably the most down to Earth. He was a low level hood long before the radiation treatment. But even he would have underlings. They rarely operate as a team. Their m.o. is to schedule individual jobs around New York roughly at the same time, to push Spider-man or whoever else to their limits. What works to peter’s favor is that they all want credit for taking him out. They see it as their ticket to rule the Six. Kraven kind of goes out as the G.O.A.T. But the others would say that he cheated.

Doctor Octopus

Vulture

Electro

Mysterio

Kraven the Hunter

The Sandman

Interesting take on the Sinister Six. Makes sense, given that almost all of them have had would-be successors or inheritors and what-not that could be revamped and grouped together as "families" of some sort.

SPIRAL

This is likely going to be my least grounded. Claremont just writes weird stuff sometimes.

She would start out as Rishita Kapoor an indian child born with six limbs. As most mutants with obvious physical abnormalities, she was gifted with high intelligence, rapid learning, and just enough physicality to defend herself (in the Toad’s case, it was the ability to flee). Anyhoo she was kidnapped and taken to MojoWorld.

Take a deep breath. I am making this place Otherworld-adjacent. Both realms would run on a combination of advanced science and sorcery. But the denizens of mojoworld have been thoroughly corrupted by the perfection of this tech sorcery. They no longer have the need to perform physical labor. And their bodies reflect that. They care about entertainment and that’s about it. Rishita is brought in to train in the use of their tech and to physically recruit/kidnap “actors” because the Technet are too expensive. Because of her intellect and need to survive, Rishita (now Spiral) quickly becomes a top notch techmage. But it requires some real abstract thinking. So she’s more than a little nuts. Because she has to wrangle fighters, she’s had a couple of limb replacements and cybernetic enhancement. She has an unhealthy fixation on one of their performers, a dude named Longshot.

My motivation for altering Spiral was ocd motivated. It grates me that there were two non-mutants in Freedom Force. Julia Carpenter is an artificial mutant sent in specifically because they feared that Mystique was returning to her terrorist roots. As for the Otherworld stuff, I wanted to establish some similarities in the technology used by otherdimensional beings. In between Otherworld and MojoWorld is the realm where the Descendants (sentient A.I) live. James Braddock sr had a hand in their creation.

Not bad at all. Interesting take on Spiral, and Julia Carpenter as one of the latent mutants from your earlier post that had her powers artificially activated makes sense.

[Michael Watkins]

Thanks!

Some Villains for Wakanda

Ulysses Klaw- i somewhat like his portrayal in the movie, at least his appearance and swagger. But I would of course have him transition into a sound being with the same swagger. The comic book version doesn’t have much of a personality, tbh. He would start out an opportunistic tomb raider and weapons dealer who became fixated on Wakanda after accidentally entering their territory. After he becomes an energy freak, his motivation is revenge and amusement. He would probably like to get his body back, as well. But it would involve begging for T’challa’s assistance. That isn’t happening. He sold the bomb that killed T’chall’s father.

Achebe - he is the joker figure in the Panther’s world. But my version would be less outwardly comical than Priest’s take. He’s more like Mister Glass. Off the charts genius but not a scientist. More like he knows enough about every subject necessary to achieve his plans. He’s an influential political commentator and religious figure known throughout Africa. But he’s also responsible for a lot of seemingly random conflict and devastation in the region. To understand his actions you also have to understand the Pantheon of African gods. They have been through some stuff. They didn’t move to another realm like the Asgardians. They didn’t blend in and stay connected like the Olympians. And they are not happy about not being worshipped (same with the egyptians). Wakanda, especially, is an affront to them. They are a bit jealous of the Panther God and its flock. A trickster god has more or less sponsored Achebe. He’s a literal agent of chaos. Most of his past is a mystery or fabrication. But he’s an engaging lecturer even if his talks encourage all sorts of horrible things. Dude’s very Old Testament.

