WARNING: The following contains spoilers for 2099 Omega #1, by Nick Spencer, Gerardo Sandoval, Zé Carlos, Victor Nava, Morry Hollowell, Brian Reber, Andrew Crossley and Joe Caramanga, on sale now.
2099 Omega #1 introduces us to a dark world run by Doctor Doom and the megacorporations, with Spider-Man rising up to remind the world of the age of superheroes and give new life into the resistance.
Miguel O'Hara has not had an easy existence since he was first introduced in Amazing Spider-Man #365 in 1992, but it seemed as though he finally reached a long-deserved happy ending in one of the latest 2099 event. However, 2099 Omega #1 turns that conclusion on its head as we see a new Miguel O'Hara toiling away at the infamous Alchemax corporation.
Miguel is confronted by an older version of himself from the brighter Marvel 2099 time-line. The older Miguel explains that his 2099 time-line somehow 'died,' which left a gap in history. As a result, Alchemax and the other megacorporations rule over humanity in a 1984-like government, where people are tracked through bio-signatures and their private security force, Public Eye.
The older Miguel goes on to say that Doctor Doom is behind the 2099 Omega timeline, and that people's memories have been drastically altered to forget the happiness and hope superheroes represented. Older Miguel ultimately tells 2099 Omega Miguel that he must become Spider-Man in order to stop Doctor Doom and the tyrannical megacorporations. However, convincing the Miguel O'Hara of 2099 Omega #1 to start the new age of superheroes proved to be a daunting challenge.
The 2099 Omega Miguel O'Hara is a reluctant man who is hammered down by his addiction to rapture and Alchemax's corruption, with the beginning of the issue describing him as “a cog in the machine.” So Miguel is thrown for a loop when the older version of himself implants memories of his own universe and time-travel adventures. However, 2099 Omega Miguel remains reluctant despite the visions.
It is only after realizing that his inaction led to his brother's death that Miguel O'Hara agrees to become the 2099 Omega Spider-Man. More specifically, Miguel's brother and revolutionary, Gabriel, disguises as him to expose the Alchemax's corruption after Miguel refuses to do so. However, the megacorporation catches wind of this and Public Eye is dispatched to eliminate him.
Gabriel ultimately dies, with the older Miguel stating that it was the only way for him to learn from his wrongs. 2099 Omega's Miguel O'Hara realizes that Gabriel's death could have been avoided if he had taken action against Alchemax and finally accepts the mantle of Spider-Man. After stepping into a machine in a genetics research lab, Spider-Man 2099 is reborn in an homage ripped from 1992's Spider-Man 2099 #1. Miguel O'Hara is ready to join the fight.
Even though the deck is stacked against 2099 Omega Spider-Man, Doctor Doom is shown to be in a potentially vulnerable state as well. As he tortures Uatu, the Watcher mocks him and asks if Doctor Doom can feel his plans unraveling. With Doctor Doom as the main antagonist and the megacorporations gunning his life, Miguel O'Hara will have to summon the courage that could rival Peter Parker himself.