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Spider-Man General Discussion

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This thread's for the Spider-Man comics and spin-offs, whether they're decades old or brand new.

  • Apart from the main Marvel Universe titles, Ultimate Spider-Man, Spider-Man "What If?" stories, crossovers, guest appearances in other books, Alternate Universe tales and things like Marvel's manga adaptations are all on-topic here.
  • Spider-Man 'family' books are on-topic (as are their own crossovers, guest appearances etc.) - e.g. Spider-Man 2099, Miles Morales, Spider-Woman, Silk, Spider-Gwen, Venom, Carnage, Black Cat, Red Goblin and Spider-Verse.
  • Characters and comics that originated in Spider-Man but are no longer directly connected to the spider-franchise (e.g. Punisher, Silver Sable) are not on-topic, unless you're discussing historical connections and crossovers. If in doubt, check before you write a long post. If this isn't the right place, there's a more general Marvel Comics thread which covers them.

Technically, Marvel's Infinity Comics (and their predecessors, Infinite Comics) are webcomics, not comic books, but it's fine to talk about their Spider-Man stories here.

Discussions that are only about Spider-Man adaptations in other media (films, video games etc.) are off-topic, but discussing the differences between the adaptations and the original comics is fine - as long as spoilers for the adaptations are tagged.

Please follow the spoiler policy rules - tag spoilers for the latest issues, for any previews or content leaks, and for off-topic comics. When including spoiler tags, try to write so that tropers can make an informed decision before viewing them (e.g. which series and issue will they spoil?).

     Original Thread OP 
Since everyone likes talking about him. I know little about him(Ironically,I got nearly all I know about him from a Batman thread),but he's apparently important so I made this thread. Enjoy.

Edited by MacronNotes on Jul 10th 2023 at 10:58:13 AM

RavenWilder Since: Apr, 2009
#25651: Jan 30th 2023 at 12:58:54 AM

Have they ever tried pairing MJ with a different superhero, and hoping that will take off enough to make people forget their relationship with Peter?

RedHunter543 Crimson Paladin Since: Jul, 2016 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Crimson Paladin
#25652: Jan 30th 2023 at 12:59:30 AM

There was that time she was a secretary for Iron Man.

Didn't really pan out.

"The Black Rage makes us strong, because we must resist its temptations every day of our lives or be forever damned!"
slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#25653: Jan 30th 2023 at 1:09:55 AM

That was a weird direction but ya know it was written by Bendis

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
RedHunter543 Crimson Paladin Since: Jul, 2016 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Crimson Paladin
#25654: Jan 30th 2023 at 1:14:30 AM

I like Ultimate Spider-Man but he did take a lot of characters in weird directions.

Like Gwen Stacy for example. He just killed her off just as she was showing some great character growth after learning Peter was Spider-Man.

Even he regrets it, but his solution was just to make her into a Carnage clone.

"The Black Rage makes us strong, because we must resist its temptations every day of our lives or be forever damned!"
alekos23 Since: Mar, 2013
#25655: Jan 30th 2023 at 7:08:12 AM

I mean they could always go the Maddie route with MJ but I kinda doubt that's an easy thing to do. [lol]

RedHunter543 Crimson Paladin Since: Jul, 2016 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Crimson Paladin
#25656: Jan 30th 2023 at 7:13:25 AM

You mean Madeline Pryor right? Like after reading up on her history both RL and in-universe, this seems like something Marvel Editorial would happily do to MJ if they could get away with it.

But luckily since MJ is a fun and cheery character actually making her a supervillain would just ruin a lot of the tone that Spider-Man is going for.

"The Black Rage makes us strong, because we must resist its temptations every day of our lives or be forever damned!"
alekos23 Since: Mar, 2013
#25657: Jan 30th 2023 at 7:14:35 AM

Yeah, poor Maddie. Even the most boring characters don't deserve that.

windleopard from Nigeria Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
#25658: Jan 30th 2023 at 7:16:27 AM

If they pulled a Goblin Queen on MJ, I imagine a number of fans would root for her out of sheer spite. I know at least one blogger who'd root for her if she wore an outfit similar to Maddie's.

