Spider-Man: Marvel Hints Peter Parker May Become a Father

Warning: spoilers for The Amazing Spider-Man #60!

As fans know, Spider-Man has been many things over the years: a college student, a scientist, a teacher, a photographer, even a CEO. But for the past 14 years, the primary comics iteration of the character has not been allowed to be one thing in particular: a father. Marvel’s latest issue of The Amazing Spider-Man explores the reason that Peter Parker has remained without a family of his own for so long and hints that the Webslinger may finally be heading for fatherhood in the near future.

Back in 2007, during the infamous “One More Day” story arc, Spider-Man made a deal with Mephisto, Marvel’s devil figure, that had major ramifications for the hero’s personal life. In exchange for saving the life of his Aunt May, who had been gravely wounded during the Civil War crossover event, Peter and Mary Jane Watson allowed Mephisto to erase their marriage and rewrite the timeline as if it had never occurred. Mephisto also revealed to the couple that their possible future daughter would now never exist thanks to the new timeline. The story reset Peter’s life to establish a fertile new status quo, but it proved to be highly controversial among fans who believed that it robbed the character of much of the meaningful development he had gained over the prior few years.

Now, Marvel seems to be fully addressing the ramifications of Spider-Man’s deal with Mephisto and the toll it’s taken on Peter’s happiness. In The Amazing Spider-Man #60, written by Nick Spencer with art by Mark Bagley, Mary Jane encourages Peter to confront his guilt by monologuing on the stage of an empty theater. As he confesses his woes to the subconscious version of his best-friend-turned-enemy Harry Osborn, aka Kindred, Peter notably remarks, “Look at me. No marriage. No kids. Struggling to make ends meet.” The line feels like a purposeful jab at the erasure of Spider-Man’s family life, but the conclusion of the comic takes all of this a step further. The final pages see Doctor Strange confronting a grinning Mephisto, as he asks the demon what’s wrong with Peter’s soul.

The ending is an all-but-direct confirmation that the future of Spencer’s run will delve deeper into the contract Spider-Man made with Mephisto, with many fans speculating it will ultimately undo the unpopular retcon. If the deal were to be reversed, Peter would theoretically have his marriage to Mary Jane restored, meaning that the daughter Mephisto taunted the couple with would once again become possible, and fans may even see a particular version of Peter and Mary Jane’s kid.

While “One More Day” stopped Peter from being a husband and a father in mainstream continuity, the Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows series chronicled an alternate world in the multiverse where Peter and Mary Jane’s marriage persisted, and they had a daughter named Annie. Annie grew up throughout the series, eventually becoming a hero in her own right. Though this series focused on alternate versions of the characters, it does chronicle those years of being a young parent that Marvel has traditionally avoided depicting, opening up an avenue where reversing Mephisto’s deal might potentially introduce this young adult version of Annie to the mainstream reality, perhaps merging the two realities.

Comics are notoriously hesitant about allowing their superheroes to be happy, and they’re even more cautious about letting those characters have a family life that might limit what stories can be told in future. Despite this, Spencer’s run has focused again and again on how much was taken from Peter by his deal with the devil, and his frustration in this issue brings his desire for a family to the fore. It seems unusual that Amazing Spider-Man would focus in on this mostly forgotten detail from “One More Day” just to leave it unresolved, hinting that while Spider-Man and Mary Jane’s marriage may return in the future, the possibility of fatherhood is also on the table.

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