I wanted what you had for myself, Parker. The things I could do with it... with power like that... But what I got was different. Something better, Parker. Something worse. Something that can live inside, that could liquefy the innards of a man and walk the earth within his hollow shell... Something that could watch. And wait. And fester. See? See now? I AM THE THOUSAND. 
- —The Thousand
History
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Carl King
Carl King was a bully in Peter Parker's class when they were children. He witnessed Peter being bitten by the radioactive spider, and his subsequent displays of superhuman abilities. Eager to get the same powers, Carl located and ate the now dead spider, which gradually caused his body to break down into a hive mind of spiders, something he discovered when he unintentionally consumed his own mother from the inside out, and took control of her remains. Then his father and his girlfriend, because every time he ate someone he became stronger, he would have to be strong enough to take down Spider-Man.
He stalked Spider-Man for a long time, until the day he decided to attack and possess his body and powers. He killed and wore the skin of Jess Patton, then approached Peter to say "she" got kicked out by her "boyfriend"'s. When he got the chance to ambush Peter at his apartment, he knocked him out and tied him into a chair so he could finally wear his skin. Fortunately, a man who lived in the building came to ask about all the noise, so Carl decided to eat him first. Peter managed to free himself and during the ensuing battle, Carl accidentally hit a fuse box and the resulting explosion killed many of his spiders. Only one survived by escaping to the street, but was stepped on by an unaware citizen, ending Carl's life.[1]Attributes
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Powers
- Living Hive: Carl King received his powers similar to the way Spider-Man obtained his except there was a horrible turn of events for Carl. King’s body actually broke itself down and changed itself into literally a thousand spiders that inhabited his human shell. The spiders contain Carl's consciousness, and are able to take over another human's body by eating them from the inside out, devouring everything except the skin. Every time the Thousand eats an individual, he becomes stronger, and while in control of a victim's body, the Thousand can contort the body in nearly any manner imaginable. The possessed host can also cling to surfaces and scale walls, however, it is unknown whether the Thousand can possess more than one human body at once. He eventually reached an undetermined level of superhuman strength enabling him to contend with the likes of Spider-Man. Carl's agility, endurance and stamina are also presumably at superhuman levels. The Thousand doesn't trigger Spider-Man's spider sense, and King can deliver a paralyzing poison to his victims through his bite.
- Possible Immortality: His consciousness is spread throughout the swarm, so if one spider out of The Thousand's swarm survives, he can survive and multiply.
Abilities
The Thousand is a very adept unarmed combatant with speed and gymnastic capability that put him on par with the hero known as Spider-Man.
See Also
- 3 appearance(s) of Carl King (Earth-616)
- 4 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Carl King (Earth-616)
- 1 minor appearance(s) of Carl King (Earth-616)
- 10 image(s) of Carl King (Earth-616)
- 1 quotation(s) by or about Carl King (Earth-616)