Showing posts with label MC2 Peter Parker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MC2 Peter Parker. Show all posts

Monday 3 August 2020

Who Saved Peter's Life? (MC2 Theory)

While I’m not entirely satisfied with my post about Peter’s Lost Leg, upon my revisiting of it recently I was at least pleased that I had made my points well. I also realized I had made mention of an unexplained plot point regarding the MC2 Spider-Man’s final battle with the Green Goblin: Who saved Peter Parker’s life?

 



Let’s review the facts we do know of the situation:

 

  •  Norman Osborn, for unknown reasons does not enact the Gathering of Five ritual until much later in the MC2, likely as a result of setting up other schemes and masterplans in the meantime.

  •   Eventually, Kaine rescues and returns Peter and Mary Jane’s baby May Parker to them.

  • Spider-Man has several adventures while raising May including those seen in the Mr and Mrs Spider-Man stories.

  • Mattie Franklin, Norman Osborn, Greg Herd, Cassandra Webb (aka Madame Web) and Morris Maxwell willingly agree to participate in the Gathering of Five ritual. This ritual is interrupted by Spider-Man before it can reach its completion.

  •  As Spider-Man, Peter Parker battles Norman Osborn as the Green Goblin. Mattie Franklin stands by watching her favourite hero as the other participants of the Gathering begin to flee.

  •  Mattie Franklin is the last to flee, taking the pieces for the Gathering of Five ritual with her. Spider-Man loses his leg and Norman Osborn dies in their final battle.

 

By now, you’ve probably guessed where I’m going with this. With the Goblin dead and Peter haemorrhaging quickly from what remained of his right leg, I propose Mattie Franklin provided life-saving first aid to her fallen hero. There isn’t evidence, per se, but I’m going to try to form a convincing enough argument for why I believe Martha ‘Mattie’ Franklin was the one to save Peter’s life and in doing so become a hero in her own right.

 


As I’ve noted above and in previous posts, in the MC2 this Gathering of Five ritual took place far later than it did in the Main Marvel Universe. Naturally, this would mean Mattie was slightly older and presumably more mature. Additionally, if we assume the trajectory of young Mattie’s personal life played out similarly to how it occurred in the Main Marvel Universe, things quickly took a sharp turn toward the tragic. Firstly, with an additional in-universe year or two it can be assumed Mattie’s father Jeremy Franklin died at this point just as he is said to have died in the Main Marvel Universe (Alias #20). If you want to discard this point, there is still the fact that Mattie has obsessive and depressive moods when thinking about her mother who died in unrevealed circumstances while she was very young (Spider-Woman vol.3 #15).





I mention Mattie’s early parental losses because evidently it informs her morality and outlook. Seeing a dying man in front of her, particularly her favourite superhero Spider-Man would surely have provided the impetus for her to turn around and attempt to help him. Additionally, Norman reveals his duel identity as the Green Goblin to the other participants of the Gathering of Five. In her very first cameo appearance from Spectacular Spider-Man #262, we learn that Mattie’s father Jeremy Franklin is an unwilling associate of Osborn’s which must surely have made this reveal doubly confronting; the enemy of her recently deceased father is also the enemy of her close to death idol.


 


 


 

From a different perspective I also find the idea that Mattie’s heroic side emerged in this moment quite meta-textually satisfying. For those unfamiliar, Mattie Franklin’s introduction coincided with the rebooting of the Spider-Man titles of the time which saw the premature end to many creative team’s runs, with many plot threads left dangling. With the reboot, Mary Jane suddenly returned to modelling, Peter quit being Spider-Man and Aunt May was suddenly returned to life while baby May was brushed under the carpet. Empowered by the Gathering of Five ceremony, Mattie took over briefly as Spider-Man in the hero’s absence and soon after took on the Spider-Woman mantel with her own title under creator John Byrne’s writing pen. Along the way, Mary Jane was supposedly killed in a plane explosion and we got this infamous cover:

 


Now, imagine if instead of an extremely inappropriate kiss between a teenage girl and a married/widowed man, in the MC2 events might have depicted Mattie instead performing life-saving first aid and ‘the kiss of life’ via CPR on a dying Spider-Man? Instead of exploiting the potential death of a spouse, Mattie serves to save one of the Parker's. Seems way more heroic and endearing to me, but I’m no writer.

 

But let’s also back track again to discuss Norman Osborn during the post-Clone Saga era of the Spider-Titles, before they were rebooted. Norman Osborn had manipulated his way into a place of even more power and influence when he took control and ownership of the Daily Bugle and was even making private threats to J Jonah Jameson. With the reboot of the titles, these plots fell by the wayside and were I believe never satisfactorily resolved. Jonah and his wife Marla later became adoptive parents to Mattie when she ran away to New York and this tie was strengthened when Jeremy Franklin died in unrevealed circumstances leading the Jameson’s to adopt Mattie officially.

