Comics WhaT iF? Aunt May had died from the snipers bullet?

[Donald Thomas]

Aloha,
I'd like to propose a What If?
What If? Aunt May had died from the sniper's bullet? To me, most people are focusing on Mephisto rather than what brought Mephisto into the mix. MJ knew that had Aunt May died, the man and the marriage that she had would be OVER!!! Peter Parker lives with eternal GUILT as a result of not stopping the crook who later killed Uncle Ben. Had Aunt May died from the bullet meant for him, there would be No consoling him. He would be Punisher times 10!What he did to the Kingpin would be light stuff compared to what he'd do to crooks from then on. MJ knew this.Only when Peter had exhausted EVERY possible solution to save Aunt May did Mephisto rear his ugly head(typical of the devil). Peter went to every genius in the MU-hero and villian as well as Dr. Strange.NO ONE could help Aunt May.So when he was at his lowest,most hopeless time, that's when the devil came to them with the deal.MJ went along with that deal,knowing that Peter Parker would never be able to live with the grief,anger and guilt of Aunt Mays passing and neither she nor anyone else would ever be able to live with him as a result.
Your thoughts?What If? Aunt May had died from the sniper's bullet?
Spidey rules

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

Aloha,
I'd like to propose a What If?
What If? Aunt May had died from the sniper's bullet?

Peter wouldn't have become the Punisher. He would have been in mourning, but eventually dealt with it like a man, like he did after ASM#400.

There is nothing that could make Peter the Punisher. You either have the capacity to be a ruthless killer or you don't. He has done things in fits of rage like thrown the pumpkin bomb bag at Green Goblin's gut after he killed Ben, beat up Kingpin within an inch of his life and went berserk after his parents were proven to be robots and he was "proven" to be a clone. But he always gets back his balance and comes to his senses in the end. There's nothing that can permanently snap him. He's a stronger man than the Punisher. That's why he's my hero. I loved Ben Reilly's line to Gaunt/Robot-Master in 'Revelations'. Something along the lines of "I wish I could kill you, but I can't. I'm not the Punisher. In case you didn't recognize the costume, the name's Spider-Man." Sums it up perfectly.

 

[Joker]

Exactly. He probably would have nearly killed the Kingpin, at the last moment realized what he was doing, and had another nervous breakdown, like after Gwen died. But he'd eventually move on.

 

[Blader5489]

Peter wouldn't have become the Punisher. He would have been in mourning, but eventually dealt with it like a man, like he did after ASM#400.

That is not nearly the same situation. If it's one thing for your elderly aunt to die of natural causes, it's an entirely other thing for her to be killed by a sniper whose bullet was meant for you and not her.

I said it in the other thread, but I'll repeat it here: I believe that had May died in OMD, it would have set off the chain-of-events leading to the future we see in ASM #500.

Exactly. He probably would have nearly killed the Kingpin, at the last moment realized what he was doing, and had another nervous breakdown, like after Gwen died. But he'd eventually move on.

But how many times can that happen? How many times can Peter lose friends and loved ones, as a result of his own actions, before he finally can't take it anymore?

 

[kguillou]

Good point Blader. I believe that even the best of us have breaking points.

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

That is not nearly the same situation. If it's one thing for your elderly aunt to die of natural causes, it's an entirely other thing for her to be killed by a sniper whose bullet was meant for you and not her.

I said it in the other thread, but I'll repeat it here: I believe that had May died in OMD, it would have set off the chain-of-events leading to the future we see in ASM #500.



But how many times can that happen? How many times can Peter lose friends and loved ones, as a result of his own actions, before he finally can't take it anymore?

Discounting Uncle Ben.... Gwen Stacy. Harry Osborn. Ned Leeds. Captain Stacy. Ben Reilly. HIS OWN BABY! And others I'm not remembering right now.

All people who arguably died because OF the existence of Spider-Man.

