WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for War of the Realms - Strikeforce: The Land of Giants #1 by Tom Taylor, Jorge Molina, Adriano Di Benedetto, David Curiel and VC's Joe Sabino, on sale now.
As famous as Spider-Man is for the phrase, "With great power comes great responsibility," he's also widely known for losing key members of his inner circle. We could spend the rest of this article namedropping those closest to the web-slinger who have lost their lives, but some major examples are Uncle Ben, Aunt May (on more than one occasion), Gwen Stacy and her father Captain Stacy.
Although Spider-Man has dealt with death more than one occasion, it doesn't make it any easier when it is thrust back on him -- which is exactly what Marvel's event series War of the Realms has done. However, rather than take a human life, Marvel's War of the Realms kills Spider-Man's new four-legged friend from Asgard.
You Named Your Horse Buttercup?
War of the Realms - Strikeforce: The Land of Giants #1 sends a special five-man squad to Jotunheim, the Land of Frost Giants, to rescue Thor after he's sent there by Malekith. Captain America's team consists of Spider-Man, Wolverine, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. Because Daredevil, the God Without Fear, is now filling the role of Heimdall as the keeper of the Rainbow Bridge, he's able to ferry the heroes and their winged horses to the frozen realm.
However, before they leave Cap makes everyone choose an Asgardian weapon for the mission. Wolverine declines on account of the six Adamantium claws in his fists, but the others select a worthy weapon: Cap takes Thor's ax Jarnjborn, Iron Fist picks the Twin Swords of Sprague and Luke Cage decides on the Hammer of Rok. When Spider-Man declines, Wolverine tries to play a joke on him by placing the most ridiculous helmet he can find on Spidey's head.
The helmet comes in handy when the strike force squares off against frost giants. Before the fighting begins, Spider-Man reveals he named his flying horse Buttercup. When the rest of Buttercup's brothers and sisters are killed in the battle, she bows to honor the dead. That by itself may seem strange, but not compared to seeing Spider-Man communicate with Buttercup, thanks to that silly helmet. We learn her name is actually Queen Arctorius, which translates to "One who gallops through clouds."
Of course, the rest of the rescue squad isn't wearing magical helmets, so all they see is Spider-Man neighing back at a horse. So while it initially looks like Spider-Man has made a new ally, the fun and games quickly come to an end when they find Thor surrounded by even more frost giants.
Rest Easy, Buttercup
Queen Arctorius originally stayed behind to usher her fallen warriors to the clouds, but when the Marvel Universe's greatest heroes find themselves outnumbered, she quickly comes to their aid. The fight is long and bloody, but they're victorious in freeing the god of thunder. Unfortunately, however, Buttercup is the latest fatality in the War of the Realms.
Spider-Man grieves for the steed even though they only just met, showing the compassionate heart that beats within the wall-crawler. He also respects Queen Arctorius' final request, by not allowing her body to freeze over in Jutenheim. He instead takes her back to Midgard, where she can be buried in the clouds, as her name suggests.
War of the Realms - Strikeforce: The Land of Giants #1 concludes with Spider-Man, Captain America, Wolverine, Luke Cage and Iron Fist overlooking Avengers Mountain. A pile of snow marks Buttercup's burial site, with Spider-Man's translation helmet planted in the middle. The heroes take a moment to pay their final respects to the horse that helped them to free a god.
Sure, Buttercup's death may not compare to that of Gwen Stacy, but seeing Spider-Man form a quick bond with the horse, only to have it ripped away, is nevertheless a punch to the gut. It also drives home that there are casualties in war, and, unfortunately for Queen Arctorius, she is only its latest victim.