If you're caught up on the events of the ongoing Eight Deaths of Spider-Man, then you know the idea of the wall-crawler biting the dust isn't really something new. As its name indicates, the current comic book arc sees the friendly neighborhood hero die each time he faces a trial set by one of the eight offsprings of a powerful being called Cyttorak. However, not everything's bad, as Peter has been able to return to the land of the living each and every time thanks to eight extra lives (called Reeds of Raggadorr) given to him by a spell cast by Doctor Doom.
However, there was a very real danger that Spidey would run out of Reeds and eventually perish for good. You know, a true game over screen. Well, those fears have unfortunately become a reality in the latest issue of the saga.
That's right, it's Spider-Man no more (except literally, this time around).
Spider-Man died in The Amazing Spider-Man No. 68 and has no extra lives left
Let's do a bit of a recap to explain how Spider-Man is out of the picture, shall we? Back when Doctor Strange was still the Sorcerer Supreme, he uncovered a very dangerous threat from another dimension called "The Blight". It's an extremely powerful force of nature capable of corrupting any being who comes across it — making them destroy everything they ever held dear in the process. Think of it as a very powerful zombie virus. If you were to become infected, then chances are you'd start senselessly attacking everyone around you. Well, that's exactly what The Blight accomplishes, all in an effort to "extinguish life" across the universe.
Fortunately, Doctor Strange was able to come up with a very unique solution to this impending problem. He struck a deal with Cyttorak — a demon from another dimension — to make Earth invisible to the perception of the Blight. In exchange, the Sorcerer Supreme would have to battle each of the demon's eight offspring at the beginning of every Crimson Calendar. Such was the case for many years until Stephen Strange had to give up the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme to Doctor Doom. And since Victor has "better things to do" than lose his time passing the scions' trials, he delegated that task to Spider-Man.
So far, Peter had managed to best five scions while only using four of his extra lives (meaning he had other four to spare). However, everything changed the day a trial made him witness the hypothetical future death of more than three million people. Realizing humans are ephemeral and all his efforts to be a superhero were useless in the great scheme of things, he dropped the superhero mantle (which didn't feel in character at all, if you were to ask me). But whether his decision made sense or not, it led to the sixth scion attacking with no "Earth Champion" to defeat it. As a result, Aunt May, Peter's new romantic interest Shay, Randy, and a complete stranger all paid with their lives.
Seeing as how four people perished due to his inaction, Peter decided to give up his four remaining extra lives to resurrect them all. With no "extra chances" left, Spider-Man jumped into action once again and attempted to defeat the scions tormenting Earth. However, one of Cyttorak's offspring got infected with the Blight and eventually snaped the wall-crawler's neck, putting a definite end to his story this time around.
Just like that, Spider-Man is gone.
Granted, comic book characters are rarely put out of the picture for a long time. Eventually, most of them come back one way or another, and that will also be the case here. After all, The Amazing Spider-Man comic book series will undergo a soft reboot in April, and Peter will be there as the protagonist yet again. So we know there's more to his story. The only question remaining is: How will the hero make his way out of this rather tricky situation? Well, there's only one way to find out.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2022) No. 69 will be released on March 12, 2025.