Comic Book / The Amazing Spider-Man (2022)

aka: The Amazing Spider Man Wells And Romita Jr

World Without Love

"What happened to you, Peter? You're older."

The Amazing Spider-Man is a 2022 comic book series from Marvel Comics. It's written by Zeb Wells, initially with art by John Romita Jr. The start of the series coincides with Spider-Man's 60th anniversary, and is the sixth overall The Amazing Spider-Man series.

Set in the shared Marvel Universe, the series follows on from the events of the previous Spider-Man Beyond arc. Peter Parker has retaken the role of Spider-Man. As usual, however, not all is going right for him. Six months after an unexplained tragic event, Peter is at his wit's end, both as a superhero and a civilian; he's broke and jobless, he's been ostracized by his fellow heroes, and estranged from his friends and family including Aunt May and Mary Jane.

And the only person who'd bother to so much as give him the time of day... is his arch-nemesis, Norman Osborn.

Crossover events and spin-off titles

Events and spin-offs

• Gold Goblin: A spinoff of the "Hobgoblin" arc (ASM #11-13), further fleshing out Norman Osborn's current quest for atonement as a civilian and as the heroic Gold Goblin.
• Dark Web: Following the end of Beyond, Ben Reily's mind has severely broken to the point of obsessing over being the "fake" Peter Parker despite his lost memories with ever-increasing bitterness towards his genetic progenitor. When Madelyne Pryor, the clone of Jean Grey and now the Goblin Queen of Limbo, comes calling; these two "false people" launch a scheme to bring about literal Hell on Earth as they seek revenge against those they believed wronged them.
• Mary Jane & Black Cat: A spinoff involving Mary Jane and Black Cat stuck in Limbo during Dark Web.
• Red Goblin: Years after Norman Osborn was briefly bonded to the Carnage symbiote and became the "Red Goblin", his grandson Normie takes on the mantle when his friend Dylan Brock gives him a newborn symbiote named Rascal. Normie seeks to work with his new partner to become a superhero while dealing with the Villainous Legacy of being the grandson of one the world's most notorious, if now repentant, supervillains.
• Hallows' Eve: Following the events of Dark Web, Ben Reily's long-time Love Interest Janine Godbe is on the run in New York as she seeks a way to rescue her boyfriend from his imprisonment in Limbo. Having been transformed and empowered into the supervillain Hallows' Eve, Janine works to stay one step ahead of both the authorities and the remnants of the Beyond Corporation who have taken an interest in her activities.
• Gang War: A Fall 2023 crossover event, bringing the ongoing Tombstone and long-brewing Gang War storylines to a head.
• Jackpot & Black Cat: Taking place after Gang War, the spinoff involves Jackpot and Black Cat dealing with blackmailers.

Collections

Collected editions

• Vol. 1: "World Without Love" (#1-5)
• Vol. 2: "The New Sinister" (#6-8)
• Vol. 3: "Hobgoblin" (#9-14)
• Vol. 4: "Dark Web" (#15-18, Dark Web #1, Dark Web Finale #1)
• Vol. 5: "Dead Language" Part 1 (#19-23)
• Vol. 6: "Dead Language" Part 2 (#24-26, Amazing Spider-Man Annual (2023) #1, Fallen Friend #1)
• Vol. 7: "Armed and Dangerous" (#27-31)
• Vol. 8: "Spider-Man's First Hunt" (#32-38)

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The Amazing Spider-Man provides examples of:

• A Birthday, Not a Break: Peter's surprise birthday party is disrupted by Doctor Octopus's tentacles smashing through a wall, which leads him into conflict with the Ultra Living Brain. The Ultra Living Brain, who's well aware of his secret identity, wishes Peter a happy birthday at the end.
• Acquired Poison Immunity: Norman's ingested so much Goblin Serum over the years that when Otto Octavius injects him with some of it in an attempt to turn him back into the Green Goblin, he completely shrugs off any negative side-effects since his body is already teeming with it. He admits that it hasn't affected him for years and he had simply been naturally evil.
• And I Must Scream: After Peter is infected with Osborn's old sins, he tracks down Kraven and injects him with a pheromone so that, when Kraven flees into the sewers, he is attacked by Vermin and other rat-mutants, which take chunks out of Kraven before Spider-Man drives them off. He then buries Kraven alive, tossing a shotgun into the coffin to give Kraven the option of cutting to the end and killing himself directly.
• Arc Welding: While primarily continuing Peter's storyline following the Beyond era, Wells also picks up and merges unresolved threads from The Amazing Spider-Man (2018) that Beyond had ignored (specifically the resurrected Ned Leeds and the now post-Sins Rising, reformed Norman Osborn). The post-Dark Web flashback arc also picks up and merges threads from Wells' time on the Brand New Day-era Brain Trust in the late 2000s.
• Art Shift: Issue #14 is a Whole Episode Flashback, a prelude to the Dark Web event that focuses on Ben Reilly and Janine. It's divided into four chapters, one for each season of the year, with each one illustrated by a different art team.
• Attack Drone: Otto returns in issue 27 with new tentacles filled with a special nanomachine fluid that can divide into independent segments and act out his will as octobot drones.
• The Atoner: Continuing from Nick Spencer's run, Norman Osborn is trying to be this including redirecting Oscorp's focus on adapting his Goblin technology for altruistic purposes.
• Bad Boss: In the first arc, when Tombstone talks with a captive Spider-Man in a deserted tunnel under Harlem, he almost strangles one of his goons for simply getting two of New York's subway trains mixed up in conversation. It's justified by the reveal that they're not actually under Harlem - and Tombstone's scheme could have been ruined if the reference to a nearby train had alerted Spider-Man to their real location.
• Bat Family Crossover: The Free Comic Book Day 2022 issue sets up the Dark Web event, a crossover with the X-Men and Venom, with Ben Reilly and Madelyne Prior allying to wreak havoc on the people who they believe wronged them.
• Batman Gambit:
  • In the first arc,Tombstone pulls one that results in Spider-Man taking down the Rose's operations by faking a Villainous Monologue over a False Flag Operation, knowing that Spider-Man will leap before thinking and try to stop him.
  • Rabin created Romy and Owen and made them resemble MJ and Paul in order to ensure that they, specifically the former, to keep them close ensuring that a tether existed to allow the Emissary to follow her back to the main universe even after Rabin died the first time.
• Because You Were Nice to Me: In issue #1, Spider-Man breaks up a weapons deal between two gangs and ends up rescuing Tombstone's goon Kareem from a burning car. In issue #2, Kareem flatly refuses the White Rabbit's order to shoot Spider-Man, pointing out that Spider-Man saved him.
• Bee-Bee Gun: A horrific variant of this otherwise silly trope can be seen in the projectiles that come with the suit that Osborn gives Peter. Rather than explode, the bombs it carries burst open to release swarms of miniature robotic spiders that automatically attack a target's vital areas, obscure their vision, and invade their orifices when possible. Aware of how they don't do lethal or lasting damage, Peter's fine with using them on supervillains or regular thugs.
• Bittersweet Ending:
  • The first arc ends with the Rose's operation shut down and Tombstone coming out like roses again. Peter however is able to use Tombstone's own plan against him by more-or-less letting everyone think they're a "team" unless he plays ball and behaves. As well, despite being heartbroken over his failed relationship with MJ, Peter appears to be restarting his romance with Felicia and his relationship with Aunt May is finally mending.
  • The story arc resolving the mystery of what happened in the Time Skip ends with Rabin killed by Wayep for failing to complete the ritual (hopefully for good) and Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four on the way to finally resolve their differences. Sadly the victory comes at the cost of Ms. Marvel via a Heroic Sacrifice and MJ and Paul's children are revealed to be Artificial Humans created by Rabin whom he erases from existence in an effort to emotionally destroy her.
  • The Goblin Sins arc ends with Norman Osborn reclaiming his sins from Peter, setting the stage for the Green Goblin’s return, leading Peter to mourn the loss of a friend. Kraven vows to bury the spear somewhere no one can get it and Mary Jane and Paul’s relationship is damaged by MJ comforting Peter.
• Blackmail: At the end of the first arc, Tombstone has shattered the Rose's gang by manipulating Spider-Man into attacking them under false pretences. Although he denies it, some of Tombstone's fellow crimelords later suspect that he cut a deal with Spider-Man - and warn him of dire consequences if he did. Spider-Man himself responds to the situation by explaining that if Tombstone doesn't play nice and stop the feuding, he will make it look as if they do have an alliance, then see how the other gangs choose to deal with Tombstone. Tombstone takes the hint.
• Boring, but Practical: Tombstone's method for facing Spider-Man. Tombstone lures Spider-Man inside an enclosed room with him where the walls and ceiling close in; drastically limiting his range of movement. Then Tombstone precedes to simply bear hug him into unconsciousness.
• Broken Tears: After Spider-Man berates Rek-Rap for making a bad situation worse through his attempts at heroism, his demonic symbiote-enhanced Ascended Fanboy breaks down into a veritable fountain of tears as Spider-Man angrily web-swings away.
• The Bus Came Back:
  • The Gamma-powered villain Digger comes back after a long hiatus due to being dead for a good chunk of time.
  • Benjamin Rabin aka the Emissary aka the Scribble Man returns as a main villain after 15 real-world years seeking to complete his goal to attain godhood and get revenge on Spider-Man.
• Bus Crash: Issue #6 (LGY #900) reveals that Dr. Petty, the creator of the original Living Brain, was murdered by his own creation thirteen months before the events of the issue.
• Celebrity Star: Issue #6 back-up story "Spidey Meets Jimmy" sees Spider-Man meeting Jimmy Kimmel while battling Mysterio in Los Angeles. The short story is more focused on Spidey and Jimmy's banter than on the threat of Mysterio and ends up with Spidey appearing as a guest on Jimmy's show.
• The Chessmaster:
  • Of all people, Tombstone is this. Issue 3 ends with him having Spider-Man held captive and boasting of how his goons are going to massacre citizens dressed like the Rose's men to have the cops go after the Rose. Spidey breaks free, fighting his way through scores of Tombstone's men up to the top floor where he finds someone dressed as the Rose to knock him out. Tired of the games, Spider-Man pulls off the Rose's mask...and sees it's Richard Fisk. He looks out the window to realize this isn't Harlem and the truth hits him: there was no False Flag Operation, these were the Rose's men and Tombstone just tricked Spider-Man into taking out the Rose and winning the gang war for him.
  • Queen Goblin is behind the hypnotized Hobgoblins, all part of a larger plan to corrupt Norman Osborn.
• Comic-Book Time: Peter has his 30th birthday in the 900th issue, but should've already been in his 30s given that was 28 (and turned 29) back in the Global Parker Industries arc of Dan Slott's run, with a few years having passed in-universe since then.
• Conservation of Ninjutsu: Played with. In past appearances, Vermin had always been a difficult opponent for Spider-Man one-on-one. And after he received a serum from Arcade to be able to duplicate multiple clones of himself, an army of Vermins were able to nearly kill Spider-Man during Hunted. Here, however, Spider-Man is able to easily beat up the Vermin army and send them running during the Goblin Sins arc when he was infected by Norman's sins.
• Continuity Nod:
  • In the first arc, when Digger refers to his return from the dead, he mentions a "green door". Digger, like the Hulk, was empowered by gamma radiation. Events in the Immortal Hulk series temporarily granted Resurrective Immortality to all gamma-powered superhumans, and the green door was the gateway that brought them back.
  • When Hobgoblin returns, his previous clash with Norman upon Osborn's first return is referenced, as is Osborn taking over Kingsley's enterprise. The two of them even meet face to face so Osborn can hand back everything that had once belonged to Kingsley.
• Continuity Overlap: Like Spider-Man runs before it, the Wells era's likewise running alongside the current Marvel Universe and acknowledges and/or is affected by developments in other books:
  • Devil's Reign. Thanks to the Time Skip, Wells opens his run shortly after the event's conclusion. This is very important to the opening arc, as the downfall of Mayor Wilson Fisk has caused a shake-up in the New York underworld. Both Tombstone and the Rose are vying to fill the void left by the Kingpin's defeat — a contest which Tombstone ultimately wins over Richard Fisk.