None made him a Punisher-like killer. Like The Joker said, Peter would have gone momentarily nuts (as we've seen happen in the aftermath of Gwen Stacy's death, Jean DeWolff's murder, "Pursuit", "Maximum Clonage" and "Back in Black"), but eventually he ALWAYS COMES BACK TO HIS SENSES.

He is not a muderer. It's not in his DNA. This "everyone has a limit" crap sounds like something pulled from a bad 80's action movie. Peter's limit has been pushed at every turn and while he has had lapses, he always shows why he's the good guy in the end. There is no way, no how, Spider-Man in ANY 'What-If' existence becomes the "Punisher times 10" as the OP suggested. He has shown a rash ability to lash out in moments of passion (such as his brutal beatings of the Sin-Eater, the Kingpin and his throwing of the pumpkin bombs at Norman as I mentioned before), but that mentality is not a consistent one. There's nothing that can permanently push him off the precipice.

 

[Blader5489]

There is no way, no how, Spider-Man in ANY 'What-If' existence becomes the "Punisher times 10" as the OP suggested.

Well, that is incorrect. As I mentioned before, in the future we see in ASM #500, Spider-Man is being hunted by the police, and it's implied that it's because he killed somebody (presumably the Kingpin, as Spidey is standing over Aunt May's grave during this scene; and we know Peter promised to kill Fisk if May died).

"Everyone has a limit" isn't some 80s one-liner, its pretty basic psychology. You can also take so much abuse before you snap. I think the reason Spider-Man always came back to his senses is because he always had something to return to. But that's really not the case in OMD; he doesn't have some bright and cheery world, filled with friends and family, that he can go back to. He doesn't have a home; his only allies are an underground group of fugitives; and he can't even give his aunt the dignity of a proper funeral. I find it harder to imagine that all of this, coupled with the responsibility for his aunt's death, wouldn't push Peter over the edge.

Spider-Man may not be a cold, calculating murderer but I think it's very possible for him to lash out on someone and perhaps beat that person to death without even realizing it. Would he become the Punisher? No. But second-degree murder? Very possible, I think, given the circumstances.

 

[Donald Thomas]

Exactly. He probably would have nearly killed the Kingpin, at the last moment realized what he was doing, and had another nervous breakdown, like after Gwen died. But he'd eventually move on.

Aloha,
You speak of having a nervous breakdown like it was a bad cold . That's a mental condition that takes some time and therapy to get over.And it's NOT initailly treated on an Out patient basis.Actually, the term is not used anymore in mental health. You are hospitalized for a Pychotic episode(nervous breakdown).Peter Parker is an EVERYMAN. Everyman,every human being has a breaking point. So either Peter would have agreed to be hospitalized with the world knowing that he was Spider-Man or he would have refused treatment and continued on as a psychotic super hero, filled with rage,anger and depression.Could MJ have lived with a person like that?
Spidey rules

 

[Donald Thomas]

Discounting Uncle Ben.... Gwen Stacy. Harry Osborn. Ned Leeds. Captain Stacy. Ben Reilly. HIS OWN BABY! And others I'm not remembering right now.

All people who arguably died because OF the existence of Spider-Man.

None made him a Punisher-like killer. Like The Joker said, Peter would have gone momentarily nuts (as we've seen happen in the aftermath of Gwen Stacy's death, Jean DeWolff's murder, "Pursuit", "Maximum Clonage" and "Back in Black"), but eventually he ALWAYS COMES BACK TO HIS SENSES.

He is not a muderer. It's not in his DNA. This "everyone has a limit" crap sounds like something pulled from a bad 80's action movie. Peter's limit has been pushed at every turn and while he has had lapses, he always shows why he's the good guy in the end. There is no way, no how, Spider-Man in ANY 'What-If' existence becomes the "Punisher times 10" as the OP suggested. He has shown a rash ability to lash out in moments of passion (such as his brutal beatings of the Sin-Eater, the Kingpin and his throwing of the pumpkin bombs at Norman as I mentioned before), but that mentality is not a consistent one. There's nothing that can permanently push him off the precipice.

