User blog:NarutoRevival/Alpha

Alpha, a story arc we thought to be stupid, turned out to be complex
I am sure most Spider-Man fans know of the latest Amazing Spider-Man arc Alpha. I know that there was a huge uproar over the arc. Myself included, but when the arc started I was amazed at how much I sympathized with Alpha. Alpha felt like a kid at some high school. He had nothing going for him, average grades, the girl he likes hardly noticing him, and his parents ignore him. In a few pages, I went from thinking this was the stupidest concept for Spidey since One More Day to god hurry up and let Alpha get his powers. And then in a span of a line, I went back to hating the little jerk. I have to give props to Slott, he knows how to anger Spider-Man fans with few words. I feel that this story is not meant as an action packed story, but a complex character study of Spider-Man and superheroes in Marvel.

The story hammers in that Alpha is an example of what Peter could have been, but shows how Peter is different at the same time. With Alpha being more of a jerk than any modern day retelling or adaptation version of Peter ever is. But even when Alpha is still a jerk, we still see him as a person and not a plot device. Like when Alpha refused to let ****SPOILERS**** Jackal take his powers, as that is the only thing that made him special. ****SPOILERS****

Marvel was made into the comic powerhouse that it is, because it made their characters humans. But this shows that even though their heroes are people, they are still different from everyone else and are people we can look up to. In the end Alpha is just a kid, given powers he simply does not have the moral fiber to use correctly. But at the same time, he is not in anyway immoral enough to be a villain. So what does he do, he seeks fame and is a hero not because it is the right thing to do, but because it is cool.

At the same time, when the arc ended although I despised Alpha. I could not help but feel sorry that in the end ****SPOILERS**** when Alpha lost his powers. That what he feared the most, happened and he was a nobody again. ****SPOILERS****

The way the story ended, I know Alpha will come back again, but how do you think will happen, will he go after Spidey, look to Spidey for guidance.

So how did you feel about the arc, the character Alpha? And before any of you say I have too negative view of humans. I am sure everyone at one point has wanted to be a superhero. But what was the reason? I am sure most of you think because it was cool. Or that the they get the good looking love interests. I am sure some people want to be Spidey because of Mary Jane, Black Cat or Gwen Stacy. But how many of us would still be heroes if we went thought what Spider-Man, Daredevil or Captain America went through. I am pretty sure, I would quit pretty soon if something like that happened to me.