Every Spider-Man story arc
Sixty years of storytelling, arc by arc, put back into their era. The colour cards lead to our full analysis; the greyed-out cards are the arcs we haven't covered yet.
The founding arcs
1962 – 19879 arcs · 7 analysed
If This Be My Destiny
To save his dying Aunt May, Peter single-handedly lifts the machinery pinning him down in Doc Ock's lair.
Read the analysis →The Death of Captain Stacy
Gwen's father dies under the rubble of a fight with Doctor Octopus, telling Peter he knew everything all along.
Coming soon
The Six Arms Saga
A serum meant to strip his powers instead grows four extra arms on Peter; Morbius's blood cures him.
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The Night Gwen Stacy Died
The Green Goblin throws Gwen off a bridge; the web that stops her fall kills her, then Norman dies impaled.
Read the analysis →The Original Clone Saga
Miles Warren clones Gwen and Peter; the two Spider-Men fight, and one of them dies in the final blast.
Coming soon
Nothing Can Stop the Juggernaut
Sent by Black Tom, the Juggernaut comes to abduct Madame Web; Peter finally traps him in wet cement.
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The Alien Costume Saga
Peter brings a black suit back from Secret Wars, and Reed Richards identifies it as a living symbiote.
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The Death of Jean DeWolff
The Sin-Eater guns down a police captain; the culprit is the cop investigating alongside Spider-Man.
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Kraven's Last Hunt
Kraven buries Spider-Man alive for two weeks, puts on his costume, then takes his own life.
Read the analysis →Symbiotes and clones
1987 – 19999 arcs · 7 analysed
Torment
Voodoo priestess Calypso enslaves the Lizard, whose poisoned claws bring Spider-Man to his knees.
Read the analysis →Venom: Lethal Protector
After a truce with Spider-Man, Eddie Brock heads for San Francisco and protects a homeless community.
Coming soon
Maximum Carnage
Carnage frees Shriek and sets New York rioting, forcing Spider-Man to team up with Venom.
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The Clone Saga
Ben Reilly, Peter Parker's double, resurfaces in New York and becomes the Scarlet Spider.
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The Lost Years
Ben Reilly's years of exile in Salt Lake City, his love for Janine and Kaine's relentless pursuit.
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Planet of the Symbiotes
Rejected by Eddie Brock, the symbiote telepathically calls an army of its own kind down to Earth.
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Spider-Man: Redemption
Ben Reilly finds Janine, who he believed was dead, and she ends up handing herself in to the police.
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Identity Crisis
Accused of murder, Peter drops the mask and investigates under four new identities.
Read the analysis →The Gathering of Five
Norman Osborn gathers five relic-bearers for a ritual that leaves him insane rather than all-powerful.
Coming soonModernisation and crossovers
2000 – 201012 arcs · 9 analysedComing Home
Ezekiel tells Peter that his powers are totemic, and Morlun hunts him to drain his life.
Coming soonSpider-Man: Blue
One Valentine's night, Peter records a tape and tells the story of how he loved Gwen Stacy.
Coming soon
Sins Past
Two killers turn up, and Peter learns that Gwen Stacy supposedly had twins by Norman Osborn.
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The Other
Given up for dead by his doctors, Peter kills Morlun, dies, then is reborn from a cocoon with new powers.
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Civil War
Peter unmasks live on television, then leaves Iron Man for Captain America's camp.
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Back in Black
A gunman hired by Kingpin shoots Aunt May, and Peter brings the black suit back out to hunt him down.
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One More Day
Peter and Mary Jane hand their marriage to the demon Mephisto to save Aunt May, wounded by a gunshot.
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New Ways to Die
Norman Osborn sets his Thunderbolts on Spider-Man, and a cured Eddie Brock becomes Anti-Venom.
Read the analysis →American Son
Spider-Man infiltrates the Dark Avengers tower while Harry turns his armour against Norman.
Coming soon
Dark Reign
Norman Osborn replaces S.H.I.E.L.D. with H.A.M.M.E.R. and dresses villains up as Avengers.
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The Gauntlet
The Kravinoffs throw his old enemies at Spider-Man one by one, each of them upgraded, to wear him down.
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Grim Hunt
The Kravinoffs sacrifice spider-heroes to bring Kraven back and kill Kaine instead of Peter.
Read the analysis →The multiverse era
2010 – 202016 arcs · 12 analysed
Big Time
Peter is hired at Horizon Labs and designs a stealth suit to face the new Hobgoblin, Phil Urich.
Read the analysis →
Spider-Island
The Jackal and the Queen give the whole of Manhattan Spider-Man's powers, before it mutates into spiders.