Aloha,
Again, you think of Peter Parker as someone other than a Human being(comic book human being of course). You do realize that the suicide rate for our current Iraq and Aphganistan veterens is one of the highest in history? These are men and women. Not Supermen and SuperWomen. Peter Parker is a super powered Human being.
Spidey rules

 

[farmernudie]

Spidey didn't kill anyone when Uncle Ben was murdered....and his life ended prematurely.

Which is more so if his now QUITE elderly aunt may had died.....sure he'd be mad....just like with Uncle Ben. But would he murder? Nahhhh.

Aunt May has now lived a nice long life. It'd be tragic but if written well....(like #400)...Pete would cope like we all do.

Sure, he might put a beat down on Kingpin like in BIB, but no murder.

The same way Peter would cope, like the rest of us would with death....Peter would also not, if written properly, stake the life of his beloved on the power of the devil.

 

[Donald Thomas]

Spidey didn't kill anyone when Uncle Ben was murdered....and his life ended prematurely.

Which is more so if his now QUITE elderly aunt may had died.....sure he'd be mad....just like with Uncle Ben. But would he murder? Nahhhh.

Aunt May has now lived a nice long life. It'd be tragic but if written well....(like #400)...Pete would cope like we all do.

Sure, he might put a beat down on Kingpin like in BIB, but no murder.

The same way Peter would cope, like the rest of us would with death....Peter would also not, if written properly, stake the life of his beloved on the power of the devil.

Aloha,
Imaginary scenario.
You go to school or work and have an argument with a person. You come home, that person follows you and sees you in the window. They take a shot at you. The bullet misses you and kills your mother.What would you do?
Peter Parker has seen numerous people die as a result of his perceived actions or inactions.How much do you think he could bear? Tony Stark with ALL of his billions couldn't prevent depression and alcoholism. I stated forget Mephisto,OMD/BND,magical mind wipe of his secret.Aunt May dies from a bullet meant for him. While writing this,I got a call from Hospice. My mother recently died and I said to the person how some people don't understand that you just don't GET OVER personal lose. Peter would have been DEVASTATED by this final lose of people close to him as a result of being Spider-Man.Go back and Read Back in Black.Had Aunt May died, Peter Parker would have been NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!
Spidey rules

 

[farmernudie]

Yeh, so when Aunt May eventually is allowed to die and Pete runs out of deals that he can make with satan to elongate his elderly aunts life....he'll go psycho and no more Mr. nice guy.

Oy.

Sure he'd be mad if she died. But he didn't go psycho when she WAS shot this time.

Pete never once complained because he LOVED his AUNT.

His actual problem with it was that he felt it was HIS FAULT and DIDN"T WANT THE GUILT. It had NOTHING to do with love. What a dope he is being portrayed as.

People make Pete out to be some mentally awkard person with mental instability. Who else in the MArvel universe has ALREADY gone thru SO MUCH and is SO RESPONSIBLE??

Or is SUPPOSED to be responsible, when written well.

 

[Doc_OCK_4MUGEN]

I believe That Peter would've gone into another "I AM THE SPIDER" mood and become more agressive (like beating the crap of common thugs and supervillains more regularly) before eventually returning to his usual self. By the time he's recovered from May's loss he notices that MJ has left him cause of this.

I would've preffered anything other than "I AM THE DEVIL! I WILL FIX YOUR PROBLEMS IN EXCHANGE OF YOUR MARRIAGE, IF THE WIFE ADDS SOMETHING ELSE IN RETURN I'LL MAKE YOU A HAPPY GUY..."

 

[Donald Thomas]

I believe That Peter would've gone into another "I AM THE SPIDER" mood and become more agressive (like beating the crap of common thugs and supervillains more regularly) before eventually returning to his usual self. By the time he's recovered from May's loss he notices that MJ has left him cause of this.

