SPIDER
Earth-311 / 1602 A.D.
Real Name: Peter Parker
Identity/Class: Alternate reality (Earth-311) human mutate (American citizen, formerly Scottish citizen)
Occupation: Stage performer;
former assistant to spymaster Sir Nicholas Fury, printer's
assistant, May Flower deck hand and powder monkey
Group Membership: The Family Watsonne of Scotland
acting troop (Graeme Watsonne, Marion Jane Watsonne, Mr and Mrs
Watsonne);
formerly May Flower crew (Captain Stacey, Bosun's mate
Cargill, others), Sir Nicholas Fury's "department"
Affiliations: Governor Ananias Dare, Virginia Dare, Captain Dougan, Queen Elizabeth I, the Four from the Fantastik (Human Torch / Jon Storm, Invisible Woman / Susan Storm, Mister Fantastik / Sir Richard Reed, Thing / Captain Benjamin Grimm), Sir Nicholas Fury, Hulk (David Banner), Jonah Jameson, Lord Iron, Marioac, Matthew Murdoch, Henri Le Pym, Janette Le Pym, Rhodes, Clea Strange, Doctor Stephen Strange, Thompson, Thor Odinson, Javier's Witchbreed (Jean "John" Grey, Carolus "Carlos" Javier, Hal McCoy, Scotius Summerisle, Robert Trefusis, Werner) (all Earth-311); Rojhaz (Steve Rogers of Earth-460)
Enemies: Bull's Eye, King
James VI & I (James Charles Stuart), "Galactus," King's Pin
(Wilson Fiske), Lizard (Curtis Connors), Baron Victor Octavius, Norman
Osborne, Captain Ross (all Reality-311);
formerly Sir Nicholas Fury (ordered by King James to kill
him, but never truly hostile to his former master), Jonah Jameson
(hostile to the Spider, but not Peter, until he learned the Spider's
identity), Lord Iron, May Flower crew, Henri Le
Pym
Known Relatives: Unidentified parents (both deceased, surnames presumably Parker), Benjamin (surname likely Parker, uncle), unidentified aunt (surname likely Parker)
Aliases: Peter Parquagh, Spider-Man;
"Monkey," "Mouse," "Flea" (names Dougan and his men
jokingly suggested as alternatives to "Spider," all rejected by Peter);
Power Monkey (used by the May Flower crew)
Base of Operations: London, England;
formerly Jamestown/New Croatan, Roanoke colony, New
World/America
First Appearance: (as Peter) 1602 I#1 (November 2003)
Powers/Abilities: Spider possessed superhuman strength to an unrevealed degree, speed, reflexes, endurance and equilibrium. He also possessed a spider-sense that warned him of imminent danger, could cling to walls and ceilings, leap over hundred feet in a single bound, and produce webs from his wrists, which could be used to swing from or to ensnare foes. He spoke English as his native tongue, and could converse in Italian, albeit so poorly that a native Italian claimed it made his ears bleed.
Height: (as late teen or adult) 5'9"; (around
time of gaining powers) 5'2" (both by estimation - see comments)
Weight: (as late teen or adult) 160 lbs.; (around time of gaining
powers) 115 lbs. (both by approximation)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
History:
(1602 I #8 (fb) - BTS) - When the Steve Rogers of Reality-460 was sent back in time by his foe the Purple Man, he arrived in the late 1500s of Earth-616 in what would one day become America.
(1602 I #6) - However, his anomalous presence and
the temporal rift that had been opened caused a slow decay in reality that
threatened to eradicate all of 616. One side effect of this was the
appearance of dinosaurs (dubbed "thunder lizards" by the locals) in the
Americas. Perhaps as a defense mechanism to combat the slowly approaching
apocalypse (as speculated by Uatu the Watcher), versions of the heroes and
villains who should have come into existence in the 20th century alongside
Rogers instead began appearing in this era. One of those was Peter...
(Spider-Man
1602#3 (fb) - BTS) - Parker.
(1602 I #2 (fb) - BTS) - Humans with innate superpowers were deemed Witchbreed, touched by the Devil.
After his mother and father passed away (see comments), Peter was taken in by his Uncle Benjamin and his wife...
(Spider-Man 1602#3 (fb) - BTS) in
Staffordshire, Scotland (see comments).
(1602 I #2 (fb) - BTS) - Peter loved to make
things, and had a quick mind, conceiving the idea of using glass ground
into the shape of a dewdrop to magnify images. Some years later, in late
1601 A.D. or early 1602, Queen Elizabeth I's spymaster Sir Nicholas Fury visited
on Peter's...
(1602: New World#1 (fb) - BTS) -
fourteenth...
(1602 I #2 (fb) - BTS) - birthday, saying that the boy was now old enough to enter his service as Peter's father would have wanted. His uncle was delighted for him, but his aunt wept, begging him to write to her, and visit when possible.
(1602 I #8 (fb) - BTS) - An orphan himself, Fury saw himself as he had once been in Peter.
(1602 I #1 (fb) - BTS) - Thus Peter, barely in his teens, became Fury's new assistant.
(Spider-Man 1602#3 (fb) - BTS)- Because Queen Elizabeth was wary of Scots, in large part due to her distrust of her conniving relative King James VI of Scotland, Fury had Parker hide his Scottish accent and changed his surname to the French sounding Parquagh.
(1602
I #2 (fb) - BTS) - Peter was a dutiful assistant, and also made sure
to send money home to his aunt and uncle.
(1602 I #1
(fb) - BTS) - Like most people, Peter had heard of
the European count Otto Von Doom "the Handsome," and that he was
supposedly a pious, learned and wise man.
In March 1602, Fury deemed he
would soon be needing the services of the freelance adventurer Matthew
Murdoch. Having arranged to meet him at the Moor's Head tavern in
Westminster, Fury sent Peter on ahead to arrange with the innkeeper to
book a private room for the rendezvous, but not to warm it with a fire
nor light the candles, instead leaving it dark.
(1602 I #1) - Having completed his task, Peter waited in the Moor's Head's bar for Fury to arrive, and became engrossed by a spider sitting atop one of the tables. As he leaned over it intently, one of the patrons took notice and inquired what had seized his intention. Enthusiastically, Peter pointed out the spider, expressing admiration at its shiny carapace, but was cut short as the disgusted patron squashed the bug with his flagon. Peter's shock was interrupted by the arrival of Fury, who confirmed that his assistant had booked the room. After the innkeeper showed them to the room, Fury instructed the publican that they were not to be disturbed and then ordered Peter to bar the door while he shuttered the lanterns. Confused, Peter asked how the man they were to meet would be able to enter their upper floor room if the entrance was barred, but Fury assured him that would not be a problem. Shivering in the cold and dark, Peter stated that no one could get up to their room unless he was the Devil himself, but instead of Fury answering, Murdock did, entering the blacked-out room through the open window and declaring that he would be happy to play that role. Wary, Murdoch asked who Peter was, but Fury reassured him that he could talk in front of his new assistant as freely as if they were alone. Peter listened with interest as Murdock informed Fury that there were rumors of an important item being transported to London from Jerusalem, and that many powerful people would seek to acquire it; Fury tasked Murdock with bringing the cargo and the man transporting it safely back to England, and tossed Murdock the first part of his payment for this service the adventurer. When Fury lit his lantern moments later, Murdock was already gone, leaving Peter wondering aloud what manner of creature they had been dealing with.
