Would Peter make a good Dad?

[Ursalink]

He was pretty good in RYV.

Honestly though, I still say he'd be a good dad. He's one of the most responsible people around, to a fault sometimes. And giving him a kid would prove that Marvel is finally ready to let him grow up.

Not to mention that, with Miles Morales, they have a "back up" younger Spider-Man to use in the stories they always want to write.

[Somecrazyaussie]

Disagree. I think the 'immature' label is slapped around way too easily at Pete these days.

Anyway, parenthood is a lot like swinging around from disaster to disaster, so I'd say Pete'd be in his element.

When I said "last decade" I mostly meant under Slott. Where he was written as a immature idiot. Funny, because this is the same man who gave us RYV. So he proved he could write a decent Peter. But I digress. Spencer has done well in restoring the character to some semblance of his former self.

On the other hand, Zdarsky is one of the few writers in the last 8 years to deliver a Peter I absolutely adored and was like the one I grew up reading.

If it were up to me, Peter would have had a kid years ago. Trying to balance parenthood, marriage, and occupying a role as a lecturer at ESU.

[Tendrin]

When I said "last decade" I mostly meant under Slott. Where he was written as a immature idiot. Funny, because this is the same man who gave us RYV. So he proved he could write a decent Peter. But I digress. Spencer has done well in restoring the character to some semblance of his former self.

On the other hand, Zdarsky is one of the few writers in the last 8 years to deliver a Peter I absolutely adored and was like the one I grew up reading.

If it were up to me, Peter would have had a kid years ago. Trying to balance parenthood, marriage, and occupying a role as a lecturer at ESU.

I think that 'immature Slott Peter' exists more strongly in people's memories and in select panels than actually on the page.

Marvel, correctly I think, surmises that Peter having a kid would result in him not being Spider-Man. I know people say he can do both, and that other heroes do the same, but Peter takes responsibility too seriously to really *try* to do both, and in the face of the danger its presented to so many of his loved ones (something Spencer is touching on in this very arc!) I just don't see he'd place his own child in that situation.

I mean, that story works fine if you want to transition to Miles Morales as your primary Spider-Man without killing Pete. It's a fine ending for him.

[Somecrazyaussie]

He was pretty good in RYV.

Honestly though, I still say he'd be a good dad. He's one of the most responsible people around, to a fault sometimes. And giving him a kid would prove that Marvel is finally ready to let him grow up.

They can let him grow up. It is one of the best things about bringing Miles over into 616.

The question is: Do they themselves at Marvel realize this as well?

[Revolutionary_Jack]

'More mature' than his age? I'm definitely not gonna agree with this.

I'm definitely gonna say then that your idea of Spider-Man isn't based on the character that Lee-Ditko created and instead based on more recent variations and adaptations.

Lemme add some nuance to this point: Peter definitely had to take to grown-up tasks faster, but I'd argue that doesn't make one 'mature' faster.

What exactly does maturity signify for you anyway?

I think that 'immature Slott Peter' exists more strongly in people's memories and in select panels than actually on the page.

I know people say he can do both, and that other heroes do the same, but Peter takes responsibility too seriously to really *try* to do both, and in the face of the danger its presented to so many of his loved ones (something Spencer is touching on in this very arc!) I just don't see he'd place his own child in that situation.

That depends again on the story Marvel wishes to tell while still keeping it a Spider-Man story and not confusing themselves and each other about what a Spider-Man story is supposed to be.

They can let him grow up. It is one of the best things about bringing Miles over into 616.

The question is: Do they themselves at Marvel realize this as well?

Marvel is not a sentient being. It's a corporation with a lot of different people at different levels. Not all of whom there necessarily agree with each other.

[Tendrin]

I'm definitely gonna say then that your idea of Spider-Man isn't based on the character that Lee-Ditko created and instead based on more recent variations and adaptations.

That's weird, because I have read those issues too, RJ, and I seem to recall him acting like an immature teenager pretty often. There's a pretty huge gulf between tackling adult responsibilities and actual maturity. A mature adult doesn't storm the Fantastic Four's HQ. Having an overweening sense of responsibility isn't adult. It just makes you a kid with adult responsibilities.

What exactly does maturity signify for you anyway?

