"Peter Parker: Spider-Man" A Death in the Family

If you were referring to the DC Comics/Batman Story Arc : A Death in the Family

Plot Summary

After failing to convert Peter into his heir, Norman starts to provoke Peter into killing him in a story called A Death in the Family by releasing footage of Gwen's death to media, claiming that Gwen's death was the result of Spider-Man selfish actions and forcing a drunken Flash Thompson to have a car accident, causing him to go into a coma. In the end, Spider-Man and the Green Goblin meet up in one of Osborn's warehouses where Spider-Man defeats the Goblin and although he urged him to finish him off, Peter refused to play the Goblin's game and proposed a truce.

Full Plot

The story starts with Norman Osborn visiting his son's grave where he declares that things will change between Peter and himself. Meanwhile, Peter has been having a recurring nightmare and since Mary Jane is currently in California, he is unable to confide in anyone so he goes off for a swing to clear his head. In the middle of a rainstorm, as if drawn to each other, Spider-Man and the Green Goblin meet each other and they immediately engage each in battle. They fight to a stalemate until Norman stabs Peter in the shoulder with a piece of pipe but instead of pressing his advantage, Norman tells Peter how he has always considered him as a member of the Osborn Family and before leaving, Osborn leaves Peter an invitation to an Osborn family reunion which is going to be a funeral.

When Peter returned home, he is shocked to see footage of Gwen Stacy's death on tv. The Green Goblin had released the video to the media and he is stating that Gwen died because of Spider-Man's carelessness while the Goblin tried to save her. Peter then interrupts a meeting between Osborn's company and another company about an upcoming merger. Norman taunts Peter a bit before the latter storms off.

Spider-Man then meets up with J. Jonah Jameson in the middle of a rain storm and tells the publisher that the Goblin's statements are false. Spidey demands that Jonah changes his paper's headline which says "Spider-Man Implicated" but Jonah will never believe him unless Spidey takes his mask off. Spidey refuses and swings away.

The Green Goblin kidnaps Flash Thompson, a recovering alcoholic, and force feeds him whiskey before having him ram a truck into the High School Peter works at and as a result, Flash goes into a coma. Upon hearing of Flash's accident, Peter visits him in the hospital where Liz Osborn tells Peter that Flash may have suffered from irreversible brain damage. Peter declares that he hears Osborn loud and clear.

The Goblin sends Peter photos of his loved ones and a jack-o' lantern as a not-too subtle threat. The next day, Norman goes to Midtown High School and offers to pay for the damages of Flash's accident since the truck Flash was driving belonged to Oscorp. Norman confronts Peter at the school and they decide to end their feud once and for all in one of Norman's warehouses.

On his way to meet the Goblin, Spider-Man stops by Flash at the hospital and tells his unconscious friend that none of this is his fault and he promises to fix things for both of them. Spidey arrives at the warehouse where the Goblin awaits and they engage in an intense battle. Throughout the fight, the Goblin keeps on provoking Peter by mentioning his loved ones but when he mentions killing his own grandson Normie Spider-Man becomes enraged and swears that he will kill Norman. The Green Goblin tells Peter that unless he does so, Normie, May and Mary Jane will die and Spider-Man finally gets the upper hand and was moments before delivering the killing blow to a tearful but happy Osborn.

But Peter stopped his assault once he realised that Norman wanted Peter to kill him from the beginning. He sat next to a wall and the Goblin joined him there. Peter starts telling Osborn about the recuring dream he's been having in which he sees Gwen Stacy under the rubble of an airplane explosion. Peter then starts telling Norman how wonderful Gwen was and if Norman had actually known her, he would have never killed her because Gwen's personality would have fixed him. Peter tells Norman that everyday he thinks about killing Norman for what he did to Gwen but that's something he will never do because, despite everything, he doesn't even hate the Goblin and thinks that Gwen would have never wanted him to become a murderer. Peter feels that as long as refuses to hate the Goblin, Gwen lives inside him but when he doesn't, and gives in to the hate, Gwen dies. The Goblin warns him that in sparing his life, Peter is endangering the lives of others but Peter replies that he knows that Norman would never hurt his own grandson and even if Norman does kill Peter's loved ones, it will only strengthen his resolve and his dream meant that the Goblin will never win. Peter goes on to say that he doesn't have to kill the Goblin or even put him away in jail because just being who he is "is life without parole". With that said, Peter walks away and leaves the Goblin, defeating him by refusing to play his game.

In the epilogue Peter visits Flash in the hospital and the next morning, Spidey delivers Norman a gun in his office and Norman contemplates suicide.

Collected Editions

• The Best of Spider-Man #2 - Volume Two

Non-U.S. Collected Editions

• Colección Extra Superhéroes #35 (Spanish)