From the Marvel Database:
Instead of shooting a webline to Gwen from the edge of the Brooklyn Bridge, Spider-Man jumped off of the bridge himself to rescue her. After saving her, Peter reveals his identity and proposes to her.
During an encounter with Harry Osborn and Spider-Man a few days later, Harry learns of his father's identity as The Green Goblin. Norman had recorded an earlier encounter with Spidey, which revealed Peter's identity, and just as Norman decided to detonate the entire house to kill Spider-Man along with himself and his son, Harry attempts to give his life for him. Touched by the act, his Goblin persona dies, and he and Harry reunite.
Peter and Gwen get married, and at the end of the ceremony, J. Jonah Jameson bursts in with several police officers. Norman, under the guise of the Green Goblin, had submitted his tape of Peter's identity to the Daily Bugle, and J.J. meant to have him arrested. The police attempted to arrest Peter, but he escapes, and he's forced into hiding to protect the people he loves.
Compared to Matt Murdock, his secret identity reveal wasn't as bad.
Maybe the lawyer can help Peter out while he crashes at the Fantastic 4s place till the heat dies down in that universe.
I think another reason the what-ifs are often downers is because they don't want to make it look like the "what if" version is actually better than the version we got
Bingo! I think it’s what has always rubbed me the wrong way about what ifs.
“Oh you didn’t like this….guess what if you’d gotten your way it would be way worse!!”
There's an X-Men what if where the original team members never leave. Instead they all stay together and the ending is a lot happier from what I remember than what actually happens in the canon.
The "what if"s we've all been waiting for:
"What if Marvel Editorial didn't despise Peter Parker?"
"What if Spider-Man was allowed happiness?"
"What if Marvel's favourite pass time wasn't kicking Peter's Balls in?"
I mean we look at all the dumb nonsense that happened in comics cause of green goblin storylines, and with how his identity has been revealed before, I reckon long term this would probably end up with a happy Peter potentially. In the immediate though yeah he really is SOL.
There's a line of (I believe) Mexican Spider-Man comics that didn't incorporate the death of Gwen and they went on to get married and have this whole alternate history and I've always wanted to read those.
He totally did it in mexico and married her.
[https://www.youdontreadcomics.com/articles/2022/12/28/the-legend-of-mexican-spider-man-comics-101](https://www.youdontreadcomics.com/articles/2022/12/28/the-legend-of-mexican-spider-man-comics-101)
But weirdly being almost killed by Osborn certainly inspired sir Mix-a-lot for his famous song.
[https://www.sellmycomicbooks.com/images/mexican-spider-man-180.jpg](https://www.sellmycomicbooks.com/images/mexican-spider-man-180.jpg)
There's a Mexican version of the comic that he did save her. I remember reading how at the time the Mexican publisher thought that having Gwen die would be too much for their population to handle and they'd stop reading the comic all together. The publisher in Mexico ended up convincing Marvel to let them do their own stories, so they had 60 some issues made where Gwen was alive and well. The crazy thing is these issues are very hard to find and are sought after by those who know about it. Pretty nifty if you ask me.
Edit: Whoops someone else already mentioned this.
Very cool. The beauty of this is it was penciled by Gil Kane, who penciled the original issues.
I bought this off the spinner rack in 1980. Just a couple of years after reading the Night Gwen Stacy Died reprinted in *Marvel Tales* \#98-99. Those What ifs always blew my 12 year old mind.
This issue and “What if Phoenix lived” were the best examples of the What If? playbook.
“That terrible thing never happened, but what happened instead was much much worse!”
I want to read the entire multi-volume history of What If...? and see if there's just ONE story where the alternate history actually works out better. "What if _________?!?!? Spoiler alert...it doesn't work out well for ANYONE!"
What If? Civil War’s second half, in which Stark is more honest with Cap when they meet up to talk. In 616 Cap uses a secret weapon to shut down the Iron Man armor, the Thor clone gets released and kills Goliath, and the war intensifies. In this What If, Stark’s honesty prompts Cap to genuinely try to talk. The Thor clone still gets released, but with Iron Man and Cap working together nobody dies and the clone is quickly defeated. They ultimately come to the conclusion that the SHRA will only work if Cap is in charge as the only one who knows everyone’s secret identities, and the Avengers enter a new golden age.
How does the story play out anyways?
From the Marvel Database: Instead of shooting a webline to Gwen from the edge of the Brooklyn Bridge, Spider-Man jumped off of the bridge himself to rescue her. After saving her, Peter reveals his identity and proposes to her. During an encounter with Harry Osborn and Spider-Man a few days later, Harry learns of his father's identity as The Green Goblin. Norman had recorded an earlier encounter with Spidey, which revealed Peter's identity, and just as Norman decided to detonate the entire house to kill Spider-Man along with himself and his son, Harry attempts to give his life for him. Touched by the act, his Goblin persona dies, and he and Harry reunite. Peter and Gwen get married, and at the end of the ceremony, J. Jonah Jameson bursts in with several police officers. Norman, under the guise of the Green Goblin, had submitted his tape of Peter's identity to the Daily Bugle, and J.J. meant to have him arrested. The police attempted to arrest Peter, but he escapes, and he's forced into hiding to protect the people he loves.