Their work for the night as yet unfinished, Peter accompanied Fury next northeast, walking around the bend in the River Thames to The Temple district, named for the Temple Church built four hundred years earlier by the Knights Templar. When Peter asked his master why they had come there, Fury said there were two reasons, the first of which was because of the location's connection to the Templars. When Peter responded that he knew little of them, as they were before his time, Fury chided the lad, pointing out that to succeed in a world of secrets and powers one had to understand many things that happened before their time, in order to better understand their own time and to predict what was to come. Mulling this over for a moment, Peter concluded his mentor was right and requested Fury tell him of the Templars. Fury told him that some claimed the Templars had assembled to gather a great treasure in Jerusalem, and Peter realized that this might be the item now on its way to London. Recalling that Fury had mentioned a second reason, Peter asked what that was, and Fury quietly told him it was approaching from behind, then instructed him to step away. A moment later an assassin leapt from the shadows and stabbed Fury in the back, but the blade bent and Fury whirled round to stun his attacker with two well-placed punches. Seeing a shocked Peter examining the damaged weapon, Fury assured him that it was leather and chainmail that had saved him, nothing magical, adding that his second reason for coming to Temple was because it seemed a fine place to deal with the man who had been following them. While Peter carried their torch to light up the dark night, Fury tied the unconscious assailant up and slung him over his shoulder, and together they set off to take their prisoner to the Tower of London for interrogation.
(1602 I #2 (fb) - BTS) - With his duties requiring him to be temporarily absent from Elizabeth's court and London, Fury tasked Peter with ensuring the safety of Virginia Dare, the first child born in the English colony of Roanoke, who had recently arrived from the New World to be presented to the monarch.
(1602 I #2) - Arriving at the Bleeding Heart Inn where Dare was staying, Peter found her room's door guarded by a tall, half-dressed blond man who studiously ignored the boy when he asked if Dare was within, but who swiftly grabbed his arm when Peter attempted to knock. Luckily for Peter, Dare had heard his voice and opened to door; upon seeing her protector lifting the protesting lad aloft, she ordered his release and apologized, explaining that Rojhaz was her bodyguard, having protected her since she was an infant. Peter informed the girl that he had been sent to safely escort her to Hampton Court Palace where the Queen would receive her; when Rojhaz responded in halting English that he would come too, Peter apologetically stated that he had only been instructed to bring Dare. Stating simply "Rojhaz come," the blond man hoisted Peter off his feet, ignoring his mistress' instructions to put the boy down. Peter babbled that he had been told to bring Dare, not anyone else, but as Rojhaz leaned closer menacingly, Peter hastily added that he was certain Fury would hate for Dare to be separated from her bodyguard. Satisfied, Rojhaz unceremoniously dropped the boy, and stated with satisfaction "Rojhaz come. Good."
Taking a rowing boat up the Thames, Peter listened as Dare told him of how Rojhaz had saved the Roanoke colony from dying out during their first winter in the New World, and how her mother had died when she was an infant. When Dare asked Peter how he had come into Fury's service, he informed her about his own parents' deaths and how Fury had come for him on his last birthday. When she asked what he did for the spymaster, Peter explained he did whatever he was told to do, but when asked what he actually wanted to do, he admitted he liked making things. Stating that Roanoke needed people who could make things, Dare told her escort he should go to the New World.
Reaching the court, Peter accompanied Dare and Rojhaz into the Queen's presence in one of Hampton Court's high ceilinged chambers and formally announced the visitors to her majesty. The monarch briefly questioned Dare about the colony and her unusual protector, then queried Rojhaz too, but their discussion was abruptly interrupted when a bald flying man resembling the assassin who Fury had captured suddenly swooped down from above to snatch Dare and carry her into the air. Peter watched helplessly as the kidnapper absconded with his captive and Rojhaz sought to bring the fleeing villain down by throwing a tray at him, even as he flew too high to be seen. Moments later the kidnapper fell to the floor and Rojhaz swiftly pinned him to the ground, but a distressed Peter noted that Dare was missing and the man had somehow gained fresh and deep scars across his face.
(1602 I #3) - Peter followed Rojhaz as the American raced outside, and asked again where Dare was, to which Rojhaz responded monosyllabically "Up." Realizing he meant Dare was on the roof, Peter wondered how they could get up there, only for Rojhaz to begin to easily scale the building's high wall and call for him to follow. Staring up in awe, Peter quietly replied that he couldn't climb as he watched Rojhaz race up the building.
(1602 I #3 - BTS) - Dare was rescued from the roof by Rojhaz and the mystic physician Stephen Strange, moments before Fury arrived at the Palace. While Fury met with the Queen, Peter waited dutifully outside the room, where he was joined by the Latverian ambassador, who had brought Elizabeth a gift from his master, Count Von Doom.
(1602 I #3) - Exiting from the meeting, Fury ordered Peter to go immediately to Doctor Strange's house in Greenwich and on the Queen's orders take the physician to attend to Dare, who had yet to wake following her rescue. Noting with interest Doom's gift, which resembled the upper half of a man playing a horn, Fury and Peter briefly paused as the envoy explained it was a automaton capable of playing music. His curiosity satisfied, Fury finished briefing Peter as they headed outside; distrustful of Strange, Fury ordered the boy to not leave the physician alone with Dare, and to listen to everything said so it could be relayed back to him.
Reaching Strange's home, Peter was let in by the physician's wife, Clea, who left the fascinated boy to look around the specimens of strange creatures from around the world that the doctor kept in his study while she fetched her spouse. As Peter was staring at some scorpions kept in a glass tank, a black widow spider descended from the ceiling to alight on his hand, but before the venomous arachnid could bite the boy Doctor Strange entered the room. Warning his visitor to stand still, the physician carefully brushed the spider off the boy's hand and deposited it safely in a container.
(1602 I #3 - BTS) - The pair hurried to the Bleeding Heart Inn.
(1602 I #3) - Finding his patient burning up from a fever, Strange ordered Peter to leave the room so he could speak to Rojhaz alone. Peter objected, citing Fury's orders, but Strange was insistent, and Peter had no choice but to stand outside the room, sulking next to the closed door.
(1602 I #3 - BTS) - Meanwhile Queen Elizabeth was assassinated, slain by the automaton Doom had gifted her.
(1602 I #4 (fb) - BTS) - Dare was unconscious for a week, during most of which Peter remained close by, watching over her. However, when Fury received instructions to ride north to Newcastle to meet Elizabeth's successor, King James VI of Scotland, the spymaster took Peter with him.
(1602 I #4) - While Fury met with King James at his Newcastle encampment, Peter waited outside, tending to their horses. When he emerged, Fury informed Peter that the king-to-be had ordered him to head to the school of Carlos Javier, one of Fury's secret allies, and arrest Javier and all his "Witchbreed" students, killing any who resisted. Knowing he could not disobey this order, Fury instructed Peter to ride ahead and warn them.
(1602 I #4 - BTS) - Aware that if they fought or fled he would be instructed to exterminate all Witchbreed, Fury told Peter to request that Javier have his people surrender without a fight or attempt to escape.
(1602 I #5 - BTS) - Fury believed that he could keep Javier's students safe from James if they were in his custody, though he was unsure how he could manage that if the monarch wished them ill.
(1602 I #4) - Arriving at Javier's Select College for the Sons of Gentlefolk, Peter was intercepted by the beastly Hal McCoy, who accused him of malintent until another student, John Grey (secretly Jean Grey), convinced Hal to let him explain his presence. Taken to Javier, Peter relayed Fury's request, and though the school's students were defiant, Javier overruled them and agreed to do as Fury had asked.
(1602 I #5) - Fury arrived with his soldiers the next morning, and Peter opened the school's door to him. Seeing his face was bruised, Fury asked if he had been hurt, but Peter informed him that only his pride had been wounded, adding that the school's guard last night had been a little overzealous. Peter then watched as the Witchbreed were taken into custody.
