As amazing and spectacular as Spider-Man's stories can be, there are also a few tales that are not up to the established standard set over the years. From the '90s excess of Maximum Clonage to the retcon of Sins Past, the web-slinger is no stranger to some questionable storytelling. The most egregious of these offenders include "The Clone Saga" and "One More Day," but there's one story that comes across as arguably worse.
"The Final Chapter" retconned one of the few great moments of "The Clone Saga," setting up the regressive storytelling seen in "One More Day." This involved bringing back Peter's Aunt May, who had passed away at the height of "The Clone Saga." The backpedaling involved with retconning this not only cheapened the story, but it set up Peter's life to never allow him to grow up, making "The Final Chapter" a serious contender for the all-time worst Spider-Man story.
What Was 'Spider-Man: The Final Chapter?'
"The Final Chapter" was the follow-up to "The Gathering of Five," which itself was a sequel to "The Clone Saga." This story led to a creative (though not narrative) relaunch of the various Spider-Man titles, hoping to move the character into a refreshed direction after the controversies of the '90s. The story also revealed more of the manipulation that the revealed to be alive Norman Osborn perpetrated upon Peter Parker in secret.
Not only had the controversial "Clone Saga" been revealed to be part of an elaborate plot of Osborn's, but another tremendous tragedy in the life of Peter Parker as well. Amazing Spider-Man #400 marked the death of Peter's Aunt May, and was considered by many to be the highest point of the saga. Despite how poorly the overall story was received, this issue was seen as one of the best Spider-Man had seen in that era. By passing away from old age as Mary Jane was pregnant, Aunt May's death helped to cement Peter Parker as an everyday guy who dealt with the normal sadness of life. Unfortunately, this moment would be robbed of its impact, stealing away what was one of Spider-Man's greatest moments.
"The Final Chapter" revealed that Aunt May was alive, and that her previous "death" was all part of Norman's plot. He had an actress surgically and genetically modified to pass as Aunt May, with her death meant to further weaken and upend Peter Parker's psyche. While this retcon had an immediate impact on the life of the wall-crawler, it also had an even greater impact on later Spider-Man stories.
How 'The Final Chapter' Ruined Spider-Man
The explanation for Aunt May's survival proved to be problematic, severely lowering the bar for later stories. Additionally, it rendered the most powerful moment of "The Clone Saga" null and void, making an already conflated story even worse.
Likewise, there's also the unfortunate precedent that it set for the likes of stories such as One More Day. Aunt May's death was a natural progression for the story of Peter Parker's life, and it fit well given that he was about to have his own child. This again reflects the sometimes painful reality of life, which are themes that Spider-Man has traditionally represented. In being a "friendly neighborhood" character, Peter Parker's life is meant to reflect the everyday struggles people endure during their lives. It essentially gave Spider-Man stories permission to remain "stuck" in a mode of non-progression that eventually led to the elimination of his growth as a parent and derailed his marriage.
Sadly, Marvel's most iconic hero has yet to recover from the damage. Whereas he was once a married man who had finally progressed into becoming a science teacher, a career that truly fit him and mirrored his ally/enemy Curt Connors, Peter is now reduced to a barely scraping by, down-on-his-luck twenty-something who is perpetually immature. Aunt May is still alive, but unfortunately, the true spirit behind the character of Spider-Man is not.