Well, let me tell you what I think it's not: it's not concerned with obsessing over all the things that *seem* adult, like having kids and being married or being financially stable. Those are all nice, but they are not what makes someone mature. If they are, then I've met a whole lot of deeply wise people who are conventionally 'immature' by that standard. As for Slott, I stand by my opinion. and find that nternet echo chambers on Slott tend to be self-reinforcing. I think fans would do well to stop obsessing over whether or not Peter has 'financial stability' and a 'marriage'. There are better markers to judge someone's maturity by.

That depends again on the story Marvel wishes to tell while still keeping it a Spider-Man story and not confusing themselves and each other about what a Spider-Man story is supposed to be.

Well, Jack, Marvel can do anything it wants. They can have Spidey have a kid and keep on swinging if they want and call it a Spider-Man story if they want, just like they can have him make a deal with the devil to save his Aunt May. all depending on the story they want to tell. But in light of everything Peter's endured, I'm not sure how in character it is for him to be Spidey *at the same time he's trying to raise a kid*. His entire life has shown how hard being Spider-Man makes the rest of his life, and for a guy with an overweening sense of responsibility, while he might try it for a while, I'm confident that he'd wanna be his child's hero rather than all of New York's. That seems to me to be who he is. It doesn't have to be that way, but I think having him be Spidey becomes *intensely* questionable when he has a kid given the overall character.

That tension can make for fun stories, but ultimately, it's gonna fall one way or the other, and thematically you can't really give Peter the pass that the FF gets when it comes to kids.

[Kaitou D. Kid]

A guy like Peter who has lost two father figures (maybe three if we count George Stacy) and is constantly targeted by guys like Osborn would definitely hesitate to have kids. If it ever happens, I imagine it is something that Peter and MJ would have to discuss prior to having the child. A writer simply giving Peter a child without any sort of internal resistance on Peter's part would be a little ridiculous.

That said, Spider-Man is a first responder no different than other first responders, albeit a fictional one where the stakes are heightened. There's lots of real-life first responders who put their lives in the line every day while also managing to raise their kids.

[Tendrin]

A guy like Peter who has lost two father figures (maybe three if we count George Stacy) and is constantly targeted by guys like Osborn would definitely hesitate to have kids. If it ever happens, I imagine it is something that Peter and MJ would have to discuss prior to having the child. A writer simply giving Peter a child without any sort of internal resistance on Peter's part would be a little ridiculous.

That said, Spider-Man is a first responder no different than other first responders, albeit a fictional one where the stakes are heightened. There's lots of real-life first responders who put their lives in the line every day while also managing to raise their kids.

I do agree with that but first responders don't have the green goblin out to kill them specifically, as you said.

[Kaitou D. Kid]

I do agree with that but first responders don't have the green goblin out to kill them specifically, as you said.

As an analogy, lots of activists today and throughout history (who are similar to first responders) have been targeted by powerful people like Osborn, and still managed to raise their kids. You have guys like Noam Chomsky who was a married man with kids that decided to speak out against the Vietnam War even though there was a high chance he could have gone to prison. When he was asked why he did it, he said it was because he felt he had a responsibility to do so, which isn't far off from what Peter would say.

But again, Peter doesn't need to ever have kids and it would be fine, especially with more and more people going childless. Without getting too personal, I know someone who is a teacher and loves working with kids, but doesn't want to have kids because they feels they're already leaving a positive mark on the next generation, and also because they don't want to take their work home. A Peter who is a married high school teacher like in the JMS run could have a similar attitude towards his students and towards the people he's helped as Spider-Man. Maybe even both, if he starts mentoring Miles Morales and the other spider-people.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

That's weird, because I have read those issues too, RJ, and I seem to recall him acting like an immature teenager pretty often.

There are times where he also shows great maturity and wisdom as well. But sure just focus on the aspects that suits your interpretation.

Well, let me tell you what I think it's not: it's not concerned with obsessing over all the things that *seem* adult, like having kids and being married or being financially stable.

I actually...agree. Just not quite in your sense of those terms.

As for Slott, I stand by my opinion. and find that nternet echo chambers on Slott tend to be self-reinforcing. I think fans would do well to stop obsessing over whether or not Peter has 'financial stability' and a 'marriage'. There are better markers to judge someone's maturity by.