I would've preffered anything other than "I AM THE DEVIL! I WILL FIX YOUR PROBLEMS IN EXCHANGE OF YOUR MARRIAGE, IF THE WIFE ADDS SOMETHING ELSE IN RETURN I'LL MAKE YOU A HAPPY GUY..."

Aloha,
I was waiting for someone to remember that time within his life. But I'm still trying to figure out how Loki changing things would have been so much more acceptable to some than Mephisto. Many on these boards thought that the reboot was going to be done by Loki. But according to Marvel, these guys are Soul Brothers!
According to Marvel.com-Loki-Occupation
God of evil; former god of mischief and madness
Mephisto-Mephisto once stole the soul of Odin while he was in his Odinsleep, and Loki possessed Odin's form, but Odin ultimately reclaimed his body and Mephisto took Loki's soul, his true goal all along. After months in Hell, Loki's spirit eventually escaped.
When reading up on Mephisto it seems , this is not his first attempt at Spidey nor has there many humans who have been able to single handedly escape his evil.
And as someone said, you can never make a deal with the devil (evil) and things turn out okay. Down the line there will be something else within this bargain.
Spidey rules

 

[Doc_OCK_4MUGEN]

But there was the Loki-debt thing which would've made some sense continuity-wise even with the continuity alterations (Living Harry, Unmarried Pete and MJ, etc.)... some of us would've complained, (as we mostly do) BUT it would've made sense cause Loki is known for being a trickster and causing mischief... (although some good has come out of that, like The Avengers)

 

[Donald Thomas]

But there was the Loki-debt thing which would've made some sense continuity-wise even with the continuity alterations (Living Harry, Unmarried Pete and MJ, etc.)... some of us would've complained, (as we mostly do) BUT it would've made sense cause Loki is known for being a trickster and causing mischief... (although some good has come out of that, like The Avengers)

Aloha,
Seems that Mephisto has a score to settle with Spidey from back when.
Marvel.com
With at least one rival neutralized, Mephisto sought other means of increasing his power. When the godlike Beyonder came to Earth seeking understanding of humanity, Mephisto attempted to sway him by offering his own warped view of mortals, sending Zarathos to test Spider-Man's morality. When Mephisto tricked the herald of Galactus, Nova, into becoming more bloodthirsty in her duties, the Silver Surfer and Galactus both opposed the demon. Galactus and Mephisto engaged in a cosmos-shaking battle that left the Hell-Lord badly beaten. More failed attempts to gain the Medallion of Power followed, as well a brief period in which Mephisto served as an advisor to Thanos, who then held the Infinity Gauntlet. Mephisto lied to Thanos about his origins, linking them to the Infinity Gems, in the hopes of gaining the villain's trust. Thule's Eye of Force eventually achieved its goal, opening a portal to the "Vril," only for them to be revealed as Mephisto's demon elite. Mephisto devoured Thule as payment, but his intended invasion of Earth was thwarted by Cloak and Dagger, Spider-Man, and Ghost Rider (Dan Ketch).

So Mephisto has been looking to settle a score with Spidey No Prize to the person who can name the title and issues that this Spidey,C & D and GR event took place in.
Spidey rules

 

[moraldeficiency]

Aloha,
I'd like to propose a What If?
What If? Aunt May had died from the sniper's bullet? To me, most people are focusing on Mephisto rather than what brought Mephisto into the mix. MJ knew that had Aunt May died, the man and the marriage that she had would be OVER!!! Peter Parker lives with eternal GUILT as a result of not stopping the crook who later killed Uncle Ben. Had Aunt May died from the bullet meant for him, there would be No consoling him. He would be Punisher times 10!What he did to the Kingpin would be light stuff compared to what he'd do to crooks from then on. MJ knew this.Only when Peter had exhausted EVERY possible solution to save Aunt May did Mephisto rear his ugly head(typical of the devil). Peter went to every genius in the MU-hero and villian as well as Dr. Strange.NO ONE could help Aunt May.So when he was at his lowest,most hopeless time, that's when the devil came to them with the deal.MJ went along with that deal,knowing that Peter Parker would never be able to live with the grief,anger and guilt of Aunt Mays passing and neither she nor anyone else would ever be able to live with him as a result.
Your thoughts?What If? Aunt May had died from the sniper's bullet?
Spidey rules

