Hey, why is it that Spidey's enemies are constantly coming back from the dead but Spidey's friends never do? When was the last time any of Pete's pals really returned to the living? (I suppose you could count all these "Heroes Return" guys, but I'm referring to regular supporting characters in the Spider-books.) Fred Foswell, Ned Leeds, Lance Bannon, May Parker, Capt. George Stacy, Gwen Stacy, Nathan Lubensky. Kaput! Every one of them. And as for the villains? Doctor Octopus, the Green Goblin, the Jackal. Now, they come back even after you've seen a body!
Let's pair up the good guys with the bad. Nathan Lubensky was killed in a skirmish with the Vulture but the winged villain overcame his inoperable cancer by magically becoming vigorous and young. Captain George Stacy was killed in the midst of a Spidey-Doc Ock fight, but no one took his body to the Hand and revived him like they did with Otto years later. Gwen Stacy was killed by the Green Goblin. Unfortunately for her, she didn't have the goblin formula in her system to bring her back to life. So let's see, in Lubensky vs. Vulture, Stacy vs. Octopus, Stacy vs. Goblin, it looks like the score is 3 to 0 in favor of the bad guys.
Yes, I know, it is often the bad guys who sell the issue. Yes, I know that Spidey needs to suffer in order to continue the formula. But doesn't this start to give the impression of evil triumphant? Does the presence of Spider-Man make any difference in such a world at all? Don't we need a little evening of the score here? Well, at least Kraven the Hunter is still dead.