 


So, let’s really dive into the realm of fan theory here for a bit. We know Mattie’s mother died when she was young. We know Jeremy Franklin was unwilling to participate in the Gathering of Five, but still felt compelled to due to threats Norman made against him. Jeremy even swore to himself he’d make Osborn pay dearly. We know (thanks to references in the Mattie’s own series and some errors in continuity in Bendis’ Alias #20) that both Marla and Jonah knew Jeremy well. We know that Jeremy died without explanation. I propose Norman, at least in the MC2, held a dangling threat over the Franklin family. When Jeremy disobeyed, he was soon after killed and this led to Mattie moving in with the Jameson’s. This would also go some way to explaining why Jonah held back exposing Norman, fearing his adoptive daughter Mattie would be killed like her father (and perhaps her mother) before her. If Jeremy held off handing over the piece he had which was needed to complete the Gathering of Five ceremony, this might also have contributed to its delayed occurrence in the MC2 as well.


Would an older, more mature and freshly orphaned Mattie take the initiative and attempt to save her idol from certain death? I think so. With some first aid, Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation and quick decision-making Mattie could have not only saved Peter, but also preserved his secret identity by contacting the Fantastic Four instead of regular emergency services.

 


This theory allows Mattie to be characterised in a more heroic light, saving her hero from certain death and presents a better origin story and perhaps some more rationale for other aspects surrounding these otherwise unexplained events. We also already know Mattie goes on to become Spider-Woman and contacted Peter (Spider-Girl #39), but with this context we can speculate that she may have known his secret identity and kept it quiet.

 

 Again, this is just my wildly expanded theory to try to make sense of several dropped plotlines from that era of Spidey comics while also figuring out how it could all line up in the MC2 where things turned out drastically different. If you disagree, please tell me why and I’d be happy to have a discussion!

 

Until I stop dwelling on 20-year-old plotlines everyone would rather forget, I remain

 

frogoat

 

Sunday 31 May 2020

History of the MC2: Mayday

I’m working on making a complete timeline of events covering the History of the MC2, spanning the nebulous 15 year stretch of time after the Main Marvel Universe (or Universe-616) split off and became the MC2 (or Universe-982) and before the next-generation of heroes began to debut starting with J2 #1, A-Next #1 and What If #105. Since it’s May I thought it might be nice to focus on the history of MC2’s most iconic, prolific and terrific heroine: May ‘Mayday’ Parker!


 


Some long-time readers may recall an ancient post I did many years ago which touched on the basic touchstone moments of baby May’s kidnapping and eventual return to her parents. While the post is among my most viewed, and one I look back on proudly, it’s very out of date and in need of revision and expansion. This entry will cover the known events in May’s life prior to her powers manifesting during her debut in What If #105.

 

*Please note that for the sake of clarity, I’ve assumed that May (not April) is the original Parker child. Got it? Good. *

 

While we don’t know all of the details surrounding May’s life pre-spider-powers, I’m going to attempt to cover everything we do know. For starters, the earliest moment of May’s life is…her birth. May isn’t actually seen in the panel for obvious reasons. A grifter named Alison Mongrain is hired by Norman Osborn to carry out part of his plan to kidnap the newborn child of Peter and Mary Jane. Disguised as a member of the hospital staff, Alison swapped out baby May with a recent stillborn baby, leaving Mary Jane to believe her baby had died at birth. Shortly afterwards, Alison met with Norman Osborn who paid Alison a ‘sizeable bonus’ to take an ‘expensive vacation’ through Europe with the newborn May (Spider-Girl #48, Amazing Spider-Girl #25).





On an extended tour of the Mediterranean with the infant May, Alison (who always disliked children) initially had no love for the baby, but grew to love May through the months they spent together (Spider-Girl #49).

 



The Brotherhood of Scriers arrive to collect the child for Norman Osborn. Alison asks if she can accompany them as she has grown attached to the child, but the Scriers remind her not to question Mr. Osborn. The Scriers leave Mongrain with Norman’s compliments and her ‘final payment’ which turns out to be counterfeit bills and knockout gas. Kaine, being familiar with Osborn and the Scriers methods, rescued Mongrain just as the yacht exploded, hoping to learn what role she had played for Norman Osborn. Upon learning that Alison had kidnapped May and helped convince Peter and Mary Jane she was dead, Kaine leaves Mongrain floundering in the bay with no care whether she lived or died (Spider-Girl #49).

