The revelation that Peter Parker is Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Far From Home results in one of the biggest cliffhangers in the MCU. Luckily, this gets taken care of by Doctor Strange in Spider-Man: No Way Home. And while the storyline is interesting, it isn’t a totally unique one. The web slinger’s big secret has been disclosed a couple of times in the comics too.
Some serious consequences have resulted from some of the big reveals on the pages, while, on other occasions, Peter has been able to sort out the mess as quickly as he does in the MCU. Nonetheless, each revelation always triggers anxiety among fans as they eagerly wait to see what will happen next.
Spider-Man Tells J. Jonah Jameson The Truth
Spider-Man finally agrees to sit down with Jameson for a no-holds-barred interview in Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #6. Although the interview starts with hostility, the two start to get along and, in an emotional moment, Spider-Man lets Jameson know that he is Peter Parker.
The reveal helps in putting a pause to the animosity between the two. Since Peter works for Jameson, the editor is left with no choice but to finally support him. What follows is a few issues where the two become buddies. Sadly, Jameson can’t always be counted on as a long-time ally. He eventually tells Norman Osborne about Peter’s secret from him.
Aunt May Finds Spider-Man’s Torn Costume
Morlun ranks high among the Spider-Man villains with the best fighting ability. During his fight with Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #35, he brutalizes him, leaving him with wounds. When Spider-Man heads back home, he then collapses on the bed. However, unknown to him, Aunt May then enters the room to check on him and stumbles upon his torn costume from him.
It’s an interesting way for Spider-Man’s identity to come out because it results from fatigue and carelessness. After fighting Morlun, Spider-Man simply doesn’t have the strength to take precautions when he gets home. Luckily for him, the person who discovers his identity is also the person he can trust to keep a secret.
Doc Ock Defeats Spider-Man An Takes Off His Mask
In The Amazing Spider-Man #12, Spider-Man confronts Doc Ock when the villain tries to kidnap Betty Grant from the Daily Bugle office. Regrettably, Spider-Man loses the fight because he happens to be suffering from a viral infection. Ock then unmasks him in front of his colleagues, including J. Jonah Jameson.
The reveal is an interesting one because it’s met with skepticism. Peter has always given off the appearance of an honest reporter so none of Peter’s colleagues believe he is tough enough to be Spider-Man. For that reason, they simply label him an imposter, claiming the real web-slinger is still out there. Peter’s secret from him thus remains intact.
Spider-Man Does A Press Conference In Support Of The Superhero Registration Act
During the events of civilwar, spider-man joins Iron-Man in support of the Superhero Registration Act. He then does a press conference in which he unmasks himself to the world.
Incidentally, the reveal is also tied to Spider-Man’s guardian. In what is one of Aunt May’s most controversial comic moments, she urges Spider-Man to go ahead and do the press conference. What she doesn’t factor in is that there will be consequences. It’s no surprise that after the reveal, all of Spider-Man’s enemies start targeting May too.
Nate Gray Undresses Peter With His Psychic Powers
In The Amazing Spider-Man #420, Nate Grey, aka, X-Man, approaches Peter and asks him for help, claiming he’s aware that he is Spider-Man. When Peter denies it, Gray uses his psychic powers from him to remove his casual clothes from him, revealing underneath the Spider-Man outfit he is wearing.
With the move, Gray literally arm-twists Spider-Man into helping him. Ideally, Peter would prefer that only the people he cares about know about the secret. Since Gray is a stranger, the new development makes him a bit worried. Luckily for him, Gray has no ill-motive either. For the rest of the comic issues, the two heroes go on to have adventures.
Peter Comes Clean To Gwen And Mary Jane
Peter gets another flu in The Amazing Spider-Man #87, which causes him to lose his powers. Believing he will never regain his special abilities from him, he chooses to come clean to Harry, Gwen, and Mary Jane at a party.
Peter figures there is no point in continuing to keep a secret because he won’t be able to be Spider-Man anymore. He is wrong though because his powers do end up coming back. But he does even better by coming up with a creative way to, again, claim that he was just kidding. By getting Hobie Brown to put on the costume and make an appearance, he is able to convince his friends that the web-slinger is still out there.
Wolverine Secretly Watches Peter
Since Wolverine is the world’s greatest tracker, Peter’s Spidey sense is unable to pick him up when he arrives in New York in Spider-Man #10. Wolverine then spots Peter wearing the Spider-Man costume and figures out his identity from him.
It’s yet another instance, where Spider-Man’s secret remain’s safe because Wolverine isn’t a malicious individual. His goal of him in this particular comic issue is the same as that of Spider-Man: to deal with the monstrous villain, Wendigo. Instead of causing any kind of damage, the secret helps the two bond even more.
Eddie Brock Learns About Spider-Man Through The Venom Symbiote
Desperate to replace the costume that was destroyed in the Secret War crossover event, Peter goes looking for another one. He finds a new one but it just so happens to be the Venom symbiote. When he removes it, the symbiote becomes angry, bonds with Brock, and tells him about Peter’s secret.
There have been many different versions of Venom in the comics. There have also been multiple alternate origins too, but this is perhaps the best one because it gives the villain a strong start. Equipped with the knowledge that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, Venom is placed in a perfect position to threaten the web slinger’s existence.
Spider-Man Reveals Himself To Uncle Ben’s Killer
Like Bruce Wayne, Peter gets the greater urge to fight crime when his guardian(s) gets killed. In The Amazing Spider-Man #200, Spider-Man once again encounters the burglar who killed Uncle Ben. When he defeats him, he removes his mask from him, causing the burglar to get a heart attack and die.
Spider-Man’s conscience doesn’t allow him to be too thrilled about the burglar’s death but the new development excites readers, given how much pain the criminal had caused. Not only had he killed Uncle Ben but he was also planning to kill Aunt May too. His death from him is, therefore, a ‘good riddance moment.
Spider-Man Bonds With A Terminally Ill Boy
Spider-Man heads over to the hospital in The Amazing Spider-Man #248 to visits a young boy who has been diagnosed with leukemia. The young boy happens to be his biggest fan of him and has been collecting several pictures of him. Impressed, Spider-Man chooses to take off his mask and tell the boy the truth.
It’s the most emotional reveal among them all because Spider-Man’s level of humanity is clearly demonstrated. He doesn’t care if anyone gets to find out that he is Peter Parker. So long as his biggest fan of him is happy, then he is happy too. He impresses readers once more by going as far as to tell the boy what he does for a living and where he lives.
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