Marvel has announced that following the Death of Spider-Man storyline, Spider-Man will be sporting a snazzy new outfit...
More importantly, Marvel has confirmed that it won't be Peter Parker wearing the suit. This news does not bode well for Peter's chances of survival. It's hard to see a Spider-Man book functioning without Peter Parker. The general appeal of Spider-Man has always been the dichotomy between his social life and superhero life. Brian Michael Bendis has done a great job of making sure we equally care about both. It thus goes without saying that killing Peter would likely put off a lot of the fans who have invested in him and his supporting cast for the past 157 issues.
So here's my wild theory: Peter survives the storyline, but comes out of it a cripple. S.H.I.E.L.D. gives Peter the opportunity to train a new Spider-Man; Peter will be able to give advice and guide the new Spider-Man while he's on patrol via a comlink in the suit. Similar to the relationship between Bruce Wayne and Terry McGinnis in Batman Beyond.
