The issue starts with Spider-Man already fighting Electro, who’s pumping enough electricity into Peter’s brain to kill an average person. Right away, you know the stakes are high. Peter’s basically fighting for his life while also trying to think his way out of it.
Breakfast with Aunt May goes sideways
Scene switch: Peter’s having breakfast with Aunt May. He’s trying to catch her up on everything going on in his life, though, let’s be honest, he’s leaving a lot out. He mentions that a woman he calls Dr. O-M is dealing with a heavy workload and a sick son, and that she has someone named Astrid helping her out. Peter admits he can’t tell if this woman wants to kill him or date him (which is a turn on). To be, that’s a weird place to be in.
He’s so caught up in talking that he doesn’t notice the heart shaped wheat cakes burning on the stove. It’s a small moment, but it says a lot. Peter’s mind is somewhere else entirely, and it’s not just because of Electro.
That “somewhere else” is Cormac. May brings him up as she recently learned she has a biological son, Cormac Crane, whom she and Uncle Ben had thought was stillborn. Turns out he wasn’t. He was secretly taken from them after he was born and raised by another family. So May isn’t just processing “oh, I have a son I didn’t know about.” She’s processing the fact that someone lied to her about her child for decades. Peter tells her the only way he can really describe it: everything has changed. He’s right.
On top of all that, Cormac has been sending May gifts, this time a bunch of plants. The delivery guy comments on what a great tipper he is. Small detail, but it paints Cormac as someone who’s trying hard to be liked. He gave May’s foundation $2M. Whether that’s genuine or not is kind of the question hanging over the whole issue.
Let’s not forget: Cormac knows Peter is Spider-Man.
Back to the fight, and things get personal
The story swings back to the Electro fight, and we get more of the science-y back and forth between Peter and Electro. It becomes pretty clear that Peter might not have properly prepared for this fight as he should have. Makes sense, right? His head’s been somewhere else all morning.
We also get a scene with Peter talking to Agent Griffyn from Damage Control. Griffyn tells him that every time Electro shows up, it’s not just property damage, people actually die. On average, about 2.4 people per incident. That’s a grim number to just casually be reporting, but it hammers home how serious this fight is.
And… speaking of grim, Electro shows zero remorse for the people he’s killed. His attitude is basically, if they hadn’t shown up to work that day, they’d still be alive.
Peter’s apartment tells its own story
Before heading back into the fight, Peter stops by his apartment to grab some web fluid. He’s got web fluids in the fridge with villains marked on it, presumably keeping track of threats. And there’s a sticky note board with reminders like “get a job,” “call Aunt May,” “food,” and “clean stuff.” One note, “pick nose,” is scratched out, which is a nice bit of humor in an otherwise heavy issue.
While he’s there, Glitch calls him out for not being there for his friends, MJ, Brian, and the spider kids. Glitch points him toward Raelith, who hasn’t eaten in two days and has been surviving on condensation water while working out on the roof. Peter checks on her, and she says she’s okay now (implying she’s fine now that he’s there), though it’s clearly been rough. Peter doesn’t really know how to handle the moment. He tells her it’ll be fine, he just needs some time, and then he leaves to go fight Electro, without even mentioning that’s where he’s headed.
It’s a small but telling moment. Peter’s out here saving the city, but the people closest to him are struggling and he’s barely present for it. Even Glitch seems to notice, telling Symbie to poop in Peter’s shoes as a bit of petty payback. Comic relief after a pretty sobering scene.
The fight wraps up, but not without cost
Back at the fight, Damage Control jumps in to help Peter finish things off. Between Peter’s electrically charged webbing and a Damage Control agent in a special rubber suit, they manage to drain Electro’s power and take him down. But it’s not a clean win. A number of civilians get hurt or killed in the process, and the issue doesn’t shy away from showing it.
One more piece of the Cormac puzzle
Afterward, Peter talks to Robbie Robertson, who fills him in on more background about Cormac. Turns out Cormac’s parents were wealthy, and when he inherited the family company, he made some pretty significant changes. He raised worker pay, added health care and child care benefits, and set up a foundation to help others, including funding reparations. On paper, Cormac sounds like a genuinely good guy.
The ending
The issue closes with Peter, still in his Spider-Man suit, watching May and Cormac from a rooftop. He’s not talking to them. He’s not part of the moment. He’s just watching from a distance, which feels like the whole issue in one image. Peter fighting to protect strangers while quietly missing out on the people right in front of him.
My thoughts
I can imagine people saying this is a boring issue but… a story without a strong foundation is a house of cards, right?
Electro frying Peter’s brain screams (to me) to be symbolism for Peter’s brain being overloaded with everything going on in his personal life and being Spider-Man. The average person would not be able to balance it well.
When you think about it, Peter’s devotion to helping strangers while letting the people he loves down is an odd paradox. From that standpoint, I understand why they retconned Peter’s relationship with MJ. I feel like his character progression is in his ability to combat foes to protect strangers rather than have character growth in his personal relationships.
We can see this with his thoughts about Dr. O-M. He’s turned on by her meaning… his relationship with Raelith is probably going to jump off a cliff. But the pattern is the same, is it not? Dr. O-M would not properly fit in his personal life. Yes, she has the science background that can attract Peter, who loves science. He used his scientific knowledge to beat Electro. But… is Dr. O-M a good partner for his dual life? Does she even know her sick son has a dual life?
Ok, let’s be honest. Someone masqueraded as Peter and she didn’t realize it wasn’t him. Even though his work seemed like it was from two different people. Seriously?
Meanwhile, Raelith already knows he is Spider-Man. She’s a warrior who understands his dual life. All she wants is acknowledgement. It seems like Peter goes home and doesn’t interact with her or any of them. On her planet, she was born into the lowest class. If Peter told her about Cormac, and how he feels like an outsider, Raelith would understand that.
And on Cormac… did his parents buy him? That the switch wasn’t an accident? Cormac’s adopted parents find out their baby died and they offered an employee or the hospital to give him a live baby for millions? And what if, when Cormac found out about this situation, he found out he was a transaction? He knows and purposely didn’t tell May.
We learned Cormac giving money away doesn’t mean he cares. He doesn’t know how much staff he has in his house.
You know the saying. If something is too good to be true…
One more thing… Peter is beginning to enjoy being violent…