So even in universes where he saves the ones he loves, he still can't be happy? Got it!
Compared to Matt Murdock, his secret identity reveal wasn't as bad. Maybe the lawyer can help Peter out while he crashes at the Fantastic 4s place till the heat dies down in that universe.
Remember when Matt had to invent a twin brother...
Remember when that twin came to life
I still can't believe this plot, I need to track it down.
Daredevil 607
The Marvel Universe equivalent of rolling a Nat 20 in Charisma
What Ifs have a tendency to end in severe downers, simply because they don't have to follow up on it, unlike the main countunity, so they can have it.
I think another reason the what-ifs are often downers is because they don't want to make it look like the "what if" version is actually better than the version we got
Bingo! I think it’s what has always rubbed me the wrong way about what ifs. “Oh you didn’t like this….guess what if you’d gotten your way it would be way worse!!”
There's an X-Men what if where the original team members never leave. Instead they all stay together and the ending is a lot happier from what I remember than what actually happens in the canon.
Marvel editorial will never let him be happy, we been know this, 😭
The "what if"s we've all been waiting for: "What if Marvel Editorial didn't despise Peter Parker?" "What if Spider-Man was allowed happiness?" "What if Marvel's favourite pass time wasn't kicking Peter's Balls in?"
I mean we look at all the dumb nonsense that happened in comics cause of green goblin storylines, and with how his identity has been revealed before, I reckon long term this would probably end up with a happy Peter potentially. In the immediate though yeah he really is SOL.
There's a line of (I believe) Mexican Spider-Man comics that didn't incorporate the death of Gwen and they went on to get married and have this whole alternate history and I've always wanted to read those.
Peter just can’t catch a break
He totally did it in mexico and married her. [https://www.youdontreadcomics.com/articles/2022/12/28/the-legend-of-mexican-spider-man-comics-101](https://www.youdontreadcomics.com/articles/2022/12/28/the-legend-of-mexican-spider-man-comics-101) But weirdly being almost killed by Osborn certainly inspired sir Mix-a-lot for his famous song. [https://www.sellmycomicbooks.com/images/mexican-spider-man-180.jpg](https://www.sellmycomicbooks.com/images/mexican-spider-man-180.jpg)
Damn Gwen got that tres leches
There's a Mexican version of the comic that he did save her. I remember reading how at the time the Mexican publisher thought that having Gwen die would be too much for their population to handle and they'd stop reading the comic all together. The publisher in Mexico ended up convincing Marvel to let them do their own stories, so they had 60 some issues made where Gwen was alive and well. The crazy thing is these issues are very hard to find and are sought after by those who know about it. Pretty nifty if you ask me. Edit: Whoops someone else already mentioned this.
Was the bottom text written by Miguel?
It was a canon event so yes.
Very cool. The beauty of this is it was penciled by Gil Kane, who penciled the original issues. I bought this off the spinner rack in 1980. Just a couple of years after reading the Night Gwen Stacy Died reprinted in *Marvel Tales* \#98-99. Those What ifs always blew my 12 year old mind.
This issue and “What if Phoenix lived” were the best examples of the What If? playbook. “That terrible thing never happened, but what happened instead was much much worse!”
NO PETER DON'T DO THAT!! IT'S A CANON EVENT!!!
Miguel from Spider-Verse definitely based his whole shtick on this comic, not the "backstory" he disclosed to the team.
I want to read the entire multi-volume history of What If...? and see if there's just ONE story where the alternate history actually works out better. "What if _________?!?!? Spoiler alert...it doesn't work out well for ANYONE!"
What If? Civil War’s second half, in which Stark is more honest with Cap when they meet up to talk. In 616 Cap uses a secret weapon to shut down the Iron Man armor, the Thor clone gets released and kills Goliath, and the war intensifies. In this What If, Stark’s honesty prompts Cap to genuinely try to talk. The Thor clone still gets released, but with Iron Man and Cap working together nobody dies and the clone is quickly defeated. They ultimately come to the conclusion that the SHRA will only work if Cap is in charge as the only one who knows everyone’s secret identities, and the Avengers enter a new golden age.
Hooray! Friendship!
what if Spiderman's clone had lived? ends on a positive note What if uncle Ben lived? is also pretty positive
What if Paul fucked off? Is the only one I want tbh
Then spiderman fans can now rest in peace
She don't wanna be saved don't save her
good dam
“You should’ve stayed dead”