Farewell, Peter Parker.

After a 50-year-long run, Marvel has officially decided to cut the strings that bind Peter Parker to Spider-Man in the latest issue of "The Amazing Spider-Man," which arrived on Wednesday.

In the final issue of the Marvel comic book, Parker -- who recently switched minds with the terminally ill supervillain Otto Octavius, a.k.a Dr. Octopus -- struggles to free himself from Dr. Octopus' body, before dying in a shocking ending.

According to comic book writer Dan Slott, who previously hinted that he would be "going into hiding after issue #700 comes out," Parker's death won't be the end of the superhero.

"This is an epic turn," Slott said. "I've been writing Spider-Man for 70-plus issues. Every now and then, you have to shake it up. ... The reason Spider-Man is one of the longest running characters is they always find a way to keep it fresh. Something to shake up the mix."

Slott has certainly succeeded in "shaking up the mix," so much so that he's even received death threats over the plot twist. While the resolution angered fans like Rob Bricken, who complained that the death was "the way Spider-fans would least want Peter Parker to go," Slott insisted that casting off Parker, at least for now, may actually help Spider-Man.

While Octavius appeared to win his battle against Parker, Slott countered that the clash doesn't end without a major transformation on Octavius' part. As Peter Parker is slowly dying in Octavius' cancer-ridden body, Octavius becomes consumed by Parker's memories, finally learning from Parker's life what it means to be a hero.

"Gone are his days of villainy, but since it's Doc Ock and he has that ego, he's not going to try and just be Spider-man, he's going to try to be the best Spider-Man ever," said Slott.

Editor Stephen Wacker appeared to be supportive of Slott. "Today is the day that @danslott has been preparing his whole life for. Very happy for him today," Wacker tweeted on Wednesday.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Wacker explained that Parker's legacy won't end with his death.

"His life is still important to the book because it affects everything that Doctor Octopus does as Spider-Man. Seeing a supervillain go through this life is the point – trying to be better than the hero he opposed," he said. "Doc has sort of [been] inspired by Peter's life. That's what I mean when he talks about the shadow he casts."

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