698 timeline Speculation (SPOILERS)

[One More Day]

Amazing Fantasy #15.

Marvel has been playing the long-game.

A long-con on the readers?

[Mister Mets]

We'll find out in two weeks.

But it's strongly suggested that it happened between 697 and 698.

[kitonok]

We'll find out in two weeks.

But it's strongly suggested that it happened between 697 and 698.

I dunno. Someone pointed out that Pete acted a bit like a jerk for sometime. To Kaine, to Alpha (deservingly,but still) and some other times). But you're probably right. I personally think that the issue started with it. No brain activity for weeks and then "Peter Parker".

[Dr. Sonic]

Ock's consciousness was starting germinate in 697, but didn't take full hold until 699.

God, I hope this storyline resolves and ends within just a few issues. Peter is just as interesting a character as Spidey and I really have no interest in this spider-clone redux.

[Mister Mets]

It would have been hilarious if Spoiler, Doctor Octopus's girlfriend, had been the one to possess Spidey.

Just because of the difficulty of warning people about spoilers.

Incidentally, I'm changing the title because saying that someone else is Spidey is still a spoiler.

[Kevinroc]

It would have been hilarious if Spoiler, Doctor Octopus's girlfriend, had been the one to possess Spidey.

Just because of the difficulty of warning people about spoilers.

Incidentally, I'm changing the title because saying that someone else is Spidey is still a spoiler.

When did Doc Ock date Stephanie Brown?

[E. Wilson]

When did Doc Ock date Stephanie Brown?

They met on-line, but it turned out it was a SHIELD sting operation.

Anywho, I don't think it happened prior to last issue, mostly because of the various things Madame Web was going on about. It's probable that she made herself untraceable because she knew what would shortly happen to Peter, and didn't want Spock to be able to track her down.

However, I'm not opposed to the "slowly influencing Peter" theory, either.

[MorningMoon]

My bet is right during the end of The Ends of the Earth, on the very panel that the recap page of 698 shows. In that panel, Peter's about to say No One Dies, then just stops before finishing it. Also, the Avenging tie-in gets a whole new meaning if you assume Ock body-swapped with Peter already.

Hence why Peter was a great teacher for Hope and a terrible one for Alpha, and why he punched everyone with powers on the Lizard arc.

[Majinoaw]

Ock's consciousness was starting germinate in 697, but didn't take full hold until 699.

God, I hope this storyline resolves and ends within just a few issues. Peter is just as interesting a character as Spidey and I really have no interest in this spider-clone redux.

Too bad you're going to get that. Peter will not be the Superior Spider-Man.

It would have been hilarious if Spoiler, Doctor Octopus's girlfriend, had been the one to possess Spidey.

Just because of the difficulty of warning people about spoilers.

Incidentally, I'm changing the title because saying that someone else is Spidey is still a spoiler.

I thought her name was Stunner... as in Number one Stunner... You know me I don't need no introduction to this...

[destro]

When did Doc Ock date Stephanie Brown?

Curse you for putting that image in my mind, ughhhhhh!

[Kevinroc]

Curse you for putting that image in my mind, ughhhhhh!

DC Comics will remove any and all mentions in my previous post.

[Minerboh]

ASM 699 should provide us with all the necessary answers.

[stillanerd]

Well, here's my rather long and elaborate theory. As we saw in Amazing Spider-Man #600, Spidey was able to control Doc Ock's octobots and save the day. However, I think this also imprinted Spidey's brainwave signature onto the Octobots, but thanks to Reed Richards', Doc Ock couldn't crack the code. That is, until Spidey got control of the octobots yet again during Spider-Island, which remember are still mentally linked into Doc Ock's own brainwaves just like his mechanical arms. And the reason why he was able to this time was because Peter Parker, by revealing he was "infected with spider-powers" unknowingly disabled the psychic blindspot which prevented anyone from determining he and Spider-Man were one and the same.

And THAT was the moment Peter unknowingly allowed Doc Ock full access into his own mind. Granted, that wasn't when the "mind swap" happened, but I do think that was the moment Doc Ock not only learned Spidey was Peter, but also learned all his memories, fears, desires, fantasies, etc. Remember when Peter realized during Ends of the Earth that all the technology Doc Ock was using to carry out his "destroy the world" plan were all based on Peter's Horizon Labs inventions. Well maybe Doc Ock got them directly from Peter's own memories! Notice also that, if was after Spider-Island in which we saw octobots being capable of controlling people, which was obviously the prototype for Doc Ock's eventual transferring his own brain patterns into someone else.

Thus, Doc Ock created the gold octobot as insurance in case his plan for Ends of the Earth went belly-up, in that he copied his own brain patterns into it, and programmed the gold octobot so that, if anything should happen to him, it would seek out Spider-Man (which it would recognize based on his brain patterns) and then download the Doc Ock brain patterns into Spider-Man while copying and uploading Spidey's brain patterns into the Octobot. Once that was done, it would then seek out the real Doc Ock and then transplant Peter's brain patterns into the real Doc Ock's body. And this took place sometime between ASM #697 and ASM #698.

Of course, this raises another question: if Doc Ock merely copied and downloaded his own brain patterns into Peter Parker and vice versa, then technically, he didn't actually switch minds, nor would those brain patterns actually be a "real mind." After all, all of Peter's memories and experiences are still intact for Doc Ock to look at any time he wants, like a new computer using the hard drive of the old computer as a slave drive. So theoretically, it's not actually Doc Ock taking over Peter's body, but a computer program that's making Peter think he's really Doc Ock. Which means Doc Ock has arranged so that he actually thinks he's Peter Parker. This would not only explain why Doc Ock in Peter's body still has Peter's memories, but also why he uncharacteristically is content with pretending to be someone else and let the world think he'd dead when Doc Ock's whole motivation ever since he found out he was dying was for the world to remember him for all time, to let people recognize his genius and accomplishments; that Doc Ock would never want Peter Parker or Spider-Man's legacy to outlast his--unless it's not the real Doc Ock. It also explains why Doc Ock in Peter's body's narration captions are the same as Spider-Man's, and why Peter's, in the Amazing Spider-Man #700, are different. And it gives what Uncle Ben says to Peter in a whole new light.

So why would Doc Ock do this? Well, what better revenge than to literally use Peter's own sense of moral responsibility, determination, ingenuity, and devotion for his family, friends, and the people he loves against him while also showing Peter how he could be a better version of him in the process?

[John Trenchfoot]

Even as quite a fan of a lot of Bendis' work, I don't think he pays enough attention/respect to other writers' work to have had Ock even factor in his Spider-Men arc. Remember that issue of New Avengers not long after Peter had re-revelaed himself to the Fantastic Four? There was no consistency with what Dan Slott had written re how the "psychic blind spot" worked. It was just sloppy. And, like I say, I love a lot of Bendis' writing but...really...I think people are looking too far back with this. As many others have said, I do believe that this mind-swap thing has been building for a long time, but I also think that between #697 and #698 is when it transpired.

[Scott Taylor]

There were some "Spockish" moments of dialogue in the Hobgoblin two-parter....but no, I think it happened between 697 and 698. Still, I now find myself wondering if there is any history between Ock and Kingsley, that might have come through in the recent issues. It sure seemed like Peter.