Black Spider (Eric Needham)

Black Spider is the name of a spider-themed supervillain.He was primarily the enemy of Batman.

Character History
Black Spider first appeared in Detective Comics #463 (September 1976) and was created by Gerry Conway. Eric Needham was a small time crook who was addicted to heroin. Desperate for money to buy more drugs, he robbed a liquor store and killed the owner, who turned out to be his father. After being arrested, he kicked the habit out of remorse and began a war on the drug trade. Donning a costume, he became a self-styled vigilante and began killing those suspected of dealing drugs. This soon brought him into conflict with Batman. Needham believed that the two should be allies, as he saw common purpose in their war against criminals. His murderous methods however continually put him at odds with the Dark Knight. It was revealed that Needham's paraphernalia and missions as the Black Spider were bankrolled by a man who, it turned out, was actually secretly involved with narcotics and wanted to take out the competition. This plot point, similar to The Saint in New York, was later copied by Death Wish 4: The Crackdown. Despite his professed desire to fight criminals, the Black Spider occasionally allied himself with costumed villains (most notably in the gathering of super-villains in Detective Comics #526 and Batman #400). Ostensibly, Black Spider's goal in this was to seek revenge against Batman, or at least, this is how he attempted to justify his actions in his own mind. Needham also faced King Faraday and Nightshade in a brief flashback in Secret Origins#28. During his war, Needham's wife and son were killed by a drug lord who had discovered the Black Spider's identity. In rage, the Spider prepared for one final assault. After being shot multiple times, Needham invaded the drug lord's headquarters and detonated explosives strapped to his back, killing the drug dealers in the process. Eric Needham later turned up in Neil Gaiman's critically acclaimed fantasy comic, The Sandman, dating supporting character, Lyta Hall. No explanation was given for his reappearance. Whatever the case, Needham's survival has since been confirmed and the character has made subsequent appearances as the Black Spider, such as in the miniseries Underworld Unleashed. He was last seen in Identity Crisis as an ally of Deadshot, Monocle, and Merlyn. He was later seen as member of The Secret Society of Super Villains.

Powers and Abilities
Black Spider seemed to have no outright powers beyond that of a normal human being,but he is experienced in some acrobatics and usually operates with spider-themed weapons,such as spider-like webbing nets to ensnare his opponents.

In other media
Black Spider appears as a member of Black Mask's gang in Batman Adventures #5-8.Black Spider's appearances are mostly background cameos,and he had no particular appearance in DCAU specifically featuring him. His costume is almost completely identical to his comic book version.