Marvel Just Retconned Spider-Man’s Backstory in One Shocking Way, and an Even Bigger Twist Is Coming

Photo: Sony Pictures

The past few years for Spider-Man have been nothing short of a rollercoaster. Peter Parker’s recent comic run has seen him tangled in occult battles against ancient deities, frequent brushes with death, an interstellar voyage, a blossoming alien romance, and the bizarre situation of watching his former flame unite with his classic black suit.

Now, the web-slinger’s latest solo adventure introduces a long-lost relative, and Marvel insists his world is about to undergo another permanent transformation. (Again.) If you’ve fallen behind on Spidey’s recent escapades, here is everything you need to catch up on before this massive milestone in his 64-year history.

In Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 7 #31, crafted by Joe Kelly and Patrick Gleason, a mysterious figure named Cormac Crane arrived at Aunt May’s doorstep, claiming to be her long-lost son. This revelation caught both the reader and May completely off guard. The groundwork for Cormac’s arrival was laid earlier this year during the Death Spiral crossover, which pitted Spidey and Venom against a sinister serial killer known as Torment. This villain possessed the uncanny ability to perceive genetic bonds, methodically dismantling his targets by pruning their family trees. Both Peter Parker and Eddie Brock found themselves in his crosshairs.

(While Torment did manage to eliminate the much-maligned Paul Rabin during his spree, that is a separate saga entirely.)

During the chaos of Death Spiral, Torment targeted a seemingly anonymous New Yorker. Spider-Man intervened, but not before the villain publicly identified the man as his first cousin: Cormac Crane.

Post-rescue, Cormac sought a genetic screening, which ultimately directed him toward May Parker. Upon their meeting, May finally shared a heartbreaking secret from her past. Fifteen years before she and Ben Parker took in young Peter, they struggled to conceive due to May’s delicate health. When she finally gave birth to a son, he was whisked away to the neonatal ward, and May never held him again.

Cormac, who bears a striking resemblance to Ben Parker, claims that his tests confirmed a hospital switch at birth. May and Ben were misled into believing their child, whom they intended to name Richard Benjamin, had succumbed to respiratory issues, while he was actually raised by another family.

This development adds a significant layer to Peter’s support system, though it brings with it the inevitable baggage of hidden identities. Given that Cormac is now part of the family circle and witnessed the chaos surrounding Spider-Man, he likely has a strong suspicion about Peter’s double life—placing him in the ever-expanding club of people who know the hero behind the mask.

Usually, this would feel like another dramatic soap-opera plot point, but buzz is intensifying regarding the upcoming Amazing Spider-Man #1000. While the numbering seems gargantuan, the title has maintained continuous publication through varying frequency shifts—even printing tri-weekly back in 2008. Marvel’s recent September 2026 solicitations tease that Spidey is set to confront his “most frightening new villain in decades… Ravage!” Whether Cormac Crane is connected to this emerging threat remains the big question on every fan’s mind as we approach this historic landmark.

Source: Polygon