RedHunter543 Crimson Paladin Since: Jul, 2016 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Crimson Paladin
#25659: Jan 30th 2023 at 7:18:14 AM

[up][up] Yeah I legit feel bad for her.

Like I'm not sure if Cyclops was supposed to be actually written out with Madeline but shit, how Scott handled the whole thing was jackass move, but I'm mostly blaming this on the writers for not handling the whole thing better.

[up] I do wonder what kind of supervillain MJ would be though. [lol]

EDIT: Oh yeah, I remembered that Ultimate MJ was once injected with OZ which made her into Ultimate Demogoblin for the Clone Saga and there were hints she still had it but it never paid off.

Shame, it could have been interesting.

Edited by RedHunter543 on Jan 30th 2023 at 10:33:18 AM

"The Black Rage makes us strong, because we must resist its temptations every day of our lives or be forever damned!"
Nofix from Over there Since: Jan, 2015
#25660: Jan 30th 2023 at 1:50:28 PM

It's one of the reasons why I can't get on board with Cyclops as a character.

Like, sure, plenty of real life revolutionaries were utter bastards to their loved ones, and especially spouses, but goddamn.

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#25661: Jan 30th 2023 at 1:57:17 PM

Eh it was a long time ago and Scott's got other shit on his plate since

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
Blueace Surrounded by weirdoes from The End Of the World Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Surrounded by weirdoes
#25662: Jan 30th 2023 at 1:59:24 PM

Him marrying the then Identical Stranger of the then late Jean was already a red flag, anyway.

Wake me up at your own risk.
HamburgerTime Since: Apr, 2010
#25663: Jan 30th 2023 at 2:00:44 PM

Yeah, that that was supposed to be healthy pre-retcon kinda blows my mind. [lol]

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#25664: Jan 30th 2023 at 2:05:36 PM

I mean. Comics is sometimes upfront about there only being like six faces anyway

A plot point was that Alicia Masters looked identical to Sue Storm, and that’s how she was able to impersonate her one time

Now, that got retconned once people realized that with later developments it meant that Johnny had fallen in love with someone who was identical to his sister

But also in comics, it’s been a plot point that Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent have the same build and face. They’ve impersonated each other by switching clothes before

Although, in also fairness, the X Men were a little weirded out by Madelyne looking like their dear dead deceased friend Jean. They got over it because Madelyne had a very different personality than Jean

Not to mention that seen through ruby quartz, everyone is going to look like a redhead to Scott tongue

Edited by Bocaj on Jan 30th 2023 at 5:08:40 AM

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
Nofix from Over there Since: Jan, 2015
#25665: Jan 30th 2023 at 2:07:33 PM

I mean to be fair, there is a lot of stuff people ignore or forget about their favorite characters. Like the time in the Clone Saga when Peter backhanded a pregnant Mary Jane and ran off. He doesn't even get 1/100th the shit that Hank Pym got for the same thing.

But Peter is popular, and everyone tries to forget about the majority of the Clone Saga, so I guess it's forgotten.

Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#25666: Jan 30th 2023 at 2:13:28 PM

Ironically what screwed over Hank Pym was that the Trial of Yellowjacket story was well written and had consequences

Hank hitting Janet results in their divorce. He also quits the Avengers before he can get fired and is framed for crime so he goes to jail. His life very much falls apart from his own actions, with a little help.

Even though I’m pretty sure most of the people who perpetuate the wifebeater Hank misinterpretation haven’t read or don’t remember how the story actually went.

Peter hitting MJ happened in the middle of the Clone Saga and nobody in story treated it as a serious offense.

Reed slaps the evil out of Sue and the story goes “no it’s cool, it was the only way”

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
reppuzan Since: Dec, 2014
#25667: Feb 1st 2023 at 6:16:04 PM

So... I was reading the new issue of Miles' comic and uh... does anyone else find his new villain's origin story kinda laughable?

She's a technopathic Gadgeteer Genius who hates Miles specifically because he won the raffle she wanted to win to get into Brooklyn Vision Academy. Therefore she's going to make an example of him as the failings of "the system" that failed her.

