What if Peter Parker decided to trade in his web-slinging for a mayoral seat in New York City? In this laid-back chat, Kevin Schaeffer and Alex Matthews dive into the intriguing possibilities of Peter Parker stepping into the political arena. They explore how Spider-Man’s moral compass and personal growth could reshape the city's landscape, especially after the loss of Aunt May. With the ever-controversial J. Jonah Jameson as his deputy, the duo debates how their dynamic could either stir up trouble or lead to surprising alliances. Alex and Kevin weave through the chaos of crime lords like Mr. Negative and Hammerhead, all while pondering whether Peter can balance the demands of public office with his superhero duties. They also toss around the idea of passing the torch to Miles Morales, creating a fresh take on heroism amid the trials of politics. Buckle up, because this episode is a wild ride through the multiverse of what-ifs!

Takeaways:

• The episode dives into the intriguing concept of Peter Parker running for mayor of New York City, exploring how his dual identity could shape local politics and community impact.
• Listeners are treated to a thoughtful discussion on the challenges Peter would face balancing his superhero responsibilities with the demands of being a city leader.
• The hosts speculate on character dynamics, including the potential partnership between Peter and J. Jonah Jameson, showcasing how past rivalries could transform into a unique alliance.
• Throughout their banter, they humorously touch on the idea of Peter's political campaign slogan being inspired by Uncle Ben's wisdom, making it relatable and endearing to fans.
• The conversation takes a twist as they explore the darker side of power, contemplating how Peter's well-meaning intentions could lead him down a path of tyranny, challenging traditional superhero narratives.
• Listeners are encouraged to engage with the 'what if' scenario, prompting thought on how various Marvel characters might navigate political landscapes and personal struggles.

Mentioned in this episode:

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Awesome. What if Peter Parker were mayor of New York City? This is systematic ecology. We are the priest of the geeks.

And we are here asking this question today as part of our what if series, where if you're familiar with any of the what if comics in Marvel or the what if TV series, we kind of do that, but for a range of geek topics, this one happens to be Marvel oriented. So I am one of your geekologists, Kevin Schaefer, and I am here with fellow co host Alex Matthews. Alex, I'm very excited recording with you today.

I'm so excited as well. This is going to be great.

Oh, this is great. This is actually our first time recording together, so this will be a lot of fun.

And Alex, I know you know some of your interest, but I'm excited to get to know more about, you know, what you're geeking out on and talk all things Marvel. So this will be really great. But. And before we get started, if you're listening, please like, rate review.

I know every podcast says it, but it really does help our show. We are also on YouTube and then all over our. Any podcast platform that you prefer. So go check us out. You can support our Patreon.

We also have Merc on our store. So, you know, any kind of help, help there is greatly appreciated.

Well, Alex, before we get into the main topic today, what are some things you've been geeking out on lately?

Lately, I've been geeking out on the Pit.

Yeah, great job.

That show is so good. But, yeah, that's what I've been geeking out on. What about you?

It's real.

It's really funny because so I watched that back in, like, I think it was July or August, like after the, you know, the hype was inescapable and I, you know, I, it was funny because I had never really watched a medical drama before as popular as they are. But, like, I just heard so much hype about it and I love Noah Wiley and so I binged that in like a week. It was just so. It was so captivating.

And even though it's not like a comfort show, I still could not turn it off. It was just. It sucked me in completely.

But yeah, yeah, it's so good. Like, it's crazy how, like, each episode is just an hour in the shift too. Like, yeah, there's so much that goes on in that er.

Like, yeah, I was impressed.

Oh, it's awesome. It's awesome.

And I mean, I know they have to take like some creative liberties because, like, I have there's like, some of my former caregivers are nurses and, you know. But the cool thing about that show is, like, every scenario that happens is very realistic and very plausible.

It's just like for the purposes of tv, they have it kind of all happen in the same shift, which is like the likelihood there is like, less so. But it works for, you know, the nuances of TV drama. But it's just excellent storytelling all around.

Oh, yeah.

Great show. Yeah.

Oh, yeah, absolutely.

Well, I. I have several things on mind. I've been watching a lot lately. The first is it welcome to Derry, which is like, I don't know, are you like a horror or Stephen King fan at all?

Yeah, there's a lot. There's a. Todd. This is a huge year for Stephen K. Adaptations, but. But this is the new prequel series to it. So it's set the.

This season is set 27 years before the events of the first movie. And. And so. Yeah. And so it's like.

And then the way they're kind of planning it is they're Gonna go back 27 years each season if it goes on long enough.

