After 64 Years, Marvel Is Ruining Spider-Man’s Life With One Absolutely Cruel Twist

The Amazing Spider-Man has been gradually approaching issue #36 (LGY #1000), which will now be released at the end of next month. We’ve known a bit about it for the last little while, but chiefly because of its various covers, vague solicitations, and unlettered preview pages. For instance, The Amazing Spider-Man #1000’s main story will feature a brand-new Spider-Man villain, Ravage, and covers for issues #1001 and #1002 have revealed that Peter Parker’s battle with him will last for at least three issues.

In fact, The Amazing Spider-Man #1000 may merely introduce the conflict that bleeds into and is resolved in issues #1001 and #1002. The covers for issues #1001 and #1002 are climactic, but it’s the cover for issue #1001 that suggests Ravage’s “history-shattering power” will annihilate the Parker family as we know it.

Spider-Man’s World Comes Crashing Down This October

It’s difficult to discern with certainty who is featured in the portrait beside May on the cover of The Amazing Spider-Man #1001. Based on what has been teased, he’s either a younger Cormac—Cormac has grey in his hair, and the character in the portrait doesn’t appear to—or perhaps a young Uncle Ben.

The Amazing Spider-Man has made a note of stating how much Cormac looks like Ben, and maybe the two would be more or less indistinguishable if they stood next to one another. Still, if Ravage literally has the power to retcon events, he could be an extraordinarily powerful plot device, depending on how the landscape of Peter’s life looks in issue #1003 and onward.

We see Ravage’s shadow looming behind this character and May, as he obviously has something to do with whatever events this portrait is teasing, and Spider-Man has pounded his fists against the portrait and splintered the glass into a web-like pattern. In this portrait, empty frames are seen hung on the wall in the background, implying the Parker family history has been completely erased in The Amazing Spider-Man, if not rewritten. The solicitation for The Amazing Spider-Man #1001 reads as follows:

AFTERMATH FROM ISSUE #1000! Spider-Man goes to battle against Ravage — and Aunt May is caught in the middle — but has Spidey already lost the war?

Marvel Says ‘Happy Birthday, Peter Parker’ With The Amazing Spider-Man #1001

According to The Amazing Spider-Man #700, Peter’s canonical birthday is October 14. As such, it’s either a deliberate knife between his ribs or a cruel twist of fate that The Amazing Spider-Man #1001 will be released on October 14, 2026 (assuming it’s not delayed like The Amazing Spider-Man #1000 was), as the milestone issue and the issues that follow it seem to be an aching misery for Peter on his birthday.

Firstly, we know from the preview pages of The Amazing Spider-Man #1000 that someone is taken to a hospital’s emergency room, and Peter rushes in to see whoever it is. Peter even leaps over a gurney carrying a patient in order to reach this person’s room sooner, meaning it is likely that the only person this could be is Aunt May.

In terms of The Amazing Spider-Man’s Ravage, it would be surprising at this point if the villain’s true identity isn’t Cormac, a character who conveniently debuted only recently as May’s biological son. Now, if May’s biological son wants to harm her in any way, it’ll hopefully be explained why. Cormac hasn’t seemed like he could potentially be villainous beyond the ominous look he had when getting into a taxi a couple of issues ago, and he only recently learned that he was May’s son, anyway.

The Amazing Spider-Man #1001 is scheduled to be released on October 14, 2026.