Peter navigates through both his sophomore year and his career at the Daily Bugle while finding that he must once again contend with both Doctor Octopus and the V-252, the latter of whom has now assumed the name of “Venom” after merging itself with his jealous co-worker Eddie Brock. While Peter uncovers a bounty that has been seemingly placed on him by Chameleon, Anya adopts the “Spider-Girl” alias when her Spider Powers from the “Spider-Island” incident resurface and forms a “Spider Team” with Miles and Gwen. Doctor Octopus is revealed to be the true mastermind behind the bounty and successfully manages to swap bodies with Spider-Man, becoming the Superior Spider-Man. Around the same time, Gwen acquires old and new Spider Powers thanks to the Blood Gem relic and begins working alongside Miles and Anya under the “Ghost-Spider” alias.[6]
After being swayed by Peter’s memories of Uncle Ben into becoming a hero, Octavius begins working on methods to become more efficient in crime-fighting than Peter ever was, but his ruthlessness prompts Miles to have the Avengers investigate on his behalf. Meanwhile, Peter’s consciousness escapes the Living Brain via the Neuro Cortex and downloads himself into Octavius’ discarded tentacles after encountering memories of Octavius’ past in the process. Octavius (as Peter) re-enrolls at Midtown High and befriends the assistant chemistry teacher Anna Maria Marconi. Discovering how wrong he was about himself and Spider-Man during a fight against a genetically-altered Venom, Octavius reunites Peter’s consciousness and body before his tentacles degrade the former into nothing. After saving Anna Maria from Venom, Spider-Man honors Octavius’ heroism by placing his consciousness back in his inactive body. Soon after becoming his former self once more, Spider-Man takes it upon himself to rescue the Avengers from Regent, who has been replicating the abilities of the various super villains incarcerated at the prison known as the Cellar to imprison the Avengers in another dimension. Octavius recovers from his coma in time for him and Anna Maria to help Spider-Man free Cloak and Dagger so they can rescue the missing Avengers and defeat Regent.
After Spider-Man stops the rampaging speedster Slyde with help from Octavius (now going by Doctor Octopus once more), they discover the existence of a recently formed cult-like organization who are calling themselves the Goblin Nation, armed with the same kind of Goblin technology used by Norman. While investigating Norman’s hidden Goblin tech chamber, Spider-Man and Hobgoblin discover the Goblin Nation’s leader the Goblin King is none other than Adrian Toomes. Working together with the rest of the Spider Team, they are able to defeat the Goblin Nation’s various clans (consisting of Electro’s Electro Goblins, Silvermane’s Cyber Goblins, and Crossbones’ War Goblins). When Toomes takes control of a powerful Goblin Mech in a bid to destroy the city, Octavius stops him by disabling the suit with the Neuro Cortex but fades away into light particles in the process. At Octavius’s funeral, Peter reconciles with Gwen, Anya, and Max for what happened when Octavius was Superior Spider-Man. To his surprise, Peter is also re-enrolled at Horizon High thanks to Max receiving a recommendation letter from Octavius prior to the latter’s death.