(1602 I #5 - BTS) - In the Tower of London Fury discussed recent events with Strange and Javier. Already believing Von Doom had slain the Queen he had been sworn to protect, Fury learned from Strange that Von Doom was also holding captive Fury's dear friend Sir Richard Reed, Matthew Murdoch and the Templar treasure. Fury reluctantly concluded he would have to betray his new king, defying James' orders to use Javier's Witchbreed to stop Von Doom.
(1602 I #5) - As Fury and Strange exited the Tower, they were met by Peter. Seeing that Strange appeared unwell, Fury ordered Peter to escort the physician safely home. Aware James would likely target his underlings once he betrayed the king, Fury added that Peter should then return home to his aunt and uncle, not only released from his service but instructed to forget he had ever worked for the spymaster. Wasting no time, Fury and the Witchbreed escaped while Peter was still in the process of walking Strange home, but Peter failed to witness their spectacular departure aboard a flying sailing vessel because all his attention became focused on his charge when Strange suddenly collapsed.
(1602 I #6 - BTS) - As Strange's astral self met with the Watcher (Uatu of Reality-616), his physical body lay helplessly by the Tower of London (see comments).
(1602 I #7 (fb) - BTS) - Peter was captured and imprisoned in the Tower of London, deemed a traitor by King James because the boy had worked for Fury.
(1602 I #7) - Peter was escorted from his cell by James' advisor, David Banner, to watch in horror as Stephen Strange was beheaded.
The next day James visited Peter in his cell and demanded to know where his loyalty lay. Peter insisted that he wasn't a traitor, and James informed him that Clea Strange, Virginia Dare and Rojhaz had fled the country, taking Strange's head with them. Having always been paranoid, James now suspected plots and treachery everywhere, and told Peter that most of all he wanted Fury dead. Believing that Fury's trust of Peter would give the boy the best chance of anyone to achieve this goal, James offered Peter a choice; work under Banner and sail to the colonies to kill Fury, or die a traitor's death and break his aunt and uncle's hearts. Seeing no other option, Peter agreed to follow James' orders.
(Superior Spider-Man I#32) - As the Superior Spider-Man (Earth-616's Otto Octavius possessing Peter Parker's body) fell through time and between realities, he glimpsed momentarily Earth-311's Peter Parquagh, Sir Nicholas Fury, Virginia Dare, Carlos Javier and Matthew Murdoch.
(1602 I #7 - BTS) - Along with Banner and Banner's handpicked soldiers, Peter rode to Southampton, and the group boarded the fastest available ship to pursue the fugitives to the Americas.
(1602 I #8) - With his mental powers, Javier sensed Banner and Peter crossing the ocean and forewarned Fury of their imminent arrival.
(1602 I #8 - BTS) - Banner's ship made landfall along the coast from the colony's settlement, Jamestown. While Banner left his men (presumably to scout the area), Peter was allowed to go fishing for fresh food.
(1602 I #8) - Returning to the others with a brace of newly caught fish, Peter was shocked to discover them all brutally slain. As he gaped at the carnage, the nearby Fury called to him, having been concealed from initial view by the rocks he was sitting on. Calmly cleaning his knife, he confirmed to Peter that all the soldiers were dead, but promised not to harm the boy. Fury inquired about Banner's location, as other than Peter he was the last of James' forces left alive, but Peter refused to say, his sense of duty preventing him from betraying Banner despite having been coerced into his service. With Fury sitting with his back to Peter, the lad covertly pulled his own knife and advanced, unaware Fury was using the reflection on his dagger's blade to watch his every move. As he moved forward, Peter asked why Fury had not slain him too, and Fury admitted his fondness for the boy, having seen himself in Peter. Fury sheathed his blade and continued to talk about how his skill at war at raised him from poverty to the Queen's service, but left him overwhelmed with regrets over having so much blood on his hands, and now resigned to die. As he listened, Peter raised his blade, but found himself struggling over what to do, and then slipped away without Fury noticing him.
(1602 I #8 - BTS) - Banner found Peter again, and despite losing his soldiers was determined to slay Fury and complete his mission.
(1602 I #8) - Peter was with Banner when the latter spotted Fury in the distance via a spyglass, distracted carrying an unconscious Rojhaz. Aiming his crossbow, Banner was prevented from firing by a large white dog that bounded on top of him, knocking him to the ground. He shouted to the surprised Peter to kill the animal while there was still time for him to shoot Fury, but the animal looked at Peter, and he recognized its blue eyes to be those of Virginia Dare, so he instead gently called to her to release Banner, pointing out that Fury was already gone and so safe from them. As Virginia, in her canine form, moved over to Peter, the lad told the confused Banner that he had always been good with dogs. Accepting this, Banner mused that Fury would not evade them forever, unaware that Fury was about to close the rift that Rojhaz had come through at the cost of his own life. Doing so caused an explosion of energy which raced towards Banner and Peter, the former of whom proved that he was not entirely bad by instinctively pushing Peter to the ground and shielding the boy with his own body. When the energy wave passed, a groggy Banner wandered off, leaving the unconscious Peter behind. Waking, Peter found that Virginia was beside him, having transformed back into her human form. Helping her up, he worried that Banner would inform James that he had stopped him killing Fury, meaning that he could not return to England and that his aunt and uncle would be slain, but Virginia suggested he should stay at Roanoke with her father and her, and that they would find some way of getting his family away from James' dominion. Unnoticed at first, a spider irradiated by the rift energies dropped down to Peter's hand, then bit him. Reassuring Peter that it was not the end of the world, Virginia walked with him back to the colony.
(1602: New World I #1 (fb) - BTS) - In
short order the Witchbreed all left the colony, while Peter took work
as the apprentice to newspaperman Jonah Jameson, publisher of the
colony's newspaper The Daily Trumpet, but he soon fell feverishly ill
as a result of the spider-bite, only to recover overnight. Aware
Jameson was a demanding taskmaster who expected the latest edition
printed by noon, Peter returned to his work. Operating the heavy
printing press tired the adult Jameson out after printing only four
sheets, and he left Peter to carry on alone, but to Peter's surprise
he found operating the machine an easy task, printing over a hundred
sheets without any effort, though he noticed that the paper now
appeared to stick to his fingers.
(1602: New World I #1) - Virginia came to the Trumpet's building and chided Peter for leaving his sickbed so soon, but Peter reassured her that he felt fine now, proving it by demonstrating how easily he could manage the heavy printing press. Seeing the headlines on the paper, Virginia noted that he had written about all the recent events, but Peter reassured her that he had left out any mention of her transformation into a dog. Calling him her hero, Virginia teased Peter that he was blushing, but before the moment could develop Peter sensed imminent danger and warned Virginia that Jameson was returning. A second later the newsman burst into the room, and shouted at his assistant to stop wasting time as they had a broadsheet to sell. They took the sheets out into the town square and Jameson began hawking them to the colonists, trusting Peter to take the payments for same, but the idyllic moment came to a sudden halt as a herd of giant dinosaurs suddenly stampeded into the village, causing the townsfolk to flee in panic. Seeing Virginia about to be crushed, Peter instinctively leapt to her side, snatched her up and jumped high up into a nearby tree. Hearing the rumble of a second wave of even larger dinosaurs approach, big enough to demolish the buildings themselves, Peter leapt back down to the ground and desperately yelled at the beasts, trying in vain to turn their course before they reached Jamestown, and was about to be squashed by the beasts when Virginia intervened, now transformed into a white Tyrannosaur. The predator's sudden appearance caused the stampeding herd to change direction, but Peter spotted they were now bearing down on three children in a nearby field, so he bounded over the running herbivores to rescue the kids.