And so they're exploring more of the lore surrounding not just Pennywise, but like, especially this show is very much a Stephen King universe as a whole. Kind of like it really gets into the mythology.

And one of the main characters is younger Dick Halloran from the Shining and doctor Sleep, and he's referenced in other theme King books. So like, they incorporate him here. They also have like Mike from the IT novel and the movies. Like his grandfather is one of the main characters here.

But yeah, it's. Yeah, it's a really entertaining show.

I'm kind of wondering where exactly it's headed because there are a lot of converging storylines and it has a lot of moving parts to it, but it's very entertaining. I mean, it comes from Andy and Barbara Machete, who are the creators of the IT movies, like the most recent ones, and they all.

And Jason Fuchs as well. So it's. Yeah, no, it's really entertaining. It's got some great horror sequences.

I like that each episode is a full hour, so you really get time to spend here.

And it makes the budget worth it too, because, like, that annoys me too when they have like these cute massive budget series and it's only like 30 or 40 minute episodes. So here you get, you know, full hour long episodes here. So I'm enjoying that a lot. Are you. Getting stuff like. Are you a fan of the IT movies?

Yeah, I've seen. I seen the first two that came out.

Yeah.

But I didn't know that they were doing a series, a prequel thing.

It's really, it's really cool. I mean I. Part of it I think is like HBO's direction right now of being very IP heavy on thought. You know, they're, they're invested.

I mean there's like the Harry Potter series and then this. Of course all dc, but. But this one, like it's still.

I like that it has the same creative team as the movie, so it feels very much in the same universe. But yeah, I'm enjoying it so far. It's definitely worth checking out if you're a fan. So I'm watching that.

Also speaking of Stephen King, I saw the Running man the other night, which I feel like. I know I'm doing quick hits on these, but I really liked it actually. So it's getting a lot of negative reviews.

So did you read either the novel or see the 80s movie?

No, I have not. I haven't seen anything about it.

So like I only did both recently. It's not one like of the Stephen King properties I had really any familiarity with before they started the trailers for this movie.

Because the reason I was so excited for this one is because it's Edgar Wright directed and Edgar Wright is one of my all time favorite filmmakers behind Shot of the Dead and Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim. So I was really excited for that. But I only read the novel and saw the 80s movie just before seeing this. And so I came in pretty fresh.

But also, you know, I was able to tackle both of those and come into this movie and see both like the similarities and differences because like this one is a much more faithful adaptation of the novel than the 80s movie.

The 80s movie with Schwarzenegger is a lot of fun, but it's like very 80s campy action movie that doesn't really have that much in common with the novel other than sort of the initial premise. But even then it's kind of goes in a different direction.

So this one, you know, it's about a guy who in this dystopian sci fi world where, you know, media is controlled by the government and the poor are very oppressed, this guy joins one of the big goes to compete on the biggest gaming show game show on earth to get money to mainly because his daughter is sick.

So he's trying to provide for them and he's desperate and so he competes on the Running man, which in the movie and in the novel the contestants have to survive 30 days on this epic manhunt where everyone is hunting them down, their identities are out there, and they just have to survive. And it's sort of an unwinnable game. But it's interesting.

Like, I'll talk about it more probably on a what's News episode, because I know, like, Andy and several others are big Edgar Wright fans as well, so I know we'll have a lot to talk about. But just my quick thoughts on it. I. I did like the movie. It. Like I said, it was more faithful to the novel. The ending is where it mainly diverges.

But, you know, I. A lot of the criticism said that it didn't feel as much like an Edgar Wright movie. And I disagree.

I thought a lot of the action, the humor was still there. Not as much humor as, like, the Cornetto trilogy or Scott Pilgrim, but. But it was still very much his DNA in the film.

Not, you know, anyone near his best. But I did enjoy it, so I'll probably talk about it more. But I recommend going seeing it. And, I mean, Glenn Powell, I thought was great for the role.

It's a lot of fun. I mean, well, I say fun in this dystopian world. Like, there's still, like, really, like, you know, dark messages there.

And in some ways, they do kind of, like, give it a more Hollywood treatment and make it less dark than the novel. But I still think it's worth seeing. So I did that. And then just a couple other quick things.

Frankenstein, which is another I'm gonna go more in depth on in a few hours. But also a huge Guillermo del Toro fan, and so I was really excited about this one.

I got to see it in theaters on Halloween night, even though it is on Netflix now. I rewatch it on Netflix, but this is easily one of my favorite movies of the year.

