Comic Vine News

138 Comments

Off My Mind: Spider-Man and his New Amazing (?) Sidekick

After fifty years of swinging around on his own, Spider-Man steps up and becomes the mentor to a new sidekick.

Spider-Man has always pretty much been a loner. After gaining superpowers, he used them for personal gain. When he had the opportunity to stop a crook, he refused on the grounds of being tired of everyone telling him what to do. This resulted in the same crook killing his beloved Uncle Ben. From that day Spider-Man took on the motto, "With great powers comes great responsibility." He has made countless sacrifices in the name of fighting evil and saving lives. Too many times his personal life has suffered due to his actions as Spider-Man.

Spider-Man has been going through some changes. While he has had the occasional team up in the past, it was just recently he actual became part of two teams, the Avengers and the Future Foundation.

No Caption Provided

As the life of Peter Parker continues to change, he has an important job at Horizon Labs and is about to take on an even bigger one. Spider-Man is now becoming a mentor and taking on a new sidekick. There will be some spoilers for AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #692, so be sure to read that issue first.

== TEASER ==
No Caption Provided

The reason for Spider-Man getting a sidekick is simple. Peter was conducting a science experiment. Things didn't go too smoothly and Andy Maguire ended up gaining superpowers. Sounds familiar and that's the point. We all know Spider-Man has a strong sense of responsibility and he is now responsible for Andy, who takes on the superhero identity of Alpha. It turns out that Andy is now incredibly powerful and will need guidance as well as someone to keep their eye on him.

No Caption Provided

The main problem with Spider-Man becoming the mentor to a new and young sidekick is it makes him feel older. It was said that one of the reasons to erase the marriage between Peter and Mary Jane was because it would be hard for younger readers to relate to a married superhero. Using this same logic, one would think it might be hard for those same younger readers to relate to a hero that's in a position of authority. Do kids relate to their teachers or parents? Probably not in the way Marvel might want.

Spider-Man's responsibilities have been increasing more and more lately. Not only does he have to do his part to fight the bad guys and fulfill or prevent whatever visions Madame Web sees involving him, he also has to be there for both the Avengers and Future Foundation. Of course there's also the responsibilities at his job at Horizon Labs. Spider-Man used to be a carefree superhero in many ways. He might have felt a strong sense of responsibility but he only had to fight the bad guys and be sure to pick up Aunt May's prescription. Adding a sidekick that could become an 'alpha-level threat,' jacks up the responsibility for Spidey.

We have to ask, should Spider-Man have a sidekick? It does change the direction of the title but maybe that isn't such a bad thing. We are talking fifty years of comic book stories with Spider-Man. We've recently seen Spider-Man having to convince Hope Summers of the importance of power and responsibility in the pages of AVENGERS VS X-MEN. If anyone can teach an insanely powerful youth, it's Spider-Man. This may change his focus slightly but after fifty years, this could give us a different sorts of Spider-Man stories.

No Caption Provided

The main trick with Alpha is how much does he tell him? Andy's already been taking advantage of his power, doing what most of us would probably want to do if we suddenly gained superpowers. Andy also doesn't have a secret identity. How much should Spider-Man trust him with? If he's going to be his mentor, there has to be a great deal of trust. But if Spider-Man can't trust Andy with his secrets, Andy could easily see this as a wall between them and he could start going in a different direction. With Andy being new to all this and completely arrogant, trusting him with a secret like this could be a dangerous choice. This could easily go bad if Alpha ends up hurt or feeling betrayed by Spider-Man.

No Caption Provided

Spider-Man having a sidekick might not be the best idea but he is well suited for the responsibility of taking one on. Spider-Man is going to have his hands full, especially considering the power Alpha possesses. Whether this ends up causing even more problems in Spider-Man's life remains to be seen. Spidey rarely catches a break and this is a whole new level of responsibility for him.

138 Comments

Avatar image for mrbee15
mrbee15

7

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By mrbee15

I'm really looking forward to seeing how this Alpha character turns out. I'm kind of hoping that it doesn't just end up with the cliché arc of protege is too greedy/impatient and eventually turns on master (i.e. Rocky V).

Avatar image for djneked
djneked

7

Forum Posts

11

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By djneked

@Solomonwreath: He didn't he already?

Avatar image for imbackwimps
imbackwimps

1078

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By imbackwimps

its funny webs never had one

Avatar image for bluetoothbully
acer51

2695

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By acer51

Best case scenario: Alpha becomes his own superhero after being trained years by Spiderman, he becomes good enough to join the AAA teams.