Except... she's a Gadgeteer Genius who creates a supervillain-worthy battle suit and military-grade drones on an impoverished budget. She could just... go to a different school. The Bronx High School of Science, Brooklyn Tech, and so many other technical high schools would love to have her and throw scholarships at her with that level of genius. She could intern at the Future Foundation, Oscorp, or Stark Industries.

And somehow she never thinks to use her genius or market her inventions to these companies or schools.

I liked the rest of the comic between the dialogue, pacing, and the art, but The Rabble's origin story tries so hard to sound sympathetic while also being so comically petty that even Starling scoffs at it.

Edited by reppuzan on Feb 1st 2023 at 6:16:33 AM

RedHunter543 Crimson Paladin Since: Jul, 2016 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Crimson Paladin
#25668: Feb 1st 2023 at 6:17:24 PM

Villains who have petty grudges is nothing new.

Like Venom.

"The Black Rage makes us strong, because we must resist its temptations every day of our lives or be forever damned!"
reppuzan Since: Dec, 2014
#25669: Feb 1st 2023 at 6:18:16 PM

True, but this is so petty and nonsensical it veers into comedy for me.

Her whole reasoning is the same as, "I could've been a billionaire if that other person didn't win the lottery!"

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#25670: Feb 1st 2023 at 6:20:34 PM

And she's fighting for a raffle of all things?

She can't get an actual scholarship?

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
RedHunter543 Crimson Paladin Since: Jul, 2016 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Crimson Paladin
#25671: Feb 1st 2023 at 6:21:27 PM

[up][up]Maybe that's the point though? Is it portrayed as a genuine tragedy or just a petty grudge?

Like there's also Doom/Wizard and Mr. Fantastic. Like Reed did nothing to those two except just be smarter.

Hell, Reed wasn't even responsible for Doom's device exploding on him. He just pointed out some calculations were wrong.

Even Book of Doom portrays the very moment when Doom decides to really hate Reed was when Reed was being praised in a interview that Doom happened to be watching in Tibet.

EDIT: Yeah this new villain seems like she wouldn't even bother selling her inventions or getting a scholarship anywhere else. She's a pretty "Screw the system" type of person.

Edited by RedHunter543 on Feb 1st 2023 at 9:27:47 AM

"The Black Rage makes us strong, because we must resist its temptations every day of our lives or be forever damned!"
reppuzan Since: Dec, 2014
#25672: Feb 1st 2023 at 6:27:02 PM

[up][up]

She feels that Miles is a part of "the system" that fails people like her and wants to hurt him as part of her efforts to take apart the system... somehow.

Tiana of all people says You're Insane! because she's not even going after the institutions that "failed" her. To which The Rabble says, "No, Tiana. I'm gifted."

There are other schools, lady. Huge tech conglomerates who would love to have you and pay you fairly. Rabble is so petty and entitled that she sounds like an Upper-Class Twit with some of her dialogue while being ostensibly an impoverished person.

Edited by reppuzan on Feb 1st 2023 at 6:29:48 AM

HandsomeRob Leader of the Holey Brotherhood from The land of broken records Since: Jan, 2015
Leader of the Holey Brotherhood
#25673: Feb 1st 2023 at 6:29:23 PM

[up] Miles ain't even rich.

Like, if he was the kid of some millionaire, I'd get why she'd assume she's part of that system.

But yeah, this sounds crazy.

One Strip! One Strip!
RedHunter543 Crimson Paladin Since: Jul, 2016 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Crimson Paladin
#25674: Feb 1st 2023 at 6:31:34 PM

In a few years or so, I expect she'll get an expanded origin story that reveals that Miles getting in was the straw that broke the camel's back or something.

"The Black Rage makes us strong, because we must resist its temptations every day of our lives or be forever damned!"
slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#25675: Feb 1st 2023 at 6:32:56 PM

Okay from the sounds of it she is personally insulted that Miles got picked over her and finds it so offensive she developed an instant hatred towards him personally

Yeeeesh what an asshole

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."

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