The Amazing Spider-Man is one of Marvel's longest-running series, and it's now become the first Marvel title to legitimately reach the 1000-issue mark. Naturally, Marvel went all-out to celebrate that milestone, releasing a jam-packed issue #1000 that clocks in at over 100 pages. But the big news is what transpires in the lead story from writer Joe Kelly and artist Pepe Larraz. Peter Parker has never suffered a loss quite like this.
Read on for a full breakdown of what happens in this dramatic story, complete with commentary from Kelly himself. Just beware of spoilers for The Amazing Spider-Man #1000 ahead!
Lately, the series has shaken up the status quo by introducing a new character named Cormac Crane. Cormac has turned out to be the son of Aunt May and Uncle Ben, making him Peter's cousin. May and Ben thought Cormac had been lost at childbirth, and now Peter is struggling to accept this new face in his life and a new rival for May's motherly affection.
That rivalry takes a very dark turn in issue #1000. This story opens with Spidey rushing to the hospital after learning May has suffered a stroke. He arrives to find that while May is awake and lucid, she has no memory of him.
Many fans predicted May would die in this issue. And while that would certainly be a tragedy for Peter, it's not one he hasn't faced before. In some ways, this twist cuts even deeper. May is alive and well, but she seemingly has no memory of the years she spent raising Peter like a son. For a man who has precious few people in his life he's truly close with, that has to really sting.
"When we were breaking this story, we wanted to lean into both the soap opera and the action folks expect from Amazing Spider-Man, and that's where the initial thought for Cormac Crane came from," Kelly tells IGN. "A Parker child separated at birth?! Nothing more soap opera than that. Making it May's actual son was a huge deal and it rocked Peter's world... but we had to turn the knife just a little bit more. He was worried about losing May once wealthy, handsome, and all put-together Cormac showed up, but she put the kibosh on that. Told him he could never be replaced... and yet it still happened, in a very different and unexpected way."
Peter has little time to come to terms with this loss, however, as he's shortly attacked by the new villain Ravage. And it's here that we learn Ravage is none other than Cormac. Jealous of the fact that Peter enjoyed the relationship with May he was denied, Cormac used his powers to cut out May's memories and transform them into a literal weapon.
As the two men battle, Peter is bombarded with May's memories of him, the good and the bad. But this also opens up Cormac to being exposed to Peter's memories, as he relives the traumatic night Ben Parker was killed. Realizing that Peter could have stopped the mugger who murdered his father, Cormac's hatred of Peter takes an even more intense turn.
In the short term, Spidey proves victorious over Ravage. He saves a group of bystanders from a fatal fall and is reassured by May's memories that she ultimately saw him as "a fine man." This story ends with Peter regrouping and preparing to confront Ravage again. But the core problem still remains - May doesn't remember him. Can he defeat Ravage and restore those lost memories? Expect that to be a major focus of upcoming chapters of the series.
"We've spent a lot of time in my run focusing on Aunt May and what an important influence she is in Peter's life - having her 'there but not there for him' is a big status quo shift with huge ramifications," Kelly says. "Who is Peter Parker without Aunt May? Can he restore May's memories and, more importantly, her love? What about Cormac? The one event becomes very propulsive, which felt critical in such a milestone issue."
Kelly also makes it clear that he has big plans for Ravage, with the hope that this villain has the staying power to become a core part of Spider-Man's rogues gallery.
"This initial introduction to Ravage sets the stage for some epic throwdowns with Spider-Man, and I have plans for him that go well beyond #1000," Kelly teases. "The hope is that fans and other writers will love to hate him as much as I do and he'll start to pop up elsewhere. You never know whether or not an original villain will stick, but that's the dream - especially with Spider-Man. As a character he has some of the most iconic villains in pop culture, let alone comics. Adding one more to the rogues gallery would be a dream."
As for what to expect from the remainder of this story arc, Kelly says, "We designed #1000 to function as a standalone story while at the same time living as the next chapter in Spider-Man's ongoing adventure. So while there is a resolution so to speak in this issue, the story continues next month picking up moments after #1000 ends. Pepe's storytelling really shines in #1000, and he gets to unleash even more as the arc continues. We're very excited for everyone to see it."
Look for this dark Spidey saga to continue in The Amazing Spider-Man #1001, which hits stores on October 14. You can preorder a copy at your local comic shop.
For more, find out about the Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man prequel comic and learn which major comics icon finally joined the Marvel Universe in Avengers: Armageddon #4.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.