White Wolf
Never really understood the need for the character really. Does T’challa need a half sibling? He has Shuri. And I am not sure that Wakanda would have taken this guy in and given him such authority. There are two routes I can think of. 1) as a break from the norm, Tchaka began adventuring more outside of Wakanda. And, in the Panther guise, he teamed up with British intelligence at some point. Hunter would be an intelligence officer who owes Tchaka his life and is the first non-wakandan ally they make. I guess that there’s a story in that. The other take is that he’s an African but only part wakandan, like Nezhno. And he had to fight to get where he is and became an ultranationalist to compensate for being an outcast. I can’t decide. A token with the on the nose White wolf title feels wrong.

Killmonger
Less Michael B Jordan-y but I liked his movie resume and the marks on his body. I envision him as Doctor Doom’s first attempt to destabilize the region. He would definitely see T’challa as an eventual obstacle. So he researched and found Eric to be the “perfect” challenger to the throne. He’s well educated, well trained, and already on a terrorist watchlist. Doom tells him a story about his history and connection to Wakanda. I will leave it up to you to decide whether it’s the truth or a fable. He also provides weaponry and his signature costume. The mask was made with Killmonger’s input. The latter is skilled enough to give the Panther the fight of his life. But this was ultimately just the opening salvo in Doom’s war.

[Huntsman Spider]

Thanks!

Some Villains for Wakanda

Ulysses Klaw- i somewhat like his portrayal in the movie, at least his appearance and swagger. But I would of course have him transition into a sound being with the same swagger. The comic book version doesn’t have much of a personality, tbh. He would start out an opportunistic tomb raider and weapons dealer who became fixated on Wakanda after accidentally entering their territory. After he becomes an energy freak, his motivation is revenge and amusement. He would probably like to get his body back, as well. But it would involve begging for T’challa’s assistance. That isn’t happening. He sold the bomb that killed T’chall’s father.

Achebe - he is the joker figure in the Panther’s world. But my version would be less outwardly comical than Priest’s take. He’s more like Mister Glass. Off the charts genius but not a scientist. More like he knows enough about every subject necessary to achieve his plans. He’s an influential political commentator and religious figure known throughout Africa. But he’s also responsible for a lot of seemingly random conflict and devastation in the region. To understand his actions you also have to understand the Pantheon of African gods. They have been through some stuff. They didn’t move to another realm like the Asgardians. They didn’t blend in and stay connected like the Olympians. And they are not happy about not being worshipped (same with the egyptians). Wakanda, especially, is an affront to them. They are a bit jealous of the Panther God and its flock. A trickster god has more or less sponsored Achebe. He’s a literal agent of chaos. Most of his past is a mystery or fabrication. But he’s an engaging lecturer even if his talks encourage all sorts of horrible things. Dude’s very Old Testament.

White Wolf
Never really understood the need for the character really. Does T’challa need a half sibling? He has Shuri. And I am not sure that Wakanda would have taken this guy in and given him such authority. There are two routes I can think of. 1) as a break from the norm, Tchaka began adventuring more outside of Wakanda. And, in the Panther guise, he teamed up with British intelligence at some point. Hunter would be an intelligence officer who owes Tchaka his life and is the first non-wakandan ally they make. I guess that there’s a story in that. The other take is that he’s an African but only part wakandan, like Nezhno. And he had to fight to get where he is and became an ultranationalist to compensate for being an outcast. I can’t decide. A token with the on the nose White wolf title feels wrong.

Killmonger
Less Michael B Jordan-y but I liked his movie resume and the marks on his body. I envision him as Doctor Doom’s first attempt to destabilize the region. He would definitely see T’challa as an eventual obstacle. So he researched and found Eric to be the “perfect” challenger to the throne. He’s well educated, well trained, and already on a terrorist watchlist. Doom tells him a story about his history and connection to Wakanda. I will leave it up to you to decide whether it’s the truth or a fable. He also provides weaponry and his signature costume. The mask was made with Killmonger’s input. The latter is skilled enough to give the Panther the fight of his life. But this was ultimately just the opening salvo in Doom’s war.

Those all sound cool. Especially liking your take on White Wolf as possibly having mixed ancestry, though Killmonger (seemingly) being a pawn of Doom only works for me if he and Doom are actually using each other for agendas that currently overlap, but might diverge later.

