Summary
- Spider-Boy claims his existence has been erased from history by the Totem Dagger, which is why no one remembers him as Spider-Man’s sidekick.
- Spider-Boy knows a lot about the Marvel Universe, but Earth-616 heroes and villains have no recollection of him, suggesting he may be from a different timeline in the Multiverse.
- The inconsistencies in Spider-Boy’s story may be setting up the reveal that he is in the wrong universe, which would have devastating consequences for Spider-Man’s new sidekick.
Warning: Spoilers for Spider-Boy #1!
The existence of Spider-Man’s new sidekick is becoming even more complicated. The word “new” may need to be used loosely, because upon being introduced, 10-year-old Bailey Briggs claimed that he’s been a hero within the Marvel Universe for at least three years, serving as Spidey’s sidekick in that time. The reason no one remembers him is because, until now, he’d been erased from history by the Totem Dagger.
Bailey’s explanation for why no other Marvel heroes remember him – that his existence has been wiped from the collective memory – is, as far as the standards of a superhero story go, certainly plausible; it has happened before, to established characters.
Spider-Boy #1 – written by Dan Slott, with art by Paco Medina, – finds Spider-Man trying his best to believe Bailey’s claims; however, there may be holes in his story unearthed in his story, leading Peter Parker to develop suspicions about the new hero and the true nature of their hero-sidekick dynamic.
That isn’t to say that Bailey is lying about anything he is talking about, as he has expressed too much accurate knowledge about the Marvel Universe around him to be considered a liar. However, there have been signs to suggest that while Spider-Boy may be a hero in his universe, Earth-616 may not be his reality of origin.
No One Remembers Spider-Boy, Or His Villains
As has been the running theme with Spider-Boy so far, no one – not even his own supposed rogues’ gallery – remembers who Spider-Boy is. Yet, no one even remembers these villains either. When facing Gutterball at the start of the issue, Spider-Man has clearly never heard of or seen him before. Meanwhile, Spider-Boy knows everything about him, suggesting that this is one of his “deadliest foes.” Still, adding another layer of uncertainty, not even Gutterball himself remembers Spider-Boy. The same can be said for Professor Emilio Helio, a.k.a. the Balloon Man, someone who Bailey alone recognizes, but seemingly has no recollection of the young hero.
The simplest explanation for all of this is that Bailey, the new Earth-616 Spider-Boy, originally hails from a different timeline in the Multiverse.
Bailey’s explanation for why no other Marvel heroes remember him – that his existence has been wiped from the collective memory – is, as far as the standards of a superhero story go, certainly plausible; it has happened before, to established characters. The existence, but lack of recognition by Spider-Man of villains like Gutterball and Baloon Man, calls the true nature of these characters even further into question.One would think the villains would have to be just as tenured as Spider-Boy claims to be and if that’s the case, heroes like Spider-Man and Squirrel Girl should at least have distorted memories of these villains, even if they had been tampered with.
Theory: Spider-Boy is Back in the Wrong Universe
The simplest explanation for all of this is that Bailey, the new Earth-616 Spider-Boy, originally hails from a different timeline in the Multiverse. It is possible that he does not even realize he is in the “wrong” universe. All of these inconsistencies with his story could be setting the stage for the reveal that Bailey’s true universe is adjacent to Earth-616, but not 616 itself –hence why he holds so much sensitive knowledge about Spider-Man and his amazing friends, but they don’t recognize him. The same can be said for Bailey’s villains. All of these new characters may have simply crashed into the wrong universe. If this is true, the truth is going to crush Spider-Man’s sidekick.
Spider-Boy #1 is on sale now from Marvel.
