Quick refresher before we start: Peter Parker has three unusual roommates who came into his life during a space adventure a while back: Raelith, an alien woman who’s had feelings for Peter for a while now; Glitch, a robotic alien companion; and Symbie, another alien member of their little found family.
On top of that, May Parker (Peter’s aunt, who raised him) recently found out she has a biological son she never knew about, a guy named Cormac Crane. That reveal shook up Peter and May’s relationship, since Peter has always thought of himself as her son in every way that matters.
Spider-Man Keeps Dodging Aunt May
The issue starts with Spider-Man staying busy. Like, suspiciously busy. He’s out doing his usual hero stuff, but he’s also clearly avoiding Aunt May. He keeps this up for a few weeks straight. Meanwhile, May is talking things over with Ric, her boyfriend, who gently asks her if she’s learned her lesson, since Peter tends to pull away when he’s hurting.
Let’s be clear: Peter is acting immaturely. He’s so caught up in his own feelings and insecurities, he’s not realistically considering May’s. It is out of character for May to stop loving Peter as a son. A mother doesn’t stop loving their first child if she has a second. To be fair, his insecurities might be coming from his inability to successfully manage his responsibilities.
Training With Luke Cage
From there we switch to Spider-Man (suited up) working out with Luke Cage. The two of them talk about Damage Control, the ones who show up after a big superhero fight to patch up buildings and handle the mess. Spider-Man actually likes working with them. He feels like they step in early and stop small problems from turning into disasters.
Luke isn’t so sure that’s a good thing, and points out Spider-Man usually doesn’t like working with others. Spider-Man admits working with Damage Control is one of the only parts of his life that feels semi under control right now.
Coming Home to a Full House
Next we’re back at Peter’s apartment, where Raelith, Glitch, Peter, and Symbie are talking about heading to the circus. Peter’s got his Spider-Man suit on, minus the mask, just relaxing at home. Raelith can’t quite get over how casual Peter is about it, since it’s billed as “The Greatest Show on Earth.”
The doorbell rings. It’s May, and she’s using her key to let herself in. She calls out asking if Peter’s decent, and Peter yells back that he’s very much not (he’s still half in costume). May brushes it off, saying it’s nothing she hasn’t seen before. Luckily, Glitch can project holograms, so he quickly makes it look like Peter’s in regular clothes (and the apartment looks normal) before May walks in.
The Conversation That Needed to Happen
May tells Peter that the last time he pulled away from her, it nearly broke her. Peter explains himself: now that she has a real biological son in Cormac, he figured he should step back and let her build that relationship without him in the way. He wanted her to have that happiness after everything she’s been through.
May shuts that down immediately, and it’s honestly a great moment. She tells Peter that while she’d like to get to know Cormac, Peter is the son she’s always wanted. He’s the one she raised, day by day, and no one, not Cormac, not anyone, is replacing that. They hug it out, and you can practically feel Peter’s insecurity melt away.
May even apologizes for not realizing sooner how much Peter needed to hear that from her. They make plans to have dinner together later that night. Raelith, who clearly loves Aunt May, jokingly warns Peter that if he ever disappoints May, she’ll break his spine. Peter just says “deal,” and they hug too.
I love the art in this issue. I noticed the difference in the way he hugged May and Raelith. When he hugged May, her arms were over his shoulders. Peter embraces her like she’s part of his soul – which she is. She looks so small in his arms. The image shows the relief they are both feeling.
Raelith, on the other hand, shows comfort and calmness in the middle of chaos. But, it’s a different type of comfort. Raelith knows Peter’s secret. She provides a different type of comfort. As much as Peter loves May, he can’t let his guard down around her and be himself because of the choice he made not to tell her he’s Spider-Man.
The irony is not lost on me: the effort it takes to keep secrets from May vs. Raelith naturally learns more about the “real” Peter.
Everything Falls Apart
Agent Griffyn contacts Spider-Man about an emergency. Turns out Gwen Stacy, who fights crime as Ghost-Spider, has caused a bunch of destruction, and Spider-Man can barely process it. This isn’t like her at all.
When he tracks her down, Gwen actually attacks, hitting him hard enough that it would have killed a regular person. Then, just as suddenly, she snaps out of whatever was happening to her. She has no memory of doing any of it, but she can see the damage she caused all around her. Peter tells her to “breathe” to calm down because she, understandably, starts to freak out.
With Gwen back to herself, the group shifts to stabilizing the scene so nobody else gets hurt. Griffyn wants to take Gwen into custody right there, but Spider-Man isn’t having it. Backing him up, Anya Corazon (Araña/Spider-Girl), Cindy Moon (Silk) and Miles Morales make it clear they’re ready to fight to protect Gwen if it comes to that.
While this chaos is happening, Peter’s phone keeps buzzing. It’s May, calling again and again, and he keeps declining the call so he can deal with the situation in front of him.
A Phone Call That Changes Everything
Trying to de-escalate things, Peter suggests Gwen head to the Baxter Building, home of the Fantastic Four, where Johnny Storm and the other visiting Spider-heroes can keep an eye on her. But Gwen says she’d rather go see Norman Osborn instead. Peter tells her to contact him once she’s with Norman.
Griffyn still isn’t satisfied and keeps pushing to take Gwen into custody, so he and Peter go back and forth on it. May calls again. Peter declines again. Finally, Peter tells Griffyn flat out that he takes full responsibility for Gwen, but Griffyn isn’t backing down easily. Spider-Man tells him this next call is one he actually has to take, and speaking as Peter now, he answers the phone and tells May, affectionately, that he can’t talk right now.
Except it’s not May on the line. It’s Ric, and he’s calling to say May has had a stroke. Peter needs to get to the hospital immediately.
And that’s where the issue ends, with a note that the story continues in Amazing Spider-Man #1000 (legacy numbering).
So… we know we’ll be leaping into what caused Gwen to lose it in the next story arc. Along with what happens with May. I’m going to be honest, and this might sound cold hearted, but I won’t be sad if May passes away.
One of the things, in my opinion, that holds Peter back is the hoops he has to jump through trying to keep his dual life secret. It would be horrible if an enemy finds out about May and uses her as leverage. It would be natural for May to pass away from natural causes, especially after her and Peter had such a touching moment.
And… they did just have a profitable Spider-Man movie where May is deceased so… it kind of fits, doesn’t it?
Anyway, I’m curious about Spider-Man evolving without May. There are endless opportunities. Cormac already knows Peter is Spider-Man and… I think it is better that May passes on without knowing both him and Peter were hiding it from her.
Wouldn’t it be an interesting plot twist if she passes away and Ric makes it known May already knew Peter was Spider-Man? It gives Peter something to feel guilty about (he rarely has peace). I mean… when May came into the apartment saying “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before” what if she was talking about his Spidey outfit and not his nudity? What if she discovered it years ago?
