Amazing Spider-Man #800 Changes to Peter Parker's World

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for Amazing Spider-Man #800 by Dan Slott, Nick Bradshaw, Humberto Ramos, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Stuart Immonen, Marcos Martin, Victor Olazaba, Cam Smith, Wade von Grawbadger, Edgar Delgado, Java Tartaglia, Marte Gracia, Muntsa Vicente and VC’s Joe Caramagna, on sale now.

What could potentially be Peter Parker's final confrontation with Norman Osborn took place in Amazing Spider-Man #800, the conclusion to writer Dan Slott's massive "Go Down Swinging" story arc. The monumental issue also marks the penultimate chapter of Slott's nearly 10-year run on Amazing Spider-Man, and the writer made sure to "go down swinging" by introducing numerous changes to the web-slinger's world.

As readers continue to digest everything that transpired during Peter's battle against Norman and his new, murderous Red Goblin persona over the coming months, they will remember a heroic death, rivalries put to the side, new beginnings for supporting cast members and much, much more.

To save you some trouble, we've compiled a list of every significant change Amazing Spider-Man #800 made to Peter Parker's world.

J. Jonah Jameson Discovers Eddie Brock Is Venom

Peter Parker and J. Jonah Jameson's personal dynamic changed dramatically in Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #6. After years of Jonah publicly declaring Spider-Man a menace and running his name through the mud at the Daily Bugle, Peter finally revealed his secret identity to his longtime boss and friend. Since then, Jonah has attempted to help Peter in his heroic adventures, with varying results.

However, this new partnership came back to bite Spider-Man when Norman captured and tortured Jonah, resulting in Jonah accidentally revealing Peter and Spidey were one and the same. Norman used this knowledge to strike at Spider-Man, leaving Jonah to figure out a way to make amends.

The first step in correcting his mistake involved Jonah tracking down Venom and asking for his help to stop the Red Goblin. Of course, since he couldn't pick up a phone and call Venom, Jonah had to get creative to track the vigilante down. After seeing a newspaper clipping with a Venom photo credited to someone named "Sym," Jonah guessed correctly that Eddie Brock was using a page out of Spider-Man's playbook by selling photos of his own adventures. To quote Jonah, "He wouldn't be stupid enough to be running the exact same scam! Would he?"

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Doctor Octopus And Spider-Man Come To A Truce

Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus have been circling one another ever since Otto Octavius took over Peter's body in Superior Spider-Man. Since then, Otto has tried his hand at being a hero, transferred what's left of his consciousness to a clone of Peter's body in Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy, and also joined Hydra for Secret Empire.

But even with all his baggage, Otto managed to pick up some of Peter's good qualities during their body-switching period, and a perfect example of that is how loyal Otto is to the people in his life. There was a time when Otto had romantic feelings for Aunt May, which is part of the reason why she's under his protection when Normie Osborn -- possessed by a piece of the Red Goblin symbiote -- comes to kill her.

"There's a lot of bad blood between the two of us, Otto," Spider-Man said after Otto saved Aunt May's life. "But this -- in my book, it just bought you a clean slate. Where you go next? That's up to you." It sounds like for the time being, Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus are no longer enemies. And as for Otto's future, well, we'll get back to him further down on our list of changes.

The Goblin Childe Is Born

Earlier we mentioned how Norman gave his grandson, Normie, a piece of his stolen Carnage symbiote, creating a mini version of the Red Goblin. This is quite possibly the worst thing Norman has ever done, perhaps even topping the death of Gwen Stacy. Remember, this is an innocent child Norman has chosen to corrupt, who is only looking for someone to love him.

It's during his attack on Aunt May that we learn Normie has taken the liberty of giving himself an evil moniker: Goblin Childe. Seeing as he's an Osborn, Normie has decided to keep the word "Goblin" in his new name. Whether or not the name sticks is a question for later.

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Spider-Man And Venom Symbiote Swing Together Again

When Venom debuted in 1988, he skyrocketed to the top spot in Spider-Man's rogues gallery. The combination of Eddie's hatred for Peter and the symbiote's knowledge of who Spider-Man really is created a villain to be reckoned with.