While it is possible to have pete snap, for him to become the punisher times ten you'd pretty much have to sit Pete down and slowly kill everyone he's ever loved before his eyes horrifically then maybe. But for his older aunt that's asked him to just let her die, I don't think that would have some violent countershift. BiB was done up as a counterpoint for OMD so it played up the darker more brutal Pete, but no chance that attitude would have lasted. If pete was able to handle his uncle's death back when he was a teenager that's nothing but hormones and rage and he didn't go postal then, then there's no chance he would at this point in life, especially not when he still had a family and friends to lean on for support.

I think all that Pete can't live with it grief is just bs. Spider-Man started out dealing with grief and guilt, it was one of his defining characteristics. If May died Pete would have been pissed but I doubt he'd be doing her memory any tribute by killing a bunch of people, that would be the last thing May would want and Pete knows this. He's a hero because he can deal with this and a bunch of other crap in his life without taking the easy way out, for him to go back on everything he's stood for because his old aunt that's died before and begged Pete to let her go finally died again? That doesn't really seem right to me at all.

MJ only agreed to the whole thing because Joey Q took over and had her agree to it. JMS has said many times he didn't like MJ doing that at all, it's not in character, either hers' or Petes'.

 

[Blader5489]

MJ only agreed to the whole thing because Joey Q took over and had her agree to it. JMS has said many times he didn't like MJ doing that at all, it's not in character, either hers' or Petes'.

I don't think he has ever said that once.

 

[moraldeficiency]

I don't think he has ever said that once.

Ask and you shall recieve:

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=141756

JMS-
It made no sense to me.

Still doesn't. It's sloppy. It violates every rule of writing fiction of the fantastic that I and every other SF/Fantasy writer knows you can't violate. It's fantasy 101.

It troubled me that it's MJ and not Peter who is the one to actively make the decision.

 

[Brand]

Ask and you shall recieve:

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=141756

JMS-
It made no sense to me.

Still doesn't. It's sloppy. It violates every rule of writing fiction of the fantastic that I and every other SF/Fantasy writer knows you can't violate. It's fantasy 101.

It troubled me that it's MJ and not Peter who is the one to actively make the decision.

I'd never noticed that before. I'd always paid more attention to the "magical retcon with no explanation" aspect of that article than what JMS said about MJ making the decision. Nice catch.

 

[Donald Thomas]

I'd never noticed that before. I'd always paid more attention to the "magical retcon with no explanation" aspect of that article than what JMS said about MJ making the decision. Nice catch.

Aloha,
So you would have been more comfortable with...
Quesada went on to explain that Straczynski’s original conclusion for “One More Day” wasn't what Quesada and Marvel were expecting and would have negatively affected the upcoming “Brand New Day” issues of Amazing Spider-Man, which were already underway.

Quesada also explained that he wasn’t comfortable with Straczynski’s method of retconning the marriage out of existence, saying: “Also, the science that Joe was going to apply to the retcon of the marriage would have made over 30 years of Spider-Man books worthless, because they never would have had happened. We would have also had a "Crisis" in the Marvel Universe because it would have reset way too many things outside of the Spider-Man titles. We just couldn't go there and in the end we weren't expecting that kind of story.

