Black Spider

Black Spider is the name of several supervillains and assassins appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Most characters who operated under the alias are depicted as both lesser renown adversaries of Batman and a member of various super-villain organizations. The most well known version is Eric Needham, an African-American former drug addict who becomes a vigilante after accidentally killing his own father during his involvement in criminal activities. Seeking to hold drug dealers accountable, Eric overcomes his addiction, receives training, and acquires a costume and weapons from a mysterious source. Taking on the identity of the assassin and vigilante Black Spider, the character becomes one of Batman's adversaries and is the most well-known version. The character is also a known member of the Suicide Squad, being one of group member's most effective operatives.[1][2] The second version of the character, Johnny LaMonica, assumes the identity of Black Spider. He is a professional hitman hired to infiltrate the False Face Society and eliminate Black Mask, mistakenly believing Eric to be deceased. Unfortunately, Johnny is killed by Crispus Allen, a detective from the Gotham City Police Department. Following their presumed deaths, Derrick Coe becomes the third Black Spider and is suspected to possess metahuman abilities. Derrick becomes an adversary of the Birds of Prey. Following Flashpoint, it is revealed that Derrick Coe is among Eric's aliases. Another individual, whose identity is unknown, also operates as Black Spider. This version is associated with the Council of Spiders and serves as an antagonist to Red Robin. The Eric Needham version of Black Spider has made appearances in various media adaptations. 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 Needham is depicted as a villainous character, paying homage to Marvel's Spider-Man.