[Michael Watkins]

Those all sound cool. Especially liking your take on White Wolf as possibly having mixed ancestry, though Killmonger (seemingly) being a pawn of Doom only works for me if he and Doom are actually using each other for agendas that currently overlap, but might diverge later.

Doom just pointed the gun. Killmonger was going to acquire power somewhere. Doom just gave him a reason to look at Wakanda. It’s treated as an urban legend in my revamp universe. Killmonger didn’t know about it and would probably have taken over some other African nation otherwise. Plus he got some nifty weaponry out of the deal. Doom inadvertently makes Wakanda stronger/more battle ready by sponsoring Killmonger. Kind of shot himself in the foot.

[Huntsman Spider]

Doom just pointed the gun. Killmonger was going to acquire power somewhere. Doom just gave him a reason to look at Wakanda. It’s treated as an urban legend in my revamp universe. Killmonger didn’t know about it and would probably have taken over some other African nation otherwise. Plus he got some nifty weaponry out of the deal. Doom inadvertently makes Wakanda stronger/more battle ready by sponsoring Killmonger. Kind of shot himself in the foot.

That makes a whole lot of sense. And yes, Doom shooting himself in the foot probably happens more often in canon than some would like to admit.

[Michael Watkins]

MANDRILL & NEKRA

. originally from Port-au-Prince, Haiti
. mutant siblings
. from struggling financially one parent household (abusive alcoholic dad)
. Both intellectually gifted
. Nekra, especially, is very studious and shy
. Jerome is desperate for acceptance and often gets in trouble due to peer pressure
. He also supplements their income through thievery
. Their mutations become more noticeable in their teens but are mistaken for acne in Jerome’s case and vitiligo in Nekra’s
. In this take, Mandrill has the colorful nose markings and slightly enlarged canine teeth but is human looking in every other respect (somewhat resembles the actor Leon Robinson from Cliffhanger) https://answersafrica.com/wp-content...on-640x419.jpg
. Nekra becomes taller and more athletic but isn’t unusual looking beyond the loss of her pigmentation (imagine Sydney Poitier with white skin) which she covers with makeup
. The other side of Nekra’s power develops after her drunken father attempts to once again sexually assault her
. The adrenaline spike allows her to badly injure him but Jerome finishes him off, quite violently
. Nekra’s eyes turn blood red when she’s in rage mode and stay that way until she calms down
. They live on the street for a short time before Jerome figures out that he can influence women
. He becomes a pimp, then a drug dealer, and continues that activity after he and his sister relocate to the U.S (even though it’s done via him running a small gentlemen’s club)
. That’s where he forms an alliance with a Maggia enforcer nicknamed the Grim Reaper
. It’s only a side hustle for Reaper
. His ambitions are for the top of the villain food chain
. Mandrill and Nekra (who Reaper is sleeping with) get caught up in the escalation to costumed villainy
. Both are decent physical threats but Mandrill, despite the enhanced strength & agility, doesn’t like physical conflict and prefers to manipulate others
. He’s also a real clothes horse and wears several different tailored costumes (with built-in claws)
. Nekra has an almost dance-like fighting style but also tends towards beserker rages
. She doesn’t wear much clothing because Grim Reaper’s a scum bag
. Little does Mandrill realize that his sister used her own powers to intensify emotions in the people around her to manipulate him into killing their father
. She also subtly kept him working with Grim Reaper; going along with his more violent schemes
. I wouldn’t say that she’s doing it maliciously because they had a rough upbringing
. Might help to know that Jerome falls within the asexual spectrum- somewhat ironic given his control of women
. But he’s also complicit in rape since a lot of his dancers did sexual favors for customers in order to please their boss; all attributable to his mutant ability
. No good guys here

[Michael Watkins]

DEADPOOL

The backdrop is 90sish Canada. Nirvana has just become popular. The area is the Wild West. The Hudson’s have exposed the Weapons Plus program. The Prime Minister has asked for several high ranking government officials to be prosecuted and superhumans experimentation to be outlawed. Undisciplined masked vigilantes are cropping up in several cities. But we’re talking about Typeface-level costumed types; not the Falcon or anyone with serious powers. Enter Wade Wilson.