Another one that I think it captures the spirit and tone of the original Mary Shelley novel quite well, but it does change plot elements, and it has del Toro's distinctive vision. But I don't know. Have you gotten. Have you heard about that or gotten. Check it out on Netflix?

No, I haven't.

Highly recommend. I don't. It's just like. It's one of those. Like, just del Toro has.

His films are so atmospheric, and the set design and the costuming alone are amazing. And I know you're a theater person as well, so I think you'll appreciate that. And the performances here are incredible.

Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi as the creature, and then Mia Goth as Elizabeth. So. So, yeah, I highly recommend that.

Again, Definitely one where be talking about more on the show because there's so many themes and everything to dissect here. And then the last one I'll quickly hit on, which is again, I'm giving kind of previews of things I'm going to talk about more in depth later on.

But I know we got to get to the main topic, but the show Pluribus on Apple tv. This is the new Vince Gilligan series who's the creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.

And this is his first like non Breaking Bad universe thing in almost 20 years.

So the premise here is that this massive apocalyptic event happens and now the like humanity is being controlled by this hive mind, but everyone who's left on Earth is extremely happy and peaceful. There's only one woman who remains unaltered by the hive mind and so she's cynical and miserable in a world that is, you know, in a way, like Utopia.

But it's also really creepy because it's kind of a very Invasion of the Body Snatchers kind of atmosphere. It's a fascinating show so far. I mean, it's. I, it's another one I'm curious about. Like, wow, what do you do with it?

It was an incredible pilot and three episodes in so far. I just watched the third one earlier today, but I'm. There's.

It's another one where there's so much to dissect and I can't wait to see how it plays out. But, but yeah, if you're into any kind of like, you know, speculative fiction or sci fi drama, definitely worth checking out.

And Rhea Sahorn is incredible. So yeah, it's.

It, it's really exciting to see Vince Gilligan kind of return to sci fi because he started as a writer and producer on the X Files before Breaking Bad. So, yeah, I know I'm geeking out on a lot, but there's. Oh, there's so much going on right now, so I'll have plenty to talk about for.

But yeah, also real quick, before we get into my topic, how's the play going that you're in?

Oh, it's going really good. I, I got back from rehearsals today and so we're going over more scenes. Just running the show because opening night is Black Friday.

Oh, wow. Yeah, that's. Oh, that'll be busy. Yeah. What play? It. What play is it?

It's called. It's a. Haha. Hallelujah Christmas. It's a Christmas musical. So yeah, it's pretty fun.

That's awesome. That's awesome. Well, we need to get, like, all the theater kids from Systematic Ecology on an episode at some point that would share all experiences.

And I'm sure you're excited for Wicked.

Next week, because I'm excited.

Oh, my gosh, I can't wait.

I saw the first one, like, I think three times back to back. So I'm excited for this one.

Yeah, it's one of the few I kind of think is, as much as I love the stage musical, I think the movie actually improves on it in some way.

Oh, for sure.

Yeah. So it'. Yeah, I can't wait for part two, but got my tickets for next week, so very excited. Okay.

Period.

Awesome. Awesome. Well, Alex, very excited for the main topic today. So, again, as we alluded to at the beginning, it is.

We're asking the question, what if Peter Parker were the mayor of New York City? And this idea.

We were bouncing ideas around for a what if episode, and this was just the mayor election in New York had just happened, and I was like, ooh, maybe we could apply this to the Marvel Universe. And there have already been several Marvel characters become mayor, including Kingpin and Daredevil.

But I thought, ooh, what would it be like if Peter Parker were a politician here? So before we get into kind of like our ideas here, what's kind of your background with Marvel with Spider Man? Any favorite characters?

Yeah, I grew up watching some of the Spider Man TV series. I saw all the Spider man movies with Tom Holland. Oh, Toby Maguire and Spencer Garfield. Andrew Garfield. Where'd I get Spencer from?

Yeah, Andrew Garfield. Oh, and I saw. Well, yeah, that's basically all the. Yeah, I saw all the movies. So I think I'm pretty well rounded with Spider Man.

I've seen a couple things in the comics, not all of them.

Sure.

So I think I should be good with this episode.

It'll be fun, I think. Well, it was similar to me. I grew up on the cartoons of the movies and then rented a lot of the comics, but we were creation.

And Ashley is our resident Spider man expert on the podcast. That's his avatar. He's on vacation right now, so he couldn't be here with this one. But I'll love to get his thoughts on this too. But.

But no, I mean, I think that's the great thing about Spider man as a character is that he is so universal that you don't have to be, like, an expert on the comics or what. Like, he's, you know, crossed into so many mediums that we all kind of have our versions of the character. That we really love.

