What's Happen to Spider-Man Once He's Made Whole Again

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Amazing Spider-Man #4 by Nick Spencer, Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn, Laura Martin and Joe Caramagna, on sale now.

The last issue of Amazing Spider-Man started to show the effects of Peter Parker's split from Spider-Man after his exposure to the same device that originally gave him his spider-powers. At first, the unusual separation seemed to be a win for both parties involved, until side effects like behavioral changes (in Spidey) and loss of intelligence (in Peter) became apparent.

In Amazing Spider-Man #4, Nick Spencer and Ryan Ottley's story moves forward to show how the disparity between Peter and Spidey continues to widen, to the point of potential life-threatening consequences. The two halves somehow need to again become one – and they presumably will – but once they do, will Peter, or Spidey, ever be the same?

What Else Spider-Man Has Lost

While his sense of responsibility remains intact, the now-powerless Peter can only fulfill it with well-meaning but somewhat pedestrian acts of kindness. Spider-Man, in contrast, selfishly and unwittingly trashes New York City even as he increasingly cashes in on his own fame. A fed-up Peter eventually confronts the reckless webslinger, and during their discussion learns a heartbreaking and startling revelation: Spidey has no recollection of their Uncle Ben.

The disclosure provides a bit of solid insight into Spider-Man's increasing recklessness: He has no memory of the man who instilled the very notion of great responsibility in him. More importantly, though, it signals something more significant; that there is even more – or less – to this troubling new Spidey than either man first realized. Peter's most cherished memories are the latest aspect of his personality that are lacking in this less-than-Amazing Spider-Man.

Less Than the Sum of Their Parts

In the wake of his dismaying encounter with Spidey, Peter heads to Empire State University to see if he can press Doc Curt Connors (aka Spidey's former foe, the Lizard) for more info on what exactly might have happened to him. Upon arriving, though, Peter learns of another dismal development: The laboratory mouse – or mice – initially used to test the genome accelerator have died. Cause of death? Loss of basic life functions after prolonged separation in the wake of their split.

This is the worst news yet for Peter, who now knows that his separation from Spider-Man is potentially fatal – for both of them. It's a quandary that Peter can't turn to Connors for help, though, without risking his secret identity – an identity that, ironically, Peter no longer has for the moment. Just what can Peter do at this point, and how can he ever convince Spidey to go along with it?

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Will Spider-Man Ever Become Truly Amazing Again?

Despite the grim prognosis for Peter and Spidey's current state, it's a pretty safe bet that they're not going to just simply succumb to their fate and cease to be – Spidey's a pretty popular Marvel character, after all. Presumably, the two will become one once again, and soon – somehow. Whether the two are somehow rejoined via a tweaked genome accelerator, or by some other means, restoring Peter and Spider-Man is as inevitable as you get.

That's not to say, though, that there won't be lingering effects. Once the two are reunited, there's no guarantee that the regenerated Peter/Spidey will be exactly the same as before. Will some part of Peter's sense of responsibility, for example, be lost, resulting in perhaps a slightly darker Spider-Man willing to take more risks? Or will Spidey's trademark sense of humor maybe be a casualty, making future standoffs against his foes a lot more serious?

There are numerous possibilities that could alter, and perhaps refresh, the character. If Peter were to lose some of his intelligence, he could no longer earn a living from his smarts, putting future chances of another gig like Horizon Labs, or forming another company, at next to zero. Perhaps some of Spider-Man's powers will be weakened, if not eliminated entirely, suddenly making his rogues gallery a lot deadlier. Or perhaps he'll develop some new powers altogether. And what would happen to Peter if he were to forget not only Uncle Ben and his loss, but that of other loved ones, like Gwen Stacy?

The effects from Peter and Spidey's split – and their possible reunification – come to a head in the conclusion of "Back to Basics" in Amazing Spider-Man #5, on sale September 12.

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