He actually has financial stability for most of Slott's run, so that's not why people are calling Slott's version of Peter immature, lol. Actually Slott's run has practically all characters act immaturely, even Aunt May. That's just a Slott thing.

Well, Jack, Marvel can do anything it wants.

Marvel isn't a sentient being, people before the current era have wanted different things, and people after will want different things. There's no sense in assuming that there's an actual person or ideology responding to or against.

But in light of everything Peter's endured, I'm not sure how in character it is for him to be Spidey *at the same time he's trying to raise a kid*.

Fundamentally the logical thing for Peter to do is go full Rorschach, completely live off the grid and detach himself from all civilian ties and devote himself fully to being Spider-Man. That's the logical thing for Spider-Man to do, it's also the logical thing for Daredevil to do, for all superheroes to do. Doing so would make Spider-Man's story like anybody else's. Since the story doesn't have Spider-Man doing that, it indicates that people are aware that a Spider-Man story inherently precludes certain things from reaching its logical conclusion, and inevitably shields the character from the most stringent demands of realism.

Fundamentally, Spider-Man -- whether its the Ditko era, the Romita years, the Bronze Age, the Married years, the BND years and so on, exists in a sanitized part of the Marvel Universe, and his stories don't deal with or touch with aspects that you find in Daredevil, Punisher, Jessica Jones stories (despite also existing in the same shared universe and same genre), so there's little reason to assume that the most extreme possibility or version is the default for Spider-Man becoming a father.

His entire life has shown how hard being Spider-Man makes the rest of his life,

Well not being Spider-Man or not acting as a superhero led to his Uncle's death. So I wouldn't say being Spider-Man has made the rest of his life hard. In truth, it's also made it better, and made him a better person as well.

That tension can make for fun stories, but ultimately, it's gonna fall one way or the other, and thematically you can't really give Peter the pass that the FF gets when it comes to kids.

Well Spider-Man gets the pass that Daredevil, Jessica Jones, The Punisher, Hank Pym, the X-Men doesn't get as it is.

[Tendrin]

As an analogy, lots of activists today and throughout history (who are similar to first responders) have been targeted by people with powerful people like Osborn, and still managed to raise their kids.

Again, I agree! There are some great examples out there, though I feel like these parallels are very imperfect xD

[Mister Mets]

In the Spider-Girl and RYV series, we saw that he was a decent dad overall. Since those series are alt-times that branch off the main 616 one (meaning that they have the same Peter Parker as was in ASM from the beginning), that essentially proves that 616 Peter would be able to do it. Whether he's written as such might very well depend on the writer, though (as, frankly, do all comic book characters).

But he's retired.

That's a different scenario.

[MyriVerse]

The real answer is he would make an awesome dad if they wrote him to be... or not. He certainly tries to epitomize "power and responsibility." That should make for a good dad, but not necessarily a perfect one. There's no reason Peter couldn't be as great as Mayday's is/was.

[Somecrazyaussie]

A guy like Peter who has lost two father figures (maybe three if we count George Stacy) and is constantly targeted by guys like Osborn would definitely hesitate to have kids. If it ever happens, I imagine it is something that Peter and MJ would have to discuss prior to having the child. A writer simply giving Peter a child without any sort of internal resistance on Peter's part would be a little ridiculous.

That said, Spider-Man is a first responder no different than other first responders, albeit a fictional one where the stakes are heightened. There's lots of real-life first responders who put their lives in the line every day while also managing to raise their kids.

Both MJ and Peter would be incredibly hesitant about having kids. Purely because of the lifestyle Peter leads. If a pregnancy does happen, I could see it being a unexpected one. MJ wrestling with whether to tell Peter on not. Some great drama could come out of such a situation. But, again, once you head down that road it is a hard one to backtrack on if editorial or writers wish to ditch it later.

Nobody would want another miscarriage situation to occur again. Nor would they welcome a termination.

[Digifiend]

Recent events in Spider-Woman have set up a way they could explore it. Jessica Drew needs a babysitter - usually her boyfriend Roger would've done it, but they've just broken up. Maybe Peter and MJ could see how Jess copes with that, and it'd influence their own decision to have a baby or not?