WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for The Amazing Spider-Man #25 by Nick Spencer, Ryan Ottley, Humberto Ramos, Patrick Gleason and Kev Walker, on sale now.
After the conclusion of the Kraven-centric "Hunted" storyline, The Amazing Spider-Man #25 essentially works as a new beginning. The extra-sized issue is packed with plenty of small stories that set up the future of the title and introduce new threats. We see the return of the deceptive villain Mysterio; witness the all-female supervillain team known as the Syndicate recruit the new Electro and see the mysterious demonic villain that's been stalking Peter Parker ever since the start of the series is getting ready to make his move.
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While most of the issue focuses on the rise of a plethora of villains, The Amazing Spider-Man #25 also features the fall of a fan-favorite hero: Spider-Man 2099, who literally falls down from the sky -- right into the present day.
Created by Peter David and Rick Leonardi in the dystopian possible future of Marvel 2099, Miguel O'Hara has spent plenty of time in the present day, fighting alongside Peter Parker in cataclysmic, multiverse-threatening events and for the duration of his most recent solo series.
The Amazing Spider-Man #25 seems to pull Miguel right out of his future to smash him directly into the present. A swirling portal opens up in the sky, and Miguel is the only thing that comes through. He falls and crashes right into an oil platform in the middle of the ocean, where he is found unconscious by workers.
For the time being, we have no idea how or why Miguel O'Hara has arrived in the present. However, his abrupt arrival seems to come with a dire warning about the future.
Miguel's arrival from the year 2099 is intercut with a scene of Curt Connors delivering a speech to his class. In his speech, he talks about all of the man-made weapons that threaten the world. These weapons' numbers are growing at an exponential rate and, according to him, the future of the entire planet is at stake.
While Connors is talking in hypotheticals, Spider-Man 2099's warning adds some very real stakes to Connors' message, and the timing of the hero's sudden arrival is no coincidence. It's not clear if the 2099 future specifically disappeared or if Marvel's multitude of futures are under threat. It's also not clear if Miguel traveled back in time willingly or if he was thrown into the time stream.
There are plenty of questions to be asked thanks to Spider-Man 2099's sudden arrival in the present, and there's no telling where these threads will lead. For now, one thing's for sure: with the number of villains Peter Parker is about to face in the coming months, he could sure use a helping hand from one of his amazing friends.