Summary
Warning: Contains spoilers forSpider-Man: Shadow of the Green Goblin#4!Spider-Manhas gotten his spider-butt handed to him more than a few times in his career. Enough so that it’s become a staple part of the character for writers to push the webslinger past where he should go, just to see if he will get up and keep fighting. But one failed fight still defines him today, and as he reckons with the reality of his Uncle Ben’s murder,he finds himself in a fight that wrecks him completely.
Spider-Man: Shadow of the Green Goblin#4 by J.M. DeMatteis, Michael Sta. Maria, Chris Sotomayor, and VC’s Joe Caramagna gives Spider-fans a glimpse of Spider-Man’s first month on the friendly neighborhood job. The issue also revealsthe fate of Proto-Goblin, as his body degenerates into a psychoactive substance. Exposed to this substance, Spider-Man finds himself in a nightmare vision that tells him the truth he isn’t ready to hear.
A nightmare version of Aunt Mayblames Peter for Uncle Ben’s deathbecause Spider-Man didn’t stop the murder from happening. She then begins to beat Spider-Man, adding physical trauma to his already compounding emotional trauma.
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As the major Marvel Comics horror event “Blood Hunt” comes to a close, the series’ long-term ramifications are just settling in for Miles Morales.
Spider-Man’s Great Responsibility for Uncle Ben’s Death
Aunt May Blames Peter Parker
If Spider-Man had the power to save Uncle Ben, then he must hold the responsibility of letting him die.
Spider-Man has never faced a more dangerous enemy than his own past. With this nightmarish Aunt Maybeating him to the punchline, he has no choice but to surrender to the fight.Not only will he not hurt his own beloved Aunt May, but Spider-Man realizes she’s right.“With great power comes great responsibility” goes the aphorism, and so if Spider-Man had the power to save Uncle Ben, then he must hold the responsibility of letting him die.
It’s not just a nightmare sequence that Peter is hallucinating as the Proto-Goblin, wearing the face of Aunt May, beats him down, blow after blow. In his own way, Spider-Man is punishing himself for not being good enough. His Spider-Sense would absolutely help him to dodge these punches, even in a hallucination, but he allows himself to receive the beating, framing hisSpider-Sense as a sort of weakness. This is one villain he won’t argue with: his past trauma. Because he knows it’s right -Spider-Man could have saved Uncle Ben.
Uncle Ben’s Death Still Haunts Spider-Man to this Day
Peter Parker Has Always Blamed Himself for Uncle Ben’s Death
This isn’t even the darkest side of Spider-Man’s psyche, as in the modern timeline he isembracing corruption as Venomonce again. However, it does show the inner turmoil that must always remain with him. Hearing his natural quips and his lighthearted side shows that he’s only ever trying to laugh to keep from crying and to save the next person like he couldn’t save his Uncle Ben.Spider-Manis more than aware of the great responsibility that is upon him, andevery time he is savagely beaten down, he has the great power to get back up and keep trying again.
Spider-Man: Shadow of the Green Goblin#4is on sale now from Marvel Comics!
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is the name given to several individuals who have employed a spider-moniker throughout Marvel Comics. Typically gaining their powers through a bite from a radioactive spider, the different Spider-Man heroes employ super-strength, agility, and intellect while utilizing webbing to swing and tangle up their foes. The most notable of these Spider-Men is Peter Parker, who remains one of the most popular superheroes throughout the world.
