After 23 Years, Marvel Solves a Major Spider-Man Mystery For Good

Published Aug 5, 2026, 8:45 PM EDT Jared is a writer, editor, and Communications Studies graduate who loves popular nerd culture (almost anything to do with Marvel, DC, Star Wars, or The Lord of the Rings) and the interactive storytelling medium. Jared's first console was the PS1, wherein he fell for Spider-Man, Spyro the Dragon, and Crash Bandicoot. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Mary Jane: Face It, Tiger #1. If you thought Peter Parker’s life was depressing when he was a high school or college student, it is evident now, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Spider-Man’s future is full of far worse nightmares. Thanks to floating timelines and other comic book storytelling shenanigans, Peter is somehow only in his early 30s in the mainline Earth-616 continuity’s Amazing Spider-Man series, and yet the tragedies that await him have already been foretold. For example, ‘Last Stand’ Spider-Man is iconic because of his red leather jacket and plain costume, without a webbing pattern, but also because his compunction about killing had gone out the window wholeheartedly. It’s a narrative that was shelved before it ever got to begin, and before we ever got to learn more about this older Spider-Man, and this run’s legendary writer has now returned to finish the story while also celebrating the rich and storied history of Mary Jane Watson in Spider-Man lore. MJ Tells A Bittersweet Story About Spider-Man’s Last Stand From writer J. Michael Straczynski, artist Luigi Zagaria, and colorer Matt Milla, Mary Jane: Face It, Tiger’s “Soft Words at Sunrise” takes place around The Amazing Spider-Man #500 (nearly 500 issues ago, ironically), and sees MJ reminisce about her life with Peter. Specifically, MJ recounts and finally offers closure for the story teased in issue #500 that depicts how Spider-Man would meet his tragic demise at a much older age. This suggested how Peter might die later in life, imparting some poignant words of wisdom to his younger self, who hid behind Aunt May’s headstone, before lunging at a futuristic, elite police force’s overwhelming numbers and eventually being cut down—Spider-Man’s “last stand.” Mary Jane: Face It, Tiger #1 reveals that, in this possible future, Aunt May had been murdered by “a member of a rogue police unit armed with tech stolen from Stark Industries and immunity for any crimes they committed.” Peter believes it to be his destiny to see this through and shares a final goodbye with MJ before pursuing the soldier and swiftly killing him. After more than a couple of decades, we learn that this is why Peter was hunted by the police, why he waited for them at Aunt May’s grave, and why he was content to go down fighting. Spider-Man’s End Has Already Been Written… Or Has It? It’s unlikely that this death will ever become legitimately canonical, as that would require Marvel Comics to let Peter actually age. Of course, this devastating ending gives The Amazing Spider-Man something fairly incredible to strive toward, and it’s magical to get to hear MJ tell her side of this later-days Spider-Man story, much less the sorely needed context that readers have longed for almost a quarter of a century later. SIXTY YEARS AGO, WE ALL HIT THE JACKPOT! Back in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #42, we all got our first real look at MARY JANE WATSON, and sixty years later, we’re all still reeling. In that time, she’s been a party girl, OTP and even VENOM! To celebrate MJ’s storied run, we present three stories of three different MJ eras and an epilogue that points toward the future of the inimitable MJW! Mary Jane: Face It, Tiger #1 is out now. Movie(s) Spider-Man, Spider-Man Strikes Back, Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: Far from Home, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse TV Show(s) Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Spider-Man Unlimited, Spider-Man: The New Animated Series, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Ultimate Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Spider-Noir Comic The Amazing Spider-Man First Film Spider-Man First TV Show Spider-Man Genres Superhero, Action, Adventure, Science Fiction, Drama, Coming-of-Age Cast Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Shameik Moore, Zendaya, Kirsten Dunst, Emma Stone, Marisa Tomei, Rosemary Harris, Sally Field, Jacob Batalon, J.K. Simmons, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Michael Keaton, Jamie Foxx, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jon Favreau, Tony Revolori, Laura Harrier, Angourie Rice, Benedict Cumberbatch, Nicholas Hammond Director Sam Raimi, Marc Webb, Jon Watts, Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson Writers Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Brian Michael Bendis, jonathan hickman, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller Created by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko