Mythology Gag / Amazing Fantasy

The author loves referencing all parts of Spider-Man and Marvel Comics as a whole. Here's a list of all the ones we could find (as well as a bunch to the original My Hero Academia).

---

In General

• The story's blurb on Fanfiction.net advises "True Believers" to hang onto their hats.
• Peter being sent to an alternate universe by a portal Mysterio discovered and meeting his successor is the basic plot of the 2012 Spider-Men miniseries.
• The part of the multiverse the story takes place in is Earth-2018 and its numerous iterations. This is a reference to the year the story was published along with the movie that inspired it, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. It doubles as a Shout-Out to the author's short stories in Neither a Bird nor a Plane, it's Deku!, whose story takes place on the various iterations of Earth-2014. Amazing Fantasy's designation within FoxOnPie's DC Dekuverse is 2014.25.
• The idea of Spider-Man being a unique character of Japanese descent has been done before thrice.

Sam Raimi Films

• The story opens like the first Spider-Man film with the campy opening that falls flat with Izuku's poor delivery and resulting panic while begging for the reader to stay.
• Izuku suffers intense nausea and collapses after the spider bite, waking up with muscles he never had before, much like Peter in the film.
• Izuku's Wall Crawling abilities are provided through tiny hairs called setules, growing from his hands and feet, matching their depiction in the first film.
• Izuku's perceptions speed up so that everything else seems to slow down around him while his Spider-Sense is active. Izuku's first experience with his Spider-Sense is also triggered by his bully, Bakugou, mirroring how Flash triggered it in the film.
• The Spacebattles version of the text frequently includes links to the score from scenes from the film that correspond to Izuku's experiences, including the the spider bite, the scene where he's admiring his new physique, and when he starts crawling up the side of a building.
• Mysterio’s robot avatar catches Peter’s fist with one hand and says “Impressive.” like the Green Goblin does in the first film.
• In Issue #6, Peter mentions that he once ran out of web-fluid and had to take the elevator to get to the roof of a building on time. Izuku has to stifle his laughter as he compares it to what happened in the second Raimi film.
• Norman Osborn taking an instant liking to Melissa during their first meeting evokes his and Peter’s meeting in the first movie.
• The Goblin Suit and Glider from the first film are on display at one of Norman Osborn's old hideouts and are noted to resemble a Power Rangers cosplayer in a nod to complaints directed at the Green Goblin's look.
• Hobgoblin/Phil Urich makes his debut in a scene based on the Green Goblin's attack on the Oscorp World Unity festival, using the movie Goblin's helmet and glider.

Into the Spider-Verse

• Izuku desperately hides from the Prowler in her first appearance as a parallel to Miles doing the same in Aaron's apartment.
• Izuku's first Venom Strike involves electrocuting Peter Parker by accident, matching Miles' first meeting with Peter B.
• Peter's offer to teach Izuku how to be Spider-Man was taken straight from the offer he made to Miles in the film. The food analogy Peter uses to describe the existence of alternate universes to Izuku is taken from the trailers, only with the representations of their universes being reversed (with Izuku's universe being preferable to Peter's).
• All Might is mentioned to have a Christmas album, both as a reference to the ridiculous amount of All Might merchandise in-universe and the Christmas album recorded by the Spider-People in Into the Spider-Verse.
• Prowler's equipment is described much like the ones her Spider-Verse version used, including a Cool Bike, Wolverine Claws, and Rocket Boots. Her role as The Heavy to Mysterio and All For One is also taken from this.
• Prowler pops the tire of a sixteen-wheeler while chasing Peter the way her Spider-Verse counterpart did while chasing Miles.
• Izuku's intangibility power is described as him turning into multicolored static resembling a Banksy painting, referencing the glitching out of the Spiders in the film and the comments on the effects of the Super-Collider.
• Izuku realizes he's way out of his depth after trying to pull Peter away from Prowler and backs down when given the chance to join the fray, much like Miles is initially emboldened to intervene in the fight between Peter and the Prowler before cowering again.
• Prowler has Izuku by the scruff of his collar but hesitates to kill him, just as Spider-Verse Prowler hesitated to kill Miles. While Mysterio is cross with her for this and entertains the idea of pulling a You Have Failed Me, Kingpin shoots Aaron for hesitating to kill Miles.
• Mitsuki has Thutmose playing in the car while giving Izuku a ride over his objections the way Miles' father did.
• Peter tells Izuku to dust his costume with baby powder to avoid chafing as Peter B. did to Miles.
• While encouraging Izuku to web-swing on his own, Peter tells him it's just a leap of faith, much like Peter B. Parker told Miles. Peter then hits hits him in the head with a rock while he's swinging to train him to watch out for oncoming drones, just as Miles swung into a drone at the end of the film.
• Izuku's jump off Bespi Tower, complete with a leap of faith and the lengthy pause before his webs anchor themselves, is a reference to the now famous scene of Miles wearing his new costume and web-swinging to the tune of "What's Up Danger". Izuku excitedly shouts "WOOHOO!" just like Miles did during this scene and says it again while effortlessly passing through Peter's obstacle course.
• Izuku mentions that he listens to Post Malone and Beau Young Prince while looking for tapes to gift to Peter. Both of these artists performed featured songs in the film.
• Spider-Melissa's character narration opens up the same way Peter, Peter B., and Miles describe their life stories as Spider-Man in the film.
• In a non-canon omake, Peter guesses Glover's doomsday speech word-for-word, as a nod to Peter B. predicting Kingpin's orders to Dr. Ock at Alchemax.

Issue #1 - What If

• Izuku’s negative reaction to the spider’s bite and his bully killing it while shouting “Die!” is similar to how Peter was bitten in Ultimate Spider-Man.
• Izuku accidentally runs into traffic while fleeing school, nearly getting hit by a truck and leaping onto a nearby building to get out of the way. Then he climbs up a building while nearby pedestrians simply ignore him. This is a reference to the original Amazing Fantasy #15, which is how Peter discovered his jumping and wall-crawling abilities. The story itself is called "Amazing Fantasy", referencing Spidey's debut comic. Peter even lampshades this while they're talking over lunch.
• Future Izuku insists that his wife is fine.
• The electricity Izuku emits is green, matching the color of the lightning effects his manga counterpart gives off while using One For All: Full Cowl.
• The chapter ends with a tweaked version of Izuku's "This is the story of how I became the world's greatest hero." from the first chapter of My Hero Academia.

Issue #2 - Along Came a Spider-Man

• Peter offhandedly mentions that Izuku dodged a shitshow involving interdimensional vampires by getting his powers when he did.
• While fighting Ultron's Mecha-Mooks, Kamala shouts "On your left!", referencing the gag from Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The fight is also taking place in Sokovia, the location of the climax of Avengers: Age of Ultron. In the same scene, Captain America name drops Doctor Strange, Nico Minoru, and Illyana Rasputin.
• Peter frequently mentions D-Man and wonders why Daredevil isn't around to help him stop street crime in New York.
• Peter's landlord's name is Ditkovich.
• According to SpaceBattles comments by the author, Peter's horrible Avengers salary is both because he had a steady job (until he was fired) and because he didn't want to take much money from the man who tried to manipulate him into revealing his secret identity and fighting against other superheroes.

Issue #3 - If This Be My Destiny

• The issue's title is a reference to The comic book arc of the same name, which is one of the most oft-referenced and famous comics in Spider-Man's history and the comic book industry as a whole.
• Peter remarks that Prowler's motorcycle stunts would make Ghost Rider jealous.
• Mysterio’s robot avatar’s appearance is designed similarly to its appearance in Ultimate Spider-Man.

Issue #4 - Deku’s Homecoming

• The issue’s title is a reference to Spider-Man: Homecoming.
• Endeavor took down a Villain with a suit that resembles a grasshopper and another with a suit that increases their height, referencing Grasshopper and Stilt-Man.
• Marvel’s event storyline Civil War is referred to in-length by Peter when he compares the Superhuman Registration Act with the MHA world’s version.
• Flash Thompson and Carl King, two of Peter’s bullies from his school years, are mentioned by Peter.
• Andrew Maguire, aka Alpha, is mentioned by Peter in his internal thoughts while he's astonished at Izuku's drive to help others instead of himself.

Issue #5 - Learning Curve

• The title is a reference to one arc of Ultimate Spider-Man.
• Seto serves as the obligatory Stan Lee cameo and his role as the cashier at a costume store mirrors the role Stan played in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Izuku's idea to buy the costume is the same one Miles made in the movie.
• Izuku has to mix up web fluid in class the same way Peter did in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
• Mob Eisteiku continues Horikoshi's tradition of naming locales after places in Star Wars. In this case, it's the Mos Eisley spaceport.

