Spider-Man #5

[cyberghostface]

 

So as a bit of a bit of a recap, Spider-Man was stabbed with a magical blade and removed from the Web of Life and Destiny. As we find out, he wasn't removed from existence entirely but his history was rewritten so that he was never bitten by the spider.





While the spider didn't bite Peter it still bit Cindy Moon, who takes Peter's former place as Spider-Woman. Peter, inspired by her heroics, offers to help invent gadgets for her.

Comments

[superfangirl1]

Without Peter parker as spider-man. Would there still be a green goblin legacy?

[cyberghostface]

Untold Tales of Spider-Man had it so he only became the Goblin after he sent other criminals after Spider-Man but he was still scheming to become head of New York's criminal gangs before that.

[shakalooloo]

Replace Spider-Man with Silk and it still works?

[starwolf_oakley]

Peter Parker: Spider-Man Annual 1999 had something like this, only the Peter of that world died. It was written by JM DeMatteis as a wrap up to his Man-Thing 1997 series.

I’ve wondered what if Ben shot the burglar.

[cainofdreaming]

Well, in one alternate where he survived Ben went on to advise Peter to kidnap other alternate Peters and absorb their powers. Lethally.

Amazing Spider was the worst.

[beyondthefringe]

I knew that continuity would find a way to fit someone else into Spider-Man's role, and honestly, Cindy was the best bet. Since those ten years in the bunker meant she wasn't, y'know, doing anything impactful during that time, she makes for a good replacement/blank slate on which to graft Spider-Man's adventures. (And apparently she also usurped his role as photographer for the Bugle.)

Really interesting to see that in this new timeline, Peter Parker is legitimately better off. Okay, he's mildly physically disabled, but Ben is still alive, he graduated, got a good job, and for the most part all seems well.

Though... Cindy instead of Peter--how does this new timeline affect all the other people closest to Peter? MJ, Harry, Gwen... And as noted above, Norman, and so on. I guess we're not supposed to look into this too closely, or maybe continuity itself is going "please don't look, this is a rush patch job as it is."

[scorntx]

-maybe continuity itself is gong "please don't look, this is a rush patch job as it is"-
"This continuity is being held together on faith, and now that you've questioned it, it's collapsing!"
"Sorry!"
"Less with the sorry, more with the running!"

[zachbeacon]

Weirdly physically disabled Peter seems to get the best life. I mean, I still consider the MC2 to be the correct Marvel future (though Spider-Verse did a number on that too)

[freezer]

I assume that, without the mutual spider-powers, Peter and Cindy aren't constantly tounge-wrestling and/or resisting the urge to?

[numeronone]

JJJ: "Marla, John, I was going to hire another freelancer today but Robbie talked me out of it since there's nothing of interest in New York to photograph any more. Saved me a fistful of cash! For dinner, how about a steak place, my treat?"

John: "Hooray! I love you, Dad, and I'll never go to the moon and become a werewolf!"

Marla: "This is the best of all possible worlds!"

(Meanwhile, in the office of the NY Post)

"The Bugle was a fool not to hire you, Eddie. You're more than just a photographer - just from this interview I can tell you're a bright, level-headed young man with a fruitful career in investigative journalism ahead of him."

(Meanwhile, at NYU)

"Dr. Connors, I heard you cry out! Is something the - good Lord!"

"I know! I was taking a nap in my office and thinking about my arm, and I guess it just...grew back? Darndest thing! Oh well, guess I don't have to try that starfish gene therapy on myself."

"You were going to?!"

Meanwhile, in a forest somewhere in Siberia

"Mister The Human Rhino! You have the honour to be hunted today by the illustrious Sergei Kravinoff! Please to be making it more fun than the hunting of the Human Vulture and my worthless brother the Human Chameleon! Your five-minute head start began when I started yelling!"

Meanwhile, at an experimental nuclear facility

"Yo, O-Man! Clock-out time so the boys and I are going bowling. Wanna join us?"

"...you know what? YES. These metal tentacles can wait until tomorrow."

Meanwhile, at 30 Rock

"I'm sorry, Quentin, but NBC just doesn't see a future for 'Adventures of the Living Fishbowl' in our programming schedule."

"Drat."

[numeronone]

Spider-Man, Spider-Man
Omelas Spider-Man
Life could be
Mighty sweet
If that bullet were
Meant for Pete

Turns out
We didn't need Spider-Man

[onsokumaru]

I wish they choosed to do that for the MCU.

[sean_613]

Seriously, who would bully someone that was almost killed? Would Jason really beat up a crippled Peter Parker, had Flash not intervened? Also even in this alternate timeline, Sally Avril is still a bitch. In the Untold tales of Spider-Man, Sally had no sympathy for Peter when his Uncle Ben died, she coaxed Liz away rather than let her offer her own sympathy towards him, she became the superhero Bluebird for selfish reasons and she even tried to blackmail Peter to take her pictures. Given how unpleasant she was, I don't care that she died in a car crash. After all, it was her own damn fault and stupidity that got her killed.

[cainofdreaming]

Would Jason really beat up a crippled Peter Parker

That just makes you stand out for a bully. And an easier target.

[starwolf_oakley]

UNTOLD TALES OF SPIDER-MAN had Jason Ionello as a bit "off kilter." Kind of like Sally Avril, really. In the final issue of UNTOLD, Jason's guilt and grief over Sally's death has made him want to take it out on Spider-Man. By dressing as Spider-Man and committing acts of petty vandalism. It is Flash Thompson who talks him down.

[zachbeacon]

Yeah, UToSM really humanized Tiny early on and Flash is one of Spidey's most fleshed-out supporting characters but Jason and Sally will always be the worst.

[scorntx]

There was an episode of Fairly Odd-Parents once where in an inversion of "It's A Wonderful Life", the protagonist is shown life would legit be better for everyone if he'd never been born.

Slott's really leaning into that energy here.

[super_fly]

See also Married With Children when Al is shown how better his family is without him in the picture and decides he wants to live out of pure spite

[cainofdreaming]

Well, since Death is Peggy of course he'd avoid her.

[numeronone]

The subpar British sitcom "My Family" did another clever subversion in that the dad is shown that if he hadn't been born, reality would barely change whatsoever, and his children would (somehow) look and be exactly identical with a different dad.

This boosts his confidence immensely, since he realises if nothing he does matters, he can just do anything he wants.

They then do a "every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings" reference and pan over to show him getting run over by a bike

[zachbeacon]

I mean, if this was the Peter from the Amazing Spider-Man then I'd buy it; he is legitimately responsible for like 80% of what happens in those movies.

But 616 Peter? Okay, I guess all the symbiote stuff is on him and Gwen would be alive if he weren't Spider-Man (which means Miles is more likely to be remembered as the professor that was let go for being inappropriate with a student instead of the Jackal). Most of the major villains were created independently of Peter. Norman was never actually a good person and I hold him responsible for the entire Goblin Legacy and Robot Master, Otto still would have had a lab accident, SO MANY villains would have still had a tragic accident, the Conners family would be even worse off without Peter (in stark contrast to their cinematic counterparts), Kraven and JJJ would have just found somewhere else to direct their obsessive tendencies, ect.