Like, I mean, you know, like in the movies. Like, I love all three of them, but, like, Toby will kind of always be my Spider man just because that was like the first for me.

And always remember seeing those movies in theaters and the impact they had.

Yeah.

But I love Andrew and Tom as well. So. Yeah. And then. And then the 90s cartoon was very influential for me as well. So. Yeah, that's. But yeah.

Are there any other, like, Marvel characters you really love either in, like, from like, movies or TV or comics or anything?

Yeah, I love Loki. I recently finished his series on Disney plus. I have mixed feelings about that. Which I did talk about in another episode and.

Yeah, who else do I like? I like. I like some X Men characters. Phoenix, I don't know. She has a special place about her because I feel like she just struggles a lot.

Yep, yep.

And Scarlet Witch, same thing. She just Struggle bus. A struggle bus. Who else do I like? I like Storm. Storm is so cool. She's so cool. Black Panther Hulk. He's amazing.

Thor, he's also one of my favorites.

Yeah.

Venom is just funny in the movies. That's me. That's really it. Oh, group love. Group.

Of course. I love it.

Yeah, that's one of my favorite.

I love it. That's a great roster. I know. And it's like, what it is. Like, I've got to run a Venom there because it is so, like, I do love when. I mean, I do the.

The Sony movie universe especially is so specific and they're like their interpretations of the characters. But. But I do love that they made Venom like this, like, comedic, you know, sci fi romp kind of. I mean, I. I haven't seen the most recent one, but I.

But I like the first two. Like, I mean, they're. They're campy and everything, but I thought they were fun.

Yeah, I saw the first. I didn't see the last one. I heard that it wasn't that good.

Yeah.

I still want to see it though.

I think it's still on Netflix maybe. But yeah, that also tells you I haven't been rushing to watch it. That was when I like, I.

Because I saw the first two actually in theaters, but I kind of dipped off the, like, again, the Sony, you know, non Spider man cinematic universe after a while. But. Yeah, but I saw some of that earlier. But. But that first one, it really does hold up as, like, genuinely entertaining. But. Yeah, but.

But those are some great characters there. Maybe we can even find a way to incorporate them into. Like, what if Peter Parker story here. So. Yeah, so, yeah. Okay.

So now, I don't know about you, but, like, when I'm kind of, like, in improv or something like that, I'm usually good at coming up with an initial, like, starter of a story kind of thing, and then I need help fleshing it out from there. So I jotted down some notes for what I think is, like, a premise here and overarching, but I don't have a lot of detail.

So we can work on this to fill this in. But.

So my idea for if Peter Parker were mayor of New York City, and I am completely playing around with continuity here, because I know there's a lot of that's happened. This is just sort of like taking the characters and I'm gonna, like, kind of, like, form my own continuity.

Because especially in Spider man comics and in comics in general, there's retcons and reboots and everything all over the place. So I'm just playing, just kind of creating a story here. But my idea is that Peter is in his 30s at this point.

He's married to Mary Jane, and he decides to run for mayor after Aunt May dies peacefully. This is one thing that I feel. I love Aunt May as a character, but this is one thing they. I think they just need to make happen at some point.

Let her be and let her rest. Like, because I think it would be a, you know, not in a, like, overly sad way, but it's like, okay, she's getting up there.

We don't need to have her forever. Like, people grow old and pass away. That's very natural.

So I think, like, that would be the determining factor for him to have a sort of life change and career change here. Because as much as, you know, Aunt May was instrumental to his life because she didn't really understand what he was always doing as Spider Man.

She often condescended him for jumping between jobs and being basically like a teenager all the time. So I want to kind of mature Peter a little bit here. He's in his 30s. Aunt May dies peacefully, he says goodbye, and.

And he's at this turning point in his life where he wants to see what he can do, not just as Spider man, but as Peter Parker, and see what he can do to make a more lasting impact on the city he's been protecting for years. And so he decides to run for mayor.

Very much inspired the mantra by that he lived the principles that were instilled in him by Aunt May and Uncle Ben. And of course, he's going to have you know, with great power, there must also come great responsibility somewhere in his campaign slogan.

That's definitely going to be a big part of his campaign speech. And then I'm going to say he chooses J. Jonah Jameson as his deputy mayor. Which fun fact like, Jameson has also been mayor of New York in the comics.

But again, I'm playing around with continuity here. But I think this would be really interesting because after years of working under him, he wants to utilize Jameson.

Peter wants to utilize Jameson's experience and mentorship. And even with someone who hates Spider Man.

