Ever since his battle with the villain Hellgate, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man has been a lot less friendly. It was clear to those who knew him that someone was impersonating the web-swinging superhero. What was less clear, however, was that someone else was also impersonating Peter Parker. The mystery came to a close in Amazing Spider-Man #11/#975.
Written by Joe Kelly, with art by John Romita Jr., the “Broken Mirror” story of Amazing Spider-Man #11/#975 found the two impostors confronting each other. A fight ensued, during which several key facts were revealed. The fake Peter Parker, for instance, possessed a Spider-Sense that warned him of danger the fake Spidey lacked.
The fake Spidey was also stronger than the real deal, though much less agile. He was also something of a scientist, able to replicate Peter’s web-fluid formula and build tech into his suit that let him wall-crawl. Neither of the impostors, however, had Peter’s sense of humor, and both of them knew the real Spider-Man well enough to recognize that. Another curious point was that the fake Spidey went out of his way to protect civilians during the fight, while the fake Peter attacked without considering casualties.
Who is the new Spider-Man and fake Peter Parker?
The fake Peter Parker was eventually unmasked as Ben Reilly, aka Chasm. Originally created as a clone of Spider-Man, Reilly briefly adopted the identity of the Scarlet Spider. However, he became warped after repeated resurrections and exposure to a mutagenic polymer. This gave him bio-energy manipulation abilities, including the ability to create weapons of solid light.
Black Cat confronted Chasm after stumbling across his fight with the fake Spider-Man. Chasm confirmed that he had taken over Peter’s life, intending to replace him after realizing he was missing. However, living Peter’s life finally confirmed what he had come to suspect. Namely, that he no longer cared about recovering “his” lost memories and was content with the life he had made for himself with the anti-hero Hallow’s Eve.
The final pages of the story revealed that Norman Osborn was the new Spider-Man. The former Green Goblin, who had reformed and become a confidant of Peter Parker, had also noticed his absence. With crime in Manhattan rising, Norman determined to honor the hero who had helped him save his soul as best he could. However, the resolution of these mysteries raises another mystery – what happened to the real Peter Parker?
Amazing Spider-Man #11/#975 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