  • Judgment Day (Marvel Comics): Issue #10 directly ties into the event, acknowledging Krakoa's war with the Eternals from Peter's perspective and using the Progenitor's Judgements to advance Peter and Norman's ongoing character arcs.
  • Venom (2021): Downplayed during Dark Web. The events of Ram V and Al Ewing's run are touched on thanks to Venom tying into the event (though being Locked Out of the Loop, Peter has absolutely no idea what the hell's been happening in Eddie Brock's book since King in Black and the end of the Donny Cates era).
  • Gold Goblin: The events of Christopher Cantwell's spinoff mini-series feed back into Wells' main narrative beginning with issue #27. Norman's failure to protect Kamala Khan is exacerbating his lingering guilt over his failure to save Ashley Kafka. The Queen Goblin's death there also comes back into play as she's mysteriously resurrected here.
  • Fall of X: Beginning with issue #925, the fall of Krakoa ends up having repercussions for Peter's world. Kamala Khan's resurrection is acknowledged (with her and Peter reuniting). More importantly, Wilson Fisk is back in New York and has become the new White King of the Hellfire Club (as seen in X-Men and Invincible Iron Man). All the NYC crime lords are thus on alert, knowing Fisk will try to reclaim the Kingpin mantle from Tombstone sooner or later.
• Continuity Snarl: Kamala’s Heroic Sacrifice hinges on a lesser-known ability of hers: shapeshifting. However, it had been established in various recent mini-series since Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit that this power had essentially been burnt out of her, meaning she died using an ability she shouldn’t have had. This is at least given a nod when Kamala expresses surprise that she can still do it.
• Covers Always Lie: Peter and MJ feature prominently on the cover of issue 2, with the promotion blurb stating that it was to deal with why they are separated. MJ not only doesn't appear in the issue, she isn't even referenced.
• Cozy Catastrophe: The Judgement Day tie-in has Peter and his supporting cast spending the 24 hours given to them by the Progenitor with varying levels of seriousness and dignity as none of them can seriously hope to punch out a space god with the time they have.
• Crossover: Issue #9 is a crossover with the 2022 Hellfire Gala one-shot, part of the X-Men's Destiny of X arc. Spider-Man and Wolverine team up to rescue Mary Jane when she's threatened by one of the X-Men's enemies.
• Death Flight: The Vulture, fuelled by Unstoppable Rage after Spider-Man's actions cause his granddaughter to abandon him, manages to break Spider-Man's webshooters, fly him high into the sky, and then drop him. The murder attempt very nearly succeeds.
• Died in Your Arms Tonight: Ms. Marvel dies in Spidey’s arms after her Heroic Sacrifice.
• DIY Dentistry: In the first arc, as tensions between Tombstone and the Rose escalate towards a full gang war, Tombstone prepares for violence by using pliers to break the caps off his sharpened teeth.
  Tombstone: Can't believe this. Two grand a tooth.
• Ear Ache: During the first arc, the gangster Tombstone talks about his childhood, a conversation accompanied by a flashback. After he was bullied at school, he eventually filed his teeth to sharp points, then started dropping his voice to a whisper. When one of his tormentors, unaware of the teeth, leaned in closer to hear him, Lonnie bit most of the boy's ear off. They stopped bullying him after that.
• Early-Bird Cameo: Parodied in issue #29 where the main plot is briefly interrupted by Rek-Rap webbing up a random dog walker (he thought she was kidnapping it) with the editor's note admitting that they just wanted to draw him in the comic for fun.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: When Octavius abducts Norman Osborn, it's revealed that he is attempting to identify the secret plan Osborn is working on, as Octavius can't believe that Osborn's reform is actually genuine.
• Evil Costume Switch: After Spider-Man is possessed by Osborn's sins, he starts wearing the black suit—signifying him succumbing to his darkest impulses.
• Evil Feels Good: When Peter is corrupted by Osborn's sins, he comments that he understands Osborn's past villainy as it feels good to hurt the people who have angered him.
• False Flag Operation: In the first arc, Tombstone explains that the easiest way to finish his gang war with the Rose is to get someone else to end it. He's going to dress some of his men like the Rose's goons, send them on a bloody rampage through the streets, and then let New York's superheroes retaliate and smash the Rose's organization for him. Or at least that's what he claims. It's actually a Batman Gambit to trick Spider-Man into stopping the 'massacre' by taking down the gangsters first - because the men who are supposedly Tombstone's disguised gangsters really are part of the Rose's gang.
