Should the 616 Spider-Man be special?

[Mister Mets]

There was a point on another thread about how controversies about Spider-Man (Should One More Day be reversed? Should he have kids? Should he be rich?) could be resolved if there were multiple titles going in different directions set in different worlds.

And then Dan Slott and Mark Bagley's Spider-Man #2 makes the case that the 616 Spider-Man is special and unique in the context of the Spider-Verse?

So, I guess the question is should he be?

Should the 616 Spider-Man be presented as being special among Spider-Men of different realities? I can definitely see multiple sides on this one.

[Kevinroc]

No. A big part of the appeal of Spider-Man is he doesn't fall into traditional "Chosen One" narratives.

[Lukmendes]

No. A big part of the appeal of Spider-Man is he doesn't fall into traditional "Chosen One" narratives.

Until JMS came along lol.

Well, there was also Starlin saying that Master Order and Lord Chaos chose him specifically, but that was mostly ignored and it happened outside of any Spidey comic...

But yeah, at best I find it more acceptable if he's considered badass because he became badass instead of being destined to be one, but even then that's kinda whatever, the idea of a "chosen one" puts too much emphasis on him needing to do super big things.

It is ironic for him to be considered the chosen one under Slott while not really doing much that'd warrant that lol.

[CrimsonEchidna]

Honestly, you can argue the moment they retconned Peter's parents into being secret SHIELD agents is when they really started deviating from Pete's everyman status.

I admit its kind of funny though; Quesada made it a point to put Pete back in his web shooters after One More Day to distance the character from the mystical Spider-Totem stuff that JMS had introduced, but Slott proceeded to quadruple down on the Spider-Totem. lol

[Lukmendes]

Honestly, you can argue the moment they retconned Peter's parents into being secret SHIELD agents is when they really started deviating from Pete's everyman status.

And that was something done when Stan Lee was still a writer, can't even say it's something that goes against Spidey's creators' intentions (Although Ditko himself wasn't involved, and I don't think he ever talked about this ****.

I admit its kind of funny though; Quesada made it a point to put Pete back in his web shooters after One More Day to distance the character from the mystical Spider-Totem stuff that JMS had introduced, but Slott proceeded to quadruple down on the Spider-Totem. lol

Maybe it was more so he doesn't keep the power boosts? 'Cause all of these powers went to Kaine.

It is funny that Quesada allowed writers to do whatever then did a very awkward course correction afterwards, same thing happened with Morrison's New X-Men and that Xorneto nonsense.

[Frontier]

I don't think he needs to be a chosen one but I think he's earned being seen as important and capable and as a guy who's been doing this longer than, like, 96% of the Superhero community.

[Kaitou D. Kid]

Depends in what way he is special.

A writer can make the argument, if they want to, that the pre-OMD 616 Spidey is the "Peterest Peter" (to steal from Rick & Morty), but any writer who does that has to walk the walk and explain why that's the case. You know, besides obvious meta reasons.

Also, notice how I said "pre-OMD". The post-OMD Spider-Man isn't really special except in all the negative ways.

[CaptainUniverse]

Until JMS came along lol.

Well, there was also Starlin saying that Master Order and Lord Chaos chose him specifically, but that was mostly ignored and it happened outside of any Spidey comic...

You know, Master Order and Lord Chaos would be awesome additions to Spidey's cast! It's not like they got anything better to do in the comics at the moment and it would be funny to see them bother Peter at the most inopportune times, like when he's with Aunt May for some sappy moment and suddenly..."PETER PARKER, WE NEED TO GET CAUGHT UP ON THIS "SECRET HOSPITAL" PROGRAM! WHERE ARE YOUR DVDS FROM WHEN MARY JANE WAS PLAYING SYBIL?!"

Oh, and no, 616 Peter shouldn't be the Chosen One. He got to be Captain Universe once, isn't that enough?

[PCN24454]

The very fact that he’s a superhero means that he’s not normal, and if he’s not normal, then he’s special.

[Matt Rat]

I'm reminded of that Bill Hicks "your children aren't special" routine.

[Frontier]

The very fact that he’s a superhero means that he’s not normal, and if he’s not normal, then he’s special.

There's being a Superhero and then there's being a core of a Multiverse Chosen One...

[Lukmendes]

I don't think he needs to be a chosen one but I think he's earned being seen as important and capable and as a guy who's been doing this longer than, like, 96% of the Superhero community.

Reminder Spidey is Stark's senior as a super-hero, that's a detail people outside of comics generally don't know lol.

You know, Master Order and Lord Chaos would be awesome additions to Spidey's cast! It's not like they got anything better to do in the comics at the moment and it would be funny to see them bother Peter at the most inopportune times, like when he's with Aunt May for some sappy moment and suddenly..."PETER PARKER, WE NEED TO GET CAUGHT UP ON THIS "SECRET HOSPITAL" PROGRAM! WHERE ARE YOUR DVDS FROM WHEN MARY JANE WAS PLAYING SYBIL?!"

That would be a weird way to use 'em lol.

There's being a Superhero and then there's being a core of a Multiverse Chosen One...

Which's a weird exaggeration Slott did, 'cause Great Weaver wasn't hinted at being multiversal at all, and if a what if Peter David did for The Other is any hint, he definitely isn't lol.

[CaptainUniverse]

That would be a weird way to use 'em lol.

I can see it now, Peter comes home from a long day of being Spider-Man and he finds them getting The Living Tribunal and all the other big cosmic beings they usually hang out with hooked on Secret Hospital.

[Alex_Of_X]

He's already plenty special as being the OG Spider-hero of the very, berry special 616 universe.

So, cosmically? No. But I 100% believe other Spiders look up to him as the guy doing the job the longest and with the biggest personal losses.

[The Watcher]

Of course 616 Spider-Man is special. He's the Spider-Man I watch.