Warning: contains SPOILERS for Amazing Spider-Man #10Marvel finally reveals fateful decision made by Spider-Man six months before the present day; this decision has ruined his life, alienated himself from his friends, and has plunged himself into even deeper despair than ever before. But Amazing Spider-Man #10 hides a massive clue to Peter's great sin - and it betrays precisely why everyone in the Marvel Universe seemingly despises him.
Amazing Spider-Man #1 began with Peter in a crater, crying out in pain and possibly anguish. Six months later, Peter (who is usually struggling more often than not) is in dire straits and has lost nearly all of his allies. Even his Aunt May is shocked and saddened that Peter would resort to such a decision, and he is persona non grata among the superhero community (and the Human Torch in particular shuns him, saying Spider-Man stole from the Fantastic Four). Desperate for a job, Peter begins to work for Norman Osborn again, wary of his past but too far in horrific debt to find any other opportunity. Everyone seems to know what Peter did except the reader - but that changes in the latest issue.
In Amazing Spider-Man #10, written by Zeb Wells with art by Nick Dragotta, the Judgment Day event rocks the Marvel Universe as an all-powerful Celestial with Godlike power gives every being on Earth 24 hours to prove they deserve to live. It usually observes individuals in the form of a loved one, and appears to Spider-Man in the form of Gwen Stacy. After following him for the entire day, Peter explains his reasons for working with Norman again: "I lost someone I loved a while back. I wanted to do everything I could to get her back...I couldn't find anyone to help. Anyone except Norman. He helped me. And no, it didn't work out the way I wanted, but he tried." To date, this is the biggest clue as to Spider-Man's actions six months ago, and it is quite revelatory. Based on Peter's confession to the Celestial, it appears he attempted to resurrect the long-lost Gwen Stacy - with Norman's help.
Gwen has haunted Peter ever since her death at the hands of the Green Goblin; he even thought about her during his marriage with Mary Jane. Norman Osborn harbored secret feelings for Gwen as well (see the controversial Sins Past storyline for an example) - and while humans cannot resurrect the dead, the X-Men have had the power ever since 2019's Krakoa reboot. The evidence from this issue and all the others suggest Peter and Norman collaborated on a project to reverse-engineer the X-Men's resurrection technology (using additional material stolen from the Fantastic Four) for the purposes of bringing Gwen Stacy back from the dead. This attempt failed, the public found out, and Peter was shunned by all. This also explains Mary Jane's behavior toward Peter in the current run (she is aloof, refuses to talk to Peter and has since started a relationship with another man).
Resurrection is a hotly-debated topic in the Marvel Universe at the moment; humanity hates the X-Men for seemingly keeping the technology to themselves (and the Eternals have always had this ability). But perhaps there are just as many humans in the Marvel Universe (and perhaps just as many readers) who believe death should be final and irreversible, and these same people would treat Peter like a pariah for having the gall to play God (especially to bring back someone from the distant past). It appears Spider-Man's great "six-month sin" is finally revealed, and the Marvel Universe may not forgive him for some time.
