Warning! Spoilers ahead for Amazing Spider-Man #52
In the latest issue of The Amazing Spider-Man, Peter Parker just repeated the biggest mistake he's ever made, and the consequences are just are devastating (if not more so). Spider-Man's latest battle has been against the demonic entity known as Kindred, who somehow was once Harry Osborn. When Kindred takes all of Spider-Man's allies and turns them into demonic versions of themselves, Spider-Man makes a deal to get them back. However, a deal with a demon never ends well, especially for Spider-Man.
In the past, Spider-Man made a deal with the demon lord Mephisto in the story One More Day. Mephisto offered to save Peter's dying Aunt May on the condition that he would get the love shared between Peter and his wife Mary Jane Watson. Peter and MJ agreed, and in doing so the bulk of Spider-Man's recent history up to that point was erased and replaced with other memories. He never got married to MJ, his secret identity returned, and on the whole, the Webslinger was reverted back to what Marvel Comics believed to be a more "core" version of the character. Naturally, the decision was met with tons of criticism and controversy from fans, as well as the series' current creator at the time J. Michael Straczynski, as the move was primarily made by Marvel's editor in chief Joe Quesada. What's worse, Mephisto made it so Spider-Man never remembered that he even made this deal, which is probably why he was so quick to make the deal he does with Kindred in this latest issue. He never had the chance to learn from his greatest mistake.
Now, in Amazing Spider-Man #52 from writer Nick Spencer and artist Patrick Gleason, Spider-Man repeating history. His Spider-allies have been turned into Spider-demons thanks to Kindred, who unleashed them to wreak all kinds of chaotic damage and destruction across New York City. What's worse is that Kindred eventually has Spider-Man's friends trying to kill one another, with the express intent to torment Spider-Man, pushing him to his very limits...and it works. Spider-Man begs Kindred to spare their lives and to take his instead. Kindred agrees, and as soon as he sets the other Spiders free, grabs Peter and shockingly snaps Spider-Man's neck.
Once again, Peter is facing the dire consequences of his demonic deal-making, though this time those consequences look to be horrifyingly lethal. Nevertheless, there could still be hope for Spider-Man yet. In the previous issue, Peter used Dr. Strange's Hand of Vishanti to enter the astral plane in order to track down Kindred. It's possible that Spider-Man's death at the end of this issue could have happened within the astral plane, meaning that Peter hasn't actually died in reality. Then again...perhaps not. Kindred does possess the ability to resurrect the dead, as he's done with Mysterio and Sin-Eater. Perhaps he intends to do the same with Spider-Man, to further perpetuate his pain and suffering?
In any case, Spider-Man's story is far from over, even if the only evidence is the fact the Kindred wants the two of them to "face the truth together." That would be hard to do if Spider-Man's dead. Regardless, Spider-Man has just repeated his worst mistake once more. While he technically can't be blamed for the repetition seeing as how he doesn't remember the events of One More Day (yet), it doesn't take a lot of common sense to understand that nothing good comes from dealing with demons. That first deal with Mephisto is probably why Spider-Man is in this position in the first place.