(1602: New World I #2) - Unable to safely get all three children, each only slightly younger and smaller than himself, out of the path of the dinosaurs, Peter instead opted to literally ride out the stampede on the back of a stegosaurus, struggling to keep all three from falling off their impromptu steed to their deaths until the dinosaur stampede finally dispersed. Since the stegosaurus had come to a halt near a group of Native Americans (presumably the Croatan - see comments) led by Marioac, Peter left the children in their care and raced back to the settlement, concerned for Virginia's safety, aware that she was not in full control of herself when in animal form. As he jumped through the trees he began to accept that he was not dreaming, and that he could now cling to any surface and leap over twenty times his own length. Reaching Jamestown Peter spotted the Tyrannosaur battling a massive gray-skinned man, who Peter realized suddenly was a transformed Banner from the tattered remains of the robes he was wearing. As Banner sought to keep the carnivore from a stunned herbivorous dinosaur, the T-Rex sent Banner flying through the newspaper building, and Peter spotted a watching Jameson, oblivious to personal danger, race to check on his precious printing press. Peter swiftly tackled the newsman out of the way as Banner retaliated by upending his opponent, causing Virginia to smash the press as she fell. Rage overcoming reason, Jameson kicked the stunned dinosaur in the face, and would have been snapped in half as it suddenly bit at him had Peter not once again pulled the publisher out of harm's way. Angrily, Jameson turned to chastise Peter for continually "stumbling" into him, ignoring the boy's insistence that it might be wise to move away from the fight and the angry dinosaur now coming at his rear. Luckily for Jameson the T-Rex was again distracted, this time by a musket shot striking its side. Seeing Virginia's father, Governor Dare, hastily loading another shot and intending to shoot in the eye the creature he was unaware was really his daughter, Peter knocked the Governor aside and snatched Virginia's tail. As she turned and stalked into the woods with Peter still hanging on, the boy exchanged glances with the transformed Banner.
Clambering up the Tyrannosaur's side, Peter reached its ear and called to the beast, trying to bring Virginia back to herself.
(1602: New World I #2 - BTS) - This worked,
and Virginia returned to her human form.
(1602: New World I #2) -
Carrying the exhausted Virginia out of the woods Peter saw that the
transformed Banner, who had identified himself as Hulk, was holding
Jameson by the throat (because the newsman, in his typical manner,
had managed to annoy the brute). Peter appealed to Hulk to let
Jameson go, trying to get Hulk to remember both him and the man Hulk
once was, and insisting Hulk's other self was no killer. Recognition
of Peter dawning, Hulk released Jameson, stating that the boy was
right to say he was not a killer, but warning him that Banner was
one, through and through, adding that they could have him back. With
that, Hulk turned back into a confused Banner, who told Peter he had
just had a strange dream. Banner was spared execution at the sword
of town watchman Dougan, a former soldier of Fury's, because he was
carried off by the herbivore he had defended.
Later that
evening Peter checked in on Virginia, who admitted she was troubled
by her recent transformation, noting that she had originally only
transformed into harmless animals like deer, and now she had begun
to change into much more dangerous ones, and when she did so, she
was not the one in control. Leaving her, Peter eavesdropped on a
town meeting where settler Norman Osborne was trying to whip up
sentiment against both Witchbreed and the settlement's Croatan
neighbors, even going to far as to claim he had saved the children
Peter had left with the Natives from being eaten by them. As the
meeting broke up, Peter approached Governor Dare and tried to
convince him that Osborne was lying, but his warning fell on deaf
ears.
(1602: New World I #3) - Peter watched in secret from the rafters of Jamestown's council house as Osborne convinced Governor Dare to ban Witchbreed and Natives from the island, then covertly observed as the town's militia were sent out to enforce this edict, with Osborne accompanying them. Peter was spotted by Jameson, but instead of being told off for his snooping, the newsman ordered him to follow so he could report whatever happened back to Jameson for publication in the Trumpet.
Using his newfound powers, Peter easily kept track of the troops without them noticing, watching them from atop high trees, until he spotted Marioac similarly observing. Meeting with her, Peter informed her that the soldiers had been sent to kill her people, but Marioac, who had learned Peter had powers from one of the children he had saved, warned him even if he kept his abilities secret, one day others would learn of them and come for him too. Hearing a gunshot as the soldiers spotted Banner and pursued him,...
(1602: New World I #3 - BTS) - Peter raced after them, arriving in time to see Banner attempt suicide by jumping off a cliff.
(1602: New World I #3) - Peter caught the falling Banner, stating that he had no right to throw away the life God had given him, but Banner, seeing Peter clinging to the cliff face with ease, insisted both their lives had been claimed by the Devil. With the soldiers having left, Peter returned Banner to the top of the cliff and rebuffed Banner's claim that since both were now Witchbreed they were tainted by evil, insisting that any evil in Banner's heart came from himself. Banner reminded Peter that he too had sinned, betraying Fury by coming to the Americas intending to kill his former master to save his own life, but while Peter admitted that they were both sinners, he suggested that perhaps the loving God, rather than the Devil, had given them their new powers so they might do good. Their discussion ended as smoke began wafting through the woods, as Osborne had set fire to the Croatan village. Peter raced there hoping to help, leaving Banner behind to be overcome by the smoke, but before Peter could show himself to the soldiers he was found by Marioac, who revealed that the Croatan had evacuated before the soldiers reached their village. Peter watched as the Croatan loaded the unconscious Banner onto a boat, and listened as Marioac warned him that war between the Natives and settlers was inevitable, asking him which side he would be on. Peter however, refused to believe a peaceful solution could not be found.
Peter returned to Jamestown
and informed Virginia of what had occurred. Before they could start
figuring out a way to prevent the coming conflict, Jameson interrupted
them, as a new ship had been spotting sailing into harbor and Jameson
wanted his assistant present to help document the news. Spotting an
armored man (Lord Iron) standing on the prow, Peter realized they were
in danger and tackled Jameson out of the way of a massive blast Lord
Iron suddenly fired at them both. Recognizing Peter as Banner's
assistant, Lord Iron leapt from the incoming vessel and grabbed Peter
by the throat, demanding to know where Banner was.
(1602: New World I #4) - Lord Iron refused to believe Peter's claims that he didn't know where Banner was, and when Governor Dare tried to intervene Lord Iron grabbed him too. Jamestown's soldiers, led by Osborne, intervened, opening fire on the interloper despite Jameson's protestations that their shots were also endangering Dare. Wanting to free up his weapon hand, Lord Iron stunned Peter with an electric shock so he wouldn't run, and turned to battle the soldiers. Presumably thanks to his enhanced constitution, Peter recovered quicker than Lord Iron had anticipated, and Dare counseled him to run before Lord Iron finished fighting. Peter protested, unwilling to abandon Dare, but Dare revealed he knew of Peter's powers, telling him he could better serve the colony if he remained free.
(1602: New World I #4 - BTS) - Peter hid in one of the houses ruined in the recent stampede and Hulk rampage, and watched as Captain Ross, leader of the newcomers and sent by King James, announced that Governor Dare was to beheaded for treason the next morning.
(1602: New World I #4) - Spotting that Virginia was about to transform and try rescue her father, Peter surreptitiously broke cover to restrain her, pointing out that with her lack of control she might end up killing her father herself and promising he would save Governor Dare.
(1602: New World I #4 - BTS) - Virginia lured Lord Iron from the village by claiming she knew where Banner was.
(1602: New World I #4) - Using his powers to listen covertly to Ross and Osborne's discussion, learning that Osborne's actions against the Natives was because he sought the Source of the superhuman powers others seemed to be gaining, which he believed the Natives had hidden, and overhearing Ross sending troops to slaughter Dougan and his men, who had been spotted hiding in the woods, and instructing that his men would march on the Natives in the morning. Once the conspirators had left, Peter dropped down and gathered up materials Osborne had looted from the Native village,...
(1602: New World I #4 - BTS) - using them to throw together a costume to hide his identity.
