A superhero’s origin story is a crucial part of their character. It motivates the hero and informs their look and style. Some superhero origin stories have become famous over time, and arguably the most iconic is Spider-Man’s origin story. After being bitten by the radioactive spider, Peter Parker watches his Uncle Ben get killed. With his final breath, Uncle Ben gives Peter the now-famous mantra, “With great power comes great responsibility.”
However, due to the sheer number of reboots Spider-Man has gone through in the comics and on the big screen, audiences have seen Uncle Ben die a lot at this point. During Disney Plus Day, Disney announced a new show called Spider-Man: Freshman Year, an animated series that will tell the origin story of the MCU’s Spider-Man.
Many Marvel fans took to Twitter to point out that this means we’ll likely be treated to another Uncle Ben death scene. And of course, in true internet fashion, the memes quickly started to flow. This includes the famous meme from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas that shows protagonist CJ uttering, “Ah, shit, here we go again.”
Another user posts a video of legendary drag queen Jasmine Masters exclaiming, “a-f*cking-gain, nothing new nothing changed, same old f*cking shit,” presuming that this is Uncle Ben’s reaction to seeing the show’s announcement and suggesting that even Uncle Ben realizes his only purpose in the universe is to impart wisdom and then die horribly.
Some Twitter citizens have turned their attention to the robber who kills Uncle Ben, suggesting that he is one of the most successful criminals in the MCU. This is because he’s one of the only villains to always successfully pull off his crime. They pair this with a dapper image of Gus Fring from Breaking Bad, suggesting that this is how powerful the robber must feel.
Another takes the famous Lord of the Rings line of “Meat’s back on the menu, boys,” and, by giving the head Orc a balaclava, turns it into what they believe to be every New York criminal’s rallying cry: “Looks like Uncle Ben’s back on the menu boys!”
Some point out that watching Uncle Ben die may not have the expected emotional impact because every Marvel fan has seen the scene so many times that they’re now desensitized to it. One user demonstrates this by posting the iconic gif of Jeremy Clarkson, letting out a dull, monotone “Oh no! Anyway…”
Spider-Man’s many reboots have always found a way to bring something new to the formula despite treading the same ground. It will be interesting to see how Spider-Man: Freshman Year handles this iconic piece of comic history.