Wade has just quit the army. Despite arguably being the most natural talent they had ever enlisted, he was equally unsuited to taking orders and military life, in general. Like a lot of locals with any kind of training, he becomes a costumed mercenary. Wade starts out as a Casey Jonesesque costumed hooligan named Good Knight. He and the other violent cosplayers think of themselves as vigilantes. But they are basically fancy bounty hunters, hired muscle, and shakedown artists. And most of them congregate at the same bar (Sister Margaret’s School for Wayward Children). The owner and bartender calls himself Weasel. He’s the closest thing Canada has to the Tinkerer. Anyways, the place is good for finding work.

Remember that superhuman testing has been outlawed. But that just means that shady people become outlaws. They use a young woman named Vanessa to recruit skilled but pliable goons from the bar. Vanessa is a mutant shapeshifter who naturally mirrors people she comes into contact with. So she’s great at making friends. She easily pushes Wade into doing special jobs for this secret organization. All of their recruits use a athletic enhancement inhalant that wears off in an hour or two. It’s non invasive and doesn’t stay in the system very long if they get caught. Wade impresses them, even though he’s the same authority defying chatterbox that he’s always been. Speeding right along... the inhalant left his body ravaged with cancer. A lot of the others die from it, as expected.

But Wade has something special. 1) his father was involved with the weapon plus program 2) he’s actually very good at killing and 3) he has a latent x-gene. They turn him over to Francis and Project Ajax. A lot of pain and some comeuppance later, Deadpool emerges (name taken from the bet on who would survive torture the longest). In my telling, there isn’t a happy ending with Vanessa. And he’s certainly not seen as a hero; just a very witty high priced but effective mercenary. He’d be one of the rare individuals who Wolverine wouldn’t want to fight. He does break the fourth wall but it might just be temporary psychosis.

It should be mentioned that he made his pre-powers reputation by saving a gambling addict’s family from a local crime boss known only as T-Ray. Once he finds out who Deadpool is, he comes looking for revenge. The Garrison Kane stuff is still in there too.

[Huntsman Spider]

I like those revamps. Definitely "no good guys here." Speaking of, I figured I'd dust off an old one from the last Revamp a Villain thread.

Carolyn Trainer

With Doctor Octopus still in the wind following his exposure as the Superior Spider-Man, she decides to set herself up as the sole inheritor of his legacy, which means first killing off Luke Carlyle (no one's gonna miss that SOB), then finding a way to get Otto Octavius's attention for a more proper reunion, as it were. To do that, she builds herself a corporate empire by the name of Cirrina Technologies, under the new public name "Celina Handler," and markets her VR technology as an advanced cyberspace network that shapes itself according to the wishes and desires of the people who link their minds into it, filling the gap left behind by the destruction of Tony Stark's Project eScape. Not only does it get her millions of hooked customers willing to sink their money into making sure that they can continue their virtual self-gratification, thanks to her tentacle harness's cyber-link, it doubles as a source of blackmail material on wealthy, powerful, and/or connected individuals who don't want their families, friends, bosses, employees, or even customers and fans seeing what really goes on inside their heads, which adds to her own wealth and power. When not using her VR network for blackmail, she uses it to derive insight into those she can recruit for her legitimate ventures or for her less-aboveboard enterprises, even managing to secretly run a thriving technological black market within the virtual network. She styles herself as a superior futurist to Tony Stark, proclaiming that the future isn't metal, but digital, and thus she will master the digital and control the virtual, becoming the undisputed mistress of technology, and in turn, the real and virtual worlds.