His idea is that if J. Jonah were ever to find out about Peter's identity, working close to him might pave the path for maybe changing his perspective. And they can become like really sincere allies.

And then on top of that, I don't know if you know this, but J. Jo Jameson's dad married Aunt May in the comics too. So they have also this familial, personal relationship. And so I think it would be a really cool dynamic if the two of them were running the city.

And then, you know, this is where we can kind of fill in the gaps here.

But my overarching idea for how the rest of the story plays out is, you know, he, of course he's going to struggle to balance his responsibilities as mayor and role as Spider Man. I mean, villains like Mr. Negative and Hammerhead are fighting to control crime in New York City and take down what's left of.

I'm gonna say Kingpin's empire has kind of diminished at this point. And maybe Kingpin's in jail, but all the other crime lords are fighting for control.

So there's still chaos there that Spider man has to tend to, but he's also trying to do a good job as mayor. And so he's torn between that, his family life, Spider Man. And I think this is where I'm curious to see what your thoughts are here.

But I think at the end of this story, because I'm thinking this is, you know, very self contained, very much like a what if episode, so plays out over a period of time. And I think toward the end of the story, Peter's at this crossroads where he really does have to choose which path to take.

And I think he here, he wants to really commit himself to being mayor and tend to the city.

And then while he still can be Spider man, you know, as sort of a backup or in a mentor role, I think this is where he hands the bulk of Spider man responsibilities over to Miles and lets him really take on the role for like because, you know, they're. For a long time, Peter and Miles existed in separate universes, but then they coalesce. They brought Miles into the main Marvel timeline.

And so that's where I'm playing with here. And I think, like, he's ready to have Miles step up and become, you know, the Spider man and Peter take more of a mentorship role.

So that's kind of my overarching idea. What are kind of your thoughts? If you have, like, anything you want to, like, throw in there too? Because I know I left plenty of gaps there.

Yeah, no, kind of sort of along the lines of what you were saying. I was thinking, like, he be like, peter becomes mayor. Like, like, I'm coming, like, after whichever movie this was. When Dr.

Strange kind of, like, cast that spell that wiped everybody.

Yeah. Yeah. After no Way Home. Yes.

No Way Home. So I'm So. Yeah. He becomes mayor after no Way Home. So nobody knows that he's also Spider Man. And so, like, kind of like a clean slate, sort of.

I guess so.

Yeah.

And he's, like, struggling between, like, balancing. Wanting, like, being mayor, but also, like, showing up as Spider man at the same time because things are catching up.

And so I didn't really get far with my thought, but, yeah, mainly him struggling with balancing the two, and then also, like, eventually realizing, well, hey, I got. I can't be both. I gotta pick one. And then here comes Miles. Somehow in the storyline.

He, like, Miles becomes his apprentice, and he, like, helps him be the next new Spider man for nyc. So that was what I was thinking. I also had gaps in there, but that was basically, like, my thoughts.

That's actually a great idea, I think, for the mcu, because I think, like, I was coming at this, like, from our comics, but. That's. Right. I mean, again, going back to Spider man has different mediums. That's actually a great point because, yeah, I.

It makes me really interested in seeing what they're gonna do with Brand New Day next year. Because, like, no Way Home does change everything. Yeah. Peter Parker. And this is. That would actually be a perfect storyline too.

Like, I love that idea where it's like, you let some time pass, he's trying to figure out what to do next. And then, yeah, like, I mean, that would be a perfect way to bring in Miles and.

And, you know, he tries to, you know, like, enters politics, he goes mayor, and then. Yeah, that paves the way for him. So I really love that. I mean, I, like, I think that because.

Because there are so many lingering threads there after no way home. And, you know, where does he go from here? And also, you know, we.

We both have the idea of, you know, it's in the wake of Aunt May's death and, you know, the weight that that has on his shoulders. And, you know, it does really put him at a turning point in his life. Yeah, I like that a lot. Do you have, like.

I know I mentioned, like, hammerhead and Mr. Negative here as kind of, like, prison crime lords. Are there any other. Because I. You grow up on, like, the cartoons and stuff, too.

Are there any other villains you would want to see in this storyline play out?

Yeah, I would. Sandman comes to mind.

Yeah.

Who else? Who else will be good? Oh. I think it would be funny to have. I forgot his name, but. The Rhino guy.

Oh, yeah. Rhino. Yeah, yeah. It's just right now.

Yeah, I think I got that from the video game. I don't know.

