If You Wrote Comics: Spider-Man

[The Dying Detective]

Well after much thought I decided to pull the trigger and make an If You Wrote Comics thread for everyone's favourite wall crawler Spider-Man. Yes just imagine if you had been given the keys to the kingdom by Marvel and had full reign to do anything you want with Spider-Man, his supporting cast, and his rogues gallery. As well the other Spider-Man related character like Miles Morales, Jessica Drew etc. As always feel free to express your ideas and maybe find a new direction for Spider-Man to give him new life and fix a few problems besides undoing One More Day because 99% of the fanbase obviously wants that.

[Miles To Go]

Restore MJ's interest in psychology for a start, maybe also restore her acting gig

Restore Peter and MJ's missing daughter to the canon and build to a Parker family reunion.

Have 616 Peter and MJ meet the RYV versions

Peter's current science editor role is a decent fit, I wouldn't mind Robbie giving him some more aggressive mentoring and grooming him to take more active participation in the day to day runnings of the paper. Peter could ascend to editor in time.

Speaking further of Robbie, just have him reveal he knows who Peter is.

[Celgress]

Where to start, there are so many problems. Here are my top ten ideas -

1.) Peter gets a new job that uses his skills as a scientist. As a result, he rebuilds his tarnished reputation.

2.) A concentration on side stories for the classic supporting cast which in turn leads to conflict and drama between Peter's two lives.

3.) No more goofy, semi-incompetent Spider-Man. Let Peter have a few wins on his own for a change.

4.) No more depending on the razzle-dazzle of frequent major events. Bring back a concentration on storytelling and slow buildups.

5.) Minimize the over the top, sitcom humor.

6.) Have Peter & MJ learn the truth about the infamous Deal. Have Peter gain a win over Mephisto somehow. However, there should be no immediate reunion between Peter & MJ. Rather let them deal with the ramifications of what happened and develop their relationship organically. Perhaps, for example, they decide their romance is toxic and thus go their separate way. But some resolution is required.

7.) Peter and Felicia become friends again by repairing their relationship. I would also have them become more than friends maybe even get engaged then the OMD reveal happens to cause massive drama as it throws a monkey wrench into everything. Perhaps a villain like Norman Osborn could be responsible as a way to destroy Peter's now happy life?

8.) Restore Doc Ock's memories of his time as Superior Spider-Man. Develop the character into an edgy anti-hero who constantly struggles to do the right thing. Also, revisit his relationship with Anna Maria. I loved their dynamic.

9.) Absolutely no more clones (other than Ben and Kaine) or clone relation events.

10.) Take a break from Symbiote events unless there is a damn good reason for one.

[Rob London]

Buy a set of Safari Cards and come up with a bunch of new animal villains. I love animal villains.

[blackspidey2099]

1) Peter and MJ get back together.

2) Peter quits his boring science editor job and works with Reed Richards as the lead scientist on the Future Foundation (both to mentor the young scientists as well as to discover and invent crazy things for his own love of learning). As the original teen super-genius, he's the perfect fit to mentor these new kid scientists. Reed sometimes mentors Peter but not super often since he's more busy with the Fantastic Four's adventures. No one other than the Fantastic Four members know that Peter is also Spider-Man. He can also make tech for being Spider-Man, but he needs to be careful since he doesn't want the kids to learn his secret identity.

3) Peter is treated more as the veteran hero he is.

4) Mary Jane goes back to her job as a nightclub owner.

5) Mary Jane and Peter develop even better relationships with the Fantastic Four.

6) Have a satellite title which focuses on Mary Jane, Peter's friends at the Bugle, and Peter's/Spider-Man's relationship with them.

7) Bring back a Spider-Man 2099 title with the focus on Miguel trying to make 2100 a brighter future. Peter or him can also build interdimensional/temporal communicators so they can be in contact at times.

