Ezekiel SimsEzekiel

Desiring power, the wealthy corporate executive Ezekiel Sims gains similar arachnid-like abilities to Peter Parker, AKA Spider-Man. While he creates the Spider Society, a secret organization dedicated to peace, he focuses on his business endeavors for personal profit.

Ancient Blood-Rite

To understand more about Ezekiel, it is necessary to know the story of Kwaku Anansi, inhabitant of Ghana in West Africa, centuries ago. Anansi sought wisdom, but also followed the way of the spider, climbing high on a web and line. Anansi climbed high enough to speak to Nyame, the sky-god, and entreat with him for wisdom of the mortal world and the world beyond. Nyame demanded eternal servitude. Anansi agreed, but warned that he could never turn away from those in need, and those he loved and revered. The bargain was struck, and the spirit of Anansi passed down over generations to individuals with the spirit of the hunter, but who also honored Anansi’s higher ideals.

When the young Ezekiel learns of Anansi’s line, he uses his wealth to save a Spider-Temple in Peru from planned demolition. Ezekiel demands that the head priest Miguel perform the blood-rite and grant the Spider’s powers to him. Miguel warns that the true heir of this generation was yet to arrive, and furthermore, that the spirits of the temple would one day learn of the deception, and would not be pleased. Ezekiel insists, as he plans to first gain more power, in order to help those in need. Instead, the search for “enough” power consumes him, and he never finds the moment to act.

Spider-Powers

Ezekiel’s powers are derived from the same source as Spider-Man, but acquired through deceit rather than by right. Hence these powers are all held to a marginally inferior level to Spider-Man. 

Ezekiel possesses superhuman strength, though slightly inferior to Spider-Man. He can lift approximately 9 tons. He also possesses all of Spider-Man’s powers including his speed, agility, reflexes, and resilience. He has the power to stick to walls, and a danger-detecting spider-sense. Neither Spider-Man nor Ezekiel could detect each other with their spider-senses because of the similar nature of their powers.

He does not use web-shooters, nor any of Spider-Man’s other artificial tools. Ezekiel is a skillful businessman, and attains a huge level of personal wealth through his own leadership and initiative. He possesses a good understanding of the various mystical ceremonies related to the African/Central American legacy of Kwaku Anansi, the founder of the Spider-Clan.

Foremost Foe

Ezekiel’s primary nemesis is the vampiric Morlun, along with his immortal family of Inheritors, who hunt spider-beings for their own consumption. Ezekiel goes to great lengths to avoid exposing himself to Morlun and to protect Cindy Moon, AKA Silk, from the Inheritor, even leaving Spider-Man to face the devourer alone.

Occasional Allies

While mostly out for himself, Ezekiel does take an interest in protecting the young Cindy and allies with Spider-Man to meet his own ends. Though he betrays the latter, he comes to regret his choices and ultimately saves Peter’s life.

Wealth and Webs

Ezekiel Sims was a wealthy corporate executive whose firm acted as a cover for the secretive organization of “guardians of the peace”, the Spider Society. Sims funded the Society for 22 years, though his heart was focused more on his personal profits rather than the Society’s covert benevolent actions. 

Though his interest in spider-beings did not wane. When both high school students Peter Parker and Cindy Moon were bitten by a radioactive spider and gained superhuman abilities, Cindy’s parents handed her over to Ezekiel, who offered to train her in her new powers. Though he soon found out that the vampiric Morlun and his family of immortal Inheritors sought her as they believed her to be a prophesied bride of sorts. To protect her, he placed her away in a sealed bunker to hide her from these devourers, where she remained for nearly a decade before emerging.

Ezekiel later appeared to Peter after he became the heroic Spider-Man, seemingly out of nowhere and bearing an intimate knowledge of Peter’s powers and history. Ezekiel possessed strikingly similar abilities to those of Spider-Man, although he had used them to a very different end, having built a powerful business empire with international reach. Peter was curious to discover more about Ezekiel’s past, but instead it was Ezekiel who asked the questions, suggesting to Peter that perhaps the random accident that gave him his powers was not so random—and causing Peter to examine more deeply his relationship with the world of spiders from which his gifts came.

In return, Ezekiel indicated he wished simply to use his knowledge and resources to aid Peter, as Peter had aided others. This aid was soon given, when the creature named Morlun came seeking to devour Spider-Man’s totemistic powers. Soon after, Ezekiel came again to Spider-Man’s aid when Shathra the Spider-Wasp came hunting from the astral plane looking to devour her natural enemy. Barely surviving these battles, Spider-Man never sought to question who might have been the true target of these attacks. 

When Ezekiel learned of the pending arrival of Morlun, and later of Shathra, he knew that they were coming for him. He sought out Spider-Man, and under cover of “protecting” Peter, guided Spider-Man into unwittingly fighting on his behalf. Learning of the arrival of “the Gatekeeper” and his horde of spiders, Ezekiel saw this foretold the coming of the guardian he had long feared, and no such simple deception would suffice. Through treachery, Ezekiel subdued Spider-Man and brought him to Peru. A corrupted form of the blood ritual merged his blood with Peter’s, and Ezekiel then abandoned Peter to be punished in his place. Unexpectedly, the exchange worked in both directions, and Ezekiel realized the good that Peter had done, in comparison to how he had squandered his gifts. Racing back, Ezekiel sacrificed himself to the demonic spider that sought him, leaving Peter to mourn the man with whom he had so much in common, and yet so little.