He's great in the video game. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I think that would be cool, especially with, like, him and Miles, like, teaming up. Like a little street race type, street chase type thing. And that could be, like, their first meet. Like, Peter would be really in trouble.

And then here comes Miles, and then Miles is like, wait, you're the mayor? Like, that'd be cool.

That would be awesome, actually. Oh, I love it. Yeah.

Who else will be getting there? Goblin. The Goblin.

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

He has to be in there.

Yeah.

I mean, that's all I could think of, really. That would be good. Maybe the Kingpin.

Yeah, yeah.

Maybe Kingpin try to, like, start a coup against Peter's thing. Or they could be, like. What's it called? Running against each other.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Because it's one of those, right? Like, is like. Yeah.

Kingpin was mayor in the comics for a while, and he had actually Matt Murdock as his deputy mayor. It was a really cool story, but. But they obviously haven't done that in. Well, no, actually. Well, I take them back. They've done it in Daredevil.

They haven't brought that into the movies yet. But, like. But Kingpin is mayor in Daredevil born again right now. And so there's.

Yeah, there's a lot that could do there, I think, in both these cases, you know, because I don't know if you watch Daredevil born again, but it's like, we're in the mcu. So, yeah, Kingpin is mayor right now, but it's where season one leaves it. And setting up for season two is Daredevil.

And Some of the heroes are joining forces to try to take him down in season two. So I think in season two will come out before Spider Man. Brand new day.

And so I think with that, it would be a great, like, opportunity there for, you know, a slightly older Peter to then, you know, once Kingpin gets taken down, he, you know, steps into this role. So, yeah, it would be really cool.

Yeah.

But, yeah, but I love that idea.

I mean, there's so much fun we could have with these, I feel like, you know, and I would love to hear people in the comments too, like, see what their thoughts are. But yeah, I mean, I like and I. It's.

The one thing is Christian and I have had this conversation about like Spider man and Batman of like, you know, can they ever be happy? And I think they certainly can.

And like I said, I don't think it's necessarily in both of our ideas here, Peter has to completely give up being Spider man, but he again is moving into sort of a mentorship role and letting Miles take the reign. So it is more of a passing the torch that allows him to.

Because again, I think the whole genesis here is that he wants to make a lasting impact on the city and not just be your friendly neighborhood spider mans forever and just put away bad guys, but also, you know, utilize his past, his experiences, his, his influence to also help, you know, everyday people.

Because, uh, that's, you know, that's what makes him the opposite of someone like Kingpin is, you know, he comes from these humble roots and you know, he knows what it's like to struggle and he doesn't have massive power and he's used to living paycheck to paycheck and trying to pay rent. And he knows the struggles of an everyday citizen that he wants to, you know, help them.

And so that's where he can really focus on and then let Miles, you know, take over main superhero responsibilities. Yeah, I like it. I like it. Yeah.

Interesting. For sure.

Yeah. Yeah. And Alec, do you like the idea of like Peter and MJ ending up together and being happy or like you have like another.

Like, like he does have other love interests and stuff or like he does for him settling down with someone or being alone? Like, what's kind of your thoughts there?

I think he deserves to settle with somebody.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Especially with all the CR that he has to go through.

Right, right.

He deserves to at least settle down with somebody. And for me, it's always been mj, like growing up, MJ was always the love interest I have, like, who's Gwen Stacy, respectfully.

But yeah, so I prefer MJ because that's who I'm used to.

Yeah. Yeah.

I think there's. Be happy with somebody. Yes.

Oh absolutely. One I think especially with our growing up like in the cartoons and in the movies.

Like I know they brought Gwen Stacy in the Andrew Garfield movies but I think the big reason they didn't have her in like the 90s cartoons and like the Raimi Toby movie. Well, they did have her in the third one but it was kind of like it was really underdeveloped. But.

But in the cartoon stuff because she has that Gwen Stacy has this tree of she does die which they. She's killed by the Green Goblin. And they did that in the amazing Spider Man 2.

But that's obviously a really dark storyline to like head over to kids and. And Gwen's been fascinating because yeah, she was dead in the comics for a long time and then they.

With you know, the multiverse and the ultimate universe and all that, they brought her back as, as. Oh I know, I know it's. It's a headache inducing thing.

But also that paved the way for Spider Gwen which is one of the best characters and that's what I love about the. The Spider Verse movies is like she's excellent there.

And so that's kind of, I mean I think like you know this new generation, that's how they're going to know Gwen Stacy is as the cool Spider Gwen from both like the Spider Verse movies and then.