8) Miles gets a new superhero alias and takes on the more traditional "rookie hero" stuff for Spider-Man

9) After being beaten by Spider-Man again and having it be proven again that he isn't as smart as he thinks he is, Peter convinces Doc Ock to try being a hero again. So Doc Ock becomes more of an anti-hero.

10) Somehow make Eddie Anti-Venom again and Flash Venom again.

11) Flash learns Peter's identity and they become closer friends.

12) Spider-Man gets his own team like a new version of the Future Foundation where he's basically the leader and scientist for the team. There can be a mix of characters Peter is friends with (ex. Human Torch, Captain Marvel, and Wolverine) as well as characters Peter doesn't know that well (ex. Hercules, Sentry, whoever), and then the kids at the FF. Drama can come from inter-team dynamics as well as Peter and Johnny trying to keep Peter's identity a secret even though both Spider-Man and Peter are technically part of the Future Foundation.

13) A good balance between street level stories and larger scale adventures in the main title, while the satellite title I mentioned can be more focused on Spider-Man as a more grounded hero, and then the Spider-Man team book is more focused on Peter doing grand scale, even cosmic adventures kinda in the vein of earlier Fantastic Four books.

14) Peter gets Kaine and Ben to both be heroes and friends, making a more cohesive Spider-Family, along with Silk.

15) Repair the Black Cat and Spider-Man relationship.

16) Give some of the lesser known Spider-Man villains upgrades so they can be more credible threats.

17) Using his resources at the Future Foundation, let Peter figure out what Mephisto did to change reality, and then him and MJ come up with a plan and whatever tech/magic they need to go into Mephisto's realm, beat him, and restore their marriage.

18) Delve more into MJ's own life and her making friends as well.

19) Echoing Celgress, no more clones (ever) and symbiotes (for a while).

20) To summarize, there would be 3 titles focusing on Spider-Man: The main title with Peter as protagonist and MJ as a full on deuteragonist, following Peter being a mentor to kids at the FF and inventing advanced tech and new scientific concepts, as well as MJ managing her nightclub and living her own life, and a mix of street and larger scale adventures (there would be very few guest appearances from other heroes in this book except like Johnny Storm and Felicia Hardy, who are friends even out of being heroes). The next title would be more focused on Peter's non-powered friends and how their relationships with Peter/Spider-Man are, and this book would show the most grounded view of Spider-Man where he is mainly just fighting street crime and thugs. Finally, there's a book with Peter leading his own team where the adventures are basically about exploring new things and they are cosmic or global threats. After that, there would be a book equally shared between Ben and Kaine where they are fighting crime as a duo and also trying to find Aracely. Then, there's a Spider-Man 2099 book where Peter occasionally guest stars. Then, there's a Miles Morales book where Miles is a young hero and sometimes goes to Peter for guidance. Finally, there's a Venom book which stars Flash as Venom but has a lot of guest appearances of Eddie as Anti-Venom. I think that basically covers all angles where every single Spider-Man fan is getting something they like.

[Jman27]

return the marriage
make Peter have a successful job
Have some event in which he finally complete Cable prophecy of becoming the greatest hero.
Have him be more respected in the hero community.
Finally, write off aunt may.

[Jekyll]

I want to take Peter out of his element of New York, I think there is a lot that could be explored. Peter and MJ are back together and want a new start. So my arc would be called:

“ The Spider Went Down to Georgia “

1. Peter takes a university teaching position at a university in coastal Georgia. It would also be neat to expand the Marvel universe down south!
2. One of the other professors was a student of Curt Connors and is experimenting with his research. What could possibly go wrong with an area known for Aligators?
3. Peter has to figure out not only how to stop these new mutations, but how to adapt to his skill/powerset in a location without the landscape of New York.

[Hypestyle]

... Pete's a traveling science blogger and part-time college professor teaching at ESU.

