The design of the iconic Symbiote Spider-Man suit wasn’t originally created in-house by Marvel, but instead came from a fan submission. In 1982, a reader named Randy Schueller pitched the idea of a black costume that would enhance Spider-Man’s abilities, which eventually allowed the suit to produce webbing independently of mechanical web-shooters. Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter saw potential in the concept and purchased it from Schueller for $220 in 1984. The suit officially debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man #252 (1984), following the events of the Secret Wars storyline, where Peter Parker unknowingly bonds with an alien symbiote on an alien planet. Initially presented as a sleek upgrade, the suit’s true nature as a living organism that could influence its host was gradually revealed, laying the foundation for one of Marvel’s most important characters. This storyline directly led to the creation of Venom, after the symbiote later bonded with Eddie Brock, turning a fan’s simple...