And the comics and then even my, my nephews watch Spidey and his amazing friends on Disney plus and, and it's a team of Peter, Miles and Gwen and they're all. And so like they're going to grow up knowing them probably even more than Peter and mj. So it is really cool that you know. Yeah, there is. Yeah.

I forgot that she came back as Spider Gwen. Now that I think of.

Yeah. Yeah, that's it. Well, I mean because it is. It's such a different version of her than like the one from 70s and 80s. Oh yeah. And so like.

But I love what they do with her there.

So.

Yeah, it's so cool. But. But yeah, this is. I like, I feel like we've got you know, really some ideas here on like themes where the story wants to go. But that's got.

But I would love to see this as like one thing I you know, like the Disney plus what if series.

I feel like I really like season one and after that, I mean it's still cool but I, like, I would love to see real stories like this where I feel like they're trying to just, like, you know, do okay, fun MCU stories and then also doing this big multiverse stuff on that. I feel like they could do stuff like this where they're, again, they're not tied to, like, one continuity, and so they could really have fun with it.

So this would be a great story to do as an episode there. And, you know, they can really play around with characters and not be so tied to only characters we've seen in the MCU before.

But they could play with different comic iterations and make their own things. Because that's what I always loved about the what if comics is they really just let writers and artists run wild and come up with all these stories.

I, like, I have on my desk up there. What if Captain America were revived today? So, like, it's like, he's. I mean, that was in, like, I think, like, 80s or 90s, so.

But it just, like, had him brought, like, being woken up in a different time period instead of in the 60s when. When he was originally. And form the Avengers and all that.

So I love, you know, storylines like that where it's just, like, you know, one little change can alter the course of events. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Awesome. Well, this is. Oh, this is so much fun. I don't. Do you have any other, like, things you want to add here or.

Before we get into. We'll do recommendations and we'll also do a bonus question. But. But is there any other, like, even just wild idea or like. Or, like.

Like, stories for, like, Peter and Miles here that you would want to see? Yeah.

Like, I was just thinking about it as you're talking, like, yeah, what if, like, he, like, Peter becomes the mayor of New York City, but, like, with all the trauma that he went through with, like, being Spider man and all of that, it, like, yeah. Makes him so paranoid and, like, not crazy, but, like, he gets.

He becomes so controlling that he, like, becomes the tyrant of New York because he wants to keep everybody safe. And then Miles has to, like. Like, he has to step up because he. That's not cool. And they have to fight. Like, what it. Like that.

I think that'll be interesting because, like, in Peter's head, he's trying to protect everybody, but with everybody else, it's like, no, you. Like, we. Like, this is. This is. This is a prison. Like, we feel like a prison. Like, we, like. It's so strict. It's too strict.

Like, you're trying to keep Us safe, but it's actually hurting us as a people. Like, I don't know. I think that would be a cool twist, like Peter being the villain when he's trying not to be.

I think I love that idea. No, that's brilliant.

I mean, like, well, and also, especially when you look at the MCU version, look at who he was mentored by, Tony, who also has a very, like, you know, and I mean, what they're doing now with the MCU where they're having RDJ play Dr. Doom and is like a Tony variant. I mean, I know. That's all I know. Oh, I know it does, too.

I saw that and I was like, what?

Oh, I have so many thoughts on it. I know that's a whole other episode there. And we'll have the Doomsday trailer in about a month and we can get into all that. But.

But it is like, you know, with Peter being mentored by Tony in the mcu, Tony also has this mentality of, you know, do everything for the greater good. That can also be blinding as well. And, you know, and then.

And like you said, with Peter coming off the most traumatic point in his life with Aunt May's murder at the hands of Green Goblin, you know, and it's only through, like, Andrew Spider man and Toby's Spider man help him, bring him back from the abyss there. But. But that doesn't mean he's, you know, and now even more so of no one in the world remembers him, and he's, you know, alone more than ever.

And, you know, there's a lot to reconcile with. And so he can easily be blinded by his own ambition and what he thinks is right.

And I absolutely think that would be a great storyline to play out where Miles has to kind of save him from that and, you know, they duke it out and then he has to, like, you know, show him the error of his ways. I think that's great. Yeah. Yeah.

And maybe not just Miles fighting him, but also, like, Andrew Spider man and Toby Spider man like, come in probably at the last tail end before Peter almost off, smiles and like, wait, this isn't who you are, and the three of them fight. That'd be cool.

That would be so cool writing this movie right now. I love it. Yeah. Oh. Oh, this is. I love it. Yeah. This is the fun. That's what I love about these supremacists.

