10 Times Peter Parker Had to Start Over in the Marvel Comics

With Spider-Man: Brand New Day arriving in theaters July 31, 2026, Peter Parker once again finds himself facing a fresh start.

Although Spider-Man: Brand New Day tells an original MCU story, its central idea is one Spider-Man fans have seen throughout Marvel Comics for decades. Ever since Stan Lee and Steve Ditko introduced Spider-Man in Marvel Comics, Peter Parker has repeatedly lost the people he loves, battled some of Marvel’s most dangerous villains and been forced to rebuild his life from scratch.

Following the memory-erasing spell at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man enters Brand New Day with no one, not even his closest friends and loved-ones, remembering who he is, making it yet another fresh start for Spider-Man. While the movie isn’t a direct adaptation of the Brand New Day comic storyline, it explores many of the same themes of loss, resilience and beginning again.

Here are ten of the biggest times Spider-Man had to rebuild his life in the comics.

Get ready for Spider-Man: Brand New Day by revisiting Peter Parker’s biggest adventures on screen.

Stream Spider-Man movies with DIRECTV and catch up on his journey before the next chapter begins.

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Every Fresh Start That Shaped Spider-Man

Peter Parker’s superhero journey has never been an easy path. From heartbreaking losses to life-changing decisions, these are the biggest moments that forced Spider-Man to rebuild his life and become the hero fans know today.

1. Becoming Spider-Man After Uncle Ben’s Death

Spider-Man’s origin story is one of the most recognizable in comic book history, and his Uncle Ben’s death is the inflection point that sets the rest of his story into motion.

In 1962’s Amazing Fantasy #15, Peter Parker gains spider-like abilities after being bitten by a radioactive spider, beginning his journey from an ordinary teenager to a powerful superhero. At first, Peter used his newfound abilities for personal gain, but everything changed after he allowed a thief to escape. That same criminal later killed his Uncle Ben, teaching Peter the lesson that would define the rest of his life: “With great power comes great responsibility.”

From that moment on, Peter dedicated himself to protecting others as Spider-Man, making this tragic loss the first, and arguably most important, time he had to reshape his life.

2. Peter Quit Being Spider-Man

One of the most iconic moments in Spider-Man history came in 1967’s The Amazing Spider-Man #50, better known as “Spider-Man No More!”

Worn down by the pressures of balancing superhero duties with school, work and his personal life, Peter Parker decides he just doesn’t want to be Spider-Man anymore. In one of Marvel’s most famous comic book images, he throws his costume into a trash can and walks away from the life of a superhero. The memorable scene was later recreated by director Sam Raimi in 2004’s Spider-Man 2 starring Tobey Maguire.

Peter’s retirement is short-lived though, and he eventually returns to the suit, proving that no matter how difficult life becomes, Peter can never walk away from being Spider-Man for long.

3. Gwen Stacy’s Death Changed Everything

In 1973’s The Amazing Spider-Man #121–122, Peter Parker suffers one of the greatest losses of his life. During a battle with the Green Goblin, he is unable to save his girlfriend, Gwen Stacy, who dies after falling from the George Washington Bridge.

In the following issue, the Green Goblin is killed by his own Goblin Glider, leaving Peter to cope with the loss of both his first true love and his greatest enemy.

Gwen’s death permanently changed the direction of Spider-Man comics, ending Peter’s youthful optimism and forcing him to rebuild his life without the person he imagined spending his future with. The tragedy also paved the way for Mary Jane Watson, MJ, to become Peter’s primary love interest in the years that followed.

Gwen’s death was depicted in the Andrew Garfield-era Spider-Man films, though she falls from a clock tower instead of a bridge, and the Green Goblin’s death was depicted in the same way as the comics in the first Spider-Man movie of the Tobey Maguire era.

4. The Black Suit Was Alive

Peter Parker’s black Spider-Man suit wasn’t just a cool new look. In 1984’s The Amazing Spider-Man #252, Peter returns from the events of Secret Wars wearing a sleek black costume that appears to enhance his abilities. Over the following issues, it’s revealed that the suit is actually a living alien symbiote that has bonded with Peter and is slowly trying to take control of him.

After realizing the danger, Peter manages to separate himself from the symbiote, but the story doesn’t end there. In removing the symbiote, he inadvertently creates one of Spider-Man’s greatest enemies, Venom, and sets the stage for an entirely new era of stories.

