Spider-Man’s Spectacular Spider-Families

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Since the character debuted in AMAZING FANTASY (1962) #15, the personal life of Peter Parker, AKA Spider-Man, has been at the forefront of many of his stories, with his romantic escapades playing a particularly major role. In some cases, those relationships have blossomed into full families—at least in alternate timelines and universes! With that in mind, we’re breaking down Spider-Man’s families from across the Multiverse. And surprisingly, there’s quite a few kids to meet!

EARTH-982 INTRODUCED MAY PARKER: SPIDER-GIRL

Created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz, May “Mayday” Parker debuted in WHAT IF…? (1989) #105 and is closely connected to one of Spider-Man’s most tragic stories. In AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #418, the titular hero’s wife, Mary Jane Watson, gave birth to a child that was immediately abducted by Alison Mongrain, a woman working with Norman Osborn, AKA Green Goblin, in his effort to destroy Parker’s life. While that baby’s fate has remained uncertain, with Parker and Watson both believing the child to be stillborn, WHAT IF…? #105 explored a world in which the child was returned to Parker and Watson. 

In that alternate world, Parker retired due to an injury. Later, though, when May’s spider-powers manifested, she took on the role of Spider-Girl. Like with her father, family and relationship drama remained at the center of May’s stories. Eventually, Watson gave birth to a baby boy, whom they named Benjamin, further expanding their family in SPIDER-GIRL (1998) #59.

“SECRET WARS” AND THE SUPER-HEROIC PARKER FAMILY

2015’s SECRET WARS event saw Victor Von Doom presiding over Battleworld, a patchwork planet made from fragments of destroyed universes, revealing in the process a few families for Parker! AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: RENEW YOUR VOWS (2015) #1, for example, introduced another potential daughter for the Wall-Crawler with MJ Watson: Anna-May “Annie” Parker. 

After Annie’s powers manifested, she began fighting crime alongside her parents, with Watson using a special suit to duplicate Parker’s spider-powers. Annie, who has used such code names as AMP, Spiderling, and Nesting, has played a particularly key role in the larger Spider-Verse. At the end of the SPIDER-GEDDON (2018) event, Annie learned that she had a deep connection to the Web of Life and Destiny. This later set the stage for 2022’s “The End of the Spider-Verse” arc, a storyline which saw wasp-themed villain Shathra setting her sights on all those with spider-based powers. 

[RELATED: What You Need to Know For 'The End of the Spider-Verse']

“HOUSE OF M” REVEALED PARKER’S ULTIMATE “WHAT IF?”

2005’s HOUSE OF M crossover saw Wanda Maximoff, AKA the Scarlet Witch, using her abilities to remake reality into something decidedly more pro-mutant, resulting in a radically altered world. In Parker’s version of this reality, which was the subject of SPIDER-MAN: HOUSE OF M (2005), life was better for him than ever before. While he’d still gotten his spider-powers (which allowed him to pass for a mutant), such major characters in his life as Gwen Stacy, Uncle Ben, and Captain George Stacy never died. Parker found himself catapulted into fame and fortune, and he had a son—Richie—with his first love Gwen.

But life only looked good on the surface. Sensing something wrong with this new reality, Parker began sabotaging his happiness, releasing an old journal proving that he wasn’t born a mutant, but instead received his powers later. This made him the object of scorn. In the end, Parker chose to fake his death and live in peace with his HOUSE OF M family in anonymity, at least for a time. However, after the events of that story, the Inheritors—a group dedicated to hunting those with spider-based powers—ended up killing this version of Parker.

[RELATED: Comics Primer: Your Guide to ‘House of M’]

BEN PARKER, THE FUTURE SPIDER-MAN

While many of Parker’s potential families feature a daughter taking up his mantle, SPIDER-MAN (2019) #1 introduced a son as his successor. Created by J.J. Abrams, Henry Abrams, and Sara Pichelli, Ben experienced tragedy in his early life when his mother, Mary Jane Watson, seemingly died during a rampage by Ivan Renz, AKA Cadaverous.

In the aftermath, Spider-Man became something of an absentee father, leaving his son in the care of Aunt May. Later, when Ben’s powers manifested, he took up his father’s Super Hero persona and even ended up fighting Cadaverous. While in the end Ben was reunited with his mother, his father died soon after.

AN UNENDING “CIVIL WAR” DIVIDED ONE PARKER FAMILY

CIVIL WAR (2015) #1 was another tie-in to 2015’s SECRET WARS. In this part of Battleworld, the conflict between Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man, and Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America, over the Superhuman Registration Act resulted in the United States dividing into two factions. The area presided over by Iron Man became known as the Iron, while the one held by Captain America became the Blue. 

In the series, Peter Parker worked with Captain America in the Blue, while Mary Jane Watson ended up in the Iron with their daughter, Maybelle. Due to the conflict between the two sides, Parker ended up separated from his family for quite some time. Luckily, by the end of the series, Captain America and Iron Man settled their differences, and the Parker family reunited.

SPIDER-MAN’S AMAZING “LIFE STORY” FAMILY

SPIDER-MAN: LIFE STORY (2019) took readers on a journey through the titular hero’s biggest stories, with an eye towards how they would have played out in real-time. In the third issue of the series, Parker and Watson had twins: Claire and Benjy. However, due to the darker turn his life took after merging with the Venom symbiote, Parker wasn’t involved much in their lives, as Watson moved the family away from him.

Years later, after the family had reunited, Morlun attacked the Parker household. Benjy and Claire successfully defeated the villain, but not without suffering consequences. Due to his injuries, Benjy ended up needing to use a cane for the rest of his life. Still, Claire eventually went on to become what is her world’s version of Spider-Woman. This version of Peter Parker did eventually die, but he passed away knowing the world was safe in the hands of his children.

SPIDER-MAN’S MOST TRAGIC FAMILY WAS ON EARTH X

Earth-9997, AKA Earth X, was a dystopian future in the Marvel Universe in which super-powers had become extremely common. EARTH X (1999) #0 introduced a version of Parker who married Watson and had a child with her, whom they named May. However, Watson soon passed away from cancer, and Parker’s identity was outed to the world, resulting in him retiring from super-heroics. The Venom symbiote eventually targeted May and bonded with her, while Parker became a police officer. Together, the two have worked to keep Earth X as safe as they can. 

SPIDER-MAN’S OTHER FAMILIES

Thanks to such Multiverse-expanding series as WHAT IF…? and SPIDER-VERSE (2015), there are nearly infinite versions of Parker and his family. In most cases, his children with such love interests as Watson and Stacy are named after either one of his parents—Richard and Mary—or the people who raised him—Aunt May and Uncle Ben. There’s also Tonya Parker, the daughter of Spider-Man and an unknown woman on Earth-807128, sometimes referred to by readers as the “Old Man Logan” universe. This daughter of Parker eventually married Clint Barton, AKA Hawkeye. Their daughter, Ashley, became that world’s Spider-Woman.

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