Is Peter Parker a baby killer? Check out my view on the latest hullaballoo, and keep the debate alive in the comment section!
THE SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #9
“Troubled Mind Part Two [sic]: Gray Matters”
WRITER: Dan Slott
ARTIST: Ryan Ste...
Is Peter Parker a baby killer? Check out my view on the latest hullaballoo, and keep the debate alive in the comment section!
THE SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #9
“Troubled Mind Part Two [sic]: Gray Matters”
WRITER: Dan Slott
ARTIST: Ryan Stegman
COLOR ART: Edgar Delgado
LETTERER: Chris Eliopoulos
PLOT POINTS:
Ghost Peter, Otto explains, is a consciousness manifested from the remaining memories in Peter’s brain. Using the brain scanning helmet he retrieved last issue, Otto attempts to erase Peter’s memories, thereby destroying Ghost Peter. Doctor Octopus and Ghost Peter battle within Peter’s mindscape. Ghost Peter summons the memories of his friends to aid him, while Ock calls upon a mental army of villains.
As the war turns against Ock, Ghost Peter makes Otto admit that stealing Peter’s life was bad. Otto, however, starts rationalizing his actions as giving the world a “superior” Spider-Man. Otto turns the tables by forcing Ghost Peter to admit that, in issue #8, Ghost Peter attempted to halt Otto from performing life-saving brain surgery on a child because in doing so Otto would gain access to the brain scanning helmet and discover Ghost Peter.
Ghost Peter collapses, allowing Otto to purge Peter’s memories and seemingly delete Ghost Peter. Otto awakens, claiming he is free.
OPINIONS!
Superior Spider-Man #9 provokes considerable controversy, but thankfully little of that controversy concerns the notion that Peter Parker actually “died” this issue. I guess we all finally know better. Rather, folks mostly seem mad that Ghost Peter, to protect himself, obstructed Otto’s curing a dying little girl. Who enjoys seeing their childhood role model jeopardize an innocent life to save his own non-literal skin? I get it.
But I loved this issue’s ending.
Yeah, I see you there, hitting your caps lock button, ready to verbally crucify me in the comments section. Hear me out. I perceive at least three factors that mitigate this plot development’s so-called travesty.
Mitigating factor 1: Ghost Peter isn’t REALLY Peter. Otto defines Ghost Peter in the panel below. We can trust Otto’s conclusion because this is a scientific matter within the story’s context, and therein lies Otto’s expertise.
Thus, Ghost Peter represents a “version” of Peter Parker that was not “created” until after Otto removed Peter’s consciousness from Peter’s body, but left Peter’s memories intact for Otto’s access. Peter Parker’s original consciousness died inside Otto’s body in ASM #700. Ghost Peter is a distinct entity–he’s all those leftover memories taking on their own life. So if you’re upset that the Peter Parker we know and love tried to let a little girl die, don’t be. He didn’t.
Nevertheless, I do think Otto’s line “it seems we are the sum of our experiences” suggests that Ghost Peter, being the product of Peter’s memories, is cut from the same cloth as the original. I suspect that Ghost Peter mirrors Peter such that they’d behave identically under identical circumstances. Any characterization of Ghost Peter characterizes Peter by extension. I prefer that interpretation because I have no interest in Ghost Peter independent from what we can learn about the real Peter through him.
Mitigating Factor 2: Ghost Peter wasn’t CONSCIOUSLY looking out for himself. Let’s look back at #8’s key scene:
Notice Ghost Peter’s words here, stating that his reason for stopping the operation is that Otto is arrogant, that he doesn’t know what he’s doing. Pop quiz: to whom is Ghost Peter speaking? He addresses Doc Ock, but he can’t intend for Doc Ock to hear him, not if Ghost Peter’s real objective is to evade Ock’s detection. No, the true answer is that Ghost Peter is talking to himself, and that means he has no reason to lie. So the reason he gives in the moment for hindering Ock is what he consciously thinks at the time. Only later, after forced introspection, does Peter realize that he had the deeper, subconscious motivation to protect himself. And as soon as
