Comic books routinely retcon aspects of superheroes’ lives. Usually, this is done to flesh out undefined parts of their history or set up new storylines. However, sometimes these retcons contradict the established lore, such as whether Peter Parker had any friends as a child. Other times, they change something major. Such is the case with a recent Spider-Man retcon, which changes not only the underpinnings of the origins of Spider-Man but also a fairly famous PSA comic for the worse.
Written by Joe Kelly, with art by Pepe Larraz, Amazing Spider-Man #17 continues Peter Parker’s adventures in deep space. After crash-landing on an unknown world, Peter starts exploring it with his new love interest, Raelith of the Wretched. However, they are soon confronted by a telepathic being who introduces herself as Nikodimu of the Pinnacle. It is revealed that she is part of the same alien race as Raelith, albeit one of a higher caste. Nikodimu is also responsible for sending the new villain, Hellgate, to Earth.
Peter is instantly annoyed by Nikodimu’s arrogance and her intrusive use of telepathy. What truly sets him off, however, is her total disrespect for Raelith, who falls to all fours in submission to “her better.” Peter’s intense reaction is ultimately explained by a flashback to Peter’s childhood and a life lesson from Uncle Ben.
How Amazing Spider-Man story undercuts a classic PSA
The flashback, which Spider-Man recalls to Raelith, trying to inspire her to fight Nikodimu, involves a man named Mr. Grasso. A friend of Uncle Ben, Mr. Grasso was a former military police officer and presumed to be a good man. However, he was secretly a child molester. When the news came out, Uncle Ben asked Peter if Mr. Grasso had ever touched him or if he had heard about what happened to the other kids.
Peter told the truth when he said he hadn’t been touched, but lied about not having heard stories from the neighborhood kids. He ultimately confessed he didn’t think anyone would believe him. “Even though I was just a kid, I never wanted to feel that shame again,” Spider-Man recalled. “Knowing that I could have stood up but didn’t.”
While not directly echoing “with great power comes great responsibility,” the flashback is cut from the same cloth. This undermines the classic Spider-Man origin, where Peter’s refusal to act when it didn’t benefit him led to Uncle Ben’s death. However, the new story also undercuts a classic PSA comic.
1984’s Spider-Man and Power Pack revealed that Peter Parker was a victim of sexual abuse. This came at the hands of a man named Skip, who took advantage of Peter’s naivete. Spider-Man related this story to a neighbor, who had been similarly mistreated by his babysitter.
The comic was praised for this revelation, as most PSA comics of the time didn’t portray established characters as survivors. The new retcon undercuts this by making Peter Parker a passive observer instead.
Amazing Spider-Man #17 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