(1602: New World I #4) - Peter reached Dougan and his men in time to save them from being shot by Ross' men, and brought them up to speed about what was happening, including the plan to execute the Governor and march on the Natives. In response Dougan asked if his new ally was ready for war.
(1602: New World I #5) - Posing as some of Ross' men, Dougan and his soldiers escorted Governor Dare from his cell past the guards, but their ruse was exposed by a well-meaning Jameson, who drew the guards' attention by protesting loudly that Ross had said he would not execute Dare before dawn. However, as the guards began to close in the Spider intervened, inadvertently (?) knocking Jameson over as he confronted the guards. The sound of their gunshots alerted Ross to the escape attempt, and he pursued the rebels into the woods, where Spider continued to run interference. Coming face to face with Spider, Ross aimed his pistol at the Witchbreed and asked him if he was bulletproof; dodging the shot, Spider glanced towards the river and retorted that though he wasn't, the new arrival was, as the Hulk appeared over a nearby hilltop, accompanied by the Croatans, riding atop tamed dinosaurs and mammoths. As Spider, Dare and Dougan watched, the Hulk easily took down the overconfident Ross, knocking his soldiers off their feet by generating a sonic boom with a clap of his massive hands. Marioac ordered the English to depart, making it clear that she meant all of them, both Ross' men and the colonists. When Spider tried to change her mind, she reminded him that the colonists had chosen this path by trying to outlaw and drive out the Croatans from their own lands. However, things took a sudden turn as Lord Iron arrived, intent on killing the Hulk (as he hated Banner for torturing him while Banner had been in King James' service). Without the Hulk to back the Croatans, Ross' men opened fire on the Natives, and battle ensued, despite Spider trying his best to stop the fighting. Spotting Virginia, Spider raced to her side and begged her to transform, insisting she was the only one strong enough to end the conflict. Distracted by this, Spider failed to detect Osborne come up behind him, and was stunned by a blow to his head. Osborne then took Spider hostage, holding a blade to the boy's throat and demanding that Marioac tell him where the Source was hidden, but she struck Osborne down with her staff, while informing him that there was no Source. Seeing her about to kill Osborne, the still-shaken Spider begged Marioac to stop, but it was not his pleas but rather Virginia suddenly transforming into a gigantic Sphinx and threatening to start eating the combatants that stopped the battle.
In the aftermath Hulk reverted to Banner and offered to let Lord Iron slay him for his past transgressions, but Lord Iron decided to let him live in the spirit of the general air of putting aside past differences.
(Infinity Wars: Sleepwalker I #3) - When "Galactus" threatened Earth, the Spider teamed up with Thor Odinson, the Hulk, the Thing, Lord Iron, Angel and Medusa to battle the giant. Their conflict was witnessed by Sleepwalker of Earth-616 as he transited through multiple realities.
(1602: New World I #5) - Hearing that Banner intended to return to England with Ross and his men to face the wrath of King James, Peter tried to talk him out of it, but Banner stood fast. After the ship departed, Lord Iron and his assistant Rhodes finished fixing and improving Jameson's printing press; locating Peter sitting with Virginia and admiring a new flag the colony had designed for itself, Jameson told him they were back in business and tasked him with finding out what he could of the "killer Spider monster" that had been "attacking innocent, upstanding citizens." As Peter promised to keep an eye out for him, he was overheard by Norman Osborne, who had been confined to stocks for his crimes; clearly suspecting that Peter was the Spider, Osborne promised he would catch up with Peter soon.
After returning to England the Hulk slew King James when the monarch tried to execute Banner, ending whatever threat the vindictive ruler might have been to Peter at the same time.
(Spider-Man 1602 I #1 (fb) - BTS) - Three years passed, during which time the colony renamed Jamestown as New Croatan, drafted an new constitution for the new country of America, Osborne became the colony's harbormaster, and romance slowly blossomed between Peter and Virginia.
(Spider-Man 1602 I #2 (fb) - BTS) - Despite
living in the same town, Peter wrote to Virginia weekly.
(Spider-Man 1602 I #1 (fb) - BTS) - Peter began hoping to move into a more prosperous trade so that he could as the Governor for permission to marry Virginia. Now seventeen, Peter was shocked to discover the changes the spider-bite had caused to his body were not yet over when he unexpectedly generated webbing from his wrist. He continued to operate as the Spider, including saving a man who was threatened by a dinosaur that breached the township's defensive walls, although Jameson was sure the Spider had helped the beast bypass the barrier in the first place.
(Spider-Man 1602 I #1) - Peter waited in the woods for
Virginia, greeting her as she returned from wandering in cat form and
handing her clothes to wear when she became human again. As Peter
politely averted his eyes while she dressed, Virginia asked him if he
had generated webbing again, but he replied he had not, and hoped to
never do so again, fearful of turning more bestial over time. Virginia
pointed out that she too turned into beasts, but Peter reassured her
that the creatures she became were beautiful, and the pair exchanged a
kiss which was interrupted by Jameson's arrival. Insisting their was
news to be sought out, Jameson ordered Peter to accompany him back to
New Croatan, and pointed out a new merchant ship in the harbor, whose
crew and cargo had been blocked from disembarking by Osborne had
quarantined them as some on board carried illness. Suspecting Osborne of
villainy, Jameson tasked Peter with spying on the harbormaster. Joined
by Virginia, Peter listened from behind some barrels as Osborne struck a
covert deal to bring something ashore from the ship after nightfall.
While Virginia followed
Osborne in owl form, Peter took a perch hidden high in a tree to wait
for the supplies to be unloaded, but he fell asleep, and only woke
after the unloading had completed. Spotting some men from the ship
still on the docks, Peter donned his mask and confronted them as the
Spider, learning that Osborne had merely provided them with food, and
new bedding and clothing, taking only the bedding of the infirm in
return. Horrified, Peter realized that Osborne intended to distribute
the pox-ridden blankets to the Croatan tribe, and raced to their
encampment to warn them. Realizing that leaping alone was not swift
enough, Peter embraced his recently discovered new power and with some
initial effort began generating webs from which to swing between the
trees. Despite this, he didn't reach the Croatans until after Osborne
had gifted them the blankets, and he leapt into their camp to warn
them, hastily snatching up the blankets with his webbing and throwing
them into the fire while shouting warnings to Marioac and her people.
Seeing Virginia present, Spider called to her to race to the town and
inform the Governor of Osborne's misdeeds, then turned to confront
Osborne, uncaring when his foe snatched his mask from his face,
revealing his secret identity. As Virginia transformed into a deer to
run to the town, Osborne's men pulled Peter away from Osborne, and
while he was shaking them off Osborne shot Virginia, fatally wounding
her. Peter leapt to her side as she reverted to human, his name the
last words on her lips. Restrained by the Croatan, Osborne was
arrested, but claimed he had only shot at a deer, smirkingly confident
because he knew that the colony's constitution forbade the death
penalty. However Governor Dare had realized this too, and opted to
return Osborne to England to be tried under that nation's law, which
still permitted hanging. Meanwhile, to Peter's surprise, Jonah Jameson
proved sympathetic to Peter's heartbreak, despite having learned he
was the long-hated Spider. Aware that normal guards might be bribed or
distracted from ensuring justice was served, the Governor asked Peter
to sail back to England on the ship transporting Osborne, telling
Peter that he knew this was "a great responsibility, but you have
great power." As the ship left New Croatan's harbor, Peter glanced
back at his home, hoping the Natives would survive their brush with
illness, but suspecting he would never know, as he felt he would never
see the New World again.
