What If #42 - Spider-Man Kept His Six Arms

[lordultimus]

Comments

[thanekos]

I am unreasonably disappointed the symbiote did not make four extra arms out of itself in memory of its original host.

[lordultimus]

I know, right? Maybe it could still shapeshift some, at least sometimes...

[panelsarewindows]

Well that was bizarrely positive. I mean I appreciate making a story about disabilities and body-positivity, but the main focus having 6 arms is almost too silly for it to have any impact.

That being said I vividly remember the Six-Arms Saga from the Animated Spiderman TV Show (then catching up to it in the comics), and it being one of the most brilliantly weird 'comic-booky' storylines I've ever read, so I always have some affection for it whenever it gets brought up.

[lamashtar]

I think its story balance. Back in the day you couldn't do ALL grim or ALL happy. Turning into something that would scare people and being unpopular and hounded and being alone.. It would the Peter Parker story as told in Eerie!

[beyondthefringe]

And once he revealed the truth to Gwen Stacy about him being Spider-Man and having extra arms, their love life was never the same again...

I mean what? You were thinking it!

[mastermahan]

THE WATCHER: And thus the events of Sins Past never happened in this universe...

[viridian5]

Especially since Reed gave him "Electro-vibra" gloves for four of them.

[halloweenjack]

"I'm running out of places to put 'em!"

[malurette]

Having more functional arms is being disabled, now? What?
A freak, maybe, but a cripple? an inspirationally disabled? Seriously Marvel, seriously??

[zachbeacon]

Honestly I think the worst part was complaining about having eight working limbs in front of a guy who only has two.

Chuck tends to be a jerk but I wouldn't hold it against him if he seriously considered giving Spidey a psychic lobotomy at that point.

[tcampbell1000]

At least he apologized for that and Xavier excused it by blaming it on his instability. But yeah, malurette's right: having MORE arms than most people is more like being extra-abled than disabled.

Then again, Marvel's been trying to map the X-Men to every minority group imaginable for almost their entire history, so this is sort of traditional, I guess.

[jlbarnett]

human brain's used to having a certain number of limbs, no guarentee having extra is easier

[lbd_nytetrayn]

Exactly; didn't the cartoon play at that, having them more difficult to control?

...or am I thinking of when Darkwing Duck spoofed the whole thing?

[scorntx]

II like how Uatu keeps calling Gwen Stacy Peter's ONE TRUE LOVE.

We get, Uatu. You've got the capacity to see all that could ever be, and all you're using it for is shipping purposes.

("And yet there are so many realities, but not one for all my ships alike...")

[beyondthefringe]

I just read a book in which the characters were debating: Gwen Stacy or Mary Jane? and someone suggested Betty Brant, and I was like ... "Well-played."

[crinos]

Uatu the Watcher and Alfred Pennyworth, Master shippers of their respective universe.

[commodus]

What I want to know if how a few extra arms are any help whatsoever when it comes to battling Mephisto?

[scorntx]

They'd definitely make punching him in the face easier...

[commodus]

Personally, I like to imagine that he simply wowed Mephisto with his newfound juggling abilities.

[donnblake]

Decoy wedding rings?

[jlbarnett]

well, it's possible it was just a fight that didn't happen otherwise because now Mephisto has something to tempt him with and Spidey was spending less time as Pete

[crinos]

Whenever he tried to sign a deal to sell his marriage to Mephisto, one of the hands would slap the pen away because he knew subconsciously it was a stupid idea, this kept up till Dr. Strange came along and was like "Peter this is a stupid idea."

[zachbeacon]

He can play three fiddles at once.

[sanjuro]

Can't he have them amputated?

[q99]

I guess, but medically there's all the stuff in his sides to support them. It'd be *odd*, to say the least.

[crinos]

You left out the very best part of this comic, which explains why Spidey can't cure his extra arms, and its alternate title via 4thletter.net:

"What if Morbius the Vampire HAD BEEN RANDOMLY EATEN BY FUCKING SHARKS?"

[lordultimus]

Believe me, I would have included it if I could. XD

[q99]

I do like how the conclusion of this one is "Six arms solves everything! People like and trust him more, human/mutant relations are better, his fights go easier, fewer loved ones die...!"

Everyone should have six arms!

Plus, keeping his secret ID must be *so easy*. "Peter Parker's Spider-man!"

"... dude, count his arms."