For an updated look, I'm thinking that as "Celina Handler," she dresses professionally and uses her own AR (augmented reality) camo-tech mask, mounted as a high-tech headdress, to disguise her hair and eye color as well as her face, since Carolyn Trainer is still a known criminal. Her tentacle harness has its own wireless VR network and can hack into any and all other computer systems, including the systems that control advanced powered armor in the vein of Iron Man or his spinoffs, and she has her own powered armor into which her harness is integrated, though the armor is designed largely for infiltration and evasion. This means various forms of advanced camouflage (like some octopi), multiple vision augmentation modes, a sensor array woven through the entire suit that triggers warning vibrations whenever someone or something is approaching her outside her immediate field of vision and either activates the suit's camo or the weapons system, an electrostatic field that generates Van der Waals forces to stick to any surface she touches, and neuromuscular amplifiers that boost her reflexes and strength by a factor of over one hundred in the event she has to fight and can't just run or hide. Completing all this is a new villainous name for herself . . .

Cecaelia, inspired by a mythical mermaid-octopus.

[Michael Watkins]

I like those revamps. Definitely "no good guys here." Speaking of, I figured I'd dust off an old one from the last Revamp a Villain thread.

Carolyn Trainer

With Doctor Octopus still in the wind following his exposure as the Superior Spider-Man, she decides to set herself up as the sole inheritor of his legacy, which means first killing off Luke Carlyle (no one's gonna miss that SOB), then finding a way to get Otto Octavius's attention for a more proper reunion, as it were. To do that, she builds herself a corporate empire by the name of Cirrina Technologies, under the new public name "Celina Handler," and markets her VR technology as an advanced cyberspace network that shapes itself according to the wishes and desires of the people who link their minds into it, filling the gap left behind by the destruction of Tony Stark's Project eScape. Not only does it get her millions of hooked customers willing to sink their money into making sure that they can continue their virtual self-gratification, thanks to her tentacle harness's cyber-link, it doubles as a source of blackmail material on wealthy, powerful, and/or connected individuals who don't want their families, friends, bosses, employees, or even customers and fans seeing what really goes on inside their heads, which adds to her own wealth and power. When not using her VR network for blackmail, she uses it to derive insight into those she can recruit for her legitimate ventures or for her less-aboveboard enterprises, even managing to secretly run a thriving technological black market within the virtual network. She styles herself as a superior futurist to Tony Stark, proclaiming that the future isn't metal, but digital, and thus she will master the digital and control the virtual, becoming the undisputed mistress of technology, and in turn, the real and virtual worlds.

For an updated look, I'm thinking that as "Celina Handler," she dresses professionally and uses her own AR (augmented reality) camo-tech mask, mounted as a high-tech headdress, to disguise her hair and eye color as well as her face, since Carolyn Trainer is still a known criminal. Her tentacle harness has its own wireless VR network and can hack into any and all other computer systems, including the systems that control advanced powered armor in the vein of Iron Man or his spinoffs, and she has her own powered armor into which her harness is integrated, though the armor is designed largely for infiltration and evasion. This means various forms of advanced camouflage (like some octopi), multiple vision augmentation modes, a sensor array woven through the entire suit that triggers warning vibrations whenever someone or something is approaching her outside her immediate field of vision and either activates the suit's camo or the weapons system, an electrostatic field that generates Van der Waals forces to stick to any surface she touches, and neuromuscular amplifiers that boost her reflexes and strength by a factor of over one hundred in the event she has to fight and can't just run or hide. Completing all this is a new villainous name for herself . . .

Cecaelia, inspired by a mythical mermaid-octopus.

I remember liking this one and the way that you expanded Trainer’s repertoire and goals. More of this. I can understand it a little better than the 2099 stuff (although they were good and exceptionally detailed). You should try some of the other spider rogues.

[Huntsman Spider]

I remember liking this one and the way that you expanded Trainer’s repertoire and goals. More of this. I can understand it a little better than the 2099 stuff (although they were good and exceptionally detailed). You should try some of the other spider rogues.