Worst case scenarios: He either dies, or becomes a supervillan.

But probably they get rid of him non-dramaticly by sticking him in Avengers academy an eventualy getting rid of him entirly.

Avatar image for fadetoblackbolt
FadeToBlackBolt

23389

Forum Posts

8725

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 25

User Lists: 6

Edited By FadeToBlackBolt

Oh, awesome, more overpowered characters. Just what Marvel needs. 

Avatar image for deactivated-59dbfb60c4f7c
deactivated-59dbfb60c4f7c

221

Forum Posts

13

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

"Now spiderman's just one naked encouter with a cat themed theif away from being batman"

Avatar image for spartnqbrn
Spartnqbrn

28

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By Spartnqbrn

Alpha seems like such a 90's, in your face, arrogant super-hero. In the comic, someone on the blogs refers to him as "poochie." I could not think of a better character to compare him to than that ridiculous Simpsons character. Dan Slott is an exceptional writer, but this will be stain on his career. As soon as someone else takes over this title Alpha will be written out of existence.

Avatar image for mycroftian
Mycroftian

106

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By Mycroftian

I feel like people are looking for reasons to hate this. It's an interesting new direction, and not all annoying characters stay annoying. (see: Wesley Wyndam-Price from Buffy/Angel) Character development is a thing, ya know.

Avatar image for kadosho_16bit
kadosho_16bit

77

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 1

Edited By kadosho_16bit

I have to admit this is a weird way to celebrate 50 years of storytelling. I'm not sure about Spidey having a teammate, it does feel kinda weird. Or it could be a good thing, as long as he doesn't go crazy and hurts anyone. Its all about being a good guy

Avatar image for rich_man
Rich-Man

115

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 3

User Lists: 0

Edited By Rich-Man

hate it!

Avatar image for abeyance
abeyance

261

Forum Posts

15700

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 1

Edited By abeyance

Alpha just screams here today, gone tomorrow. He's shining too bright before he burns out. Spidey needs a legit sidekick like Arana, someone you know will be around for a while. I know Arana was established already in her own comic. It would be a slap in the face to make her a sidekick but she would be good as an official partner. Or how about a mainstream Miles Morales aka KidSpider or something along those lines.

Also I see what they did with Andy Maguire -->Andrew (Andy) Garfield and Tobey Maguire, two people that played Spiderman.

Avatar image for theevilher0
THEEVILHER0

3

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 1

Edited By THEEVILHER0

Ultra Boy power set? I forsee a Genis power corruption arc, the kid has been neglected his upbringing leads toward an Anakin Skywalker path.

Avatar image for nicodemus
Nicodemus

74

Forum Posts

33

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 1

Edited By Nicodemus

I see Alpha becoming too powerful. This will result in his death. Spiderman will then have something new and current to beat himself up about. Noone's died around Spidey lately, well no one close anyways. It will remind new readers about Spidey's all important sence of power and responsibility.

Avatar image for fantasgasmic
Fantasgasmic

1091

Forum Posts

106

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 1

Edited By Fantasgasmic

Ok, which theory will pan out?

  1. Spidey's sidekick dies.
  2. Spidey's sidekick turns evil.
  3. Spidey makes a deal with Mephisto so that Alpha never got superpowers/became his sidekick.

Why wouldn't they just enroll this kid in Avengers Academy?!

Avatar image for deactivated-649a95712285a
deactivated-649a95712285a

194

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

I love the idea! I loved this issue! I love spider-man! In my opinion, he's the most progressed mainstream superhero of all. And before you start complaining about, "Oh but what about the marriage?! That was so dumb...blah blah blah... i don't know how to spider-man properly. Listen to me complain about this. Don't you hate this too?". Just forget about that already. One bad story doesn't ruin a character with now fifty years of rich history. Plus, its not Dan Slott's fault. He didnt write that story! He's the good guy. He's progressing the character in healthy and interesting ways. Peter Parker has been pushed further as of late than in the last god-knows-how-long. Peter Parker was a high school kid who grew up, lost loved ones, moved out, got different jobs and different friends. He's lived a good chunk of a lifetime, and unlike most comic book characters has an appropriate growth to show for it. He's completely different, yet fundamentally and recognizably the same person on the inside. I, for one, love the notion of a grown up Peter Parker. Im intrigued to watch him try to be an Uncle Ben to this Alpha kid. Sure, Alpha is a dumb name and he does have "Why does every character need to be ULTRA OMEGA DELUXE powered?" syndrome, but whatever, its really the Parker side of things that is important. This is a bold new step for Peter and one that I plan on sticking with firmly. He's a character that grew up alongside me and I respect him for it.