(Spider-Man 1602 I #2) - Peter served his passage as a deck hand, and since Osborne's impromptu brig had been set up on the gun deck, affording the prisoner with a window, Peter made sure to douse him with mop water on a regular basis. Despite her death, Peter continued to right to Virginia each week, before consigning his letters to the Ocean since he didn't want to risk the crew reading them, hoping the words would somehow cross the divide to the world where Virginia's spirit now dwelled. Because of his climbing prowess, his main tasks involved going up the rigging to maintain the sails, but he also served as a powder monkey, fetching gunpowder for the ship's cannons, and as a scribe, since he was one of the few on board able to write. Because of the range of his duties, Peter found he had the run of most of the ship, apart from one locked hold that gave him a feeling of dread. Careful to keep his powers secret, he slowly befriended many of the crew, and grew to like Captain Stacey, the ship's commanding officer.
However, when the ship became becalmed for two days and stores began running low, Osborne seized the opportunity to inform the crew that Peter was a Witchbreed and plant the seed in their superstitious minds that his presence onboard had brought a curse down on their vessel. Peter sensed his shipmates' growing distrust, but remained unaware of the reason. The windless weather suddenly changed into a violent storm, during which the bosun's mate was washed overboard, further heightening the crew's belief they had been cursed, so after the storm had passed the men tried to ambush Peter while the Captain was asleep. Warned of their attack coming via his Spider-sense, Peter evaded their attempts, but had to demonstrate his powers to do so, and ended up crawling along the ship's hull by the window of Osborne's cell. The villain began taunting him, but Peter sensed another danger incoming and leapt away, just avoiding a cannonball that exploded the hull around the cell. Their attention diverted from Peter to this new threat, the May Flower crew realized they had been targeted by the HMS Vanessa, a former Royal Navy ship turned privateer under its commander Wilson Fiske, a.k.a. the King's Pin. Using his incredibly accurate gunner, Bull's Eye, Fiske took out the May Flower's main guns, and targeted Captain Stacey, who had raced to the deck after the first shot hit his ship, but Peter used his webbing to catch the incoming cannonball and throw it back, taking out the Vanessa's main mast. Angered, Fiske ordered his men to board the May Flower, but snatching up a sword, Peter fought them back singlehandedly, slicing grappling lines and knocking pirates into the sea. Bull's Eye tried to take Peter out with a crossbow, but the lad dodged his shots by diving into the hole in the May Flower's side, where he noticed that Osborne was lying badly injured, his face and body shredded by the shrapnel caused by the earlier cannon fire. Knowing Bull's Eye hadn't the opportunity to reload, Peter snared the killer in webbing then carried the gunner back to the Vanessa to confront Fiske, who he easily threw overboard. Leaping back to the May Flower, Peter called to his crew mates to set sale before the pirates could rally. Won over by his actions, the crew greeted him as a hero, but back on the King's Pin's ship the pirate vowed to get revenge and ordered Bull's Eye to hunt Peter down.
As the ship sailed on, Captain Stacey took Peter aside and explained that once they reached their intended harbor, Narbonne, the May Flower would be stuck in port for weeks undergoing repairs, making it impossible for Stacey to complete delivery of his most important cargo, locked away in the hold Peter had been unable to access. Stacey revealed he was transporting dinosaur eggs, illegal to bring in to any European port and hence especially valuable. Reassuring Peter that the eggs would not hatch, and were only wanted for research, Stacey entrusted Peter with the task of transporting them across country to the Natural Philosopher Henri Pym in Carcassonne. At first Peter hesitated, recalling his promise to ensure Osborne saw justice, but it turned out Osborne's extensive wounds had turned gangrenous, and he was not expected to last a week. As they disembarked, Osborne blamed Peter for his condition, to which Peter retorted that the world would now see the scarred man for the goblin he truly was. Riding the cart hired to take him to Carcassonne, Peter had the driver pause as they passed a fire so he could burn his final letter to Virginia and say goodbye to his love, hoping she could rest easy knowing Osborne would soon be in Hell, and decided he would go far away from anyone who had heard of the Spider. However, as the cart continued on, Peter was apparently unaware that Osborne lurked in the back... (see comments)
(Spider-Man 1602 I #3 (fb) - BTS) - having first managed to snatch the letter Peter had thrown into the flames.
(Spider-Man 1602 I #3) - The cart arrived at Pym's castle and after the scientist confirmed the cargo was in good order he handed Peter the payment. Leaving the cart behind, Peter and the driver, Thompson, rode away on the horses that had pulled their vehicle.
(Spider-Man 1602 I #3 - BTS) - Overhearing Pym telling his master, Baron Octavius, saying that he needed a Witchbreed for his experiments, Osborne revealed his presence and offered to provide them with one if they first healed him.
(Spider-Man 1602 I #3) - Back in Carcassonne town Peter
parted ways with Thompson in order to check the sites, and soon
discovered there was a festival on. Spotting a poster advertising a
Scottish troop of actors, the Watsonnes, who turned out to be from the
same small Scottish borough as he originally came from. Upon seeing
their star performer, Marion Jane, Peter became instantly enamored,
sitting through several performances that night just to watch her. At
the end of the night Marion's young brother, Graeme, tripped off the
stage, and Peter somersaulted forward to save him from a nasty fall. In
gratitude the Watsonne's invited Peter to dine with them, soon realizing
they knew his aunt and uncle. Impressed by his acrobatics, Marion's
father invited Peter to join them as a performer, and he agreed, happy
for an excuse to spend time round Marion, even donning his Spider mask
as part of one of his stage costumes, and he and Marion swiftly grew
close. However, during one of their performances the stage was attacked
by the Lizard, a Witchbreed created by Pym's experiments for Octavius
who had tracked Peter down using the scent he had left on the partially
burned letter. Seeking to draw the monster away from his friends, Peter
fled up the side of a building, but was struck unconscious by the
Lizard's tail and was taken prisoner by Baron Octavius.
Peter woke in Pym's lab in
Octavius' castle to find Pym had extracted some of his blood for his
experiments, and that an apelike man (his old ally Hal McCoy from
Javier's school, now mutated, though it is uncertain whether Peter
recognized him by his voice) was caged up in the corner. Pym
apologized, explaining that the Baron was holding his beloved hostage,
but before he could say more, guards from the town arrived, acting in
response to the Lizard's recent public rampage with orders to arrest
all of Octavius' subjects. Though groggy from the loss of blood, Peter
was unwilling to be arrested and used his webbing to snag the keys to
McCoy's cage and throw them to the beast. Freed from his captivity,
the monstrous man drew the guards' attention, giving Peter the chance
to slip out a window and escape back to town. Exhausted, Peter barely
made it back to his room at the inn, and when he woke he found that
had slept the day through, and that Marion, who had searched
unsuccessfully for him while he was a prisoner, had left a letter in
case he returned, which explained that her family had been engaged to
perform in Venice and had to leave at once, but hoped he would follow.
Peter immediately (and correctly) suspected Octavius was behind their
sudden hiring.
(Spider-Man 1602 I #4 (fb) - BTS) - Learning that some others staying at the inn were about to sail to Venice on a pilgrimage, Peter hitched a ride with them (see comments).
(Spider-Man 1602 I #4) - Arriving in
Venice, Peter hastened to Octavius' villa and snuck in under cover of
darkness as the Spider. Witnessing Marion Jane and Graeme performing
for the Baron and his guests, Peter exchanged places with Graeme
off-stage, disguised himself as their play's hangman, and went on
stage in Graeme's place so he could covertly speak to Marion. She
whispered to him that Octavius was using her to lure him into a trap,
and that he had the rest of her family held prisoner in his dungeons.
Peter promised to free them once they finished their act, but the
Lizard recognized Peter's smell and attacked, exposing his disguise.
