Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Civil War: Unmasked #2
Marvel Comics’ One More Day/Brand New Day storyline is still one of Spider-Man’s most infamous and controversial storylines nearly 20 years later. Set in the aftermath of the first Civil War event, Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson chose to have their entire marriage erased to save Aunt May’s life. However, the consequences of this decision just became even more heartbreaking thanks to an all-new series.
During Marvel’s first Civil War, Peter Parker publicly revealed his identity to the entire world, aligning himself with Tony Stark and the Superhuman Registration Act. A major moment in Marvel Comics history, it seemed as though Spider-Man’s entire status quo was going to change for years to come…until it didn’t.
Thanks to Marvel’s new Civil War: Unmasked series, celebrating the original event’s 20th anniversary, new details have been revealed about why Peter seriously considered and ultimately chose to register in the first place. Not only does it add new context to Peter Parker’s key role in Civil War, but it also makes the fallout with One More Day even worse.
Civil War: Unmasked Reveals An Important New Reason Peter Parker Chose To Register
Marvel’s new Civil War: Unmasked miniseries has been exploring previously unseen moments during the iconic crossover, and Unmasked #2 from Christos Gage and Edgar Salazar puts Peter Parker front and center as Spider-Man weighs the pros and cons of joining Iron Man, registering with the government, and revealing his identity to the world. Naturally, this is something Peter talks over with Aunt May as well as his wife, Mary Jane Watson.
As revealed by Peter Parker in this new issue, the government was offering registered heroes an incredibly substantial benefits package: a $50,000 signing bonus, student loan repayment and eventual forgiveness after five years, comprehensive health insurance with vision/dental, life insurance with long-term care benefits, and even a pension. That’s nothing to sneeze at, especially for Peter Parker, who’s historically had lower-paying jobs and struggled to make ends meet when he’s not webslinging. Financial stability is something he’s never really had. Likewise, it also opens the door for future opportunities…
Friendly Neighborhood Assessment · MCU Era Tom Holland’s Spider-Man Trivia
Homecoming2017
Far From Home2019
No Way Home2021
VillainsSinister…
MCUAvengers
01
Before getting his own solo film, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut by being recruited by Tony Stark to help in a massive superhero conflict. In which MCU film did Holland first appear as Spider-Man?
✓ Correct! Tom Holland first appeared as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War (2016), where Tony Stark visits Peter in Queens and recruits him for the airport battle against Team Cap. His quippy, starstruck portrayal instantly won over audiences.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Captain America: Civil War. Holland debuted in the 2016 film before Homecoming (2017). He was recruited by Tony Stark for the iconic airport fight scene, stealing Captain America’s shield with his webs in one of the film’s most memorable moments.
02
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter faces a blue-collar salvage contractor who turned to arms dealing after being shut out of the Chitauri cleanup by Damage Control. Using an alien-tech wingsuit, he becomes one of Spider-Man’s most grounded villains. Who is he?
✓ Correct! Adrian Toomes, played brilliantly by Michael Keaton, is the Vulture — a working-class father who builds a criminal empire selling alien-derived weapons. The twist that he’s the father of Peter’s date Liz is one of the MCU’s best surprises.
✗ Web miss! The answer is The Vulture (Adrian Toomes). The Shocker and Tinkerer are his henchmen in the film, and Scorpion (Mac Gargan) only briefly appears. Toomes is the main antagonist who personally confronts Peter in the unforgettable car ride scene.
03
Tony Stark built Peter a high-tech suit loaded with features Peter didn’t even know about, including an AI assistant that helps him in combat, provides tactical analysis, and even gives dating advice. What name does Peter give this AI?
✓ Correct! Peter names his suit’s AI “Karen,” voiced by Jennifer Connelly. She assists him with web shooter modes, reconnaissance, and even his love life. Friday is Tony Stark’s AI, and E.D.I.T.H. is the Stark satellite system that appears in Far From Home.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Karen. Friday is Tony Stark’s personal AI, E.D.I.T.H. is the Stark defense satellite Peter inherits in Far From Home, and Jocasta is an AI from the comics. Karen, voiced by Jennifer Connelly, is Peter’s suit assistant throughout Homecoming.
04
In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter encounters a seemingly heroic figure who claims to be from an alternate Earth, battling elemental creatures across Europe. In reality, he’s a disgruntled former Stark Industries employee using advanced holographic drones. What is his real name?
✓ Correct! Quentin Beck, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, is Mysterio — a master of illusion who uses Stark Industries’ B.A.R.F. holographic technology and weaponized drones to fabricate the Elementals and pose as a hero. His final act of revenge shapes the entire third film.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Quentin Beck. William Ginter Riva is one of Beck’s team members, Aldrich Killian is the villain of Iron Man 3, and Justin Hammer is from Iron Man 2. Beck is Mysterio, the illusionist who manipulated Peter’s trust across Europe.
05
In one of the MCU’s most shocking mid-credits scenes, J. Jonah Jameson broadcasts doctored footage from Mysterio’s final moments that completely upends Peter Parker’s life. What does this broadcast reveal to the entire world?