• Foreshadowing:
  • In issue #3, a captured Peter is being held prisoner by Tombstone. During their 'chat', Tombstone mentions they're in Harlem — and also gets uncharacteristically angry at one of his henchmen for mentioning a train that's just gone by outside. Tombstone's angry because he's afraid Peter might realize from the mention of the specific train/route that they aren't actually in Harlem after all. Tombstone's entire Batman Gambit to use Spider-Man to win the Mob War hinges on Peter not realizing he's on the wrong side of New York until after he's already stopped Lonnie's "false flag operation" against the Rose.
  • In issue #5, at the end of the first arc, Spider-Man points out that he could take Tombstone and his gang down, but not without igniting a bloody multi-way gang war. Much later in the run, Shotgun shoots Tombstone - and that gang war immediately starts.
  • In issue #7, Mary Jane mentions her new role as a brand ambassador for Krakoa's pharmaceuticals and explains that she asked Norman Osborn to check their composition and ensure they're really safe, which they are. Much later in the run, when the Fall of X arc begins in the X-Men books, the drug supply's sabotaged and tampered with - with Mary Jane's aunt one of the victims.
• For Halloween, I Am Going as Myself: In issue #6, the backup story "Better Late Than Never" sees Peter returning a stack of damaged and overdue books to the New York Public Library. When the combined fees are more than he can afford, the librarian gets him to don a cheap Spider-Man costume and pay off his debt by running a library story-time session for children.
  Librarian: Those glutes could be the real Spider-Man's. Weird guy, but really fills out a pair of blue sweats.
• Frustrated Overhead Scribble: In issue #6, when Peter's hosting a library story-time session in the backup story "Better Late Than Never", the tantrums and arguments of some of the kids in the audience are emphasised by a mass of scribbled lines in their Speech Bubbles.
• Functional Genre Savvy: When Norman warns Mary Jane and Paul about the Goblin sin-corrupted Peter, he tells them to take the tunnel and not the bridge. Just as he guessed, Peter tells Norman he wants to take Paul and throw him off the bridge to make Mary Jane save him.
• Gone Horribly Wrong: Kraven and the Queen Goblin intended on returning Osborn’s sins and make him the Green Goblin. Instead, Peter takes the attack and the sins, turning him into something much worse.
• Heel–Face Turn: Norman Osborn’s story from the end of The Amazing Spider-Man (2018) continues here, approaching Peter with both a job at Oscorp and a brand new costume based on the old Goblin Tech. However, it’s something of a Reformed, but Rejected as Peter still can’t believe his old foe wants to help and thinks having Mary Jane working with him is something of a sick joke without realizing the truth.
• Helping Hands: In the Hellfire Gala crossover, the necklace Mary Jane wears to the gala is actually Moira's cybernetic hand, reshaped into jewellery. She's using it to control Mary Jane, and it'll crush her throat if she fights back.
• Hero with an F in Good: Desperate to rescue Mary Jane from an alternate dimension due to Time Dilation in the Dead Language arc, Peter eventually defaults to asking Norman Osborn for help, as even with his attempts at reform, the former supervillain's morals and safety standards are still loose enough that he doesn't need much convincing to help Peter as quickly as he needs even if it means stealing the required components for the mission from other superheroes.
  "...I will buy this hospital and fire you personally!"
• He's Back!: The Hobgoblin returns in issue #11, however, like with some Hobgoblins, his identity is shrouded in mystery. It's hinted it's Ned Leeds, the third Hobgoblin, taking his revenge against Roderick Kingsley for ruining his life. Issue #12 reveals he's actually working with Kingsley as a Collective Identity.
• Imperfect Ritual: Rabin set up a ritual wherein he would become Wayep's avatar and ascend to godhood by stabbing MJ with a mystical dagger. He seemingly accomplishes his goal, unaware that the person he stabbed was really Kamala Khan, shapeshifted to make herself look like MJ. Wayep realizes that the wrong sacrificial offering has been made and, enraged, kills the dumbfounded Rabin.
• Ineffectual Death Threat: Tombstone believes he's delivering a threat to Spider-Man by proxy when he brings Peter into his car to tell him to deliver a message to Spider-Man to stay out of his business, but Peter replies that he's sure Spider-Man will enjoy having something as straightforward as a gang war to deal with.
• The Intern: Issue #8 has Peter meeting Oscorp’s latest intern: Kamala Khan. Neither is aware of the other's Secret Identity and when questioned on why she took the internship by her family and friends in the Ms. Marvel/Dark Web Crossover, it's implied that Kamala is there to keep an eye on the former supervillain.
