Marvel's big Spider-Man/X-Men crossover Dark Web has now come to its conclusion with big changes for Ben Reilly/Chasm and Madelyne Pryor/Goblin Queen.
But if you didn't dig into the event itself, you may be lost in Limbo looking for answers about what's next for Spider-Man and the X-Men and what the ramifications of the crossover are for the Marvel Universe.
With the final issue of the crossover, Dark Web Finale #1 by writer Zeb Wells, artists Adam Kubert, Francesco Mortarino, Scott Hanna, Frank Martin, and Guru EFX, and letterer Joe Caramagna now on sale, we've got you covered with everything you need to know about Spider-Man/X-Men: Dark Web and its major story ramifications.
What happens in Dark Web?
To set the stage, here's the TL;DR on the premise of the story. Dark Web is all about two clones of known heroes, Ben Reilly and Madelyne Pryor, attempting to steal their progenitors' souls to become the "real" versions of Peter Parker and Jean Grey, respectively.
Using the magic of her domain of Limbo, Madelyne Pryor empowered Reilly, now known as Chasm, and sent him to New York to lead an army of demons against Spider-Man and the X-Men, roping in Norman Osborn/Gold Goblin, Eddie Brock (more on him in a moment), Ms. Marvel, and others along the way.
In the previous chapter of the story, Chasm managed to steal the scythe that makes Madelyne Pryor ruler of Limbo, becoming King Chasm in the process and getting a massive power upgrade. However, Madelyne Pryor managed to reach an accord with Jean Grey and became an ally of the X-Men, agreeing to help shut down Chasm's invasion.
How does Dark Web end?
Now that we're all caught up on the big picture, here's how things wrapped up in the finale. Teaming up with the X-Men, Spider-Man, and several denizens of Limbo, Madelyne Pryor leads a charge to defeat the demons that are overrunning New York City, with Peter Parker vowing to take down Chasm himself.
First they defeat Hallow's Eve, Chasm's partner in crime, who is teleported away somewhere to presumably return in her upcoming solo limited series.
However, King Chasm is far more powerful than Spidey expects, and in the end it takes the help of Gold Goblin and Ms. Marvel to take him down - along with Bedlam, the new symbiote form of Eddie Brock, whose memories were partially wiped by Goblin Queen during the course of Dark Web.
But with Chasm defeated, the question of what to do with him remains. Madelyne Pryor, restored as the Goblin Queen of Limbo, vows to punish Chasm herself. She takes him back to Limbo where she imprisons him in a paradise-like pocket dimension. Meanwhile, Limbo itself undergoes a big change, as an embassy to the otherworldly realm is opened in New York City.
What's next?
For the X-Men, they're heading immediately into the just-launched Sins of Sinister crossover in which three X-Men titles will be paused and relaunched as alternate titles depicting a timeline in which Mister Sinister has remade the Marvel Universe in his image.
Spider-Man will soon move into answering the question of "What did Spider-Man Do?" which launched the series by depicting the aftermath of some kind of disaster caused by Peter Parker.
As for Venom, Eddie Brock's mindwipe is sure to play into the upcoming Summer of Symbiotes event which will also bring in other symbiotes such as Carnage and Red Goblin.
Keep track of all the new X-Men comics and new Spider-Man comics Marvel has planned for release.