✓ Correct! Mysterio’s doctored footage, broadcast by J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons reprising his iconic role), exposes Spider-Man’s identity as Peter Parker to the entire world. This revelation drives the entire plot of No Way Home as Peter desperately seeks to undo the damage.
✗ Web miss! The answer is that Spider-Man is Peter Parker. While the footage also frames Spider-Man for the London drone attack, the earth-shattering reveal is Peter’s unmasked identity being broadcast globally by The Daily Bugle’s J. Jonah Jameson.
06
With his identity exposed and his loved ones under threat, Peter seeks help from a powerful sorcerer to cast a spell that would make the world forget he is Spider-Man. Peter’s constant modifications to the spell cause it to fracture the multiverse. Which sorcerer casts this spell?
✓ Correct! Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) casts the memory-wiping spell at Peter’s request, but Peter keeps asking for exceptions — for MJ, Ned, May, and Happy to still remember him. These constant changes corrupt the spell and tear open the multiverse, pulling in villains from other Spider-Man universes.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Doctor Strange. While Wong is the Sorcerer Supreme and actually warns Strange against it, it is Stephen Strange who agrees to cast the spell. Wanda’s multiverse interference occurs in Multiverse of Madness, not here.
07
Throughout all three films, Peter’s loyal best friend serves as his “guy in the chair,” helping with tech support and keeping his secret. In No Way Home, this character even discovers he can open magical portals using a Sling Ring. Who is Peter’s best friend?
✓ Correct! Ned Leeds, played by Jacob Batalon, is Peter’s best friend and self-proclaimed “guy in the chair.” He discovers Peter’s secret identity in Homecoming, supports him across all three films, and in No Way Home he accidentally uses Doctor Strange’s Sling Ring to open portals to other Spider-Men.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Ned Leeds. Flash Thompson is Peter’s rival and bully who ironically idolizes Spider-Man. Harry Osborn is Peter’s friend in the Raimi and Webb films but doesn’t appear in Holland’s trilogy. Miles Morales is only hinted at. Ned is the irreplaceable “guy in the chair.”
08
At the emotional climax of No Way Home, Peter makes an enormous personal sacrifice to save the multiverse. Doctor Strange completes the spell, and when it takes effect, Peter is left completely alone. What does the final spell do?
✓ Correct! The final spell makes every person in every universe forget that Peter Parker exists. MJ, Ned, Happy, the Avengers — everyone. Peter visits MJ at the coffee shop afterward but decides not to re-introduce himself, choosing to protect them. He starts over completely alone, sewing his own suit in a small apartment.
✗ Web miss! The answer is that everyone forgets who Peter Parker is. The spell doesn’t erase Spider-Man — people still know the hero exists — but nobody remembers Peter Parker the person. This devastating sacrifice means MJ, Ned, and even Happy Hogan have no memory of him at all.
Assessment Complete Your Spider-Sense Rating
/ 8
Are you an Avenger — or just a friendly neighborhood bystander?
While talking with Mary Jane, Peter and his wife both agreed that while they’re not ready just yet to talk about having kids, it would be nice to be in a comfortable position to do so once they are. While it makes sense that a married couple would factor a future family into the mix of such a big life decision, it hits like a ton of bricks for Spider-Man fans who know what’s coming for Peter and MJ right after Civil War concludes.
Why Peter Parker & Mary Jane’s Civil War Decision Makes Spider-Man: One More Day Even More Frustrating
Spider-Man marries Mary Jane Watson in One More Day
Following the events of Civil War, Peter’s public unmasking led directly to disaster, especially after Spider-Man switched sides and no longer had the protection of Tony Stark and Avengers Tower for his family. With his secret identity no longer secret, a hitman was paid by Wilson Fisk’s Kingpin to go after Peter and his loved ones. While the assassin missed Peter, the bullet still hit Aunt May, leaving his critically wounded and near death. Thus began One More Day, one of the most infamous Spider-Man stories ever published.
Desperate to save Aunt May, Peter and Mary Jane were encountered by the demon lord Mephisto. In exchange for May’s survival, Mephisto erased their marriage from existence.
This decision effectively soft-rebooted Spider-Man’s life, effectively regressing the Webslinger to a much earlier status quo while removing years of character development, generating major backlash from fans and bitterness that has persisted to this day. Furthermore, it’s also been revealed that Mephisto’s motivation behind his dark deal with Spider-Man was to prevent the birth of Peter and Mary Jane’s daughter, whom he knew would grow up to become a hero like her father and interfere with his plans.
As such, this new issue of Civil War: Unmasked adds new layers to the heartbreak. Before One More Day, Peter and Mary Jane were indeed looking forward to the future, weighing financial security and stability to create the possibility of starting a family. Twenty years later, One More Day is one of Spider-Man’s most controversial stories, and Marvel is remarkably still finding ways to make it even more painful.
Civil War: Unmasked #2 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.
First Appearance
Amazing Fantasy
Alias
Peter Parker, Ben Reilly, Otto Octavius, Yu Komori, Kaine Parker, Pavitr Prabhakar, William Braddock, Miles Morales, Kurt Wagner
Alliance
Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Secret Defenders, Future Foundation, Heroes for Hire, Mighty Avengers, New Avengers, Web-Warriors