Issue #6 - Power and Responsibility

• The title is a reference to the opening arc of Ultimate Spider-Man.
• The Rocker Racer Gang is themed after Rocket Racer, a D-List supervillain-turned-superhero. They disguise themselves by wearing masks themed after famous Heroes, including All Might, Ingenium, and Spider-Man. Peter lampshades this when he drops in to rain on their parade, much like his teenage counterpart's mockery of the bank robbers wearing Avengers masks in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
• Peter advises Izuku not to date any supervillains, not even the morally ambiguous cat burglars.
• Izuku puts on the Ramones' Blitzkrieg Bop, which was used in the opening of Spider-Man: Homecoming, during the last leg of his training with Peter.
• While lying to his mom, Izuku comes up with the name "Tobey Reilly" as a pseudonym for Peter, combining the names of Tobey Maguire, who portrayed Spidey in the Raimi films, and Aunt May's maiden name and the surname of Peter's clone, Ben Reilly.
• Endeavor takes down another upstart Villain with Mysterio's tech styled after Big Wheel, another D-List supervillain and enemy of Rocket Racer.

Tangled Web of Spider-Woman Issue #9

• The story is set on Earth-2018.65. Spider-Gwen takes place on Earth-65.
• The title of the story is a play on Spider-Man's Tangled Web.
• Melissa's super suit is utilized through a voice command watch much like Takuya. The system itself is even named Leopardon, after Takuya's (in)famous Humongous Mecha.
• The wrestler Melissa fights to test her new powers is Crusher Hogan, whose stage name is Bonesaw. This is an allusion to the original comics, where Peter fights a wrestler whose stage name is Crusher Hogan.
• Max's appearance is based on how he looked in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 as portrayed by Jamie Foxx. The accident that transforms him into Electro mirrors his portrayal in The Spectacular Spider-Man.
• The side-story is labeled as the ninth issue and introduces Max Dillon before he goes through his accident. Electro as first introduced in the ninth issue of Amazing Spider-Man.
• Melissa’s status as a successful pseudo-celebrity with Rhino as a member of her security detail mirrors Peter when he lived in the House of M universe.

Avengers: The Return of Thor

• Izuku and Peter are sitting down to watch various Marvel films, including Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow, when Peter brings up how Toruun exists in his universe.
• It's mentioned that Thor did something to destroy the cycle of Ragnarok to protect Torunn, which resulted in his death. This is a reference to the events of Avengers Disassembled, where Thor destroyed the Loom of the Fates to free the Asgardians from the yoke of Ragnarok at the cost of the deaths of all Asgardians.
• Mjölnir lands in New Mexico the same way it does in Thor. The Avengers also debate on what to do with it, but agree that they don't want it to become a roadside attractions, referencing the beginning of the aforementioned film. Toruun tries and fails to lift Mjölnir, again referencing how Thor was unable to lift it until the climax of the film.
• Clint mocks Peter's use of Gosh Darn It to Heck!, asking him if he kisses his mother with that mouth.
• Alex Power asks if Mjölnir in New Mexico is a man-made replication and Tony bristles at the implications as a nod to the events of Civil War, in which Tony made a clone of Thor with an artificial Mjölnir to support the Pro-Reg faction.

Issue #7 - Boy Falls From The Sky

• The title of the issue is a reference to a track from Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.
• Peter admits he was a dick in his early days as Spider-Man, referencing his characterization in the Lee-Ditko comics.

Issue #8 - Super Hero School

• Izuku's "Quirk" is named Ghost Spider, the preferred alias of Spider-Gwen.
• When thinking about the Power Broker app, Peter notes that Mysterio is now stealing ideas from other villains. Specifically, he is stealing the idea of a supervillain version of Uber that the real Power Broker used.
• Peter wonders why the Fantastic Five have not come to get him out of Izuku’s universe.
• Mysterio mentions how another bearer of the Beetle mantle, who happened to be the child of the super villain Tombstone, was a loser who could only slum it up with other losers to feel superior.

Issue #9 - Marked For Destruction

• The title is a reference to the comic arc of the same name.
• Peter is obligated to say, "Pizza time!" every time he makes a delivery for Gunga's Pizza, referencing Spider-Man 2.
• While mulling over the nature of the Hero system in Izuku's universe, Peter again brings up the Stamford incident that led to the events of Civil War.

