Warning: contains spoilers for Non-Stop Spider-Man #5!
Marvel has officially cancelled a current Spider-Man series immediately after a massive cliffhanger. The Non-Stop Spider-Man series first premiered on March 10th, 2021, but was unfortunately subject to several delays related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Now, immediately following the release of Non-Stop Spider-Man #5, written by Joe Kelly with art by Chris Bachalo, Marvel has cancelled the series just as Peter Parker undergoes a mysterious and savage transformation.
In Non-Stop Spider-Man, Peter Parker attempts to solve a mystery on the streets of New York, all while avoiding some enemies and pursuing others. Several minority students attending prestigious universities are dead following the release of a drug known as “A-plus”, and Peter eventually deduces that Zemo is responsible; affiliated with Hydra, Zemo seeks so-called “genetic purity.” The adventure involves Doctor Strange, the Zapata Brothers, and furious action-oriented issues, which all culminate in Spider-Man attacking Zemo on his private jet.
Peter is injected with the deadly drug during the fight; within minutes, he has trouble thinking straight, develops severe aphasia, and even begins arguing with his own spider-sense. Zemo’s ally Wülf betrays him, causing both hero and villain to fall out of the plane during a climatic fight and crash into the ocean below. Despite hitting the water from thousands of feet in the air, Peter still has the presence of mind to summon what little strength he has remaining to save Zemo and swim ashore to a nearby island. Ever the evil villain, Baron Zemo prepares to end Spider-Man for good when Peter suddenly feels an overwhelming urge to kill Zemo…and his body spontaneously mutates into a human-spider hybrid.
Unfortunately, the 5th issue of Non-Stop Spider-Man is the last in the series. Editor Nick Lowe profusely thanks the creative team in a post-story note at the end of the issue while hinting that the story is far from over. “But as Peter Parker is changed, so is this book. It’s made its first stop and become something more. Something…SAVAGE.” Marvel’s Savage Spider-Man will launch in 2022, continuing the story of Peter’s shocking transformation – but perhaps not in the familiar form of Non-Stop Spider-Man, with its focus on action and dynamic panel layouts. Peter Parker has transformed into a spider-hybrid before – most recently in 2021’s Peter Parker, the Amazing Shutterbug, a tie-in to the Heroes Reborn event – but this transformation seems to be accompanied by an altered mental state.
The creative team of Non-Stop Spider-Man should be commended after working through multiple delays brought on by the pandemic. Notably, artist Chris Bachelo tested positive for COVID-19 and the comic was further delayed. But with the cancellation of the series altogether, it’s unknown where the story will move on from Spider-Man’s shocking transformation at the conclusion of Non-Stop Spider-Man.
