Cletus Kasady

**Cletus Kasady**, also known as **The Flame**, is an antagonist in *Marvel's Spider-Man 2*. He opposes Peter Parker's Spider-Man and the Wraith, who work to bring The Flame to justice.

## History

According to Yuri, when she was a cop, she had a run-in with The Flame, who operated under multiple aliases and ran a smaller group of criminals. He killed them to prevent them from reporting his actions to the police. He learned who Yuri, recognizing her voice. Yuri attempted to track him down for months afterwards, but due to more cases lining up, she was unable to find him. The Flame would indulge in mocking Yuri for her failure to find him.

Sometime later, he formed a cult, which he would lead. He called the members the "Followers of the Flame” and informally as “embers”.

### *Marvel's Spider-Man 2*

In the chaos left behind by Sandman, the Followers, were in a nearby urgent care center, where they were stealing supplies. Spider-Man discovered them with his Spider-Bot, which he had used to help free staff members trapped inside the building.

The bot came across a group of cultists preparing to brand a deserter. Spider-Man proceeds to use Spider-Bot to distract the cultists while he makes his entrance and dispatches them. Yuri, as the Wraith, also arrives to assist him.

The Flame revealed himself to the vigilantes through a projector. He mocked Wraith’s efforts to find him and belittled Spider-Man, calling him the “fool’s beacon”. He then claimed that a cataclysmic event which he dubbed "The Crimson Hour" was upon them and that his followers would be spared while the unworthy were purged. He also revealed he was operating out of the old hospital north of Astoria. Wraith impulsively intends to go, leading Spider-Man to point out an obvious trap. Spider-Man was instead seemingly able to convince her to wait for him so that they can perform recon on the hospital beforehand.

The Flame has the hospital guarded, and Wraith arrives before Spider-Man. Growing impatient, she entered alone, knocking several guards unconscious, hell-bent on killing the Flame. Spider-Man catches up discovers that he is planning something in Brooklyn, which is somehow connected with Oscorp. Wraith soon makes her way to the Flame, where she severely beats and nearly kills him, only for Spider-Man to intervene and web The Flame to the wall. A fight between the two vigilantes ensues, with Spider-Man beating Wraith. He attempts to take the Flame to the police, only for a recovered Wraith to stop him. Spider-Man throws the Flame out of the hospital and webs him to the ground while he fights Wraith again. Seizing the moment, the Flame breaks free and escapes.

The Flame's followers would then set up a base on a rooftop in Brooklyn, where they keep watch on a nearby scrapyard which sits along an active train track. He orders several bombs be planted and guards put on patrol, both of which are dispatched by Spider-Man and Wraith. Following this, a train threatens to strike several tankers and barrels filled with combustible fluids, leading the two to stop the train by derailing it, which results in Spider-Man becoming trapped.

The Flame appears once again, accompanied by several more followers. He reveals to Spider-Man that his true goal was to acquire the train's cargo: a second symbiote (different from the Venom symbiote) that was being contained and transported by Oscorp the same time, He proceeds to douse Spider-Man in gasoline before taking the container holding the symbiote.

Before departing, he proclaims "*And when the Crimson Hour rolls over this Earth, it shall bring truth, judgement and carnage*". He proceeds to the gas and leave with his followers. Wraith, however, chooses to save her former partner before the flames consume him. She agrees to monitor the Flame and track his most notable aliases, so that when she finds his whereabouts again, she and Spider-Man will be ready to stop him.

## Characteristics

### Appearance

The flame has messy red hair and a beard, with scarred skin and a loose, button-up shirt.

### Personality

As the leader of a murderous cult known as the Followers of the Flame, as well as a previous, smaller cult, who he murdered to escape capture, he is completely devoid of morals, empathy and remorse. He cares nothing of the atrocious actions of his cult or the people he hurts. He also seems to take pleasure in telling Yuri how much she's failed, even being able to know it was her under her mask as Wraith, just by the sound of her voice.

The Flame is overzealous, claiming to believe that all who he and his cult deem "unworthy" will perish in the "Crimson Hour", and that only he and those he deems "worthy" will rise from the ashes. However, after trapping Peter under the train he had derailed, he revealed that his true motivation for his actions and the establishment of the cult was his sadistic desire for carnage.

## Original appearance

One of the Flame's major aliases, Cletus Kasady, first appeared in *The Amazing Spider-Man #344* (March 1991), as the cellmate of Eddie Brock.