 




Meanwhile, terrible months have passed by for Peter and Mary Jane until Mary Jane receives a phone call from the man called Kaine. Having located Mongrain’s yacht, Kaine begins by telling Mary JaneYour baby’s alive!’ and then goes on to provide a longer explanation, but insists that Mary Jane not tell Peter until the child is safe in her arms. Mary Jane hated keeping secrets from Peter but did not wish for Peter to endanger their baby’s life by confronting Norman Osborn (Spider-Girl #48).

 


Shortly after this, we get a glimpse of a Scrier handing over baby May to Norman Osborn. Norman cloned the baby and ‘genetically tinkered’ with both to ensure they would eventually manifest spider-powers. Later, Norman placed one of the babies (May) into the care of his good friend Philippe DeJunae. Retaining the other baby (later known as April) himself, Norman ‘added a few more enhancements’ including using cells from Venom aka Eddie Brock’s alien symbiote which transformed the other infant into a unique hybrid (Amazing Spider-Girl #29).

 


Kaine’s months-long mission across the globe ‘from a New York hospital to the Caribbean’ and finally to La Maison DeJunae in the south of France brings him into conflict with the Brotherhood of Scriers. After defeating the group of Scriers, Kaine makes short work of their leader before taking possession of baby May from Monsieur Philippe DeJunae. Unbeknownst to Kaine, Norman had orchestrated the encounter to ensure Kaine would return May to her parents and allow him to continue his Project: Changeling experiments on the second baby, which Osborn intended to put into effect within a year or two if his scheme proceeded as planned (Amazing Spider-Girl #25).

 



 



Kaine returned May to Mary Jane and encouraged her to take the necessary DNA tests to prove the baby wasn’t part of some twisted trick. Kaine also vowed to avoid future confrontations with Peter, and admitted he was doing all of this as part of a debt he owed Ben Reilly. Mary Jane realized that Kaine hadn’t finished his mission and intended to find and punish the man responsible: Norman Osborn (Spider-Girl #48-#49).



 

Reunited with baby May, Mary Jane and Peter are overjoyed at first, with Peter even believing Kaine’s intentions were good (Spider-Girl #49, Amazing Spider-Girl #25). There’s actually a large stretch of time that occurs between panels here that only becomes apparent later, as Spider-Man doesn’t immediately track down Norman Osborn for their fateful final battle.


 

With Mr. and Mrs. Spider-Man having resumed a fairly normal life once more with May in their care, we next see Peter and Mary Jane preparing for a dinner with the Connors family. A sleeping May is left in the care of Mary Jane’s Aunt Anna and later plays happily with her mother and father upon their return later that night, blissfully unaware her father had just faced the Lizard once more (Amazing Spider-Man Family #1).

 



May is left with Anna Watson again when Peter and Mary Jane head off one morning. Mary Jane is so moved after witnessing a brutal slaying that she runs home to embrace her baby, followed directly after by Peter who brought the criminals to justice as Spider-Man (Amazing Spider-Man Family #2).

 



Poor baby May falls ill and winds up in the emergency room with her parents and great aunt Anna. Encountering Aleksei Sytsevich (aka The Rhino) bringing his sick Aunt Yulya in for treatment, Peter and Mary Jane find common ground with the former super villain and his aunt (Amazing Spider-Man Family #3).

 











While not actually seen in the story, Peter and Mary Jane discuss how their financial situation and studies at Empire State University have meant Aunt Anna has been over-relied upon to babysit May. Fortunately, after foiling a would-be robbery, a crime scene investigator named Carlie Cooper suggests Peter consider a career as a police scientist (Amazing Spider-Man Family #4)

 

May’s ‘Uncle’ Phil Urich has been a friend of the family for as long as May can remember (Spider-Girl #83). As Phil works alongside Peter in the crime lab of Midtown South Police Precinct, it’s likely Peter started this job while May was still very young.



Peter was not present to hear May’s first words or see her first steps (Amazing Spider-Girl #19).

 


It’s unclear exactly how much time passes, but eventually Peter interrupts Norman Osborn’s Gathering of Five ritual and has his final battle in which he loses his leg and Norman loses his life. Deciding he has more important responsibilities as a father, Peter retires as Spider-Man (What If #105, Spider-Girl #7, Spider-Girl #49).






*May’s age when Peter retires is unclear: in What If #105 Peter claims May was 2 years old but May appears to still be a baby in Spider-Girl #7*

 



 At some point while May was young-either before or after Peter loses his leg or possibly both- Normie and Liz Osborn celebrated holidays and Christmases with the Parker family (Spider-Girl #54).May’s has childhood memories of Normie being a weird, aloof and withdrawn child who’d occasionally sneak her gummi bears when the adults weren’t looking (Spider-Girl #20). Normie and May would play together (Spider-Girl #27).