Thanks, and I likely will at some point. As for the 2099 revamps, I've got at least one more in me, though I also have some ideas for Spider-Man's rogues gallery. Going back to Carolyn Trainer, it was quite serendipitous that canon had Tony Stark creating his own virtual world and Doctor Octopus giving up on being the Superior Spider-Man, so all I had to do was adjust her revamp to take advantage of the fallout from those two events. Come to think of it, I could probably throw in my earlier Steel Spider revamp as well, have him working for Carolyn in her new civilian alias, not knowing who she really is yet and then getting wrangled into the confrontation between her and Doctor Octopus. Oliver Osnick taking on Otto Octavius in light of Otto's development as the Superior Spider-Man/Octopus is long overdue, at least for me.

[Michael Watkins]

Thanks, and I likely will at some point. As for the 2099 revamps, I've got at least one more in me, though I also have some ideas for Spider-Man's rogues gallery. Going back to Carolyn Trainer, it was quite serendipitous that canon had Tony Stark creating his own virtual world and Doctor Octopus giving up on being the Superior Spider-Man, so all I had to do was adjust her revamp to take advantage of the fallout from those two events. Come to think of it, I could probably throw in my earlier Steel Spider revamp as well, have him working for Carolyn in her new civilian alias, not knowing who she really is yet and then getting wrangled into the confrontation between her and Doctor Octopus. Oliver Osnick taking on Otto Octavius in light of Otto's development as the Superior Spider-Man/Octopus is long overdue, at least for me.

He really seemed to have become unhinged in the Thunderbolts book.

[Sutekh]

Cecaelia, inspired by a mythical mermaid-octopus.

(Who, in my head, looks like Ursula, from the Little Mermaid...)

But, seriously, that's some great science-ing, with the van der waal's force and stuff!

Does she actually tap into her clientele's *thoughts* through the VR interface, or just gather a ton of usable blackmail material by recording their custom-generated fantasies and threatening to share them? (Cause you just know that everyone is going to have some VR fantasies they don't want their spouses, bosses, constituents, etc. knowing about...) Presumably she uses said information judiciously, and sits on various bits of naughty information for 'later' (like saving something juicy about a district attorney for if, in future, she ends up in legal jeopardy in their jurisdiction). A reputation for the tech not being 'safe' and 'secure' would lead to just about no one worth blackmailing using it for anything 'fun,' and a crap-ton of lawsuits for breach of privacy and whatnot. Plus powerful and wealthy people (who want to stay both) just hiring Bullseye or someone to end the blackmail by killing the blackmailer...

[Huntsman Spider]

He really seemed to have become unhinged in the Thunderbolts book.

Uh-huh, which just makes it more of a shame that no writer has followed up on him thus far, not even Nick Spencer with his love for more obscure characters. Then again, with a future solicited arc of ASM putting Spidey in Ravencroft . . . maybe that's where Oliver Osnick makes his reappearance.

(Who, in my head, looks like Ursula, from the Little Mermaid...)

But, seriously, that's some great science-ing, with the van der waal's force and stuff!

Does she actually tap into her clientele's *thoughts* through the VR interface, or just gather a ton of usable blackmail material by recording their custom-generated fantasies and threatening to share them? (Cause you just know that everyone is going to have some VR fantasies they don't want their spouses, bosses, constituents, etc. knowing about...) Presumably she uses said information judiciously, and sits on various bits of naughty information for 'later' (like saving something juicy about a district attorney for if, in future, she ends up in legal jeopardy in their jurisdiction). A reputation for the tech not being 'safe' and 'secure' would lead to just about no one worth blackmailing using it for anything 'fun,' and a crap-ton of lawsuits for breach of privacy and whatnot. Plus powerful and wealthy people (who want to stay both) just hiring Bullseye or someone to end the blackmail by killing the blackmailer...

Oh, yeah. I looked up Cecaelia, and Ursula was indeed cited as an example of that. As for your musings, true, she doesn't necessarily read thoughts through her VR network, but she does acquire great insight into the fantasies and desires of those plugged into it, which she saves to her personal archive that she routinely backs up and duplicates so she keeps her leverage over those she blackmails and/or recruits regardless of what they try to get out from her tentacled grip.

[Michael Watkins]

If anyone could have benefited from a symbiote, it's Ollie; if only to give him his arm back and save him money on mechanical spider limbs.