Read the analysis →Death of Spider-Man (Ultimate)
Shot by the Punisher, Peter beats the Green Goblin and then dies in Aunt May's arms.
Coming soonSpider-Men
A portal opened by Mysterio throws Peter Parker into the Ultimate universe, where he meets Miles Morales.
Coming soon
Ends of the Earth
Doctor Octopus holds the planet to ransom with satellites that accelerate global warming.
Read the analysis →
Dying Wish
Doctor Octopus swaps minds with Peter, who dies in the dying villain's body.
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Superior Spider-Man
Doctor Octopus seizes Peter Parker's body and takes on the mask in his place, far more brutally.
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Spider-Verse
Morlun and his family of Inheritors devour the Spider-Men of the multiverse, who band together to survive.
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Renew Your Vows
Peter hangs up the suit to protect Mary Jane and their daughter Annie from the tyrant Regent.
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The Clone Conspiracy
A company brings Peter's dead loved ones back as clones, and the Jackal turns out to be Ben Reilly.
Read the analysis →Venom Inc.
Lee Price rips the Mania symbiote off Andi Benton and becomes Maniac; Flash Thompson becomes Anti-Venom.
Coming soonGo Down Swinging
Norman Osborn merges with the Carnage symbiote, uncovers Peter's identity and kills Flash Thompson.
Coming soon
Spider-Geddon
The Inheritors break out of their prison and once again hunt the Spider-Men of the multiverse.
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Hunted
Kraven pens the animal-themed villains inside Central Park for a hunt in which Spider-Man is the prey.
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Absolute Carnage
Carnage hunts down every former symbiote host to tear out their codex and wake Knull.
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Spider-Man: Life Story
Peter Parker ages in real time from the 1960s to 2019, one decade per issue.
Read the analysis →The modern era
2020 – 20268 arcs · 6 analysed
Sins Rising
Resurrected by Kindred, the Sin-Eater absorbs the sins of criminals and 'cleanses' Norman Osborn.
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Last Remains
Kindred kills and resurrects Peter over and over, and shows himself to him wearing Harry Osborn's face.
Read the analysis →King in Black
Knull, the god of the symbiotes, unleashes his dragons on Earth and wraps New York in darkness.
Coming soon
Sinister War
Kindred forces dozens of villains to throw themselves at Peter Parker all at the same time.
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Beyond
Irradiated and hospitalised, Peter Parker watches Ben Reilly become a Spider-Man on a multinational's payroll.
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Dark Web
Now Chasm, Ben Reilly teams up with Madelyne Pryor to unleash the demons of Limbo on New York.
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End of the Spider-Verse
Shathra, the wasp goddess, takes control of the Web of Life and hunts the spiders of the multiverse.
Read the analysis →Gang War
Tombstone is shot at his daughter's wedding and New York's crime families turn on each other.
Coming soon
Explore the complete Spider-Man universe
Discover every dimension of the web-slinger: his story, his allies, his enemies, his legendary films and the endless Spider-Verse. A complete adventure at the heart of the Marvel universe.
RECAP – Everything you need to know about Spider-Man’s story arcs
📚 What is a story arc in the Spider-Man universe?
A story arc is a run of comic issues telling one complete story, or a major turning point in a character’s life. In Spider-Man’s case, every arc marks a shift: the loss of someone close, a new identity, a clash with a major enemy, or an upheaval that shakes the whole multiverse.
🕸️ Which Spider-Man story arcs left the biggest mark?
A few arcs have stayed with readers for good: The Night Gwen Stacy Died, Kraven’s Last Hunt, Maximum Carnage, One More Day and Spider-Verse. Each one rewrote the rules of the series and left a lasting mark on the Marvel universe.
📅 Do you have to read the story arcs in chronological order?
Not necessarily. You can pick the most iconic arcs in whatever order you fancy. That said, following the publication order helps you see how the character has evolved across the decades, how his relationships with his allies and enemies have shifted, and what the long-term consequences of certain events really were.
🕷️ What is the difference between the main arcs and the alternative ones?
The main arcs generally unfold in Peter Parker’s canon universe (Earth-616), while alternative arcs such as Spider-Man: Reign, Life Story or Renew Your Vows take place in parallel realities where events turn out very differently. Those stories offer a fresh reading of the myth.
🎯 Where can you find merchandise tied to these iconic arcs?
If you want to carry the Spider-Man sagas beyond the page, have a look at our Spider-Man figurines to recreate the most emblematic moments, our Spider-Man T-shirts inspired by the iconic suits, or our Spider-Man masks, perfect for stepping into your favourite arc.