A last-minute effort by Marvel to make the comics’ universe resemble the MCU ahead of Spider-Man: Brand New Day does more harm than good. The publisher has subtly steered the comics to resemble the movies over the past two decades with mixed results. However, in the case of the current Amazing Spider-Man storyline, there’s little logic to the change beyond emulation.
Written by Joe Kelly, with art by Ed McGuinness, Amazing Spider-Man #33 continues the current storyline involving Aunt May and Uncle Ben’s long-lost son. This revelation leaves Peter Parker with mixed feelings. However, he is willing to try and get to know this new cousin, despite having a lot on his plate. Of course the plans for a family get-together are spoiled by the call to action, leaving Peter to ditch them, claiming a work emergency.
Peter’s infamous bad luck seems to change for the better when he gets some unexpected help. Several people in armored jumpsuits and jetpacks join the fight against the villain Jack O’Lantern. Spider-Man recognizes their gear as belonging to SHIELD, but knows that organization has been shut down for a while. This leads to the unexpected development that Peter’s new allies are agents of an all-new Damage Control.
How Marvel changes Damage Control to mirror MCU
First appearing in 1988’s Marvel Age Annual #4, Damage Control was a construction firm established to rebuild Manhattan after superhuman-related disasters. They were introduced into the MCU as fulfilling the same function in Spider-Man: Homecoming. However, they were later redeveloped into a government agency – the Department of Damage Control (DODC). The DODC had an expanded scope, investigating reports of unregistered superhumans and managing prisons for superpowered criminals. This turned them into a more sinister organization, with DODC agents acting as the main antagonists in Ms. Marvel and Wonder Man.
By contrast, the Damage Control agents in Amazing Spider-Man #33 are friendly. They explain that Mayor Luke Cage thought it would be better to invest in averting disasters than rebuilding afterward. To that end, Mayor Cage arranged for Damage Control to become a special police squad. Beyond giving the local superheroes backup, this also circumvented the current laws against vigilantes in New York City. This effectively turns the comics’ DODC into a mirror of the MCU’s DODC.
Peter is quick to point out the logistic and ethical issues of this in-universe. However, the implications on a metatextual level are more disturbing. It makes sense for the DODC to exist as a law enforcement group in the MCU, where SHIELD no longer exists. However, SHIELD is currently reforming in the main Marvel Universe.
Even with Luke Cage’s justification, there is no reason for this change apart from making the comics more like the MCU ahead of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Yet that change is half-hearted, with the comics’ DODC being hero-friendly. This is particularly jarring given they respect Spider-Man, who is still publicly meant to be regarded as a menace.
Amazing Spider-Man #33 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