• Interquel: In issue #6, the short back-up story "Save the Date" is set near the very start of the original Amazing Spider-Man series. At this point, Peter's still in school and Flash Thompson is still a Jerk Jock.
• Invisible to Normals: The Progenitor only appears to those that it judges, but those that it judges don't share the same sight of it. So while Aunt May can't see it following Peter in the form of Gwen Stacy, he can't see it doing the same in the guise of Uncle Ben.
• Laser-Guided Amnesia: Octavius's time as the Superior Spider-Man ended when he made a deal with Mephisto to restore him to his original body, but with some of the unique memories of his time as Spider-Man erased, including his knowledge of Spider-Man's secret identity. When Octavius scans Osborn's mind to experience his perspective of Osborn's attack on Octavius's achievements as Spider-Man, Octavius explicitly observes that he knows he's still missing key information from that time in his life but still cannot identify what that information is, affirming that he cannot recall Spider-Man's identity.
• Like Brother and Sister: Peter tries to claim that he's this with MJ in issue 20, but Felicia doesn't believe it for one second and so amends it to her being like his best friend, the most important person in his life. Felicia is actually glad he admitted this since doing so can help him move on and pretending otherwise was unhealthy.
• The Masquerade Will Kill Your Dating Life: Issue #6 includes the short backup story "Save the Date", an interquel set during Peter's schooldays. Peter invites Betty Brant to the school's Spring Fling Dance, and Betty says yes. However, Spider-Man ends up battling the Green Goblin that night, so Peter is several hours late. Betty is not impressed when he finally arrives, and no longer wants to go to the dance.
• Meta Origin: Issue #31 reveals that Madame Monstrosity, a new villainess and the mother of Stillwell siblings, is not only behind the unhinged actions of the Scorpion and the Human Fly that lead to their creator's Hoist by Their Own Petard Karmic Death, but is so protective of her animal-human experiments that she had a hand in creating the Rhino, turning Dr. Curt Conners into the Lizard and turning Dr. Michael Morbius into the Living Vampire because their experiments used her work and she messed with the experiments to punish them.
• Mind Hive: In issue #6, the Ultra Living Brain sends a new version of the android Super Adaptoid after Spider-Man. Not only does is have the combined powers of the Sinister Six, it combines copies of their personalities as well. Given how fractious they are, this eventually leads to its defeat.
• Never My Fault: Vulture blames Spider-Man when his granddaughter rejects him, having learned the truth of who he is and what he’s done. He refuses to accept the fact it's his own fault. In fact, Spidey lampshades this by pointing out that the first thing Vulture did was prove her right by trying to kill him.
• Noodle Incident:
  • Something happened six months ago to leave everyone mad at Peter; what little we know involved him being at the center of what appears to be a massive explosion and disappearing for a couple of months. There is also mention of Peter stealing from the Fantastic Four and doing something that has made even Aunt May mistrustful of him.
  • Even more shocking, Norman Osborn in some way helped Peter deal with a past situation in a manner that leaves him comfortable asking Peter for a favour (albeit just babysitting Normie, Peter's godson).
  • Despite the two planning to move in together in Beyond by the time of the Time Skip, Peter and MJ have broken up and she's now in a relationship with a single dad whose daughter calls her "Mommy". Further unlike before when they were able to be friends even while broken up, she refuses to even speak with him in any capacity and gets mad with him when confronted about it, (although by the beginning of Dark Web, this stance begins to cool and she decides to socialise with Peter again to help him get over the loss of Harry).
• No-Sell: In order to get revenge on Norman Osborn for his actions in Superior Spider-Man, Doctor Octopus tries to undo his redemption by injecting him with Goblin formula, believing it will cause him to relapse into his maniacal Green Goblin persona. In the following issue, a completely unaffected Norman scoffs that — as elucidated in Red Goblin — his body is already supersaturated with Goblin formula, and that the serum wasn't the source of his evil.
• Note from Ed.: Dialogue and narration referring to a previous event are sometimes accompanied by a footnote providing details of the relevant comic. Rather than asterisks, they're marked with red spider symbols - and are directly signed by editor Nick Lowe (as "Nick" or "NL"). The notes also highlight That Mysterious Thing references, confirming that some past events are still unrevealed within the story (e.g. a note in issue #2 has a "When did this happen?!").