Peter swiftly carried Marion to a high window, intending to get her
somewhere safe and then return for her family, but before he could do
so he was attacked by Osborne, now mutated into a winged
goblin-creature by Pym's life-saving experiment. Peter battled both
him and the Lizard, but taking on both at once proved too much and he
was knocked unconscious. Peter woke to find himself once more in one
of Pym's laboratories with blood having been extracted. When he
excoriated the scientist for helping Octavius and for saving Osborne,
Pym again explained he was serving Octavius only because his beloved
Janette was being held hostage, and that Octavius had promised to free
her once Pym cured him of a mysterious, unspecified affliction that
ailed Octavius. Informing Peter that he now believed he had discovered
that cure thanks to Peter's blood sample, Pym promised to help Peter
once Janette was free, gave him a restorative to renew his strength,
and left his test subject unattended and unrestrained. Hearing
Marion's voice, Peter followed it to the dungeons to find the
Watsonnes, unharmed but locked away alongside several monstrous
creatures, victims of Octavius' own experiments in human
transmutation. Peter freed his friends, but moments later they were
confronted again by Osborne and the Lizard.
(Spider-Man 1602 I #5) - As Osborne promised to kill Peter's new love as he had his last one, Peter blocked his enemies' passage with a hastily spun wall of webbing, but when Osborne breached the barrier with an explosive, Peter leapt into battle, stunning the Lizard with a surprise strike. Osborne lit and threw another bomb, but Peter caught it with his webbing, and threw it back, forcing Osborne to retreat and setting the Baron's home on fire. Peter held up a collapsing wall to enable the Watsonne's to flee, then went after his foes, seeking to bring a final end to the situation. He found Osborne and Lizard battling Octavius, now revealed to be a mutated mix of man and octopus, and pinned the latter to a wall with his webbing. His battle with Osborne carried the pair outside, and left Peter hanging precariously by a webline.
Having been paid by King's Pin to slay the man who had humiliated him, Bull's Eye had tracked Peter all the way to Venice and Octavius' villa; now finally having his target in sight, Bull's Eye took aim with his crossbow, just as Osborne swooped in for the kill; sensing the danger, Peter spun round and grabbed Osborne, unintentionally turning him into a human shield, and Bull's Eye's bolt struck Osborne square between the eyes, apparently killing him instantly. As Peter and Osborne crashed to the ground, the annoyed Bull's Eye hastily reloaded, and when Marion placed herself between him and Peter the assassin pointed out that his bolt would simply pass through her too, but before he could fire the Lizard attacked, sinking his fangs deep into Bull's Eye's throat. Octavius swatted the Lizard away into the canals, and seized both Peter and Marion, but behind him Pym arose from the waters, having been transformed into a giant by the formula he had concocted using Peter's blood. Releasing his captives, Octavius turned and begged for mercy from the scientist he had so long abused, but Pym squashed him beneath underfoot like a bug. Vowing to find a cure for both himself and Janette, Pym departed for his lab in France, while Peter carried Marion off in his arms to face the future together.
(Vault of Spiders#1 (fb)) - An unidentified party took a photo of Peter wearing his Spider costume, and said photo made its way into the Master Weaver's possession on Earth-001 (see comments).
(Free Comic Book Day Vol 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy/3 (fb) - BTS) - The Watsonne's returned to Britain, and with their new addition became a hit at London's prestigious Globe Theatre, drawing the attention of all of London with the Spider's displays of superhuman prowess.
(Free Comic Book Day Vol 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy/3) - Peter performed on stage alongside Marion Jane, then accepted challengers from the audience, offering ten shillings to anyone who could wrestle him to the ground. However, after he easily defeated several challengers, a new opponent walked up, identifying himself as Morlun and revealing he knew the masked Spider's real name. Sensing a genuine threat Peter called to Marion and Mr. Watsonne to retreat to safety, then punched Morlun in the face, but to his surprise not only was Morlun unhurt, but Peter's hand suddenly became wracked with pain, as Morlun drained a little of Peter's life energy from it. Casually swatting Peter flying back through a pillar, shattering it, Morlun then stalked up to the stunned hero and used a piece of wood from the broken support to impale Peter to the ground.
(Spider-Verse I #1) - From his web on Earth-001, the Master Weaver viewed numerous realities, watching various spider-totems, and, in some cases, the Inheritors who had just slain them. Among these visions, he witnessed Morlun ramming a plank of wood into Peter's back.
(Free Comic Book Day Vol 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy/3) - Morlun then drained Peter's entire life force, apparently killing him in front of his beloved Marion Jane. Opening a portal to another reality, Morlun callously walked through it, leaving behind Peter's now desiccated corpse.
(Amazing Spider-Man IV#1/5 - BTS) - Since the Inheritors' rampage across the multiverse had left many Earths without a spider-totem, a team of spider-totems from various realities formed the Web-Warriors to defend their fallen counterparts' worlds. Traveling to Earth-311, they captured the Sinister Sextet, whose number included the Serpent (possibly Peter's foe the Lizard, having further evolved and renamed himself).
(Spider-Man 1602 I #5) - Samples of the concoction Pym had made with Peter's blood were uncovered centuries later when Octavius' home was excavated, and made their way to an American scientist who studied the now diluted sample for years. When America entered World War II he shared it with another scientist, who used it to formulate a serum that transformed a 4-F army volunteer called Steve Rogers into a super soldier.
Comments: Created by Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert, based on a character created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
Though it isn't made explicit, when Peter mentions his parents to Virginia Dare in 1602#2, their are definitely subtle hints that they were agents working for Fury. This would parallel the CIA backgrounds of 616 Richard and Mary Parker, and the way Peter pauses as he begins to explain that they are dead, seemingly trying to decide whether to bring up the manner of their death before deciding not to, suggests there is more to their demise than some mundane cause. Adding in that Fury, a spymaster, had known his parents and had believed Peter's father would have wanted the boy to enter Fury's service reinforces the probability that at minimum Peter's father was in that service.
Fury had Peter change his surname, but there's no evidence that it was done so via an sort of legal formality; indeed, if was being hidden from Queen Elizabeth, it seems unlikely Fury would fill any requisite paperwork to make such a change legal. As such Peter's real surname would presumably still be Parker, with Parquagh merely a very frequently used and long maintained alias.
Peter does appear in 1602#6, but only as a headshot in a vision the Watcher (Uatu) generates showing the various heroic individuals active in this reality. We do see Strange, lying where he collapsed next to Peter at the end of the previous issue. Since Peter isn't visible and isn't the type to just abandon Strange, he's either just off panel, or, more likely, had run to get help.
Peter's cameo in Infinity Wars: Sleepwalker I#3 was published after his demise in the Spider-Verse event; it's probably a flash to a time earlier in his life, but given how common resurrections are in Marvel, it's not impossible Peter had recovered from Morlun killing him. Or it might have been a different reality from 311, albeit one that looked a lot like it. Or maybe the person in the Spider costume was the 311 equivalent of Miles Morales or Ben Reilly. For simplicity's sake though, at least until we get further evidence, I'm running with it being an incident from earlier in Peter's life. As such, the placement in his timeline is speculative; given the individuals present at the fight had to be already near by one another when their foe showed up, since Earth-311 lacked vehicles that would have allowed them to travel from Europe to the Americas or vice versa rapidly, I'm ASSuming it happened after the main events of 1602 New World I#5, but prior to the Hulk departing back to England for the final page of that story (and well prior to Peter returning to England in his own miniseries). The giant opponent they are all fighting isn't named, but does look like a variant of Galactus, albeit with a color scheme reminiscent of the High Evolutionary, so I'm going with that name, albeit in quotes as it's not confirmed.
Given that photographic technology didn't exist yet on Earth-311, how did anyone take the photo of Peter that ended up in Master Weaver's possession? Perhaps it was something the Inheritors liked to do before slaying victims, so they'd have trophies to remember their kills?