“I also think fans are misreading what Joe meant by disagreeing with the story. When we came up with the idea and methodology behind "One More Day," Joe was a part of the group that came up with the story. When we were done and felt we had it nailed, Joe told me that he was going to cycle off of Amazing Spider-Man and that he wanted to move on to other stuff. I told Joe that it was his call: He could close out his Amazing Spider-Man run however he wanted, or he could end it with the story we all created for "One More Day." He said he really wanted to write "One More Day." So Joe never said anything that indicated he disagreed with Peter and MJ's marriage being dissolved. If he had disagreed with the idea, he certainly would have told us and he certainly would not have asked to write the story. So like I said, I think people were reading into his on-line comments as opposed what I believe he was saying.”

Earlier in the week, Newsarama had contacted Straczynski to see if he would be willing to talk about “One More Day,” now that the storyline had concluded. He declined.

Yesterday, in part three of CBR’s interview with Quesada, the E-i-C further discussed the changes that were made to Straczynski’s original storyline, saying that when he, Axel Alonso and Tom Brevoort received the script for part four: “the script we had just received was not the one we were expecting, and the events that were being set forth in that issue were going to conflict with the work that was already being done on “Brand New Day.” I thought that perhaps Joe had forgotten some of the stuff discussed at the summit meetings and the subsequent e-mails and discussions that followed, but that didn’t seem to be the case; this was the story he wanted to tell. In his story, Mephisto was going to change continuity from as far back as issues #96-98 from 1971. In Joe’s story, Peter drops the dime on Harry, and that helps get him into rehab right away. Consequently, MJ stays with Harry, and Gwen never dies and never has her affair with Norman, etc., etc. And in the end, Peter and MJ are never married.”

To Quesada, that solution discounted every issue of Amazing Spider-Man since that 1971 story arc, and by doing that, would have caused far-reaching and unmanageable changes throughout the larger Marvel Universe. “In other words, there was just no way to tell Joe’s story without blowing up the entire Marvel U and every Spider-Man’s fan’s collection,” Quesada said.

I'll take what we got over that ANYDAY.
Spidey rules

 

[Donald Thomas]

Yeh, so when Aunt May eventually is allowed to die and Pete runs out of deals that he can make with satan to elongate his elderly aunts life....he'll go psycho and no more Mr. nice guy.

Oy.

Sure he'd be mad if she died. But he didn't go psycho when she WAS shot this time.

Pete never once complained because he LOVED his AUNT.

His actual problem with it was that he felt it was HIS FAULT and DIDN"T WANT THE GUILT. It had NOTHING to do with love. What a dope he is being portrayed as.

People make Pete out to be some mentally awkard person with mental instability. Who else in the MArvel universe has ALREADY gone thru SO MUCH and is SO RESPONSIBLE??

Or is SUPPOSED to be responsible, when written well.

Aloha,
Here's where I will always go to the mat with you. No One on this Earth means more to Peter Parker than his Aunt May. She is the ONLY MOTHER he has ever known. The guilt that you are refering to is the last straw in a LIFE TIME OF GUILT that he has lived with since the death of Uncle Ben. When people say, well he didn't go psycho after Uncle Ben, they forget that from that day EVERY DAY since that day, he carries the GUILT of his inaction. He carries the GUILT of Gwen Stacy and her father. The GUILT of all of the countless people that he blames himself for not being able to save in time.How much of that do you think he or anyone else could bear?Tony Starks Billions couldn't prevent him from depression and alcoholism.Police,fireman and soldiers are for the most part, brave,moral and upright human beings, yet under the day to day pressures of their jobs, many fall victim to depression,spouse abuse,drug addiction and acts of violence out of character for them other wise.When did Peter Parker go from EVERYMAN to SUPERMAN?

Spidey rules

 

[Brand]

Aloha,
So you would have been more comfortable with...

<snip>

My first choice would be no retcon at all. I was just congratulating moraldeficiency for catching a part of that article that I, and apparently some others, had missed before now.

That said, you failed to mention JMS' response (his rebuttal to JQ's claims). This is what he had to say about his ending:

What I wanted to do was to make one small change to history, a tiny thing, whose ripples we could control to only touch what editorial wanted to touch, making changes we could explain logically. I worked for weeks to come up with a timeline that would leave every other bit of continuity in place. It was rigorous, and as logical as I could make it. In the end of OMD as published, Harry is alive and he's always been alive as far as the characters know...so how is that different than he was alive the whole time?