• Not Helping Your Case: What does Vulture do when his granddaughter finds out about him and leaves him because she feels he's a murderer? Go after Spider-Man and try to murder him out of pure rage. Even Spider-Man tries to point this out to Toomes to no avail.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: In this run Spider-Man steals from the Fantastic Four and assaults Captain America, going so far as to slam Cap into a wall with his own shield. The main reason he ends up getting on such bad terms with his own friends and fellow superheroes is that Mary Jane is trapped in an alternate universe where time went by differently for her; by the time Peter manages to reach her again, years had passed for her while only a few days had passed for him, with MJ having given up on him and had children with Paul. Essentially, time was of the essence to Spider-Man and he really didn't have time to stay for the FF or Captain America's questions, which is why he lashed out at them and ruined his relationship with them.
• Oh, Crap!: In issue #32, Kraven gets one of these and pulls a Screw This, I'm Outta Here after realizing that he just transferred all of the Green Goblin's sins into Peter.
• Painting the Medium: In issue #6, a moving truck hits an obstruction, rolls, and ends up upside down. Speech bubble text for the driver and passenger is rotated to reflect the vehicle's current angle (the same issue features a prisoner who's secured to a wall, upside down - but his dialogue is presented normally).
• Prophecy Twist: Rabin proclaimed that he had actually seen himself stabbing Mary Jane in the heart to ensure his final victory and complete his planned sacrifice. While he ultimately does stab what looks like Mary Jane in the heart, it was actually Kamala in Mary Jane's form rather than Mary Jane herself.
• Recycled Title: It's the sixth different comic book series to be named The Amazing Spider-Man, a title that goes all the way back to Spider-Man's first 1963 series. Collected editions add the arc name as a subtitle, to help disambiguate them from previous stories.
• The Reveal: Issues #21-23 finally reveal what the heck happened between the end of the last run and the start of this: Peter and Mary Jane were tossed into an alternate universe where they were confronted by the Scribble Man and are aided by Paul, who actually existed in this universe. Their attempt to get rid of the creature accidentally tossed Peter back to the main universe a week before everything happened, but as it turns out, hours in this world are weeks there. Peter is so desperate to get Mary Jane back he fights the Fantastic Four and Captain America, only to find out that, in the years in that world, Mary Jane seemingly gave up on Peter, fell in love with Paul and adopted a pair of kids, however, Peter and MJ are unaware that Mary Jane had been cursed by Benjamin Rabin and burdened with mystical 'chains' as part of his ongoing sacrificial ceremony, putting the true nature of her feelings for Paul into question for the reader.
• Right Behind Me: In the first arc, Crime Master returns to his office after a profitable meeting, telling his minions that he intends to sell guns to both sides of the current gang war. Tombstone, one of the two gang leaders, then steps out of the shadows behind the office door...
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: When Peter is infused with Osborn’s sins, the first thing he does is go after Kraven. After he’s Buried Alive, he starts gunning for Mary Jane and Paul.
• The Scream: The series opens with a prologue page showing Peter in costume, his mask torn to shreds, on his knees in the middle of a huge crater. He's clearly traumatised and the scene ends with him screaming in despair.
• Secret Secret-Keeper: In issue #6, the Ultra Living Brain attacks Spider-Man, kidnaps many of his friends, and defeats and imprisons the Sinister Six in an effort to answer the question "Who is Spider-Man?". The ending reveals this is a figurative question - it always knew Peter Parker was under the mask (and wishes him a happy birthday).
• Secret Identity Apathy: Tombstone manages to knock Spider-Man unconscious and take him prisoner, but doesn't remove his mask, saying that he's really not interested.
• Series Continuity Error: Madame Monstrosity claims that the experiment that created the Rhino infringed on her human/animal experiments, leading to her sabotaging it to turn him into a monster. However, Rhino's powers weren't derived from human/animal hybridization but from being bombarded with gamma radiation, making him closer to the Hulk than to Spider-Man's other animal-themed enemies.
