Last week there was a leaked image of an upcoming promotional page that seemed to indicate that Peter Parker, mind and body, would be back as Spider-Man. With the new movie coming out in May, and the SpOck storyline going on for just over a year, the time seemed right. However, Marvel would not comment on the leaked image and refused any requests for clarification.
However, today they have confirmed through an exclusive with the New York Daily News, that we will soon be seeing the return of Peter Parker, the Amazing Spider-Man this April! I’ve gone on record saying that I have really liked the whole SpOck story, but that it has run its course in its current form. I want my Spider-Man to be more Amazing and less Superior. I have also said that this will firmly place Doctor Octopus or Otto Octavius or whatever he will be known as, firmly at the top of Spider-Man’s villains. Many have wondered if we will still see Otto as some sort of Spider-Man or maybe even an anti-hero and that is still not known. Regardless, the damage he has done will take a long time to fix and Peter will have one heck of a vendetta against old Otto Octavius.
The one part of the Daily News story that bothers me is this:
And over the past 13 months, the unthinkable happened: many fans gravitated towards the meaner, more arrogant Doc Ock version of Spider-Man — some maybe even prefering him to the goodie-two-shoes original.
I have enjoyed the story, but in no way do I prefer my Spider-Man to be a mean, pompous, arrogant hero. Spider-Man has been my favorite super hero since I was a very young child. The reason for that is that he was FUN! He has amazing powers, but was always there with a joke or light-hearted comment. There is enough brooding and angst when he is Peter Parker, but when he’s in the suit, he is supposed to be Amazing, Spectacular and your FRIENDLY neighborhood Spider-Man!
What about you? Are you happy that the original Spider-Man will soon return? Will you miss Superior? Are you ready to hand Dan Slott his head for writing this story in the first place?