PS. The back up stories in 692 were amazing and touching and so many other words i cant think of now. Got the special Decades Covers and they are beautiful. Got 'em framed on my walls now. :)

Avatar image for innervenom123
InnerVenom123

29886

Forum Posts

1786

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 11

User Lists: 1

Edited By InnerVenom123

@bingbangboom said:

Don't get the 'no mask' thing with him. Out of everyone, you would figure Spider-Man would tell him how important it is.

Everyone saw Andy get hit by the blast. There'd be no point in trying to hide it.

Avatar image for gothicshieldagent
gothicshieldagent

133

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Spideman+sidekick x lame = lame squared indeed sir! What's next,Venom dons a tutu?

Avatar image for thebatfoe
THEBATFoE

112

Forum Posts

2

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By THEBATFoE

I don't really count ALPHA as a sidekcick, more of a "Trainee." Thats just me trying to make my favorite MARVEL hero not be ruined, but still. o-o

Avatar image for bookerman20
bookerman20

78

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 2

Edited By bookerman20

This should be more about Spider-Man....

I'm curious where this leads (I agree with most, he will end up being a villian), but not a fan fo Alpha. I am excited for Hobgoblin's return, and I guess I'll be reading more Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man

Avatar image for htb106
htb106

1724

Forum Posts

2337

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 2

Edited By htb106

Anyone else notice how similar his personality is to Impulse's?

Interesting because Humberto Ramos was the artist on Impulse as well.

Avatar image for djotaku
djotaku

930

Forum Posts

605

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 367

User Lists: 4

Edited By djotaku
Avatar image for roddykat
Roddykat

2

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By Roddykat

Wow, they gave Speedball a another new suit and powers? neat?

Avatar image for artiom1q2w
artiom1q2w

422

Forum Posts

207

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 3

Edited By artiom1q2w

i think his personality is the only thing that special about him, i expect from him more surprises.

Avatar image for bingbangboom
bingbangboom

782

Forum Posts

814

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 4

Edited By bingbangboom

Don't get the 'no mask' thing with him. Out of everyone, you would figure Spider-Man would tell him how important it is.

Avatar image for innervenom123
InnerVenom123

29886

Forum Posts

1786

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 11

User Lists: 1

Edited By InnerVenom123

I still love that people think he's gonna be Jason Todd and ignore how Peter was a dick when he got his powers too.

Avatar image for soulreaper31337
soulreaper31337

14

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 4

Edited By soulreaper31337

In all honesty i see Alpha becoming a new supervillian of spider-mans down the road. Regardless of who causes it or how, the two of them are going to end up enemies (lets face it, its how many of spideys enemies are born - this one will just have a better back story and a harder "break-up")

Avatar image for cuddles666
cuddles666

313

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By cuddles666

@Icon said:

@cuddles666 said:

Alpha is such a generic name. God forbid Spider-Man have a bug or insect-themed sidekick for consistency (spiders may not be insects, but they're the same size, so same diff, right?). Batman and Robin are both named after things that fly and though diverse in their superheroic identities, share a common link with the wing motif. Spidey and Alpha? Sounds like a crap fanfiction.

Exactly. I know Marvel and stupidity kind of go hand in hand, but this is just lazy and pathetic.

Word.

Avatar image for cc1738
cc1738

371

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 1

Edited By cc1738

Stupidest idea I've ever read. As long as Alpha is in this comic I won't even consider picking it up. Not interested.

Avatar image for evanthemexijew
EvanTheMexiJew

117

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 16

User Lists: 0

Edited By EvanTheMexiJew

No matter if Alpha becomes a villain or not, I predict it'll come down to him and Kid Omega ducking it out. Not only because of the whole Alpha/ Omega dynamic, but also cuz their potentially two of Marvel's most powerful players. Or he will end up fighting Genisis. There's obviously some sort of reason they just randomly introduce this character.

Avatar image for sparty_dbq
sparty-dbq

967

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By sparty-dbq

To think that none of this would have happened if that dumb little hipster chick Alpha was crushing on had moved her ass like common sense dictated.

Avatar image for bringnit
BringnIt

3875

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By BringnIt

The amount of negativity in this thread is staggering.

Avatar image for innervenom123
InnerVenom123

29886

Forum Posts

1786

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 11

User Lists: 1

Edited By InnerVenom123

"This guy is a jerk, some superhero.

