Warning: spoilers ahead for Amazing Spider-Man #74!

In the final issue of Nick Spencer's Amazing Spider-Man run, it's been revealed that the Webslinger's worst story was all about preventing the birth of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson's daughter. In the controversial One More Day storyline, Peter and Mary Jane gave up their marriage in order to save Spider-Man's dying Aunt May. However, Mephisto has just confirmed in a conversation with Doctor Strange that his endgame wasn't just about torturing Peter Parker's soul. In truth, Mephisto was planning for the future, trying to stave off the existence of a hero who will most likely be his undoing.

In Amazing Spider-Man #74 from Nick Spencer, Marcelo Ferreira, Mark Bagley, Zé Carlos, Dio Neves, Carlos Gómez, Ivan Fiorelli, and Humberto Ramos, Peter Parker has his final reckoning with Kindred, the demonic servant of Mephisto revealed to actually be two people - namely the corrupted clones of Harry Osborn and Gwen Stacy working in tandem. However, while Spider-Man fought these Kindreds alongside Mary Jane and an uncorrupted Harry Osborn (also a clone), they had unknowingly been selected as the respective champions of Doctor Strange and Mephisto in a game of chance, playing for the soul of the real Harry Osborn, which has long been in the devil's possession. However, Spider-Man's victory over Kindred and Harry's soul being freed saw Doctor Strange questioning Mephisto's obsession with Spider-Man, and the surprisingly extensive meddling in his life which culminated in One More Day.

Related: Marvel's Huge Spider-Man Retcon: Every Major Change Explained

According to Mephisto, he can see the destinies of the mortals whose souls he's chosen to tamper with (like Spider-Man's.) However, he's also able to see glimpses and visions of his own destiny as well. Having viewed a potential future where Spider-Man is the only hero who gets in the way of his eventual rule, he set about preventing that outcome - hence his major role in the Green Gobin's creation, the corruption of Harry Osborn's soul to use him as a pawn, and their dark deal in One More Day. However, it's later revealed that Mephisto had darker goals in erasing Peter and MJ's marriage from the timeline in exchange for saving Aunt May, as he was trying to prevent the existence of the only other hero who might bring about his eventual defeat: Spider-Man's daughter.

Spider-Man-Daughter-Mephisto

Once the One More Day deal was struck, Mephisto relished the fact that Peter and Mary Jane had unknowingly prevented the future birth of their own daughter by having their marriage erased. In the original story, the devil even showed the couple the unintended consequences of their actions before Spider-Man's memory of the deal was erased, showing them what their daughter would have looked like. However, this new issue confirms that preventing the birth of Spider-Man's daughter was always Mephisto's goal, rather than just being a dark byproduct of his meddling with Peter Parker's soul.

While Mephisto keeps this goal to himself, Doctor Strange seems to suspect that there is more going on with the devil's Spider-Man obsession. Additionally, the Sorcerer Supreme suggests that Mephisto's arrogance may be his true undoing, seeing as how the trials he's put Peter and MJ through have only made their love stronger. Combined with the recently revealed engagement ring Peter's been carrying around, it's possible that new wedding bells could be coming soon, allowing Spider-Man and Mary Jane to be married once more, potentially leading to the birth of their future daughter despite Mephisto's best efforts. As a result, here's hoping the hero daughter of Spider-Man will enter the mainstream Marvel Universe soon, having been relegated to alternate reality stories for too long.

More: Ben Reilly Returns As Spider-Man (And Peter Parker Has Some Questions)