Summary

• Aunt May's death alters Spider-Man's path, leading to a self-centered, violent Peter Parker without Uncle Ben's lesson on responsibility.
• Without learning his most important lesson, Spider-Man becomes a monstrous Man-Spider who attacks and kills the Avengers.
• Earth-6078 is doomed by Spider-Man's transformation into Man-Spider due to Uncle Ben's absence and his selfish outlook on life.

One of the most important parts of Spider-Man's character is his strong sense of responsibility. Due to the death of Uncle Ben, Spider-Man feels that he's responsible for almost every bad thing that happens in the world. This sense of responsibility drove him to become one of Marvel's greatest heroes, but in a world where he never learned his most important lesson about power and responsibility, he became an Avengers-level villain.

In 2006's Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #8 by Peter David and Mike Wieringo, readers get a glimpse of a universe where Aunt May dies instead of Uncle Ben, and Peter never learns his lesson about great responsibility. Instead of Uncle Ben being killed by a thief that Peter lets go, Aunt May simply slips on the stairs and falls to her death.

Worrying about how he'll pay the bills now, Peter suggests a plan to Uncle Ben: Peter will continue to pursue his career in show business and wrestling, with Uncle Ben acting as his agent. This plan allows Peter to cash all his checks through Uncle Ben instead of having to risk revealing his secret identity. It's a great plan, but the fact that Peter never learns his lesson about responsibility not only haunts Peter, but puts the entire world at risk.

Aunt May's Death Sends Peter Parker On A Very Different Path

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #9 by Peter David, Mike Wieringo, Mike Manley, Paul Mounts, and Cory Petit

The death of Uncle Ben is a major moment in Peter's life, and it teaches him that his power comes with responsibility. Because Aunt May's death is instead just a freak accident, he never learns this lesson, and with Uncle Ben needing money to continue on, he sees no reason why his power shouldn't benefit them. This makes for a much more violent and self-centered Peter Parker who really only seems to care about getting ahead in life. As Uncle Ben points out, Peter seems completely self-obsessed, with no desire to help anyone around him.

Eventually, due to the machinations of the Hobgoblin from the far future, Uncle Ben is transported to the Earth-616 universe. While their relationship is rocky at this point, Uncle Ben is Spider-Man's only connection to his past and his humanity. Without Uncle Ben there, a look 20 years into the future shows that Spider-Man eventually transforms into the monstrous Man-Spider. In this horrible new form, Peter attacks and kills the Avengers. Considering just how powerful Spider-Man is, and the fact he is seen as a movie star and not a legitimate superhero or physical threat, it's not surprising this monstrous form is able to take the Avengers by surprise.

Spider-Man Has A Completely Selfish Outlook On Life Now

While there's no denying that the Earth-616 version of Peter Parker is a major hero, this version of Spider-Man is a huge menace. The worst part is, he only becomes Man-Spider 20 years in the future without Uncle Ben. If Uncle Ben had been returned to his universe, it's likely that Spider-Man never would have become a monster. But while Uncle Ben is in the Earth-616 universe, he ends up being killed. This means that Earth-6078 is doomed to be destroyed by Spider-Man's horrendous Man-Spider form, which is a truly terrifying ending.

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #9 is available now from Marvel Comics!