10 Classic Spider-Man Stories Marvel Could Dive Into Further

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The upcoming Fantastic Four Fanfare series will explore classic comic book eras, expanding lore and periods in the team’s history. Spider-Man fans have already experienced expansions in Spidey lore, thanks to miniseries such as Ben Reilly: Spider-Man, expanding Ben’s time as the Sensational Spider-Man, and Symbiote Spider-Man, featuring untold adventures with the symbiote before it became Venom.

Marvel should apply the Fantastic Four Fanfare model to more Spider-Man miniseries. There is no shortage of stories to tell, from the Clone Saga to Doc Ock’s time as the Superior Spider-Man, and comic fans are mighty nostalgic. They’d love to see their favorite Spider-Man comic era expanded and explored further.

10

A New Spider-Man Or Spider-Woman In New York City

“Spider-Island”

When the Jackal returned in “Spider-Island,” he didn’t create clones of Spider-Man, as he had in both Clone Sagas. Instead, the Jackal created more Spider-Men and Spider-Women thanks to radioactive insects. Fans saw Peter Parker’s struggles in this story arc and Mary Jane’s heroics with her spider-powers.

A new “Spider-Island” sequel miniseries could take readers back to that event and place them behind the eyes of several New Yorkers who gained these powers, potentially introducing new reoccurring characters to Spidey’s cast. Some could follow the lesson of power and responsibility. Some could not, using their powers for evil.

9

Peter Parker Back In High School

“Golden Age” Amazing Spider-Man

A lot of modern Spider-Man media depicts Peter Parker attending high school. The MCU Spider-Man only just graduated from high school, while both the Spectacular Spider-Man and Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man animated series star high schooler Peter Parkers. However, Peter only attended high school for less than 40 issues in Amazing Spider-Man.

In the grand scheme of things, Peter’s high school era was such a blip in his timeline. A new miniseries could send Peter back to high school and explore that era further, not as an alternate past or universe, like Ultimate Spider-Man, but as an expansion of the Steve Ditko/Stan Lee era.

8

The Return Of Marvel’s MC2 Universe

The Amazing Spider-Girl

Mayday Parker is a fan-favorite character in the Spider-Verse. As the Amazing Spider-Girl, she starred in her own oncoming comic title for years and even reappeared in the original Spider-Verse comic event, but many Marvel fans want more.

The MC2 universe is an interesting concept and deserves as much praise and attention as the Ultimate universe. Like the current Ultimate Spider-Man comic, Marvel should consider reviving the MC2 universe and Amazing Spider-Girl along with it––at the very least, presenting stories set during her original series.

7

Kaine From The Clone Saga

“Mark of Kaine”

Kaine has since become a pivotal character in Spider-Man’s cast, fighting as both a hero and anti-hero, using Ben Reilly’s old Scarlet Spider persona. Years earlier, Kaine was an antagonist to both Peter and Ben during the Clone Saga.

Fans love Kaine’s character development, especially after he starred in his own Scarlet Spider comic title. Still, the Kaine who first debuted in the Clone Saga was a beast––a wild animal, unleashed, looking to destroy the fake Spider-Man. A “Mark of Kaine” revival could expand Kaine’s time as a villain, presenting more dark secrets about his creation and time with the Jackal.

6

More Spider-Man Adventures Across The Spider-Verse

Spider-Verse

The original Spider-Verse comic opened so many doors and completely changed Spider-Man’s comic universe. Spider-Man was no longer just a friendly neighborhood hero. Even New York proved too small a playground for the Web-Slinger. Spider-People from across the multiverse teamed up.

While series like Edge of Spider-Verse continue to show multiversal adventures, a Spider-Verse miniseries could take readers back to that original event and show the Earth-616 Peter Parker interacting with these alternate Spider-People. Seeing the classic Peter’s interactions with these variants is half the fun, so he’d definitely need to be included in this series.

“Dark Web”

Ben Reilly just can’t catch a break. Though Ben served as the Sensational Spider-Man for years in Peter’s absence, his recent appearances have transformed him into two different Spider-Man villains––first the new Jackal in Clone Conspiracy, then Chasm in the “Beyond” arc.

Ben’s Chasm role continued into the “Dark Web” Amazing Spider-Man/X-Men crossover. Chasm teamed up with Madelyne Pryor, another clone, and gained demonic powers. Limbo is such an interesting setting in the Marvel Universe. Marvel could expand Ben’s time in Limbo and potentially transform Chasm into an anti-hero, perhaps using Kaine’s character development as a template for Chasm’s future.

4

Ben Reilly Needs A Full Spider-Man Revival Series

Sensational Spider-Man

Regardless of the character’s direction in modern Spider-Man comics, fans still love Ben Reilly thanks to his appearances in the Clone Saga and the aftermath that led to Ben donning his Sensational Spider-Man suit.

The Ben Reilly: Spider-Man miniseries expanded Ben’s time as the Sensational Spider-Man, but fans deserve more than just five issues expanding this era. Marvel could explore endless possibilities with Ben behind the mask, expanding his supporting cast and lengthening Peter Parker’s retirement, having Ben face off against even more classic Spider-Man villains.

3

Doctor Octopus Proves His Superiority Over Peter Parker

Superior Spider-Man

Are fans sick of the Superior Spider-Man? Doc Ock’s alternate version of Spider-Man starred in his own comic for over 30 issues. He reappeared in Spider-Verse and starred in the sequel Superior Spider-Man comics, but some fans can’t seem to get enough, and for good reason.

The Superior Spider-Man offers a stark departure from Peter Parker’s Amazing Spider-Man. Superior Spider-Man is more ruthless, more outspoken and less patient. Fans fell in love with the character and continue to call for his frequent return. A Superior Spider-Man miniseries could expand his time before Peter Parker returned or even expand the period he spent hopping between universes in Spider-Verse.

2

Marvel’s Heroes In Space

Secret Wars

While the Secret Wars miniseries wasn’t inherently a Spider-Man story, Peter Parker played a big role. He acquired an entity that would forever change the entire Marvel Universe: the symbiote. Spider-Man’s black suit is iconic. Though Symbiote Spider-Man explores his time with the suit on Earth, a continuation of Secret Wars could expand the time the Marvel heroes fought in space.

Marvel’s Avengers, Fantastic Four and X-Men fought on Battleworld for quite a while, but what if it was longer than readers thought? The Beyonder could have manipulated time, and the heroes and villains could have spent years up there, depicted in a Secret Wars expansion miniseries.

1

Clone Chaos Across All Spider-Man Comic Titles

The Clone Saga

The Clone Saga was a wild period in Spider-Man comics. Marvel spread the story arc across all Spider-Man comic titles at the time, making the story increasingly difficult to follow. Though simplified versions of the Clone Saga have since been published, Marvel should place readers back in the original era, with all its wild tangents and guest characters.

From the Traveler to Kaine to the Jackal and all his Gwen Stacy clones, the Clone Saga was unlike any Spider-Man era. Some fans love it while others don’t, and both opinions are valid. A Clone Saga miniseries could send readers back into that atmosphere where Spider-Man questions his identity and encounters strange enemies who seek to further unravel his mind.

“}]] There are several unexplored stories left to tell in classic Spider-Man comics like the Clone Saga and events like Spider-Island or even Secret Wars.  Read More