 





On her first day of Pre-School for 4-year-olds (PK4) May felt absolutely abandoned by her mother and spent the day crying. When a second-grader began to pull on her hair, Courtney Duran bit the bully on the leg. The two girls have been friends ever since (Spider-Girl #50, Spider-Girl #76, Amazing Spider-Girl #0).

 


Around this time, May also caught the 3 and half year old Jimmy Yama peeing in Katie Mulgrew’s sandbox. May and Jimmy have known each other since they were kids and have often watched each other’s backs, so this may have been their first meeting (Spider-Girl #13, Spider-Girl #½).

 



May first met Davida Kirby just before entering the second grade, after being signed up for soccer by Mary Jane. Davida proclaimed she could kick the ball the furthest and soon proved she was correct. Beginning as teammates, Davida and Mayday became fast friends (Spider-Girl #81, Amazing Spider-Girl #0).



 


May first became aware of Maurice ‘Moose’ Mansfield while in grade school because he hung around a boy she had a crush on, Brad Miller. Moose would often bully the smaller children, including Jimmy Yama (Spider-Girl #77).

 


May at some point in the past used to bat ‘cleanup’ for a softball team (Spider-Girl #54).


 


May had a poster of Lyja Storm aka Ms. Fantastic on her wall as a kid, and developed a celebrity crush on Franklin Richards aka Psi-Lord of the Fantastic Five (Spider-Girl #3).

 


As a teenager, May is an exceptional student, achieving straight-A’s in her classes and playing starter for the Midtown High girls’ basketball team thanks to her natural athleticism (Spider-Girl #5). May received the nickname ‘Mayday’ for her prowess on the basketball court (Amazing Spider-Girl #0). May was on track for a professional career as a basketball player and thought she’d eventually teach Physical Education or work as a coach (What If #105, Spider-Girl #26).


  

There’s a lot to break down here which requires more time dedicated to sifting through it all than I have at the moment, unfortunately. But to briefly review:

 

·         Born in a New York Hospital, May is swapped at birth for recently deceased stillborn baby by Alison Mongrain as part of truly evil scheme by Norman Osborn, leaving Mary Jane and Peter devastated.

·         Norman sends Alison is sent on an paid extended paid trip in a yacht with May for several months.

·         Alison eventually grows fond of May before the Brotherhood of the Scrier members take the infant back to Norman, leaving Alison to die in a rigged explosion.

·         Kaine, seeking vengeance on Osborn, saves Alison only to leave her for dead upon learning her part in May’s kidnapping.

·         Kaine contacts Mary Jane and tells her May is alive but insists she not tell Peter until May is safely returned to her parents.

·         Osborn clones and genetically tinkers with May and her clone as part of his Project: Changling.

·         Placing May in the care of Philippe DeJunae, protected by hired members of the Scriers, Osborn performs further alterations on the May clone, making the baby a unique hybrid by combining her with samples of the Venom Symbiote.

·         Kaine rescues May from DeJunae, unaware events have been orchestrated by Osborn

·         Kaine reunites May with her mother Mary Jane, determined to find Osborn

·         Peter and Mary Jane return to a fairly normal routine with their daughter, with Peter still active as Spider-Man and both parents attending Empire State University. Anna Watson often babysits May as a result.

·         Liz Osborn and her son Normie often spent the holidays with the Parker family

·         Eventually, Peter finds and confronts Norman during the Gathering of Five ceremony, resulting in Spider-Man and the Green Goblin’s final battle; Peter loses his leg and Norman dies by his own hand.

·         Peter retires as a superhero, determined to focus on his responsibilities as a father and husband.

·         Between the ages of 3 and 4, May meets and becomes friends with Courtney Duran and Jimmy Yama.

·         May first meets and befriends Davida Kirby just before her second grade when she joins a soccer team

·         In grade school, May develops a crush on Brad Miller and first becomes aware of his friend Moose Mansfield.

·         May grew up a fan of the Fantastic Five and had a celebrity crush on youngest team member Franklin Richards.

·         May is both academically and physically gifted, excelling in both school and sports, including playing on the Midtown High Girls’ Basketball team, where she received the nickname ‘Mayday’.

 

I really tried hard to ensure I captured as much background information from the Spider-Girl series relating to May’s childhood, but I’m still sure I’ve missed something along the way. I welcome any and all input, so if you know something I’ve missed, please let me know!

 

Until I have time to put these sort of in-depth posts together with less than 12 hours to spare, I remain

 

frogoat