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in: Comics, Spider-Man: Life Story Vol 1, Chip Zdarsky/Cover Artist,
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Spider-Man: Life Story Vol 1 2

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Quote1 Peter, I love you. You're allowed to be happy. The world is-- the world always serves up challenges and sadness. It's never in short supply. But you can't let it drive you. The dead don't want you to wallow. They want you to live. So let's live. Quote2
—"Gwen Parker"

Appearing in "Chapter Two: Our Father's Way"

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Synopsis for "Chapter Two: Our Father's Way"

It is now April 6th, 1977. Flash Thompson was killed in action exactly three years earlier. Additionally, Peter and Gwen married sometime during Flash’s tour. Peter’s internship at the Baxter Building has led to him directly working under Mr. Fantastic as a member of the Future Foundation, as well as being a co-worker with Doctor Octopus, who reformed after a debilitating heart attack and married, of all people, Aunt May. Meanwhile, the Vietnam War continues to rage on, with more metahumans such as Hank Pym joining the conflict, while Captain America has become a vigilante who saves lives on both sides of the war.

Peter stands over Flash’s grave and updates him on the major things that have happened in the past year: Harry has taken over OsCorp and brought it back from the brink of bankruptcy, while Gwen has gone to work with Miles Warren at his new bio-engineering lab. Gwen arrives to console Peter, who admits to feeling guilty over Flash’s death. Gwen tells him that the dead would want them to be happy and live on, and while Peter acknowledges she is right, he still feels the weight of guilt on his shoulders.

Peter goes to work with Reed, who frequently murmurs political babble about the war; he believes that Iron Man’s actions are prolonging the conflict, and that if a superhero were to be captured, their powers could be exploited by the enemy. Peter tries to defend the heroes’ actions, secretly still having doubts on the war, when Otto calms both of them down.

Harry goes to visit Norman in prison, at the latter’s request. Norman tells Harry he is proud of him for keeping the company together, and tells him to work again on the “Gemini Project” before it is shut down. Harry protests, but Norman calms him down, telling him he has one more secret to tell him. It is implied that Norman has manipulated Harry into thinking that Spider-Man ruined his life.

Meanwhile, Peter vents about his arguments with Reed to Gwen, even saying that what she does (namely restoring people’s limbs, including The Lizard’s) is better for others than what he does. Warren then comes in to greet Peter, and Peter mentions to him that he is going to a disco club later that evening to “support a friend”. As Peter is about to leave, Warren offers Peter a job helping out with the lab equipment if Reed’s job falls through, and Peter promises to consider it.

After he leaves, Peter arrives at the disco. It is revealed that the friend is Mary Jane, who is now a singer and engaged to Harry. It becomes apparent that the couple are both drunk. While talking to them, Peter asks if their relationship is going well, which offends Mary Jane. This sets her off in a tirade about how Peter’s concern for his college friends is a falsehood, claiming that rather than telling people their problems, he should actually try to help them, Flash included. In the process, Mary Jane reveals that she has known he was Spider-Man since he first started after repeatedly seeing him leave the house in costume.

Hurt by MJ’s words, Peter does not sleep. At work the next morning, Peter asks Reed why he has not made unstable molecules public when they could do a lot of users good for their indestructibility. Reed says that everyone wanting the clothes would cause an economic crisis, but Peter does not buy this, as none of their inventions has been released to other people. Reed then gives Peter his full ideology: the metahumans could one day be more powerful than humans, and he does not want to be involved in the imbalance of society. Peter finally insults Reed by mentioning how Sue left him for Namor, gets slapped in the face, and quits. At the same time, Harry wakes up from his hangover, and calls Norman from prison.

As Spider-Man heads to Warren’s lab to take his offer, Warren is talking to Gwen when suddenly a supervillain, the Black Goblin, breaks in, claiming to have been sent by one of Warren’s benefactors. He begins choking Warren when Spider-Man arrives. They briefly spar before the Black Goblin throws a pumpkin bomb at a wall. The bomb disintegrates the wall, revealing its contents: clones of Norman, Peter, and Gwen.

The Black Goblin unmasks himself to reveal Harry underneath. Warren reveals the full truth: Norman, as benefactor, wanted Warren to create a clone of him that he could pin the Green Goblin on, and sent Harry to retrieve it. However, he also wanted one of Peter for unknown reasons, and Warren additionally made one of Gwen due to his lust for her. Harry then deduces why Norman wanted Peter: after learning he was Spider-Man (and also telling Harry this), he wanted him to be his heir for both his mind and his powers. Enraged at this, Harry attacks Spider-Man and unmasks him, but Peter is able to convince him to calm down, telling him why he put him away and that he is continuing to hurt people. Harry decides to not give Norman the edge, so he drops a pumpkin bomb in the room and blows it up, intending to destroy the clones.

Peter finds Gwen and Warren on the street, and after a moment, goes to find the clones. He discovers the Norman and Gwen clones dead, but the Peter one (due to his healing factor) has survived, and Peter rescues him. Warren then tries rushing into the lab to save the Gwen clone, but is stopped by Peter. Warren then reveals the further truth: sometime in the year that Gwen was working for him, he switched her out with her clone so that she could be with him forever, meaning that the “clone” Harry destroyed was the real Gwen Stacy. Peter then heads back in and cradles his wife’s body, while Gwen reels from the revelation and a remorseful Harry flies away.

One year later, the Peter and Gwen clones are now married, as Ben and Helen Parker, and are planning to move to a new town. Mary Jane comes to bid them farewell, but a grief-stricken Peter does not. After they leave, MJ tries to console Peter by saying that they will get a new life, but this leads Peter to berate her, saying that she also got a new life by inheriting Harry’s fortune, while he has nothing. MJ tells him this isn’t true, and hugs him.

Solicit Synopsis

CAN PETER AND GWEN FIND HAPPINESS IN THE 1970s?

The GREEN GOBLIN is out of their lives, but NORMAN OSBORN isn’t! Can PETER AND GWEN find happiness as the world of the 1970s dances on around them?

Notes

Trivia

  • In real life, the Vietnam War ended with the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. The implication here is that the involvement of super heroes in Earth-19529's Vietnam War only escalated things past 1975.

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