• Ship Tease: Issue #5 seems to hint at the re-ignition of the Peter/Felicia ship; in the following issue, they kiss which appears to mean they're back together. While that issue also clearly indicates that it's a one-and-done kind of deal, Peter eventually drums up the courage to ask Felicia out and to see where a rekindled relationship takes them, and Felicia agrees.
• Speech Bubbles:
  • The Ultra Living Brain's speech bubbles are in sentence case, whereas normal people have their dialogue written entirely in capital letters.
  • Tombstone's speech bubbles use a smaller text size and have ragged edges, representing his whispering voice.
  • In the A.X.E.: Judgment Day tie-in issue, the Progenitor's ominous speech uses white text on black bubbles, with red borders.
• Status Quo Is God: Peter is back to being Spider-Man, but he is also on the outs with everyone again, including Mary-Jane.
• Sudden Name Change: Mary Jane's daughter goes from being "Romy" to "Stephanie" with no explanation. This is explained eventually as Stephanie being her middle name.
• Sufficiently Analyzed Magic: The magic Benjamin Rabin uses as Wayeb's Emissary runs on a strong grasp of mathematics applied to analyzing and interpreting symbols. Paul, with a suggestion from Mary Jane, devises a Super Wrist-Gadget that works like a slot machine to literally play a Superpower Lottery. When working with Peter, he points out that the symbol of the spider is applicable to dimensional travel and resonates with him.
• Superman Stays Out of Gotham: Justified thanks to whatever happened during the Time Skip. Peter is now on the combined shit lists of Captain America and the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and other NYC heroes. Given the shit Peter pulled trying to get MJ out of Rabin's parallel dimension during issues #22-25, you can't fault his allies and friends for cutting ties.
• Sure, Let's Go with That: In a short epilogue in issue #31, Peter reveals his identity to Kamala Khan. It then dawns on her that both were working with former Green Goblin while on Oscorp, and Kamala says Peter was there to keep an eye on Osborn. Peter simply agrees with her.
• Tonight, Someone Dies: Issue #26 prided itself as being "The most shocking issue of Amazing Spider-Man in 50 years!" — directly alluding to The Night Gwen Stacy Died, which was released that long ago. Much like that story, the cover features a set of images showing characters in the story at risk, including Mary Jane Watson, Paul, Norman Osborn, J. Jonah Jameson, May Parker, Ms. Marvel, Black Cat, Captain America, the Human Torch, Robbie Robertson, Randy Robertson, Prowler, Tombstone, White Rabbit, and Luke Cage. The character who dies is Kamala Khan.
• Time Skip: The first issue takes place six months after Spider-Man Beyond, and during that time an unexplained event that leaves Peter both as a civilian and as a hero estranged from everyone.
• The Unfavorite: As if his luck wasn't bad enough, Peter finds himself becoming these to J. Jonah who becomes enamored by one of Doctor Octopus' old tentacle harnesses during the "Armed and Dangerous" arc, treating it like a beloved pet and Parker like an imbecile for not being similarly smitten.
• Unfinished, Untested, Used Anyway: Norman Osborn ends up donning the new prototype suit he was designing for Spider-Man in order to save him from the dual Hobgoblin ambush.
• Ungrateful Bastard: Ned saves Kingsley from falling to death only for Kingsley to knock Ned off the glider to serve as a distraction so he could escape.
• Unstoppable Rage: The Vulture's beloved granddaughter Tiana tells him that, thanks to Spider-Man, she's discovered the truth about all the horrible things he's done and the people he's killed. She never wants to see him again. Driven by pure anger, the Vulture sets out to kill Spider-Man in revenge - and this time he very nearly succeeds.
• Unwanted Assistance: When in glider mode, the drone of Peter's new suit is programmed to save him from falling, but this just gets in the way of his attempts to swing around on his webs.
• Villains Out Shopping: A variation in issue #5. Digger missed out on the big brouhaha between Spider-Man and the Rose's forces in the previous issue because he, of all things, stopped to buy ice cream on the commute over.
• Wedding Smashers: Randy and Janice's wedding is crashed by Shotgun, who guns Tombstone down at the behest of an unknown benefactor, causing pandemonium which Hammerhead takes advantage of by car-bombing Madame Masque.
• Wham Line: "Mommy!" — Mary Jane has become a mom (or a step-mom) to a pair of children belonging to a man named Paul. Further, the little girl who says it bares a striking resemblance to her doubling as a Wham Shot.

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"Stop playing hurt. Start playing smart. Start being you. You're at your best when you're having fun."

— Felicia Hardy, The Amazing Spider-Man (2022) #5

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