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This week's Amazing Spider-Man #60 from writer Nick Spencer and artists Mark Bagley, John Dell, Andrew Hennessey, and Rachelle Rosenberg delves into Peter's emotions over his most recent adventures - and spells major potential fallout from his distant past.
What happens next could alter Peter's relationship with Mary Jane Watson forever, and maybe even his very soul.
Spoilers ahead for Amazing Spider-Man #60
In the wake of his latest encounter with the villainous Kindred, and the reveal of the mysterious menace's secret identity as Peter Parker's lifelong best friend Harry Osborn, Peter is struggling with the truth and suffering psychological anguish.
To help him past what he's experiencing, Mary Jane takes him to the performance theater where she got her big break, which was once owned by Harry's father, the villainous Green Goblin.
She tells Peter to use a technique she first used after the events of the classic story Amazing Spider-Man: The Death of Gwen Stacy, in which Peter's former girlfriend and MJ's best friend Gwen Stacy was killed by the Goblin. MJ advises Peter to speak to Harry as if he is in the room, saying everything he needs to say for closure.
Envisioning his former-friend-turned-arch-foe, Peter speaks to Harry in a heartfelt monologue about their lost friendship and his sorrow over Harry's villainy. He expresses his confusion about Harry's change into Kindred, both in terms of how Harry got his powers and why he became Kindred.
Afterwards, Mary Jane tells Peter that she's planning to stay in New York rather than return to Los Angeles to complete the movie she was filming (secretly working with Mysterio, in the title Amazing Mary Jane). MJ tells Peter she's sticking by his side, and that she can complete any work she has left on the movie from New York.
After Peter leaves, Mysterio confronts MJ about her assertion that she'll stay in New York, but MJ pulls rank as Mysterio's "star" and insists on the changes. She also questions Mysterio about his knowledge of Kindred, but Mysterio tells her "some things are better left unknown."
Across town, Doctor Strange storms into an office building, demanding to see the occupant. Breaking past security, Strange confronts the person in the office, asking what he knows about Kindred.
Mysteriously, the figure states he knows nothing about Kindred. But Strange pushes, and asks "What is wrong with Peter Parker's soul?" as it's revealed he's talking to Mephisto.
Mephisto's involvement in the story could spell dire consequences for Peter and MJ. Back in the 2007 story Amazing Spider-Man: One More Day, Mary Jane Watson and Peter Parker 'sold' their marriage to Mephisto in exchange for saving the life of Peter's Aunt May, a choice that rewrote many aspects of Peter and MJ's history including Peter's friendship to Harry Osborn and numerous other ramifications.
And, undoing that spell could have even more serious consequences for Peter's soul down the road.
Amazing Spider-Man #61, which debuts a new Spider-Man costume as part of a story involving Kingpin, is due out March 10.
Stay in the web on everything coming down the pike for the Wall-Crawler with our listing of all the new Spider-Man comics, graphic novels, collections from Marvel arriving in 2021 and beyond.
