Despite its dubious origin, Spider-Man’s black costume has proven to be a fan-favorite. The suit officially debuted in 1984’s Amazing Spider-Man #252, and was explained a few months later in Secret Wars #8. Although created by a fan who sold the design to Marvel Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter in 1982, the suit became canon when Shooter and new partners Mattel wanted to sell two versions of their Spider-Man action figure. This crass beginning opened new storytelling possibilities for Spider-Man, with the suit being featured in legendary stories such as “Kraven’s Last Hunt” and in Venom, one Spidey’s best antagonists. More importantly, the black suit made possible the emo Peter sequence from Spider-Man 3, which we all know is good cinema.

Given the suit’s importance, it shouldn’t be a surprise that filmmakers would want to include it in big-screen Spider-Man stories. Not only did the symbiote suit play a major...