For the last six decades, Spider-Man lore has become unbelievably rich and storied. Not a lot of that lore is pertinent or paramount anymore, of course, with retcons and status quo shifts as decades have gone on, and relaunches and issue #1s being increasingly popular has produced plenty of accessible jumping-on points for readers of Marvel Comics’ Earth-616 Spider-Man.
Naturally, The Amazing Spider-Man #1000 is reflecting wholly on Spider-Man’s comic book source material history, and doing so by featuring seminal creatives for special anniversary backup stories, for example, as well as a series of variant covers. There is one cover, though, that is decidedly more alarming and divisive.
As revealed on Twitter/X, The Amazing Spider-Man’s milestone will have a four-part connecting variant cover by Todd Nauck between issues #36, #37, #38, and #39 (LGY #1000, #1001, #1002, and #1003). This cover is wonderfully impressive for how many characters it boasts across various Spider-Man comic book eras, and it didn’t take long for fans to find the Waldo/Wally of the bunch: The Amazing Spider-Man’s controversial Paul Rabin has snuck on.
Paul went from being loathed to being a meme, and is now basically forgotten about after his murder, and it’s funny to see what his legacy has become before this big milestone issue.
Now, it’s not as if it doesn’t make sense for Paul to be featured on this connecting cover, as he was certainly significant, even if he wasn’t substantial. Marvel Comics would be absurd not to milk how much of a meme he became before he died.
However, for Paul to make it onto the cover, and not Spider-Girl/Mayday, is blasphemous. Marvel has effectively attempted to erase the memory of Peter and MJ’s daughter from readers following the controversial “One More Day” storyline, and it’s not surprising at all that it would neglect to feature her here, though it’s incredibly disappointing.
Either way, The Amazing Spider-Man #1000 might feature another seismic shift for Earth-616 Spider-Man lore regarding Peter’s family, which now includes the long-lost son of Aunt May and Uncle Ben, Cormac Crane, who may or may not be the upcoming Spider-Man villain Ravage. The solicitation for The Amazing Spider-Man #1000 reads as follows:
THE BIGGEST ISSUE IN AMAZING SPIDER-HISTORY!
Spider-Man faces his greatest fear and his most frightening new villain in decades… RAVAGE! Plus, some of the greatest creative minds on Earth honor one thousand issues of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN! NOAH HAWLEY (Alien: Earth, Fargo, LEGION) makes his comic book debut, Frank Miller and Peach Momoko collaborate for the first time, Stuart Immonen and Brian Michael Bendis return to Spider-Man together, and some of the best ASM creators return to the title!
The Amazing Spider-Man #36 (LGY #1000) is scheduled to be released on September 16, 2026.
- First Appearance
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Amazing Fantasy
- Alias
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Peter Parker, Ben Reilly, Otto Octavius, Yu Komori, Kaine Parker, Pavitr Prabhakar, William Braddock, Miles Morales, Kurt Wagner
- Alliance
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Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Secret Defenders, Future Foundation, Heroes for Hire, Mighty Avengers, New Avengers, Web-Warriors
- Race
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Human
Spider-Man is the name given to several individuals who have employed a spider-moniker throughout Marvel Comics. Typically gaining their powers through a bite from a radioactive spider, the different Spider-Man heroes employ super-strength, agility, and intellect while utilizing webbing to swing and tangle up their foes. The most notable of these Spider-Men is Peter Parker, who remains one of the most popular superheroes throughout the world.