[Huntsman Spider]

Scarlet Spiders --- Taking place after the (eventual) conclusion of Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider, Kaine reunites with Aracely, except Aracely tells him that they're going to need Ben's help, in spite of Kaine's (understandable) hatred and contempt for him, if they are to avert the coming of Mictlan, the Aztec underworld. However, given Kaine is Aracely's Champion, it comes to light that Ben has a role to play in the prophecy of Mictlan's rising as well . . . he is Mictlan's Champion, a punishment inflicted on him for his tampering in the domain of the dead via his experiments in The Clone Conspiracy. This pits the Scarlet Spiders against each other once more, even as Ben is trying to fight his seemingly inevitable destiny and gain redemption for his past misdeeds, and in the midst of this apocalyptic drama, along comes a mysterious Spider-Woman whose connection to Ben and Kaine may surprise everyone . . .

Amazing Fantasy --- In the vein of James Tynion IV's Detective Comics run for DC Rebirth, Spider-Man comes up with his own version of the Future Foundation, rallying allies and rivals with backgrounds in science and technology to come up with solutions to change the world for the better in more ways than just punching bad guys in the face. His first recruits include Hobie Brown/Prowler (inventor well before he became the Prowler), Dr. Elias Wirtham/Cardiac (specialist in advanced medical technology), Oliver Osnick/Steel Spider (cyberneticist who thanks to his last appearance in Warren Ellis's Thunderbolts had to apply his research to himself), Clayton "Clash" Cole (specialist in sonic technology, assuming he survives Go Down Swinging), and Selah Burke/Sun Girl (from Chris Yost's Superior Spider-Man Team-Up and New Warriors, the daughter of Lightmaster and a specialist in light-based technology).

One of the major goals of The Cluster, as Spider-Man calls it, is to provide an alternative path for those who want to apply their scientific brilliance to help the world instead of harm it, which includes possible redemption for villains that also specialize in science and technology or that owe their villainous beginnings to accidents involving or abuses of science and technology, as shown by the fact that his initial recruits did start out as villains, Sun Girl excepted. The Cluster will, however, come down hard on those villains who use their scientific brilliance to harm others or society at large with no remorse for their misdeeds, with Doctor Octopus at the top of the list. Of course, since Doctor Octopus is bringing together his own sinister squadron of fellow scientific menaces to society, The Cluster might have a harder time bringing him down than they think they will.

Web of Spider-Man --- The title that focuses on Peter rebuilding and strengthening his relationships with the closest people in his costumed and civilian lives, after the damage or neglect all those relationships have taken over the last decade or so. For one, he confesses to Flash Thompson, Harry Osborn, Betty Brant, and Aunt May that he's Spider-Man, thus ending all the years of secrecy and lying, and while they're shocked and surprised, they do come to understand his reasons and realize that he never meant any of them any harm (except for the days when Flash was bullying Peter), which goes a long way towards healing old wounds. For another, he and Black Cat formally bury the hatchet, with Peter even taking off his mask so that Felicia can look him in the eyes for a change, causing her to realize the magnitude of her mistakes and misdeeds. Then, he and Mary Jane have a long and necessary talk about their relationship and where it goes from here, with Peter admitting that as much as he still loves her and vice versa, he's going to be Spider-Man until he can't physically do it anymore, Mary Jane admitting that she's scared she's not strong enough to be the person he needs by his side, and then Peter telling her that there is no one else for him but her, a sentiment that she reciprocates. Following that, Peter visits Gwen Stacy's grave to make his peace with her memory before moving on for good.

The next arc will have him establishing closer ties with his fellow web-slingers and other superheroes, assuming a more solidified mentorship role with Miles Morales and Anya Corazon and a better partnership with Jessica Drew and Cindy Moon, and tracking down and making peace with the Scarlet Spiders, acknowledging them both as his brothers. He even pays Spider-Gwen a visit to apologize for being such a jerk after losing "his Gwen" again in the finale and epilogue of The Clone Conspiracy. Then he touches base with the reunited Fantastic Four and Future Foundation, the Defenders (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist), his old friends in the X-Men, who are considerably more welcoming this time around, and finally the Avengers, whom he also makes peace with, ending with an acknowledgment of mutual respect. (I'm trying to come up with a way for Captain America to call Spider-Man the greatest hero Earth has ever had or will ever have, but I'm having a hard time making it not come off too cheesy.)

