The Rose

A mysterious crime lord who emerged in New York City operating in the shadows of the underworld, the Rose built a sophisticated criminal organization while carefully concealing his true identity — even from his own associates — to protect himself from rivals and law enforcement alike.

Few figures in Marvel's criminal underworld carry quite the mystique of The Rose, a shadowy presence who first slithered into the pages of The Spectacular Spider-Man #95 in 1984, courtesy of creator Al Milgrom. Born in the thick of the Bronze Age, this enigmatic figure has proven surprisingly durable — weaving through nearly four decades of Marvel continuity and crossing paths with some of the publisher's heaviest hitters, from Spider-Man and Hobgoblin to the Kingpin himself, Wilson Fisk. The Amazing Spider-Man is where The Rose does their most memorable work, and with a key issue already flagged by collectors, there's genuine reason to seek out those appearances. For fans who love their Marvel crime fiction layered and morally murky, The Rose is exactly the kind of long-game player worth tracking down.