Warning: Spoilers for The Amazing Spider-Man #68 Ahead!Everyone knows thatSpider-Manmust live by his Uncle Ben’s famous ethos, or innocent people will die. But when he forsakes his principles in a moment of weakness, this time it’s Aunt May who pays the ultimate price - and once again, it’s Spider-Man’s fault.
Forced by Dr. Doom to be Earth’s champion against the Eight Scions of Cyttorak, Spider-Man’s spirit has been broken by constantly dying and being resurrected endlessly throughout the challenge. In a preview for Justina Ireland and Andrea Broccardo’sTheAmazing Spider-Man#68,the X-Men are forced to face Cyttorak’s championinstead - but Aunt May and the F.E.A.S.T. center have already become collateral damage.
The blame is laid directly at Spider-Man’s feet. As one of Cytorrak’s previous champions declares,“You refused the call of Cyttorak and rejected your responsibility as champion,“echoing Uncle Ben’s words about responsibilityall those years ago.
Spider-Man’s Neglect Has Killed Aunt May - Just Like Uncle Ben
The Amazing Spider-Man#68 by Justina Ireland, Andrea Broccardo, Scott Hanna, and Marcio Menyz
In theEight Deaths of Spider-Manarc, Spider-Man’s trials against the aforementioned Scions of Cytorrak have resulted in him dying in increasingly painful ways, only to be resurrected each time. His breaking point comes inAmazing Spider-Man#65 by Joe Kelly and CAFU, after he is forced to experience the deaths of over three million innocent lives, including those of his friends and family; this is enough toplunge Spider-Man into a deep depression, pushing away all those close to him after having fully embraced nihilism in the wake of death’s indiscriminate inevitability.
It’s a stark reminder that Spider-Man’s selfish attitude in his early days was directly responsible for getting his uncle killed at the hands of the mugger Spider-Man refused to apprehend.
The problem, of course, is that not shirking from responsibility is the linchpin of everything Spider-Man. The phrase"with great power, there must also come great responsibility"isn’t just part of Spider-Man’s lore because it’s something his Uncle Ben said; it’s a stark reminder that Spider-Man’s selfish attitude in his early days was directly responsible for getting his uncle killed at the hands of the mugger Spider-Man refused to apprehend. Although the phrase has been repeated so often that it’s almost become a joke,it remains Spider-Man’s defining principle:when Spider-Man abandons his responsibilities, innocent people die.
Spider-Man Must Once More Learn A Painful Lesson About Responsibility
Page fromThe Amazing Spider-Man#66 by Justina Ireland, Andrea Broccardo, Marcio Menyz, Erick Arciniega, and Joe Caramagna
The bitter, bitter irony here is that Aunt May’s death inSpider-Man#68 directly mirrors how Uncle Ben died. Just as before, Spider-Man refuses to apprehend injustice; just as before, as a direct consequence, one of his parental figures dies. The fact that it’s Aunt May makes this twist even more brutal, as it means thatSpider-Man has now effectively killed both of the people who raised him due to neglect.While the circumstances may be different, as Ben’s death was a result of arrogance and May’s due to apathy, both the central principle and the blame remain the same.
I Can’t Believe Marvel Just Gave Spider-Man’s Nemesis His Most Famous Ever Line & Made It Evil
Marvel just gave one of Spider-Man’s biggest comic villains one of the franchise’s most iconic lines, and changed it to have a very different message.
It’s highly unlikely that May’s death will stick. This sequence may prove to be just a dream, or Spider-Man’s newfound mastery of the mystic arts may allow him to bend time to undo his mistake - the possibilities are endless. However this situation plays out, though, the fact remains thatSpider-Manhas allowed Aunt May to die in the exact same way as Uncle Ben, all because he once more abandoned his uncle’s guiding words.
The Amazing Spider-Man#68is available Feburary 19th, 2025 from Marvel Comics.
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is the name given to several individuals who have employed a spider-moniker throughout Marvel Comics. Typically gaining their powers through a bite from a radioactive spider, the different Spider-Man heroes employ super-strength, agility, and intellect while utilizing webbing to swing and tangle up their foes. The most notable of these Spider-Men is Peter Parker, who remains one of the most popular superheroes throughout the world.