[MJS]

10/10 would read most of these.

[Mister Mets]

I think Slott left Peter in an interesting place professionally. Working as a science editor at the Bugle is a way to keep Peter in an iconic location, tie his stories to Spider-Man, and build on his science knowledge. I might focus a bit on the rest of the staff. It's be interesting to introduce a provocateur to the Bugle: a controversial columnist who forces Peter out of his intellectual comfort zone.

I would not bring back the marriage, and I wouldn't initially bring Peter and MJ back together romantically, although she would have a role. I'd focus on her professional success, since celebrity remains a story engine. She and Peter might have some arguments early on when she's trying to get information on the Black Widow for a major audition; Peter's offended that she's using her, and then realizes it was a pretext for her to spend more time with him. She doesn't get the audition, but the woman who did get the role turns down a key role on a Game of Thrones style fantasy series, so MJ suddenly gets a break that way, and her time away will complicate their friendship.

It'd be interesting to have a new character who knows that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, but he doesn't know she knows. Sort of like the Mary Jane Parallel Lives retcon, except the reader becomes aware of the dramatic irony.

The run would largely be built under longer arcs. There would be a few new villains whose identities are a mystery.

An aim would be to try to have a villain Spider-Man hasn't fought before, in at least half the stories partly because it is more accessible when there's someone who Peter doesn't have a history with, either a new villain or a bad guy he hasn't fought before (the Minotaur from Jason Aaron's Thor seems like a good fit.) I've got some story ideas with Mysterio, the Lizard and Fusion from Paul Jenkins's run. Two supporting characters would turn out to be the Chameleon.

Harry Osborn might have a breakdown after he's seriously injured, which activates the remnants of the Goblin Serum in him. He'll go nuts again, but his motivation won't be to hurt Spider-Man, but to help.

[Pav]

What would I do?

I'd attempt to weave the greatest web of a Spidey story the world has ever seen. Every character you love would be there, and every character would have a meaningful arc over the course of many years. You'd get Peter at his lowest moments, and you'd see him rise up again to even greater heights. You'd get an honest Spider-Team led by Peter; you'd get meaningful members of his supporting cast brought into the know about being Spidey. You'd get the most Sinister of Sixes; you'd get the most Sinister of Syndicates. You will come to love clones and symbiotes and the Web of Life and the Web Warriors. Every strand of the mythos will be more tightly woven together, but character will never be forsaken over plot.

And I'll team-up Stegron and Swarm, dammit!

-Pav, who loves putting together the puzzle pieces...

[Celgress]

Harry Osborn might have a breakdown after he's seriously injured, which activates the remnants of the Goblin Serum in him. He'll go nuts again, but his motivation won't be to hurt Spider-Man, but to help.

That would certainly be an interesting twist. I really like the idea, good job.

[SpiderClops]

I would make him beat Cap, T'Challa and Logan at the same time, with ease. Because he can. And it needs to be acknowledged.

[Carabas]

So...

Peter wakes up in the middle of the night, finding Loki standing over his bed.
Loki says he's just there to talk. some funny lives ensue.

Loki then says he's picked up on a cloud of demonic energy that surrounds spider-Man and everything he does. But he shouldn't worry about it. He's already taken care of it. Oh, and that boon he owed Peter for saving his daughter that time? More than fulfilled. And then Loki vanishes and Peter isn't even sure he ever was there.
MJ wakes up and asks what's wrong. "Probably nothing, just a nightmare I think" and then he kisses his wife and they go back to sleep.