Dan Slott's Most Controversial Amazing Spider-Man Moments

Dan Slott has become synonymous with Marvel Comics' Amazing Spider-Man since joining the series as one of four writers during its weekly adventures from 2008-2010. Since taking over as the sole writer in November 2010, Slott has charted Spidey's ongoing series through historic milestone issues, relaunches and character deaths. If you've ever witnessed Slott's enthusiasm when discussing Spider-Man in-person or via an online interview, it's clear how much he truly loves the character. This, of course, is one of the reasons Slott's time on Amazing Spider-Man is currently the longest of any writer at the publisher.

This lengthy streak may be coming to an end in next spring, however. The publisher's March 2018 solicits declared it will be the beginning of a new story arc in Amazing Spider-Man #797. Titled "Go Down Swinging," the storyline will pit the web-slinger against one of his oldest rivals, the Green Goblin, and the issue's solicitation text teases, “Dan Slott has saved his most harrowing Spider-Man story for last.”

The ominous words at the end of that sentence sure make it sound like Slott will be stepping down as Spider-Man's primary architect come March. When you step back and look at the bigger picture, next year presents the perfect opportunity for the writer to turn in his final Amazing Spider-Man script. If "Go Down Swinging" runs for four issues, that would put its conclusion in the comic's monumental 800th issue. Then, Slott can put his final stamp on the Spider-Man/Green Goblin rivalry before handing the keys to the next writer for issue #801.

With this in mind, we thought it would be a good time to take a look back at the most controversial moments of Dan Slott's run on Amazing Spider-Man. Keep in mind that just because the writer introduced massive changes to the Spider-Man's mythos, it doesn't mean they didn't result in captivating, fan-favorite stories.

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Spider-Man Swings Into The Big Time

One of the first modifications Slott made to Peter Parker's daily life was to take him out of his comfort zone of the Daily Bugle and make him the newest employee of Horizon Labs. From a young age, Peter showed an interest in the sciences, with one example being his creation of Spider-Man's web fluid. Working at a company that specializes in this field benefits Peter in his personal and superhero life. Peter used the resources provided by Horizon Labs to outfit Spider-Man with new gadgets and costumes that he could use, depending on the type of threat he was facing.

Another development that fell under the "Big Time" banner was Spider-Man's proclamation that no more people would die under his watch. If there's one constant in the life of Spider-Man, it's that someone close to him will die because of his actions. From Gwen Stacy to Marla Jameson, Spider-Man has experienced loss. Which is why he finally had enough and made the "no one dies" vow. Of course, this was an unattainable goal, but Peter should be commended for being so dedicated to making it happen.

Superior Spider-Man

During the march to Amazing Spider-Man #700, Slott did the unthinkable and killed Peter Parker. Of course, superheroes are killed and resurrected with increasing regularity. Here, however, Slott was able to put a new spin on the situation by having Peter meet his "demise" while trapped in the body of Doctor Octopus.

You see, Otto Octavius was slowly dying, but he hatched a plan to swap minds with Peter. The outcome put Otto in Spider-Man's youthful body and Peter in Doctor Octopus' decaying body. With Peter's dying breath, he made Otto promise to continue fighting crime as Spider-Man. Not only did Otto live up to his word, he aimed to surpass Peter by becoming the Superior Spider-Man.

Superior Spider-Man quickly became one of Marvel's highest-selling titles. Some of that success can be attributed to a surprise Slott included in the first issue's final pages: not only was Peter alive, his consciousness was hiding in his original body. In essence this made Otto and Peter psychic roommates.

What Slott did with Superior Spider-Man was take the premise of a hero's death and subsequent replacement, and inject them with new, fresh ideas. A long-term result of the story arc is Doctor Octopus' mind finding a new home in a cloned body of Spider-Man, reinventing himself as the Superior Octopus and firmly placing him among the Marvel Universe's A-list supervillains.

Spider-Verse Gives Birth To Spider-Gwen

In 2014, Slott was the main architect behind the Spider-Man crossover Spider-Verse. The event saw the web-slinger team up with Spider-Men and women from across the multiverse to battle Morlun and his family of Inheritors. One of the heroes to make her debut was a Gwen Stacy from Earth-65 who would later be nicknamed Spider-Gwen.

Created by Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez, Spider-Gwen made her first appearance in Edge of Spider-Verse #2. Even though Spider-Gwen isn't one of Slott's creation, the idea behind her wouldn't have been imagined without the event Slott was writing. Now, Spider-Gwen is a regular fixture among the Spider-Man family of titles and is a welcome addition to the Marvel Universe, in comics and beyond.

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Parker Industries

Another massive addition to Slott's Superior Spider-Man run was the founding of Parker Industries. Otto made it his mission as Spider-Man to outdo Peter in every aspect of his life, with a big example coming after the reformed villain was fired from Horizon Labs. Not taking the action lightly, Otto set out to form his own company, which lead to the birth of Parker Industries.

Not only was Parker Industries a success, it made Peter a billionaire in the process, mirroring Marvel's other rich superhero scientist, Tony Stark/Iron Man. After he got possession of his body back from Otto, Peter continued as the owner of Parker Industries and used his financial windfall to create new tech for the world, and for his side-job as Spider-Man. Of course, the Parker luck eventually kicked in, and Peter lost it all. The more things change...

The Clone Conspiracy

Competing for the number one spot for Most Controversial Spider-Man Story of All Time is the 1990s "Clone Saga," which revealed Peter as a clone and Ben Reilly as the original Spider-Man. This was undone some years later, but the bad feelings still linger with more than a few fans to this day.

Because of this, it was surprising to see Marvel and Slott tackle another story featuring clones, but that's what they did with this year's Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy event.

Ben Reilly returned as the Jackal, with the goal of resurrecting many of Spider-Man's supporting characters, including Gwen Stacy and Uncle Ben, as clones. Slott entered the Clone Conspiracy with the knowledge that it was a touchy subject with fans, but delivered a heartfelt story of loss and the consequences that come with trying to cheat death.

Dan Slott's time on Amazing Spider-Man may be nearing the finish line, but he can look back at his run with pride at all he accomplished. Slott has stayed true to the character while introducing new characters and concepts that will hopefully remain a part of the Spider-Man family for years to come. Every idea wasn't a home run (we're looking at you Alpha), but Slott's batting average should put him in the Spider-Man Hall of Fame.