Their shared animosity has diminished slightly over the years, with the two recently working together during the Venom-centric Venomized miniseries. These recent developments are the reason why Venom takes Jonah up on his offer to help Spider-Man fight the Red Goblin. After a brief scuffle, Eddie realizes he's too weak to continue and offers up his symbiote to Spider-Man in order to even up the odds. Though the reunion no one saw coming only lasted a few pages, it was great to see Spider-Man in the black suit again.

Spidey's black suit reunion will extend into writer Nick Spencer and artist Ryan Ottley's relaunch of Amazing Spider-Man, but it remains to be seen whether the suit is the Venom symbiote, or another material.

Flash Thompson Dies, But Not Before Discovering Spider-Man’s Secret Identity

The combination of a landmark issue like Amazing Spider-Man #800 and a vicious threat like the Red Goblin almost guaranteed someone not walking away unscathed. Unfortunately for his fans, Flash Thompson met an untimely end in his battle against the Red Goblin.

Flash did die a hero, however, as he was able to save the lives of Clash, Silk, Mary Jane, Aunt May and Harry before the Red Goblin could launch his stealth attack. Another positive for Flash is he learned Peter Parker is secretly his childhood hero, the Spectacular Spider-Man. Flash's evolution from high school bully to war hero to crimefighting superhero has been amazing to watch unfold over the last several years. Whether he was Agent Venom or Anti-Venom, Flash earned his right to stand among the elite superheroes in the Marvel Universe, and his passing will be felt for some time.

Norman Osborn Discovers Peter Parker's Greatest Weakness

Whenever a villain learns Spider-Man's secret identity, they immediately seek to harm Peter's loved ones. This same scenario played out with the Red Goblin earlier, but it's not until he's hurled into the heart of the city that Norman uncovers the best possible way to get at his nemesis. Yes, Peter will always protect those closest to him, but he will also defend everyone's lives until his dying breath.

We'll get to Norman's new status quo soon, but it's worth pointing out that should he ever return to terrorize Spider-Man, he very may well use this knowledge to his advantage in the next scheme.

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Carnage And Norman Osborn Are No More

In the final moments of the fight between Spider-Man and the Red Goblin, Spidey uses a motorcycle filled with gasoline to ignite a fire that burns the Carnage symbiote off of Norman for good. With fire being one of the known weaknesses of a symbiote and Peter saying, "Did you feel what the symbiote did when it burned?", all signs point to Carnage, and the Red Goblin, being no more.

Norman is left mentally damaged as well; the shock of Carnage dying while attached to him has fried his brain, leaving Norman to believe he's Cletus Kasaday, and Spider-Man is, in fact, Norman Osborn. While it could possibly be an act, Norman's ego wouldn't allow himself to come across as someone who's lost their mind if he could help it.

The Goblin Childe Lurks Under The Surface

Back at Alchemax, the Osborn Family is able to extract the remaining symbiote from Normie's body. What remains of the symbiote will be kept for research purposes, but the important part is an innocent boy has the opportunity to enjoy his childhood reunited with his family.

However, we quickly see it's not an entirely happy ending, as Normie's eyes are shown with a bright red flash of the Carnage symbiote streaking across them. Alchemax may believe they've purged the symbiote from Normie, but just like his grandfather, the young Osborn will most likely return down the road to plague Spider-Man.

A Superior Redemption

If you closed the issue out after reading the heartfelt letters page, then you missed a post-credits scene at Horizon University's San Francisco location, where Max Modell gives his newest hire, Dr. Elliot Tolliver, a tour of the facilities. Of course, the name doesn't sound familiar, but the final page reveals Elliot Tolliver is, in fact, the new alias for Otto Octavius.

Peter and Otto left each other on what can be considered good terms, and it looks like Otto has decided to get a fresh start on an entirely different coast. One reason he possibly chose Horizon University is his ex-girlfriend, Anna Maria Marconi, also works there.

Doctor Octopus has gone from villain to hero to villain over the last several years, but it remains to be seen which role he will adopt with this new identity. No matter what Otto chooses, Horizon University will be one location to pay attention to going forward, all because of its newest staff member.