Spider-Man: Bloodline is a Spider-Man limited series written by sci-fi director J. J. Abrams and son Henry Abrams, and illustrated by Sara Pichell as part of the Marvel: A Fresh Start line. The miniseries spread over five issues, with the first issue being released on September 18th, 2019 and the final being released on December 9th, 2020. The reality this series is set in has been designation as Earth-29320.
The comic starts with the tail-end of a battle with a dangerous new villain, Cadaverous, who tragically kills Mary-Jane Watson. Twelve years later, Peter has become a globe-trotting journalist who raises his son, Ben, with the help of Aunt May. Unbeknownst to either of them, Ben may be developing some powers of his own...
This comic contains examples of:
- Action Girl: Riri Williams/Ironheart, Ben’s friend Faye, and a resurrected Mary Jane all have their moments of ass-kicking.
- Ascended Fangirl: Faye, a girl Ben goes to school with, convinces him to put on the mask and start doing vigilante work. She goes from a kid in a homemade costume with spray paint to having gear provided by Tony Stark.
- An Arm and a Leg: Due to the destructive nature of the battle with Cadaverous, Peter had to have his right arm completely amputated.
- And the Adventure Continues: The final issue ends with Ben and a newly-resurrected MJ receiving their own spider-suits, courtesy of Nick Fury.
- Back from the Dead: Issue #5 sees the return of Mary-Jane Watson, with new spider-powers to boot.
- Bad Future: MJ was seemingly killed by the villain Cadaverous, most of the Avengers are also dead, and twelve years later, Peter (now depressed and having a Hook Hand to replace his amputated right hand) leaves his and MJ’s son Ben under the care of Aunt May.
- Big Bad: Cadaverous.
- Body Horror: Minka and Ivan are horribly mutated as a result of the failed Cadaverous experiments meant to prolong their life. It's explicitly mentioned that they are constantly decaying, and the latter takes the form of a giant spider comprised entirely of human muscle.
- Bond Villain Stupidity: Had Cadaverous not murdered MJ, or had he just abducted Peter without severely injuring him, he might have been successful.
- Bully Hunter: One of Ben's first moments is fighting a bully that was picking on another kid.
- Cool Old Guy: Tony Stark is clearly attempting to be this, but it mostly falls flat due to the fact that he's near-constantly wasted and clearly in denial/mourning of his teammate's deaths. Played straight later on when he dons the armor in Issue #5.
- Dead Guy Junior: Ben is presumably named after Peter's late uncle.
- Distressed Dude: Halfway through the series, Peter is kidnapped by Cadaverous and later used as a hostage to lure out Ben.
- Drowning My Sorrows: Tony has a drinking problem and it's implied to be connected to the incident that resulted in all the other Avengers' deaths.
- Fiery Redhead: Ben's got his mother's red hair and quite a temper.
- The Gadfly: As much as he wants to be nothing like his father, Ben has still got some of his defining traits. This being one of them.
- Genre Savvy: When Ben starts developing powers, May explains how Peter was Spider-Man all along and gives him one of his old costumes.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Peter pulls one in Issue 5, saving his newly-resurrected wife and son from an explosion on the bridge. He wouldn't have lived much longer anyway, thanks to the internal injuries he suffered in the final fight.
- He's Back!: Both Tony Stark and Riri Williams don their Iron Man and Ironheart armor once again to help Ben.
- Hook Hand: Peter Parker now has one, courtesy of losing his right hand in the same battle where Cadaverous looked like he killed Mary Jane.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: This is how MJ dies in the first issue. While Peter initially survives his impalement, he does eventually succumb to injuries sustained in the final battle along with severe blood loss.
- Killed Offscreen: Almost all of the original lineup of Avengers — meaning Captain America, Thor, the Hulk, and Black Widow — died before the story even began in an unspecified incident. Only Tony Stark survives, and he's retired as Iron Man, with Riri Williams taking over as Ironheart. They're later resurrected thanks to Cadaverous' equipment, but are killed off again soon after.
- Living MacGuffin: Both Peter and Ben are this because the changes the spider bite made to Peter and Ben's inheritance of said powers make their blood the key to perfecting the resurrection serum.
- Mama Bear: Mary Jane manages to resist the mind control the minions are put through long enough to save Ben and for Ben to remove the chip that controls her.
- Missing Mom: MJ died when Ben was young.
- Properly Paranoid: When Peter realizes that the monsters that killed MJ are specifically after him, it convinces him to stop being Spider-Man out of fear they will find him and his son. When Ben puts on the mask, his fears come true, but they initially only kidnap Peter and likely would have left Ben alone had he not been severely injured in the process.
- When You Coming Home, Dad?: Ben's father is barely in his life and left him in the care of his Aunt May out of guilt.
- Wham Line: One of Cadaverous' minions helps Ben escape the lair and hands the restorative cure to Peter. Peter has only one question:Peter: Who are you?
Cadaverous Drone: I think you know... Tiger.
