13 Years Ago, the Best Modern Spider-Man Story Began by Tricking Every Marvel Fan

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It was 13 years ago that The Amazing Spider-Man #700 saw Spider-Man fighting his long-time nemesis, Doctor Octopus, to the death. However, what happened next was a new series called Superior Spider-Man, and it was a massive success.

Thirteen Years Ago Marvel Kills Off Peter Parker To Create A New Spider-Man

Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics

In Amazing Spider-Man, Dan Slott meticulously set up this moment one hundred issues before it happened. In Amazing Spider-Man #600, Spider-Man fought Doctor Octopus after the villain learned he had a year left to live, and he wanted to beat Spider-Man one more time before he died. That issue saw everyone from the Fantastic Four and New Avengers helping him. However, it also set Octopus in motion for his plans. That happened in Amazing Spider-Man #700. This time, Spider-Man was by himself, and Doctor Octopus was almost dead when they fought.

In this issue, the two men were fighting with one major twist. Peter Parker was in Doctor Octopus’s body, and Doc Ock was in Peter’s body. It looked like Peter might have a chance to get back, but he failed because Doctor Octopus’s body finally gave out. It was a shocking moment because Peter, in Doc Ock’s body, asked his enemy if he would save people’s lives and be a hero, and Octopus, in Spider-Man’s body, swore he would do so. However, in a typical Doctor Octopus move, as the real Spider-Man died, he said he would be a better Spider-Man than Peter Parker ever was. He said he would be a Superior Spider-Man.

Superior Spider-Man Remains One Of Spider-Man’s Best Comics This Century

Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics

The Superior Spider-Man run was one of the best runs for the character in the 21st Century. This series showed Doctor Octopus choosing to become a hero, and he began to use his brain for good, fighting bad guys and doing more than Peter Parker did when he was Spider-Man. However, while he used his scientific genius to make significant advances, he was also much more violent. This put him at odds with his friends, including the Fantastic Four and the Avengers.

However, the entire event was a trick by Marvel Comics. It should come as no surprise that the company never intended to leave Peter Parker dead. It happened almost from the start, as Peter still had a remnant of his soul inside his body, and he was there to whisper in Ock’s mind that he always needed to do the right thing. It was a way to help the Superior Spider-Man remain a hero, despite Octopus’s tendency to do bad things.

Superiod Spider-Man #1 came out in 2013, and that series ran for 33 issues, ending at the end of 2014. This was part of the Spider-Verse storyline, with Peter Parker returning to his body and regaining control. At the same time, Doctor Octopus got to eventually return as Superior Spider-Man in a clone body, where he moved away and continued to fight crime until a deal with Mephisto ruined everything for him. Killing heroes isn’t new for Marvel Comics, but in this case, tricking readers into believing Peter was dead allowed Dan Slott to tell one of Spider-Man’s greatest stories.

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