Amazing Spider-Man #532
The War At Home Part One
Peter Parker has called a family meeting with Mary Jane and his Aunt May to make an important decision, telling them that in a few days there may not be a Spider-Man anymore. As he goes on to explain what he means he thinks about where it all started…
Earlier
Peter Parker joined Tony Stark on a private jet en route to Stamford Connecticut where a battle between the New Warriors and a group of super-villains have led to the deaths of over 600 people when the villain Nitro made his body explode.[1] When Tony calls to get the death toll he’s horrified to learn that there were children that were caught in the blast and fears that this is worse than anything they have encountered before. Soon, Iron Man and Spider-Man are on the scene, and Tony points out to Peter that this disaster is going to be something that people are going to remember for a long time and points out that the local survivors hate superheroes and he doesn’t blame them. When Peter suggests that they go looking for more survivors, Iron Man tells him to stand down and that the only reason why they are still here is when the President of the United States passes by the area in a government helicopter.
An hour later, Peter and Tony are at the White House so Tony can meet with the President and learn what the government plans on doing. After a brief meeting, Tony emerges from the President’s office and tells Peter that he was given the heads up that the government is going to push the Super-Human Registration Act through.[2] This means that every superhero in America will have to unmask and register with the government, a situation which both men know won’t be accomplished without a fight.[3] That’s when Tony tells Peter that when the President asked if he was still Iron Man, Tony admitted it without hesitation because he believes when the President asks you something you always tell him the truth. Tony then explains the far-reaching implications of this law, saying that after a certain period of amnesty for them to sign up, but after that those who refuse to sign up with the government will be hunted down and incarcerated for a long time for failing to comply with the law. As they leave, Tony goes on to say that this law will split the superhero community right down the middle. When Peter says he’ll stand by him, that’s when Tony asks Peter to openly support the SHRA as both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. In other words, Tony is asking Peter to publicly reveal his identity, because that’s the only way Tony can operate on the up-and-up is that if those who work with him are as transparent as he is.
The idea completely mortifies Peter, who is reminded that it’s not really Tony asking him to do this, but the government and warns him that the repercussions for not complying will be harsh to not only Peter but his whole family. After they arrive at the airport, Tony tells Peter to think it over and if he decides against registering that this will serve as his goodbye. On the flight back, Peter checks on the family finances and is disheartened to see that there is not a whole lot of money in their names.[4]
Now
Having told this all to his family, they begin weighing the options. As Mary Jane weighs all the implications of not registering, she says she’ll support Peter no matter what he does. Aunt May offers her two cents. She tells Peter that when she found out that Peter was Spider-Man she was less upset that he kept it a secret for so many years, but how people called him a monster all because he was forced to wear a mask.[5] May says she wants the world to know that Peter Parker is a hero and points out that government officials and law enforcement all uphold the law without masks and Peter should have the freedom to do the same thing as well. With that, they all agree that Peter should instead of running to stand tall and show the whole world while the both love him so much by revealing who he really is.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Iron Man, Mary Jane Watson, Aunt May
Continuity Notes
The deaths in Stamford Connecticut happened in Civil War #1. Although all the heroes and villains were said to have been killed in the blast, a number of them have cheated death:
The first to come back from this alive was Speedball, whose journey of being a fall guy for the Stamford disaster is chronicled in Civil War: Front Line #1-11.
Speedball’s fellow New Warrior, Night Thrasher, wasn’t killed in the blast but pulled forward in time by the Collector as seen in Contest of Champions #5.
Although Namorita dies here, her past self was pulled forward into the present day in Nova (vol. 4) #35 without affecting history. This is because this Namorita from a divergent reality where she was plucked out of time in the past.
Nitro didn’t die when he exploded as his powers allow him to reform himself after each explosion. He’ll turn up again Wolverine (vol. 3) #42.
Coldheart also apparently survived, although the how is never explained. She is seen again in All-New All-Different Avengers #8.
Cobalt Man indeed died and was later seen in the afterlife in Hercules #129-130. He was later resurrected and later appears in Deadpool and the Mercs for Money (vol. 2) #3.
The only characters who have remained dead (as I write this) are Microbe and the normal people who were killed in the explosion.
Tony is identified as the former Secretary of Defense. Tony was awarded this position in Iron Man (vol. 3) #77 but he was forced to resign from the role in Avengers #501.
Peter mentions how it took Tony years to convince people that he wasn’t Iron Man anymore. Tony revealed that he was Iron Man in Iron Man (vol. 3) #55 and later convinced everyone that he was stepping down as the armored hero in Iron Man (vol. 3) #89, although he started being Iron Man in secret immediately afterward in Iron Man (vol. 4) #1. Peter ‘s statement that it took “years” should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616 as it denotes the length of time between publications. In-universe it actually took Tony less than a year to put the genie back in the bottle.
Peter’s net income in this issue is identified as $11273.47, this amount should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616 due to inflation alone.
In case you missed the reference to poor dead Uncle Ben, it’s made here (Amazing Fantasy #15). The only thing we can really add here is that Peter made the promise after Ben’s death when he was sixteen. Civil War #2 states Peter was 15 when he got his powers, which suggests that Peter’s birthday happened between the day he got his powers and the day Uncle Ben was murdered. This is possible since the limited series Spider-Man: With Great Power revealed that Spider-Man’s career in showbiz lasted a few months.
Civil War Continuity
The events of this story take place between the events of Civil #1. The majority of this story (which Peter relates to Aunt May and Mary Jane) where Peter sees the damage done in Stamford and the trip to Washington take place between page 7 and 13 of Civil War #1.
