When Doctor Doom chose Peter Parker to stand as Earth’s champion in a cosmic conflict, he was presumed to have ulterior motives. At the very least, it seemed the new Sorcerer Supreme felt it was beneath him to get involved in such petty matters. However, the grand finale of The 8 Deaths of Spider-Man in Amazing Spider-Man #70 reveals the depth of Doom’s designs. More, it affirms Peter Parker was the perfect person for the task at hand.
Written by Joe Kelly, with art by Ed McGuinness, the 8 Deaths of Spider-Man detailed a hereto unknown compact. On a regular basis, Earth must put forth a champion to face the Scions of Cyttorak in battle. In exchange for this tribute, the elder god agreed to empower a Crimson Casket of Cyttorak. This artifact would mask the universe from a corrupting force known as The Blight.
Peter Parker endured near-infinite tortures as part of his battles with the Scions of Cyttorak. Still, he struggled to fight on as one Scion became infected by The Blight and slaughtered his immortal siblings. This, in turn, stunned the normally unstoppable Cyttorak into a stupor. All this was observed by Doctor Doom and Doctor Strange, who suddenly understood why Doom had abdicated the role of Earth’s Champion to Spider-Man.
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Spider-Man’s nobility impressed an elder god
Armed with magical knowledge granted to him by Doctor Doom, Spider-Man stepped in to empower the Crimson Casket in Cyttorak’s place. This action stunned Cyttorak, who asked Peter Parker why he would do this when he would inevitably fail someday. Peter replied that even if “anything I ever did won’t matter, it matters today. Today is worth fighting for.”
This sentiment impressed the immortal Cyttorak, who decided he could do no less than Spider-Man in the face of his own losses. The Elder God drove away The Blight and took up the task of obscuring the universe without the need for an annual battle. While Spider-Man’s selflessness saved the universe, it was Doctor Doom’s foresight that “taught a god what it means to live.”
Amazing Spider-Man #70 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
