The Gathering of Five and The Final Chapter

"The Gathering of Five" and "The Final Chapter" are interconnected 1998 story lines published by Marvel Comics. Both story lines are crossovers between the various Spider-Man titles published at the time (The Amazing Spider-Man, Peter Parker: Spider-Man, The Spectacular Spider-Man, and The Sensational Spider-Man). It marked the cancellation of both The Spectacular Spider-Man and The Sensational Spider-Man, while also "re-branding" The Amazing Spider-Man and Peter Parker: Spider-Man by renumbering the issues to start again with a new "Issue One" (as mandated by Editor-in-Chief Bob Harras).

The story line proved controversial with fans, as it resurrected Peter Parker's Aunt May, who had been killed off at the height of the "Clone Saga" three years earlier in The Amazing Spider-Man #400. Tom DeFalco, who had left months earlier with his Spider-Man: Identity Crisis story line, originally had intended for Peter and Mary Jane's daughter, May Parker, to be returned to them by Kaine. (This story thread was used later as the branching point for the MC2) Mackie and Byrne insisted they have the older May revived, so she could fit into the new relaunch.