While some might feel differently, the argument can be made that Spider-Man is Marvel's greatest character. The wall-crawler is definitely the House of Ideas' most iconic creation, anyway, and he's been through a lot since first swinging into the pages of Amazing Fantasy #15 in 1962.
Unfortunately, Spidey has hit some bumps along the way with some truly dreadful storylines and decisions that were total creative fails. Whether it's Peter Parker acting completely out of character, his villains doing some seriously weird sh*t, or the random resurrections, deaths, and lame plot twists that plague comic book storytelling to this day, the web-slinger has been put through the wringer.
Joe Kelly's Amazing Spider-Man run has been well-received, but with Amazing Spider-Man #1000 looming—and fan expectations at an all-time high—now seemed like a good time to revisit the most controversial and divisive moments in the web-slinger's history. When all is said and done, it's hard to imagine fans ever forgiving Marvel for these.
You can check them out by clicking on the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
8. Paul Rabin
When Zeb Wells relaunched Amazing Spider-Man, several months had passed, and Peter Parker had gone from getting ready to propose to MJ to being forced to watch on as she spent time with her new boyfriend, Paul, and their two children.
We'd later learn that MJ had been left trapped in an alternate dimension, where four years passed without Peter by her side. By the time he saved her—a fraction of the time had gone by on Earth-616—she'd fallen in love with Paul and refused to leave him. Since then, Paul has helped MJ become a superhero, Jackpot, and fostered Eddie Brock's son, Dylan.
His relationship with MJ appears to be on its last legs, but the hatred fans have for Paul is truly next-level. He's become the main target of their frustration with how Spider-Man and Mary Jane's relationship has been handled, and beyond that, he's a genuinely terrible character on every level.
7. Superior Spider-Man
Many fans loved this era, but the decision to have Doctor Octopus take control of Peter Parker's body and live his life as the "Superior" Spider-Man was still hugely controversial. Along the way, Otto creepily romanced Mary Jane while pretending to be Peter, killed criminals, and ruined the wall-crawler's relationships with some of his greatest allies.
Had this been a storyline lasting for just a few arcs, it might have been easier to digest, but this went on for years. The story ended with a whimper when Ock just decided to hand control back to Peter because he couldn't defeat the Green Goblin.
A lot of this felt like writer Dan Slott was living out some weird wish fulfilment. While there were some great twists and turns—and some legitimately strong ideas and stories—it remains a hugely divisive era of storytelling for Peter Parker fans.
6. Radioactive Spider-Sperm
Spider-Man: Reign is set in one of many possible futures, and there were heaps of good ideas to be found here and in the eventual sequel series. Written and illustrated by Kaare Andrews, the story is set in a New York City that's fallen under the control of a fascist government.
Superheroes are no more, and Peter Parker is now in his 60s and seemingly battling his declining mental health. While things do get a little too weird with the addition of a zombie Doctor Octopus and the return of the Venom symbiote, it's mostly a fun ride.
Unfortunately, Mary Jane isn't around, and that's because after spending years having sex with Peter and, uh, sharing his "DNA," she ended up with terminal cancer. The wall-crawler's radioactive sperm killed his wife, prompting him to abandon his life as Spider-Man.
5. Aunt May Lives
The 90s were not a good time for Spider-Man fans, and Marvel Comics was big on delivering attention-grabbing shocks. Determined to end Peter Parker's marriage to Mary Jane Watson by any means necessary, the model and actress seemingly died after boarding a plane that randomly exploded in mid-air.
Spidey becomes a widower, though it's soon revealed that MJ's mutant stalker faked her death and held her captive. When she returns, she decides to leave Peter, and everything about this story (which fans endured for two years) sucked.
This wasn't the only big change to Spidey's status quo. With all signs pointing to his and MJ's stillborn daughter May still being alive, Spider-Man broke into Norman Osborn's home to retrieve her. Instead, he found Aunt May, who was back after dying in Amazing Spider-Man #400. The May who died was an actress who'd undergone plastic surgery and changed her DNA. Seriously.
4. Sins Past
J. Michael Straczynski was on course to go down as perhaps one of the greatest Amazing Spider-Man writers ever. Unfortunately, his acclaimed run lost the plot near the end, in no small part due to increased interference from editors.
In "Sins Past," when two new costumed villains attack Peter Parker, he unmasks one of them and finds Gwen Stacy's face staring back at him. As the story unfolds, it's revealed that Spidey's lost love had an affair with Norman Osborn, and fled to Europe after falling pregnant.
There, she gave birth to Gabriel Stacy and Sarah Stacy, two children who rapidly aged to adulthood thanks to the Goblin serum coursing through their father's veins. This was jaw-droppingly bad, with the revelations that Norman took Gwen's virginity and killed her because she hid his children from her, leaving a really bad taste. Fortunately, it's since been retconned.
3. Organic Web-Shooters
There was a time when whatever we saw in the Marvel movies had a major impact on the comic books (some might argue that still happens), and it all started with those early X-Men and Spider-Man movies. In the latter trilogy, Peter obviously had "organic" web-shooters and didn't create them himself, an idea deemed unrealistic for a teenager in the real world.
To reflect that on the page, the hero crossed paths with a weird new villain called the Queen, and a kiss led to Spider-Man transforming into a spider, though he started by growing extra arms and eyes. From a body horror point of view, it's not bad, but things get incredibly dumb when it's revealed that the giant spider he's become is pregnant with the Queen's offspring.
Before giving birth, though, he curls up and dies. With that, a naked Peter bursts out of the carcass, revealing that he now has insect telepathy (no, it hasn't been used since) and organic web-shooters. It was more than a little convoluted, but Spider-Man: Brand New Day leaks have pointed to Marvel Studios doing something similar in the MCU this summer.
2. Spider-Man Joins The Avengers
J. Michael Straczynski's stellar Amazing Spider-Man run took a sharp dip in quality with the decision to have Spidey join the Avengers. That wasn't a choice he made, though, and it instead unfolded in the pages of Brian Michael Bendis' New Avengers series after the web-slinger joined his fellow heroes in stopping a breakout in The Raft.
Previously portrayed as a loner, Spidey suddenly became a key member of the team, but always ended up being treated as something of an afterthought.
Living in Avengers Tower, his friendship with Iron Man would ultimately see him unmask in the pages of Civil War. Bendis—who had done such a fantastic job with Peter Parker in Ultimate Spider-Man—didn't even give him the chance to shine during Dark Reign and Siege, two stories revolving around his nemesis, Norman Osborn. Like the fans, it felt like Bendis didn't want him there.
1. One More Day
Perhaps the most hated Amazing Spider-Man story of all time, "One More Day" picked up shortly after Peter had revealed his identity to the world and become a wanted fugitive after turning his back on Iron Man and his pro-Superhuman Registration Act forces.
Seeking to take the ultimate revenge on his old enemy, the Kingpin puts out a hit on Spidey and his family, and poor Aunt May ends up taking a bullet. Long story short, she's dying, and Peter is forced to take drastic measures. After everyone he turns to makes it clear that they can't help, the Marvel Universe's version of the devil, Mephisto, offers Peter a deal.
Give up his marriage in exchange for his aunt's life. Peter and MJ accept, and the "Brand New Day" era that followed regressed his character development by a good 20 or 30 years. As of now, it still hasn't been undone, even as the 20th anniversary beckons.