Eva Green, hmm. Does that mean the thread is going to get renamed as "the undressing thread" now?
But back to the topic, I’m not as upset with Peter Parker revealing himself to the world as Spider-Man as I was, even though I still believe it was very out of character for him to do so, especially when you stack up 40 plus years of him trying to preserve his secret identity and that he has faced consequences when people did learn who he was. Perhaps it’s because, realistically, secret identities wouldn’t really last what with modern surveillance techniques and forensic science, and also because the world figuring out Peter was Spider-Man was bound to happen sooner or later. Apparently, the idea of Peter publicly known as Spider-Man, according to Howard Mackie, goes as far back as when David Micheline was doing the writing chores, except the editors at Marvel scraped the idea. You could even say Stan Lee did it first with ASM #12 where Doc Ock unmasked Spidey, as well as multiple times after that (and notice Stan always came up with a way for Peter to regain his secret ID).
Sure, there are great things happening like bringing back long time supporting characters and villains, Spidey being wanted by the authorities again, Peter no longer living rent free at Stark Tower, Spidey misunderstood by the public--all of which readers have been clamoring for quite some time. However, I feel that “Spider-Man Unmasked” has a far greater downside than it does benefits.
First of all, Peter Parker having a secret identity wasn’t just a trivial part of being a superhero, it was important to who he was as a character. The whole idea being Spider-Man was that, behind that mask, he was a relatively ordinary guy who faced similar problems most of us faced daily, which got complicated because he also led the life of a superhero. It short, he was always trying to balance himself between the two, and his having dual identities underscores that. By having all of Peter’s problems become Spider-Man’s problems, you’ve pretty much ruined that dynamic. Naturally, long time Spider-Man fans aren’t happy for this very reason.
Also, big changes like this have a way of confusing any new readers are coming onto the book, or even those who have been away from the book for awhile. If you look at the Clone Saga (notice that the things that generated it, a desire for Spidey to get “back-to-basics,” wanting Peter to be young and single, wanting more interaction with the supporting cast and villains, scapegoating Mary Jane, are exactly the same for the Unmasking) one of the big problems Marvel had was trying to explain what had happened previously to anyone just picking up the book after their new direction. These new readers kept asking “Who the hell is this Ben Reilly guy, and why is he wearing Spider-Man’s outfit?” Well, that’s likely going to happen again once Civil War and the new status quo for Spider-Man is established. Heck, Peter is dressing himself up as Ben Reilly to avoid the authorities, so you can be sure new readers are going to ask “Who the hell is this Ben Reilly guy, and why is he wearing Spider-Man’s outfit?” Too much complication tends to be a big turn off for potential new readers, which is what comics always say they want.
And finally, one of the arguments for the unmasking was that it opened up all kinds of “story possibilities.” Actually, given that this event was coupled with Civil War, there was essentially only one storyline:
1. Peter unmasks.
2. Long time supporting cast members and villains who didn’t know who he was react in shock, anger, and disbelief.
3. Peter’s level of respect by the public doesn’t change one iota because they never cared what Spider-Man’s real name was, they just saw him as simply Spider-Man, the hero, or Spider-Man, the menace.
4. Spidey and his family become constantly beset by villains.
5. Spidey sees the truth behind what registration really means.
6. Because of 4 and 5, Spidey realizes that he has made a stupid mistake in revealing his identity and turns from being pro-registration to anti-registration.
7. Because of 7, Spidey becomes a fugitive from justice and is wanted by the authorities.
8. One of his loved ones, either Aunt May or MJ, is seriously injured or killed as a result of all of the above.
9. Peter falls into a serious funk and becomes darker and edgier.
10. Something happens that will somehow make everyone forget that Peter and Spider-Man were ever one and the same, except they’ll remember that they did once upon a time did know or thought they knew, while Peter remembers everything.
Surprise, surprise, things appear to be following this exact storyline.
And the reason why number 10 is likely to happen eventually is because, in order for Spidey to maintain the same appeal he has had for over 45 years, which in part was his balancing his civilian life with that of a superhero, somehow, someway, Peter secret identity will be restored. However, considering how Peter unmasked, it’s very likely going to involve something truly outlandish, which of course will only aggravate those readers who actually like the unmasking.
As a result, you have a trifecta of anger and mass cancellation of the books among Spidey readers--long time fans because they fell the unmasking betrays the concept of the character, new and incoming readers because they fell hopelessly lost, and the Spidey-fans who like the unmasking because they'll see it as a cop-out. It happened with the Clone Saga and it appears that the unmasking could make this potentially happen again.