5. Kraven’s Last Hunt

One of Spider-Man’s darkest storylines unfolded in 1987’s Kraven’s Last Hunt, which spanned Web of Spider-Man #31–32, The Amazing Spider-Man #293–294 and Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #131–132.

Determined to prove he is superior to Spider-Man, Kraven the Hunter shoots Peter Parker, buries him alive and takes on the Spider-Man identity himself.

Peter could have let the ordeal end his time as Spider-Man, but instead he claws his way out of his own grave to reclaim his life and identity from Kraven, beginning yet another chapter in his life as Spider-Man.

6. The Clone Saga Changed Peter’s Identity

In 1994’s The Clone Saga, Peter Parker’s sense of self is turned upside down when Ben Reilly, a clone of Spider-Man created years earlier by the Jackal, suddenly returns to New York. When evidence appears to prove that Ben is the original Peter Parker and Peter is actually the clone, Peter questions his entire identity. Believing his days as Spider-Man are over, he steps away from the role to build a normal life with Mary Jane while Ben becomes Spider-Man.

Peter embraces the chance to leave Spider-Man behind and focus on his personal life, but when he’s revealed to actually be the original Peter Parker, he suits up once again.

This became another major reset for the young hero, with Peter forced to leave behind the normal life he’d begun building to once again embrace the responsibility of being Spider-Man.

7. Peter Is Reborn

In 2005’s The Other: Evolve or Die, Peter Parker faces one of the strangest transformations of his life. After suffering life-threatening injuries in a brutal battle with Morlun, Peter dies. Soon afterward, his body becomes encased in a mysterious web cocoon, and he emerges with enhanced spider abilities, including sharper instincts and organic stingers.

Rather than simply recovering from his injuries, Peter is physically transformed into a stronger version of Spider-Man. It marks one of Peter’s biggest evolutions, giving him a fresh set of powers that shaped the next chapter of his comic book adventures.

8. Civil War Cost Peter His Secret Identity

In 2006’s Civil War #2, Peter Parker shocks the Marvel universe by publicly revealing that he is Spider-Man in support of Iron Man’s Superhuman Registration Act. For the first time, his secret identity is gone, putting his family and loved ones directly in the crosshairs of his enemies.

Peter eventually realizes he made the wrong decision and switches sides in the conflict, but the damage has already been done. Forced into hiding after becoming a fugitive, he watches Aunt May take a bullet meant for him. Losing the protection of his secret identity changes Peter’s life forever and ultimately sets the stage for one of the biggest resets in Spider-Man history.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe later adapted many of these ideas in Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home, where Peter’s identity is exposed to the world with similarly life-changing consequences.

9. Peter Resets His Life

In 2007’s One More Day and the 2008 Brand New Day relaunch, Peter Parker makes the hardest decision of his life after Aunt May is critically wounded by an assassin’s bullet. Unable to save her through conventional means, Peter accepts a deal with the demon Mephisto, sacrificing his marriage to Mary Jane in exchange for May’s life.

The deal rewrites Peter’s history, erasing his marriage from existence and restoring his secret identity. Peter wakes up in a dramatically different life, with his relationships changed and a new status quo waiting for him.

More than any other Spider-Man story, Brand New Day gave Peter a true reset and remains one of the most significant turning points in Marvel Comics history. Although the upcoming film shares its title, it tells an original story about Peter rebuilding his life after Doctor Strange’s memory-erasing spell at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home.

10. Doctor Octopus Takes Over Peter’s Body

In 2013’s Superior Spider-Man #1–31, Doctor Octopus swaps minds with Peter Parker, taking over his body and becoming the “Superior Spider-Man.” While Otto Octavius attempts to prove he can be a better Spider-Man, Peter fights to regain control of his own body.

Peter eventually regains control of his body and inherits Parker Industries, the successful technology company Doctor Octopus built while living as Peter Parker. After expanding it into a global business, Peter ultimately destroys the company to prevent the powerful technology from falling into the wrong hands. He goes from billionaire CEO back to his normal status, proving that no matter how successful he becomes, Peter always finds himself starting over.

Watch Spider-Man Movies on DIRECTV

From his comic book origins to his latest adventures on the big screen, Peter Parker’s story has always been about getting back up after life’s biggest setbacks.

Whether you’re revisiting Spider-Man’s greatest adventures or catching up before Spider-Man: Brand New Day, you can stream Spider-Man universe with DIRECTV.