Issue #10 - Bakugou Strikes Back!

• The title of the story is a twofer, referencing the obscure 1978 show, Spider-Man Strikes Back, and the far more famous entry in the Star Wars franchise, The Empire Strikes Back.
• Izuku's "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Bakugou is based on half the speech Peter gives to Carl King in Spider-Man's Tangled Web. For a comparison:
  Izuku: You think Kohei and Masashi liked you!? You think anyone at school liked how you picked on me!? You're a bully, Katsuki! No one ever liked you! They all sucked up to you because they were scared or wanted to use you to become popular! Do you really think any of them were actually your friends!? They talked bad about you behind your back! Kohei and Masashi hated you! All because you decided that being an asshole was the way to get the attention you craved!
  Peter: You think the kids at school liked you? You were pathetic, Carl. You didn't know how to make friends! You were terrified of the girls! All you knew was cruelty and fear, and making people nervous to get yourself attention!
• At the end of the exercise, Jirou tells Izuku to, "Go get 'em, Spider.", an allusion to Mary Jane Watson's Catchphrase. He even lampshades how much of a callback this is.

Issue #11 - Meanwhile...

• The title is a reference to comics' tendency to use "Meanwhile..." to cut to another scene happening at the same time, as the issue's events take place at the same time as Izuku's combat exercise.
• Stuck on a barely functioning moped and trapped in traffic, Peter opts to swing the pizzas to their destination in order to make it on time. This prompts onlookers to comment that Spider-Man stole his pizzas in a replication of the scene from Spider-Man 2.
• The scene where Stain knifes a passing Hero is another reference to Spider-Man's Tangled Web, as Peter tells Stain he didn't have to do that, much like how he tells Carl King that he didn't have to eat his girlfriend.
• Peter's speech to Stain is based on the other half of the speech Peter gives Carl King before beating the ever loving crap out of him.
  Peter: To be perfectly honest… I could've done without the colorful costume and villains. You're right. I'm not a Hero. I'm just a guy trying to do a little good. Come on, let's finish this.
  Comic Peter: My life isn't perfect, Carl. Far from it. and I can do without the death-defying exploits and colorful villains, if I'm completely honest with you. All I want to do is a little bit of good. Let's go.
• Similarly, Peter calls Stain a sad fool, much like he called Carl King after the latter accidentally electrocutes himself.
• Ouka Oosawagi's coverage of Spider-Man is just one giant continuation of JJJ's views of him.

Issue #12 - From the Depths of Defeat!

• The title of the issue is a reference to Amazing Spider-Man #49.
• Izuku shudders about the possibility of further mutations like spider legs growing out of him, referencing the times that Peter Parker has mutated into the Man-Spider across various media.

Issue #13 - Echoes of Silence

• The issue's title is a reference to the comic Kaine debuted in. Given that this is the chapter where Toga is transformed into a Kaine-Expy, albeit filtered through her own insanity, this is more than fitting.
• Peter declares to Tsukauchi that he's Spider-Man, "Accept no substitutes." This references a line from The Spectacular Spider-Man where Peter says, "That's real Spider-Strength! Accept no substitutes", after Chameleon disguised himself as Spider-Man to discredit the hero.

Issue #14 - Crisis On Campus

• The issue's title is a reference to the comic of the same name.
• Rei Narukami’s Quirk is given the standard summarization provided by the anime with the wording similar to Present Mic’s speech patterns.

Issue #15 - The Enforcers!

• The issue's title is a reference to the issue the original criminal group first appeared in.
• Like Rei, the other Enforcers’ Quirks are given summaries provided by “narration”.
• Mysterio makes Tamaki unknowingly fight the police by making them appear as Villains in a manner similar to how he made Logan kill the X-Men in another universe.
• When Mysterio shoots Sir Nighteye off a building to land on a car he asks if it’ll look good on his resume. This is a take on the first appearance of his robot avatar in the 2009 relaunch of Ultimate Spider-Man.
• Vulture's quirk is named Bushwacker as it works similarly to the villain of the same name. This is a deliberate on Mysterio's case as it was originally called "Shoot" until he arrived.

Issue #17 - Double Trouble

• The author notes that he was motivated to have Kangaroo as a villain in the story because he battles Spider-Man in one of the Spider-Man manga◊.