We can just kind of run wild and, you know, I mean, maybe if Kevin Feige is listening out there, I'm. I'm sure he listens. To this podcast so he can take our ideas here. But yeah, yeah, yeah.

I mean, hey, I think that is infinitely more fun than a lot of what's been shown in the multiverse. Oh, it's more dare. Yeah. Like multiverse saga. It'S been so messy. That's. Yeah.

So I, I, yeah, I like ones where they actually have dramatic weight to them on the stories that are, you know, even though it wouldn't happen in the main continuity, it's really fun to play with. Yeah. So I love it. Awesome. Well, those are kind of. Arthur. I love this, Alex. And yeah, great ideas there.

I mean, I know this is kind of like just kind of throwing out a bunch of ideas here, but I, I think we're pretty in sync in terms of like what we would want to see both in movie form and in comic form. And this would be a really fun storyline to play out.

And I think ultimately it's a similar ending where, you know, he would go through a lot of trials, he would go through maybe a dark turn, but ultimately people, I think like even J. Jonah and then Miles, MJ would help kind of bring him back and, you know, help him set a clear path forward.

But yeah, I like, I think we both like this idea of him coming to grips with responsibilities and then, you know, and, you know, really committing himself and then handing over the mantle Spider man to Miles fully and, you know, him being there as a mentor. I think I like that a lot.

But yeah, there's also, there's, I know you just read some of the comics, but there's one I really recommend called Spider Man Life Story, which the idea behind that is it's always six issues and the, the idea is like, because, you know, in comics it's like the, these characters have been around for 60, 80 years and like they never age, you know, like that, like, like, you know, Spider man is still a teenager, 20s, and Batman still, you know, like middle aged at best. The idea with Spider Man Life Story is it sort of takes the big events from the comics and it makes it play out in. As if it were in real time.

So Peter actually ages and he goes through his.

And so, so it takes concepts from the different eras, like start with the 60s and going through the modern age, but it play, but it lets Peter age and so it tells a cohesive narrative there. That one's really good and I feel like it plays a lot with what we're talking about here. So that one's really good. So it's by.

Written by Chip Sadarsky. And art by Mark Bagley. Really recommend that one.

Nice.

So. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah.

Well, and speaking of, we'll get into recommendations in just a sec and also stick around for our bonus question for our Patreon subscribers in just a bit. The bonus question will be, what other character in the Marvel universe would you like to see run for office? And that could be anything.

President or a senator or whatever, you know, But. So we'll get to that. But.

But, Alex, do you have any recommendations either related to this topic or really to anything you just want to give a shout out to?

Yes, obviously. Watch the pit if you guys haven't. And any. Any content related to Spider Man.

So, like, Tobey Maguire movies, Andrew Garfield movies, Tom Holland movies, the video games. Those are really good. Yeah, the. The. What was I gonna say? Spider Verse movies.

Those are good. Oh, yes.

Yeah.

And, yeah.

And if you want to go into a rabbit hole of, like, the different multiverses of the Spider man, because I did that. And I was absolutely blown away, you should totally do that.

It's quite the rabbit hole.

It is. I didn't know Marvel could go as dark as it did with some of those rabbit holes. So.

The 90s is a fascinating time for comics as a whole, but yeah, when you get into the Ben Reilly and the Clone saga and all that.

Yeah. Yeah, I recommend those.

I. I'm glad you went and went down there, though, because it's a. It is fascinating.

I learned quite a lot.

Yes. Yeah, I love it.

Well, and I'm gonna recommend the current run of Ultimate Spider man, which we've talked about on the podcast multiple times by Jonathan Hickman. And this, the ultimate universe, like the current one is, has been really great throughout. And.

And the basic premise that starts off the Spider man series is Peter is in his 30s, married to MJ and has kids, and he's never been Spider man, and. And so he's been it. But he always feels like something is missing, and so it shows. Okay.

What is it like when he becomes Spider man as an adult who's a husband and father? And also Uncle Ben is alive, Aunt May is deceased, and Uncle Ben and J. Jo Mc Jameson are business partners together and they start their own.

Well, I had newspaper, but more like, you know, digital publisher. So it is a fascinating book. I highly recommend that universe. It will be ending in the next few months, but.

But there's been some great books out there, so I recommend that one. Yeah. Very cool. Well, Alex, this has been. It's such a pleasure recording with you. This has been fantastic. Oh this has been awesome.

And and again, stick around in a minute for if you're a Patreon subscriber, you can listen to the bonus question. But but for our free subscribers out there, thank you so much for listening. You all rock. And you know, again, please like rate and review.

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