‘Amazing Spider-Man’ #1000: Aunt May’s shocking memory loss
This story contains spoilers for “The Amazing Spider-Man” #1000.
Marvel’s “The Amazing Spider-Man” #1000 turns one of Peter Parker’s greatest fears into a very strange kind of loss: Aunt May no longer remembers him. In the milestone issue, writer Joe Kelly and artist Pepe Larraz take away the memories that have anchored Peter’s moral code throughout Kelly’s run, forcing readers to ask what Spider-Man becomes without the people who shaped him.
How ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ #1000 takes Aunt May from Peter
Aunt May suffered a stroke in the previous issue, and “The Amazing Spider-Man” #1000 opens with the fallout. She still knows Peter is her nephew, the son of her husband’s brother, but everything else about him is gone.
The cause is far more sinister than a medical tragedy. Cormac Crane, the long-hidden biological son of May and Ben who now calls himself the supervillain Ravage, used some kind of superpower to pull May’s memories of Peter out of her mind, according to CBR’s review. He keeps them in a mysterious device.
Cormac’s motivation cuts to the heart of Spider-Man mythology. He believes Peter lived the life that should have been his, which he says was stolen from him when he was switched as a newborn. By taking May’s memories of Peter, and Peter’s memories of May, he hopes to claim the family bond for himself.
A milestone issue built on memory
A 1,000th issue is usually a victory lap. Kelly chose instead to examine what happens when that legacy vanishes. For nearly 40 issues, his run has returned again and again to Peter’s memories of May and Uncle Ben and the way they guide his choices. “The Amazing Spider-Man” #1000 flips that idea around: If those memories are gone, who is Peter Parker?
The story also nods to “The Amazing Spider-Man” #400, the 1995 anniversary issue in which May seemingly died, a death Marvel later reversed. This time, Kelly revisits that loss without killing her. May is still alive, but the Peter she knew has disappeared from her mind.
Uncle Ben’s killer gets a nickname
The anniversary issue also touches one of Spider-Man’s oldest mysteries. The burglar Peter let escape, who later killed Uncle Ben, still doesn’t have a real name, but the issue gives him a nickname: the Five Boroughs Burglar, Bleeding Cool reported. A backup story by Dan Slott and Marcos Martin revisits that night from the point of view of the security guard who scolded Spider-Man for not stopping the thief.
What ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ #1000 means for Peter’s future
By the end of the fight, Peter faces a classic hero’s dilemma: save innocent people Ravage has put in danger, or recover the device holding May’s memories. He chooses responsibility, and May’s memories of him remain lost for now.
That leaves big questions for upcoming issues. Can Peter ever win those memories back? Can Cormac be stopped? Or will Peter have to learn to be Spider-Man without the anchors that made him a hero?
Release date, price and backup stories
“The Amazing Spider-Man” #1000 hit comic shops Sept. 30, following early Local Comic Shop Day variants released Sept. 26, and retails for $9.99. The issue also includes backup stories. Noah Hawley makes his comic book writing debut with artist Patrick Gleason, and other contributors include J.M. DeMatteis, Frank Miller with Peach Momoko, Brian Michael Bendis and Larry Lieber.
Sources: CBR and Bleeding Cool. For more comics coverage, visit our Books & Comics section.