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In Amazing Spider-Man 700, the last issue in long-running series, Peter Parker dies in the body of Doctor Octavius. Doc Ock had switched bodies with Spider-Man, leaving Peter Parker in the doctor’s dying body. As Peter Parker died, Doctor Octopus (in Spider-Man’s body) promised to protect life, and that he will be a better Spider-Man than Peter Parker was, because his genius combined with his new powers will make him superior. Now this is where the concept gets weird. Now that the Amazing Spider-Man series has ended with issue 700, a new series will begin: The Superior Spider-Man. I’m not kidding. If the title were to last 50 years, what will that title mean? Superior to what? Okay, so Peter Parker dies, but will anybody realize this in the future? It is a recipe for disaster.
In this issue, a dramatic and pivotal storyline came to a head, leaving both fans and characters within the comic book world reeling from the events that transpired. As the culmination of writer Dan Slott’s ambitious and emotionally charged narrative, the story sees Peter Parker, our beloved Spider-Man, facing off against his nemesis Doctor Octopus in a battle of both physical and psychological intensity. However, the stakes are raised even higher when the two characters swap bodies, leaving Peter’s consciousness trapped within the dying body of his enemy while Doctor Octopus experiences life as New York City’s heroic web-slinger. Ultimately, Peter makes a last-ditch effort to save his city from the sinister machinations of his foe, taking on Doc Ock’s henchmen and making one final, desperate plea to the villain to uphold the values of Spider-Man and protect the people he’s sworn to keep safe.
Despite the captivating storyline and intense emotions portrayed in this comic, many fans have expressed their displeasure with the events that unfolded. This backlash can largely be attributed to the unsettling body swap between Peter Parker and Doctor Octopus, as well as the seemingly harsh fate that befell the iconic web-slinging hero. The readers’ loyalty to Peter and his sense of responsibility manifested in the famous phrase “with great power comes great responsibility,” made the idea of their beloved character seemingly dying in the body of his arch-nemesis hard to accept. Additionally, some fans argued that the story’s conclusion might tarnish the legacy of Spider-Man and stray too far from the character’s core values, which have been central to his appeal for numerous generations.
Amazing Spider-Man 700 is extra fat, padded with mini stories that nobody cares about. This is to be expected in comics like these, where newcomers are published for the first time. The artwork in one of these stories is unusual and artistic, although I prefer to describe it with the word “bad”. There is also a gallery of all 700 issues as well. There aren’t many advertisements for some reason. In fact, beside the inside cover and the back cover, I don’t think there are any.
Although this comic may seem like the so-called “end” of the series, it was just another excuse to reboot Spider-Man with yet another fresh series. Spider-Man had been rebooted more than my Windows 95 PC, an operating system that would crash merely by sitting and staring at it. I suppose it serves as a fitting metaphor for all the crash and burns of meaningless Spider-Man storylines that have disgraced the pages of comic books ever since Stan Lee stopped writing for the character.
I case you haven’t figured it out by now, this comic is a major landmark in comic book history and makes a neat collectable to own (Affiliate Link). They really pulled the strings with this issue in order to celebrate the 50th anniversary, and ending, of the series. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Spider-Man.
Other Peter Parker Deaths
Our friendly neighborhood wall-crawler has bitten the dust on numerous occasions, yet somehow he always manages to get back into the fight. You think he might have some kind of deal with Mephisto? Nah, that’d be too far-fetched. But enough stalling now; let’s dive in headfirst as we recount some of the more memorable (and grisly) deaths of Spider-Man, starting from the less shocking up to the most unforgettable ones.
In the “What If” series, the Venom symbiote turned villain and preyed on Spider-Man, but the most thrilling aspect of the story was their encounter in issue #4, 1989, which Spider-Man only survived. It’s a story from a parallel universe where Peter Parker got fused with the Venom symbiote and then never managed to remove it. As it started sucking his life and causing accelerated aging, he ended up as an eighty-five-year-old man wearing the skin of a young adult male. The symbiote, when it found out that Peter was dying, left him to bond with another host: the Hulk. As he perished in Aunt May’s lap, she eventually understood his hidden identity. It was a really sad demise; however, it wasn’t unexpected because we all know what a parasitic alien can do when it feeds on its host’s emotions.
In Infinity Gauntlet #4, Spider-Man teamed up with other heroes to fight Thanos. The villain got his hands on the Infinity Gauntlet and wiped out half of all life in the universe. Poor old Spidey was one of the few survivors who dared to challenge the mad titan, but he was no match for Thanos’ cosmic power. Eventually, Thanos even created a she-devil named Terraxia, and she finished off Spider-Man by crushing him to death with a giant rock. Then she went to show Thanos the bloody rock as evidence of her murder. It was a brutal and violent death, but not very surprising if we consider that Thanos is practically a god and can kill anyone by snapping his fingers.
In the comic Ruins issue 2, Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider that gave him cancer and not superpowers. Thus, he turned into an abnormal and declining being who was chased around by officials because they thought of him as being freakish. Ultimately, he died on his deathbed along with other mutated victims of radiation tests. It was a pretty dark and sad ending, but not surprising, considering how in this world nothing nice ever happens at all.
In the comic book Ultimate Spider-Man #160, which was published in 2011, Peter Parker’s character is killed by multiple enemies. In this alternative universe, Peter Parker died at the hands of the Sinister Six, who were led by Norman Osborn or Green Goblin after much fighting. He was able to bring them down but not before suffering some mortal injuries. His friends and family watched as he died; they saw his bravery as he sacrificed his life for their sake. Later, he shared a passionate kiss with Mary Jane Watson and said goodbye to her.