Peter makes a cameo in History of the Marvel Universe II#6, when Galactus recounts the events of the Inheritors war against the spider-totems, but it is not a literal recap of his encounter, he is depicted as if he was attacked by all the Inheritors, rather than simply Morlun (or else the group joined forces to slay another version of Peter from a reality other than 311).
The specific tribe of the Native Americans who appear in 1602: New World isn't specified, but based on my admittedly limited historical research into the Roanoke Colony, it appears they initially dealt with the Croatan tribe, so it seems likely that would be the one depicted in the story.
Somethings don't make much sense in terms of Osborne traveling from Narbonne, where the May Flower docked, to Carcassonne, where Pym's castle was located. That's a trip of around forty miles (per Google Maps), or a couple of days by horse and cart, Peter's mode of transport. If Osborne was placed in the wagon as a prisoner and Peter knew he was there, why is Osborne not restrained in any way (as shown clearly in 1602 Spider-Man#3, his arms are not shackled), and why did Peter leave him behind after delivering the wagon, rather than take Osborne with him until he died or faced legal justice? Why would Peter say goodbye to Virginia if he thought he still had a day or two left before he was rid of Osborne? And why would anyone put Osborne in the cart bound for Pym's castle? He was a prisoner intended to be handed over to the authorities. Did everyone decide to release him since they thought he was going to die soon. However, if Peter didn't know Osborne was in the cart, how did he get in there, and how did he remain unseen by Peter in so small a vehicle? Yes, Peter was seated up front and the cart interior was covered by drapes, but it was a very small vehicle; are we really to believe no one looked back during a two day journey? Peter looked inside when he arrived at Pym's, in order to bring out a dinosaur egg to show to Pym - how did he fail to spot Osborne? My best guess is that (a) Osborne either bribed the guards or convinced them to take pity and release a dying man, hence escaping custody after disembarking; (b) Peter stopped the cart to burn his final letter to Virginia, his way of saying goodbye, and presumably this is when Osborne snuck onboard (the panel prior shows the cart with the drapes up, and there doesn't appear to be anyone in the back, the panel after shows the drapes now down but Osborne can be spotted lurking in back, and we do know Osborne snagged the letter Peter had stopped to burn); (c) Peter really never looked in the back, or sensed the villain despite his spider-sense, and perhaps the driver taking him was bribed by Osborne to help him stay hidden. It can be explained, but it takes a few assumptions to make it mostly work.
In Spider-Man 1602#3 Peter realizes the Watsonnes come from the same Scottish borough as he does, Staffordshire. The only problem with this is that Staffordshire is in the middle England, a considerable distance from Scotland. I can only assume that writer Jeff Parker, an American, made an oops in his research.
Why did Peter sail to Venice if he was in a
hurry? By road it would have been a roughly 500 miles trip, and if the
Watsonnes were traveling by cart there (which seems likely, given they
would need to transport their props), Peter could easily have caught
them up if he rode a horse; they only had a day's lead on him. The thing
is, the road trip would have taken a couple of weeks, but since Venice
is on the north east coast of Italy, to sail there from the south coast
of France requires sailing all around the whole Italian peninsula, a
trip of easily 1700 miles, which would almost certainly take longer than
riding there.
How tall was Peter? Just before he died he stood face to face with Morlun, whose height is 6'2", and was about as high as the top of Morlun's nose. Morlun was slouching somewhat in the prior panel, but even so, this would place Peter around 5'9". This is a serious height increase since his first appearance in 1602 I#1, where we see him standing next to Sir Nicholas Fury on reasonably level ground, and he looks to be around shoulder height. We don't know Sir Nicholas' height, BUT we do know Nick Fury-616's height: 6'1". Since they are close physical counterparts, it's not unreasonable to assume they might share that statistic, and this in turn would give us a starting point for estimating Peter. Using normal bodily proportions, shoulder height is around 84% of total height, which would make Peter roughly 5'2" to Fury's 6'1". Possible flaws in this estimate: Sir Nicholas may be a different height from Fury-616; while the average height today for American men is 5'9" (placing Fury as 4" above average), the average height for English men circa 1600 AD was slightly shorter at around 5'8". That might only be an inch of a difference, but it would throw off the estimation by a similar amount. Conversely, the practice of wearing shoes with heels had come into fashion during Elizabeth's reign, and the image does suggest Fury might be wearing slight height-increasing heels, which would again throw off the estimation for Peter, but in the other direction. Confusing the estimate of his height at this juncture, in 1602 I#2 Peter stands next to Rojhaz (Earth-460's Steve Rogers/Captain America) and is only just a little taller than his midriff, or 4/7ths of his overall height. Rojhaz's 616 counterpart is also 6'2", but if Rojhaz is this height then Peter would only be around 3'6"; conversely, if Peter is 5'2" as I estimated, then Rojhaz would be nearly 9' tall. Regardless - Peter apparently grew at least 7" in the years between his first and last appearances.
Profile by Loki.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Spider is an
alternate reality counterpart of
but has no known connections to:
images: (without ads) -
Free Comic Book Day 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy, third story, p1, pan2
(main image)
1602#8, p28, pan4 (fourteen year old Peter headshot)
1602 I#1, p24, pan2
(working as Fury's assistant)
1602#8, p35, pan4-6 (origin)
1602: New World#4, p14, pan1 (first costume)
Infinity Wars:
Sleepwalker I #3, p16, pan1 (with other heroes vs. "Galactus")
Spider-Man 1602#1 cover (second costume)
Spider-Man 1602#3, p6, pan2 (seventeen year old Peter headshot)
Spider-Man 1602#5, p9, pan2 (costume worn during rescue mission in
Octavius' villa / stage jester costume)
Free Comic Book Day 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy, third
story, p4, pan5 (impaled)
Free Comic Book Day 2014 Guardians of the
Galaxy, third story, p5, pan1-2 (drained)
Free Comic
Book Day 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy, third story, p5, pan3
(dead)
Free Comic Book Day Vol 2014
Guardians of the Galaxy, third story, p3, pan2 (Morlun vs. Peter
height)
1602 I#1, p24, pan1 (Fury vs. Peter height)
Appearances:
1602#1-8
(November 2003-June 2004) - Neil Gaiman (writer), Andy Kubert (art), Joe
Quesada (editor)
1602: New World#1-5 (October 2005-January 2006) - Greg Pak (writer),
Greg Tocchini (pencils), Mark Morales (inks), Nick Lowe (editor)
Spider-Man 1602#1-5 (December 2009-April 2010) - Jeff Parker (writer),
Ramon Rosanas (art), Mark Paniccia and Charlie Beckerman (editors)
Free Comic Book Day Vol 2014
Guardians of the Galaxy (May 2014) - Dan Slott (writer),
Giuseppe Camuncoli (pencils), John Dell (inks), Stephen Wacker and Ellie
Pyle (editors)
Superior Spider-Man I#32 (October 2014) - Dan Slott
(plot), Christos Gage (script), Giuseppe
Camuncoli (pencils), John Dell (inks), Nick Lowe (editor)
Spider-Verse I#1 (January 2015) - Dan
Slott (writer), Humberto Ramos (pencils), Victor Olazaba (inks), Nick
Lowe and Ellie Pyle (editors)
Amazing Spider-Man IV#1 (December 2015) - Dan Slott (writer), Giuseppe Camuncoli (pencils), Cam Smith
(inks), Nick Lowe and Devin Lewis (editors)
Vault of Spiders#1
(December 2018) - Jed MacKay (writer), Scott Koblish (art), Nick
Lowe (executive editor)
Infinity
Wars: Sleepwalker I #3 (January 2019) - Chad Bowers and Chris Sims
(writers), Todd Nauck (artist), Jordan D. White (editor)
First Posted: 08/12/2022
Last updated: 08/12/2022
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
Copyright
info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are and © 1941-2099
Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you
should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com
Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!