Appearing in "Chapter Two: Our Father's Way"
Featured Characters:
- Spider-Man (Peter Parker) (Leaves the Future Foundation)
Supporting Characters:
- "Gwen Parker" / Helen Parker (First appearance)
- Future Foundation (First appearance)
- Dr. Reed Richards (First appearance)
- Dr. Otto Octavius (First appearance)
- Mary Jane Watson
Antagonists:
- Oscorp (First full appearance)
- Black Goblin (Harry Osborn) (First appearance as Black Goblin)
- Norman Osborn
- Scipro-Genesis (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Flash Thompson (Mentioned) (Deceased)
- Giant-Man (Dr. Hank Pym) (First appearance; photo)
- Iron Man (Tony Stark) (Photo)
- Viet Cong (First appearance; photo)
- Captain America (Steve Rogers) (Photo)
- Aunt May (Mentioned)
- President Richard Nixon (Mentioned)
- Lizard (Dr. Curt Connors) (Mentioned)
- The Bee Gees (Mentioned)
- Cpt. George Stacy (Referenced) (Deceased)
- Rhino (Aleksei Sytsevich) (Referenced)
- Kraven the Hunter (Sergei Kravinoff) (Referenced)
- God (Yahweh) (Invoked)
- The Beatles (Mentioned)
- Fantastic Four (Mentioned)
- Sue Storm-Richards (Mentioned)
- Prince Namor (Mentioned)
- Mary Parker (Mentioned) (Deceased)
- Richard Parker (Mentioned) (Deceased)
- Uncle Ben (Mentioned) (Deceased)
- "Ben Parker" (First appearance)
- "Norman Osborn" (Only appearance; dies)[1]
- Gwen Parker (Death)
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Earth-19529
- Earth
- North America
- United States of America
- New York
- New York City
- Manhattan
- Unnamed graveyard (First appearance)
- Midtown
- 42nd Street and Madison Avenue
- Baxter Building (First appearance)
- Broadway (First appearance)
- Studio 54 (First appearance)
- Chelsea (First appearance)
- Peter Parker's Apartment (First appearance)
- 42nd Street and Madison Avenue
- Bronx (First appearance)
- Ryker's Island (First appearance)
- Aunt May's House, Queens (Mentioned)
- Manhattan
- New York City
- New York
- United States of America
- Asia (Photo)
- Vietnam (Photo)
- South Vietnam (Photo)
- Phuoc Long (Named only)
- South Vietnam (Photo)
- Vietnam (Photo)
- North America
- Earth
Items:
- A copy of the Daily Bugle
- Giant-Man's Suit (First appearance; photo)
- Iron Man Armor Model 4 (Photo)
- Captain America's Uniform and Shield (Photo)
- Dr. Octavius' Tentacles (First appearance)
- Spider-Man's Suit and Web-Shooters
- Unstable Molecules (First appearance)
- Goblin Armor
- Pumpkin Bombs
Vehicles:
Events:
- Vietnam War
- 1970s Recession (Mentioned)
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 with the Baxter Building has led to him directly working under Mr. Fantastic as a member of the Future Foundation, as well as being co-workers with Doctor Octopus, who reformed after a debilitating heart attack and marrying, 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 that 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 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 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, only to then tell 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 is better for others than what he does (namely restoring people’s limbs, including The Lizard’s). 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 club. It is revealed that the friend is Mary Jane, who is now engaged to Harry and a singer. 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 seeing him repeatedly leave the house as him.
Hurt by MJ’s words, Peter does not get 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 have been released to other people. Reed then gives Peter his full ideology: the metahumans will one day be more populous than humans, and he does not want to be involved in the devolution 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 chastise 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
- This issue references the stories "My Uncle...My Enemy?" (Amazing Spider-Man #131), "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" and "The Goblin's Last Stand!" (Amazing Spider-Man #121—122), and "Even If I Live, I Die!" (Amazing Spider-Man #149).
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.
See Also
Footnotes
- ↑ First and only known appearance to date besides flashbacks
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- Comics
- Week 16, 2019
- 2019
- 2019, June
- Modern-Age
- Spider-Man: Life Story Vol 1
- T (13 and up)
- C.B. Cebulski/Editor-in-Chief
- Chip Zdarsky/Cover Artist
- Chip Zdarsky/Writer
- Mark Bagley/Penciler
- Andrew Hennessy/Inker
- Frank D'Armata/Colourist
- Travis Lanham/Letterer
- Tom Brevoort/Editor
- Alanna Smith/Editor
- Shannon Andrews Ballesteros/Editor
- Gwendolyne Stacy (Clone) (Earth-19529)/Quotes
- Peter Parker (Earth-19529)/Appearances
- Gwendolyne Stacy (Clone) (Earth-19529)/Appearances
- Future Foundation (Earth-19529)/Appearances
- Reed Richards (Earth-19529)/Appearances
- Otto Octavius (Earth-19529)/Appearances
- Mary Jane Watson (Earth-19529)/Appearances
- Oscorp (Earth-19529)/Appearances
- Harold Osborn (Earth-19529)/Appearances
- Norman Osborn (Earth-19529)/Appearances
- Scipro-Genesis (Earth-19529)/Appearances
- Miles Warren (Earth-19529)/Appearances
- Eugene Thompson (Earth-19529)/Mentions
- Henry Pym (Earth-19529)/Minor Appearances
- Anthony Stark (Earth-19529)/Minor Appearances
- Viet Cong (Earth-19529)/Minor Appearances
- Steven Rogers (Earth-19529)/Minor Appearances
- Maybelle Reilly (Earth-19529)/Mentions
- Richard Nixon (Earth-19529)/Mentions
- Curtis Connors (Earth-19529)/Mentions
- George Stacy (Earth-19529)/Mentions
- Aleksei Sytsevich (Earth-19529)/Mentions
- Sergei Kravinoff (Earth-19529)/Mentions
- Beatles (Earth-19529)/Mentions
- Fantastic Four (Earth-19529)/Mentions
- Susan Storm (Earth-19529)/Mentions
- Namor McKenzie (Earth-19529)/Mentions
- Mary Fitzpatrick (Earth-19529)/Mentions
- Richard Parker (Earth-19529)/Mentions
- Benjamin Parker (Earth-19529)/Mentions
- Benjamin Reilly (Earth-19529)/Appearances
- Norman Osborn (Clone) (Earth-19529)/Appearances
- Gwendolyne Stacy (Earth-19529)/Appearances
- Homo sapiens/Appearances
- Homo superior/Mentions
- Earth-19529/Appearances
- Earth/Appearances
- North America/Appearances
- United States of America/Appearances
- New York (State)/Appearances
- New York City/Appearances
- Manhattan/Appearances
- 42nd Street/Appearances
- Madison Avenue/Appearances
- Baxter Building/Appearances
- Broadway/Appearances
- Studio 54/Appearances
- Chelsea/Appearances
- 410 Chelsea Street/Appearances
- Bronx/Appearances
- Ryker's Island/Appearances
- Aunt May's House/Mentions
- Asia/Minor Appearances
- Vietnam (Region)/Minor Appearances
- South Vietnam/Minor Appearances
- Phuoc Long/Mentions
- Giant-Man's Suit/Appearances
- Iron Man Armor Model 4/Minor Appearances
- Captain America's Uniform/Minor Appearances
- Captain America's Shield/Minor Appearances
- Doctor Octopus' Tentacles/Appearances
- Spider-Man's Suit/Appearances
- Web-Shooters/Appearances
- Unstable Molecules/Appearances
- Goblin Armor/Appearances
- Pumpkin Bomb/Appearances
- Goblin Glider/Appearances