Spider-Man has always used his Spider-Sense to avoid trouble. Thanks to the danger-triggered tingling in the back of his head, Peter Parker has managed to dodge bullets, evade blows, and stay alive for almost sixty years. With years of stories explaining how Spider-Sense triggers an instinctive response to avoid attacks, his choice to use it in a purely defensive way is understandable. However, it’s also kept Spidey from discovering a unique use for his “Peter tingle” that could have made him a better crimefighter.
In the Marvel comic book Spider-Girl, fans are introduced to May “Mayday” Parker, teenage daughter of Spider-Man. Hailing from the alternate MC2 future timeline where heroes like Spidey have retired, May becomes a superhero after discovering she inherited all of her dad’s spider powers. During one storyline, however, May loses her powers, prompting her worried father to test her ability, revealing a major new discovery in the process.
The lesson itself is in lighthearted fashion, as Peter throws pieces of toast at the back of May's head to test her Spider-Sense. And it prompts May to reveal something very interesting to her father about their shared 'danger sense.'
It turns out May not only used her Spider-Sense to avoid an enemy’s attacks... she could also focus the ability to detect where an enemy was most vulnerable, allowing her to concentrate all of her power on those weak points. This news flabbergasts Peter, who never thought to use his own Spider-Sense like this during his entire superhero career. Mary Jane picks up on this and teases Peter, pointing out that their less-experienced daughter found a way to use her spider powers in a way her father never did.
So why didn’t Spider-Man ever think to use his Spider-Sense offensively? A lot of it has to do with Peter and “Mayday’s” different personalities. While Peter was a brilliant scientist who found multiple creative uses for his Spider-Sense, he was also a nerd who spent his formative years avoiding being beaten up by bullies like Flash Thompson. This caused him to instinctively see his Spider-Sense as a way of keeping himself from getting hurt. Spider-Girl, by contrast, is a popular high school student who displayed an aggressive attitude as a star basketball player even before acquiring her powers. Thus, she saw her Spider-Sense as a way to help her win her battles – which included taking the offensive.
Sadly, by the time the MC2 Peter discovered this new use for his Spider-Sense, he had already retired as a superhero. Moreover, he was out of shape and had lost a leg in a battle with the Green Goblin. These handicaps kept him from accessing his full potential – something that proved fatal when he sacrificed himself to save his family from the Spider-Totem hunting Inheritors during the original Spider-Verse storyline.
However, at the end of the Spider-Verse sequel Spider-Geddon, fans saw that the MC2 Peter Parker had been chosen to become the receptacle of the “Other” of the Web of Life and Destiny. The Other is a totemic spider-deity that bestows augmented powers on a selected avatar. The Other resurrected the Peter Parker of the MC2 universe (who was seen breaking out of his grave), and although the deity’s plans for its new avatar remain unknown, it’s a sure bet that the MC2 Spider-Man will be returning to active duty alongside his daughter. Given that the Other allows its avatars to transform into humanoid spider-creatures, it’s very possible that his resurrection means Peter Parker will regrow his missing leg.
So, while Peter may not have had the chance to weaponize his Spider-Sense during his first time as Spider-Man, his new powers (and his daughter’s advice) will undoubtedly make him a more powerful superhero this time around.
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