Spider-Man 2099 Returns! THE FUTURE IS RETRO!

By Jay Deitcher on Wednesday, June 5th, 2013

The future of the Marvel Universe is retro! The 90’s super-sensation Spider-Man 2099 returns in September’s Superior Spider-Man issues 17 and 18. The New York Post showed off the covers; one featuring the current Doc Ock version of Spider-Man battling the Miguel O’Hara version of Spider-Man. If any of this confused you, congratulations, you are way less dorky than I am.

Superior Spider-Man #17 Cover

A huge favorite among fans, Spider-Man 2099 is legendary for adding diversity to the Spider-Man universe. In 1992, Marvel celebrated the 30^th anniversary of Spider-Man by creating a future Spidey living in the year 2099. The Marvel 2099 line also featured alternate reality versions of the X-Men, Punisher, Fantastic Four and many others. Under the Spidey mask is Miguel O’Hara, the first Spider-Man with Latino heritage.

The 2099 version was incredibly popular until it was canceled along with the rest of the 2099 line due to editorial changes. Since the cancellation with issue 46, the character has returned for special appearances including a run as a member of the Exiles and appearances in video games such as Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. When fans were guessing who was under the Superior Spider-Man mask, many anticipated the reappearance of O’Hara. Although Spidey ended up being Doc Ock, series writer Dan Slott promised O’Hara would be returning to guest star in a future story-line.

I remember the excitement when the 2099 universe was born. I was incredibly let down when the X-Men 2099 series featured none of the heroes I loved; I figured at least Wolverine’s old @$$ would still be alive in 2099. What do you guys and gals remember about your journey into the future in the past (yeah, I even confused myself with that one)?

Superior Spider-Man #18 Cover

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Jay Deitcher, LMSW(@mrdeitcher) embraces the term MUTANT and proudly represents his MUTANT brothers and sisters. He is an educator on comic history and runs successful Free Comic Book Day events yearly. You can see a listing of his incredible articles and his highly energetic videos at JayDeitcher.com.

Jay Deitcher is a writer and licensed social worker from Albany, NY. He is currently taking MFA courses at the College of St. Rose. You can read his other work at JayDeitcher.com.