Amazing Spider-Man #33 came out, and honestly? A lot of people online are calling it boring. Nothing really happens, they say. But I think that’s missing the point. This issue is quieter, sure, but it’s setting up something big (I hope).
Who Is Cormac Crane, Really?
The issue opens with Spider-Man asking around at the Daily Bugle, trying to get info on a guy named Cormac Crane. He even sprays the question “Who Is Cormac Crane?” onto a window with his webs, which is a kind of a public way to ask a private question, but that’s Spider-Man for you.
Remember… Cormac isn’t a random rich guy who showed up in May’s life. A couple of issues back, Marvel revealed that Cormac is May and Ben Parker’s biological son. Years ago, May and Ben were told their baby had died. Turns out that wasn’t true. The baby was swapped with another family and raised as Cormac Crane, with nobody knowing the truth until recently. A villain named Torment figured out the connection, Cormac got a DNA test to confirm it.
So when Cormac shows up in this issue, he already knows he’s May’s biological son, and he already knows Peter is Spider-Man. He promised to keep it a secret.
The Limo Ride and the Mansion
Cormac picks up May (and her boyfriend) in this fancy limo, basically an SUV and limo mashed together, stocked with snacks and champagne. Very extra, but that’s kind of Cormac’s whole deal. While they wait for May, Cormac chats with Peter and keeps dropping these little hints about Peter’s Spider-Man life. At one point
When May finally comes out, Cormac calls her “May,” not “Mom.” Small detail, but it says a lot. He’s still feeling her out. When police cars go flying down the street, Peter makes an excuse about a work emergency, and off he goes to suit up. May covers for him without even blinking, probably out of habit at this point. Cormac tells him “go get ’em, hero,” which is “funny” until you remember May is standing right there and has no idea what’s going on.
That’s what makes the whole thing uncomfortable: Cormac knows why Peter really left. May doesn’t.
After the fight (more on that in a second), the story jumps to Cormac’s mansion. He said he doesn’t know how many staff members he has. Ten or twelve, he’s not sure. Textiles have apparently been the family business since they came over from Ireland. He hands May two million dollars for FEAST, the charity she runs. Her boyfriend is visibly stunned by all the zeros.
Then there’s this small moment where a butler tries to serve Pete’s plate and Cormac waves him off, saying it’s just the three of them. It’s a tiny thing, and sure Peter isn’t there so why put the plate down, right?
Just the tree of them… the thing Peter has been fearing…
Meanwhile, Spider-Man Is Still Spider-Man
In between all the family drama, Peter fights Jack O’Lantern, and this time he gets help from the Department of Damage Control, a new pilot program. It’s a bit of a shift for Peter, who’s used to handling things solo. Having backup show up mid-fight throws him off a little.
Peter also swings by to check on his boss after she was hit hard during a recent incident involving a giant mushroom monster (yes, really). While there, we learn her son, Kenji, is dealing with cancer. Peter leaves with a promise to himself: he’s going to make things right with the people who got hurt while he was away being, well, Spider-Man elsewhere.
May Let’s Her Guard Down
Peter rushes back to May’s place just in time to catch her saying goodbye to Cormac. And she calls him “son.”
Peter clocks what that means right away. May is testing the waters. She’s letting herself get close to Cormac, and deep down she probably loves him like a son already. Peter turns and walks away before they can see him standing there. It’s another small moment, but it hits hard, especially once you remember Peter and Cormac are both keeping the same secret from her.
What’s Really Going On
Here’s why I don’t think this issue is filler. Amazing Spider-Man #1000 is coming up, and this feels like it’s laying groundwork for something big: May finding out about Spider-Man. Think about the irony here. Cormac, someone she just met, knows the truth. Peter, the person she raised, has kept it from her for years. If that comes out, and it feels like it has to eventually, it’s going to hurt in a way that goes beyond the usual “secret identity” drama.
There’s also something kind of poetic about Cormac having the stability that Peter’s never really managed to hold onto. Cormac’s got the money, the mansion, the easy charm. Peter’s got webs, guilt, and a habit of disappearing when police cars show up. Cormac isn’t subtle about any of it either. The limo, the two million dollars, not knowing his own staff count. Humble is not a word I’d use to describe this guy.
I mean, if Cormac has $2M to give to May, he could “sponsor” Peter “working” as Spider-Man. Peter wouldn’t have to worry about money again. But… that’s not Peter’s life is it?
There are still some real questions hanging out there.
- How exactly did the family that raised Cormac end up with him in the first place? Was that ever explained, or is it still a mystery?
- And what about earlier storylines, like Raelith, that this new family reveal seems to just skip past?
- If Peter’s trying to fix his life after everything that happened while he was away, this Cormac situation seems to be doing the opposite. Instead of simplifying things, it’s making everything more complicated.
So yeah, maybe nothing “explodes” in this issue. But sometimes the quiet issues are the ones setting up the biggest changes down the line.
Think about it in regards to your own relationships. Was it one big explosive thing that tore it apart… or all the little things quietly ignored, that exposed how weak the foundation was?
