MUMBAI: In a news that will break the hearts of many Spider-Man followers, who kept themselves hooked to his exploits in New York for close to 50 years, Spider-Man‘s geeky alter-ego, Peter Parker, dies in a major battle with his rival Doctor Octopus in the latest issue of the popular comic series.

Parker loses a major battle with Doctor Octopus, who spent the last year fighting to destroy the world as his own body slowly died in the latest issue. However, this doesn‘t spell the end for the legacy of Spider-Man.

In a moment of clarity, Dr Octopus realises that his longtime nemesis was a force for good. Having swapped his mind into Parker‘s body, Octopus takes on the life and exploits of the superhero for himself.

Marvel writer Dan Slott, who wrote the finale of the comic series set to explain the transformation thus, "This is Moriarty in the head of Sherlock. This is Prince John inside of Robin Hood. This is the greatest villain inside the body of the greatest hero and trying to do good. This is a guy who was a couple steps way from a bucket list, and now he‘s got a whole new lease on life. That‘s really going to change him."

However, Spider-Man fans need not lose heart as the world of comics is an uncertain one where superheroes have a way of returning from their graves.