Peter Parker has gone through a lot in life. A lot. He lost his Uncle Ben at a young age, lost the first love of his life, Gwen Stacy, to the Green Goblin, saw his Aunt May nearly die from a gunshot, sold his marriage to the literal Devil, and overall has been denied happiness on a regular basis throughout the decades. Now, the hero has faced perhaps the greatest challenge of his existence: killing the person closest to him.
The event happened in Radioactive Spider-Man #3, written by Joe Kelly and drawn by Kev Walker. For context, this run takes place in the Age of Revelation future. The heir to X-Men villain Apocalypse, Revelation, took over the world. Hand-in-hand with that, a deadly virus called the X-virus was spread across the United States, killing many, and giving those who did not die often-terrifying mutations. Radioactive Spider-Man (alongside a slew of other Marvel titles) takes place 10 years in the future. The kicker? Those stories are canon to the 616 universe.
People closest to Peter have died, including Mary Jane Watson, Flash Thompson, and J. Jonah Jameson. Spider-Man was affected by the X-Virus, but in a different manner. Given his previous radiactive exposure from the spider that gave him powers, the virus in his blood kickstarted a mutation much faster. He grew smaller extra arms, and was even close to turning into a monstrous creature. However, he discovered he could keep it at bay by dousing himself with deadly doses of radiation (hence, the title).
One of the people affected was Aunt May. She received a particularly terrible mutation, turning into a gigantic, unkillable purple beast whenever she is stressed. In this form on Revelation Day, she murdered Mary Jane Watson. Following her transformation, Peter kept her locked in his lab, as he frantically searched for a cure for her condition. May's mind was slowly fading, however, making her even more dangerous, to the point where she murdered multiple members of the villainous team known as the Marauders.
In Radioactive Spider-Man #2, May lost control of her powers after seeing Ghost-Spider Gwen Stacy (the alternate-universe who found her way into the 616 universe), whom she remembered having died in the past.
Issue #3 of the series picks up right after that, as Peter, Gwen and Miles desperately try to contain May. Peter, of course, is thinking of how to get her away from civilization. Miles, however, pleads with him to come to terms with the fact that Aunt May is effectively gone. There's no way to save her.
Peter refuses at first, but after seeing Cecilia Reyes (whom he's in a relationship with) crying out in panic trying to shield herself and Gwen from Aunt May, Peter decides to do the unthinkable to the person who raised him—his mother: Kill her. Peter experiences flashbacks to various significant moments in his life with Aunt May as he leads her to her death inside a radiation chamber. May goes inside, and Spidey turns up the radiation, blasting her with a deadly dose.
His method works. May is turned back into her human form, and Peter cradles her. As she dies, she has a lucid moment that allows her to deliver one of the most heart-wrenching speeches I've experienced in my years reading comic books. Caressing Peter's face, she tells him: "You used to want to be an astronaut. That was a scary thought." Upon him responding he was five at the time, she goes on:
"You're still five. And a man. And a baby. That's how parents see our children. I hope that you and Cecilia get to experience it one day. When your five-year-old says he wants to go to Mars... or says he wants to study science at Oxford... or he's off fighting crime in New York City... You will have two thoughts at the same time. The first... the loudest, will be, 'Don't leave me.' The second, quieter... the strong kind of quiet... says... 'Thank you for sharing your life with me... Now go share it with the world.' Thank you for making my life glorious, Peter... And for letting me go. A mother couldn't have asked for a better son."
Dear readers, I've found myself affected by many moments in comics over the years. I cried when Gwen Stacy was killed by Carnage in Ultimate Spider-Man; I choked up when Peter and MJ said their goodbyes before their marriage was undone by Mephisto, and I was an emotional mess after I read "Leah," a short story written by Peter David with art by Colleen Doran in Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Annual #1 from 2007.
Even after all of that, I can confidently say Aunt May's death is one of the most hear-wrenching moments I've ever read in comics. It is sweet and tragic, and perfectly captures the unbreakable bond between Peter and May. This is the type of story that reminds me why I love comics. Below all the action, flashy costumes and exciting moments, it is a beautiful medium with poignant, powerful stories.
The hardest thing about this moment is the fact that, as mentioned, it is meant to be canon to the main Marvel Universe. This is the future current Marvel stories are leading up to. As Executive Editor at Marvel Tom Brevoort explained (via CBR.com):
"Going into January and beyond, we're kind of in the shadow of tomorrow, where the events going forward will all kind of live in the umbra of these events that we have just witnessed. We've just seen things that have happened to all these characters 10 years down the line. As far as we're approaching this, these are all legitimate futures. This isn't a What If world. These things exist, as far as even the present-day characters are concerned. So, you'll see a certain amount of reflectivity in what happens."
Thus, the Peter who will soon make his way back to Earth to confront the villainous Hellgate is the same one who will one day experience this terrible heartbreak.
Radioactive Spider-Man #3 is available for purchase digitally and in print.