WARNING MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD: If you don’t know by now about Amazing Spider Man 700 and don’t want to know till the issue comes out please don’t read this article.
If you did not know by now someone got their hands on a copy of Amazing Spider Man 700 and released the story on the internet now many people know that Peter Parker is dead, he died in the body of Doctor Octopus (Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius) because of a mind transfer done in issue 698. While Dr. Oct was injected by thoughts about life experiences that changed and helped make Peter Parker who he was, he is for all practical purposes dead. Now the story arc takes a turn with Dr Oct’s mind in the super powered body of Peter Parker with a supposed new purpose in life to be a Superior Spider Man. Well that remains to be seen how well Dr Oct becomes Spider Man starting in Superior Spider Man #1 on sale in January 2013. But I think there is a bigger question here What was Dan Slott Thinking?
I just got used to the new character for Spider Man in the Ultimate Universe Miles Morales replacing Peter Parker after he dies there and now you kill Peter Parker in the regular Marvel Universe and trade his existence with a so called repentant Dr. Oct. Why does this leave a bad taste in my mouth? Because Peter at Marvel has no respect. When Stan Lee created the character in the sixties he truly was an amazing super hero. He was a young man with every problem youth has and the powers of a spider. He worked through years of learning that made him a better person including the death of his parents and his beloved Uncle Ben. Guided by his Aunt May he learned values that many people never learn and was very respected by the reader for the juggling act of super hero and young man with a life of his own.
Some years ago in Civil War series they took away his secret identity which made him and his loved ones vulnerable to attack. Then a snipers bullet almost killed his Aunt May. As she lay dying Peter and Mary Jane made a deal with the devil to keep her alive at the sacrifice of the marriage with Mary Jane. Then they give him a new direction in life and finally give him the job of his dreams with his own lab and things seem to be working out for Peter then Dan Slott to celebrate 50 years of Spider Man put him in a fight for his life with one of his greatest villains Doctor Octopus and because of Peter’s reluctance to kill, Dr Oct rewarded him by switching bodies with him giving Peter his dying body. Although Peter made a valiant effort to switch back into his own body he did not succeed and died all alone with the knowledge of what happened with him and Dr Oct alone.
Yes I Know no one really ever dies in comics but this is not a way to treat a 50 year old legend. So I ask again, What was Dan Slott Thinking? Makes me wonder what the folks at Marvel of the 21st century have against Peter Parker. I may disagree with the direction of the story arc but that is no reason for the death threats. “Amazing Spider-Man” writer Dan Slott has received death threats over social media, including Facebook and Twitter. This is totally unacceptable even in America the land of the free. I think Dan said it best so here are his words, “Reality check: There is NO such thing as a ‘funny death threat,'” Slott said on Sunday via Facebook. “Especially if you TAG someone in it. If you think, because of something happening to a FICTIONAL character, that you need to type out a death threat and SEND it to someone: You. Need. HELP”
Where we go from here is up to Marvel. I know from my personal conversations to Marvel Editors that they do respond to constructive criticism. And if you don’t like the direction of Marvel they will listen just write them or email them. Me I would be interested in your reaction to this change in the status quo at Marvel. Please let me know what you think. Stay tuned comic faithful for more. 🙂 Walt
Wow what a shock, I am mostly a DC Guy but I do read Spider Man also. This one has me wondering what Marvel will do next make Doctor Doom and Mr. Fantastic change minds, oh that’s right that has already been done. Well Merry Christmas any way.
Dan was thinking he could make some money and sell some comics. I bet Amazing 700 will just fly’s off the shelf tomorrow. Don’t know how but Peter will be back, death is not a permanent door in comics. May be he entered someone else before his spirit left the earth, who knows. Dan’s right a lot of emotion for a fictional character. People must really like Peter Parker
This should last about a year I would guess. My next guess is that residue of Peter’s brainwaves still exist in his body’s brain. Eventually Peter’s consciousness will start to come to the surface and then a battle for control of the body will take place.