Also, the reason JMS responded with this email after initially declining was because JQ and company proceeded to say how bad the JMS ending would have been and, thus, that the JQ ending was much better.

I wouldn't have been happy with either of these outcomes, but I feel that the JMS ending would have been the lesser of two evils for several reasons.

1) It retcons Sins Past. I can't believe JQ is so dead-set to keep this story in-continuity, and I feel bad for JMS that he got stuck holding the bag on this.

2) I think it would have been better to go back a bit farther and have everything that changed carefully plotted out (as JMS said he did). That Marvel is now saying they've changed history from several years in the past (Marvel time) yet "nothing's changed" (except baby May, of course ) is beyond stupid. If I ever met one of the people behind this and was asked, I wouldn't hesitate to tell him or her how utterly illogical and ridiculous the entire premise is.

Basically, I'd prefer a slightly bigger retcon that had been plotted out than this slightly smaller one that's just being made up as the writers go along, not to mention the other massive holes I see in BND (some of which very well could have been present in JMS' version, too). Regardless, I wouldn't have been a happy Spidey reader after OMD one way or the other.

 

[Brand]

Aloha,
Here's where I will always go to the mat with you. No One on this Earth means more to Peter Parker than his Aunt May. She is the ONLY MOTHER he has ever known. The guilt that you are refering to is the last straw in a LIFE TIME OF GUILT that he has lived with since the death of Uncle Ben. When people say, well he didn't go psycho after Uncle Ben, they forget that from that day EVERY DAY since that day, he carries the GUILT of his inaction. He carries the GUILT of Gwen Stacy and her father. The GUILT of all of the countless people that he blames himself for not being able to save in time.How much of that do you think he or anyone else could bear?Tony Starks Billions couldn't prevent him from depression and alcoholism.Police,fireman and soldiers are for the most part, brave,moral and upright human beings, yet under the day to day pressures of their jobs, many fall victim to depression,spouse abuse,drug addiction and acts of violence out of character for them other wise.When did Peter Parker go from EVERYMAN to SUPERMAN?

Spidey rules

Here's where I'd have to disagree with you. In the early days, yes--Aunt May was the most important person in Peter's life. However, MJ came to hold a place just as equally important in his heart. Ignoring the farce that was OMD, Peter would never be able to choose between the two.

Of course, that's all moot now. So, NOW, Aunt May is the most important person in Peter's life. Just as all those closest to him are pushed away (bye-bye, Felicia, Matt, Johnny . . .), MJ has gone from "love of his life" to "the ex." Kinda sad. Between that and the words from editorial about no more losses in the supporting cast, I don't think Peter has to worry about bearing any more loss. I guess the biggest threat to those characters are some sort of injury/sickness now, since anything fatal is off the table. It seems like things would get awfully dull if the characters were made completely safe.

 

[Donald Thomas]

Here's where I'd have to disagree with you. In the early days, yes--Aunt May was the most important person in Peter's life. However, MJ came to hold a place just as equally important in his heart. Ignoring the farce that was OMD, Peter would never be able to choose between the two.

Of course, that's all moot now. So, NOW, Aunt May is the most important person in Peter's life. Just as all those closest to him are pushed away (bye-bye, Felicia, Matt, Johnny . . .), MJ has gone from "love of his life" to "the ex." Kinda sad. Between that and the words from editorial about no more losses in the supporting cast, I don't think Peter has to worry about bearing any more loss. I guess the biggest threat to those characters are some sort of injury/sickness now, since anything fatal is off the table. It seems like things would get awfully dull if the characters were made completely safe.

\
Aloha,
Of course a man will leave his mother and cling to his wife. Peter no exception, but to say that he does not Love Aunt May like a son loves his mother is an incredible insult.
Spidey rules