Dark moments abound in the stories of these long-running character franchises, and comic book fans are well aware of that. Similarly, while Peter Parker is mostly recognized for being a comic teen with a kind heart, he is occasionally pushed to his boundaries to some disturbing events. The following is a list of the 5 Darkest Spider-Man Storylines that the MCU is too afraid to produce:
1. Kraven’s Last Hunt
Throughout all of Spider-Man storylines, Kraven the Hunter has stayed one of his most lethal and fearsome adversaries. While there are various ways in which he has earned this distinction, none is as heartbreaking as Kraven’s Last Hunt. Kraven the Hunter nearly kills Peter Parker and then buries him alive to complete his last quest. He also steals the identity of Spider-Man, and proves to be a much more unpredictable version of the Wall-Crawler.
2. Zombie Peter kills MJ and Aunt May
Peter took much longer to transform after he became infected with the zombie virus because of his healing factor. As a result, when he unintentionally devours both Aunt May and Mary Jane, he is still conscious. It’s disturbing to see great characters slaughter their loved ones while zombified, but it’s even more disturbing to see Peter beg for forgiveness as he slowly fades away. This is not only one of the darkest Spider-Man storylines, but also one of the grittiest in the history of comic books.
3. Death Of Peter Parker
Norman Osborn and the Sinister Six launched an attack on Spider-Man and his family after fleeing jail. Spider-Man manages to take out the Goblin in a terrible and deadly struggle, but at the expense of his own life. Peter is embraced by MJ and surrounded by his friends in his dying moments as they watch him console his Aunt May. Before succumbing to his injuries, Peter states that he has made amends for Uncle Ben’s death.
4. Spider-Man: Reign
In Spider-Man: Reign, a retired Peter Parker is summoned back into action to oppose a dictatorial mayor 30 years later. Early on, it is discovered that Mary Jane had died, and the circumstances surrounding her death are devastating. Peter’s abilities are derived from a radioactive spider, which means he is surrounded by radiation. In all the years of marriage together, Peter accidentally gives his wife radiation poisoning, which causes her to develop cancer and die. This is what forces him to step down as Spider-Man.
5. Peter hitting a pregnant Mary Jane
Ben Reilly is a clone of Peter in the Clone Saga, replete with spider powers. Ben proposes a competition to determine who is the real Peter, and the real Peter loses. Peter, shocked and enraged, savagely attacks Ben. Mary Jane steps in to stop Peter from going too far. Even though Peter wants to simply shrug her off, he loses control of his powers in his wrath and sends her flying behind him. Peter, distraught, understands what he has done and flees the scene. The fact that Mary Jane was pregnant at the time adds even more to the tragedy of the situation.