He's a wimpy, pathetic kid who actually cries because people won't go to a science fair with him. Then he gets super powers and all he uses them for is to beat a wrestler, while saying he's going to show everyone and the rest of the world can hang for all he cares.

Ugh, why even bother to read Part 2 of Amazing Fantasy 15, I hate this Parker kid already."

Avatar image for fuchsia_nightingale
Fuchsia_Nightingale

10191

Forum Posts

45

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: -1

Y no team with Anya for a bit as opposed to this ?

Avatar image for innervenom123
InnerVenom123

29886

Forum Posts

1786

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 11

User Lists: 1

Edited By InnerVenom123

@henryarguelles5 said:

Alpha's gonna turn bad. They can't outright kill anyone, so they'll have him turn bad, yet showcasing another example of Peter failing someone else. This is so lame.

Can't outright kill anyone?

Where have you been while Dan Slott was writing this book?

Avatar image for henryarguelles5
henryarguelles5

375

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By henryarguelles5

Alpha's gonna turn bad. They can't outright kill anyone, so they'll have him turn bad, yet showcasing another example of Peter failing someone else. This is so lame.

Avatar image for zackattack529
zackattack529

1408

Forum Posts

73

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 2

Edited By zackattack529

@shackle said:

Wow. This thread, in a nutshell, is why comics fans are the whiniest b!tches to sully the face of the Earth.

THIS

Avatar image for necrotic_lycanthrope
Necrotic_Lycanthrope

2501

Forum Posts

11364

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 11

@Trodorne:

It just sounds like a formula already done before with other heroes. For once I wish Spidey, the most unique of the original Stan creations (IMO), would break the mold and do something completely out of the box of any hero we see in mainstream comics (outside of turning villain of course. Although he did become villainous-ish when the symbiote first appeared).

Avatar image for gavinification
gavinification

83

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By gavinification

Hes going to become a villain.

Avatar image for deadcool
Deadcool

6944

Forum Posts

1084

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 35

Edited By Deadcool

I hate this... I mean, WHY?!!

Spider-man was created as the first teenager superhero, just because Stan Lee hates sidekicks, and I hate them too, so WHY THE HELL "THIS" HAPPENED?

Avatar image for 7deadpool7
7DEADPOOL7

132

Forum Posts

57

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 3

Edited By 7DEADPOOL7

@noj: I have the exact same fears I really dont even like alpha he better not replace spider-man or else i will have a bone to pick with them and there is no way they will be that stupid. Then again there was the clone saga.

Avatar image for datnigga
DATNIGGA

1540

Forum Posts

175

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 28

Edited By DATNIGGA

@sintzu: I hope he gets kicked around alot after all hard times help people develop as a hero's.. tbh most of the current hero's would be the same as Alpha had they not learned responsibly & been through tough times

I dunno I try to be positive about things lol cause there is more than one way to look at things

Avatar image for redowl_1
RedOwl_1

1743

Forum Posts

73

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 16

User Lists: 1

Edited By RedOwl_1

@ARMIV2 said:

...I think he is going to die...don't know why I think that.

I was thinking on him exploding for too much power/energy/whateverhehas.......... It's just a feeling

Avatar image for sintzu
sintzu

6

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By sintzu

@danhimself said:

they're not going to kill off Spider-man...good grief people...ASM is one of Marvel's best selling titles...the only reason they would ever consider doing a Death of Spider-man is if they were desperately trying to boost sales on the title

ultimate was one of marvels best selling and that didnt stop theme from killing peter

Avatar image for master_thief
Master_Thief

1100

Forum Posts

3225

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 1

Edited By Master_Thief

@Sidious said:

I smell a Jason Todd coming.

The smell must be strong

Avatar image for miss_garrick
Miss_Garrick

1805

Forum Posts

6438

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 3

User Lists: 2

Edited By Miss_Garrick

@sintzu: Nope. The stupid's been accumulating before Disney bought Marvel.

Avatar image for narok24
Narok24

49

Forum Posts

8

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 2

Edited By Narok24

Am I the only one that thinks he had to grow up sometime? Why shouldn't he be able to step up to the next tier of superheroes? He's been around longer than a lot of heroes that "outrank" him, if you will. I don't see why Spidey getting a few more responsibilities and growing up a little after 50 years of being a teenager is a bad thing.

Avatar image for jaredbright
jaredbright

205

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

Edited By jaredbright

That's like Batman being reduced to a younger guy whose mentally a teenager... THEN getting a Robin sidekick. What?!!

Avatar image for garytitan
GaryTitan

99

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 1

Edited By GaryTitan

Why do people want a kid to die? You people are sick.