American comic book: Absolute Spider-Man

Peter stood in front of 177A Blick Street in Greenwich Village, Lower Manhattan, and witnessed this scene:

This is a three-story old brownstone townhouse, dilapidated and abandoned, clearly uninhabited for a long time.

The walls were mottled and blackened, the window frames were peeling, the first-floor windows were boarded up, and the door gaps were filled with dust.

The door number 177A was crooked and almost covered by dirt.

The entire building exudes an aura of being forgotten, abandoned, and unwanted by anyone.

Passersby would instinctively avoid the area, their eyes never lingering there, as if it were just a neglected corner of dilapidated buildings.

There was a very faint, almost imperceptible distortion in the air, like light being slightly bent, making people forget it as soon as they saw it, feel uneasy when they got close, and want to leave immediately.

Peter felt an instinctive urge to get away from this place, and he knew he had come to the right place.

"Bang bang bang!" Peter pounded on the old, dusty, seemingly long-abandoned solid wood door.

No one responded.

"Open the door! I know you're in there! Open the door now!" Peter roared at the broken door, his anger and frustration at being played by fate.

Still no one answered.

Peter took a step back and turned to the crowds passing by on the street.

He shouted, "Everyone, look at me! Look at me!"

Passersby turned to look at this person who seemed to be acting strangely.

Peter raised his hands and announced loudly, "I have something to announce..."

An invisible spell swept gently across the entire street. The passersby's eyes suddenly went blank, as if their attention had been instantly drained.

The curiosity and surprise they had felt earlier vanished completely. They lowered their heads and continued walking and talking as if nothing had happened, and no one gave Peter another second glance.

The very next second after the passersby had completely dispersed—

The dilapidated, abandoned brownstone building behind Peter silently changed its appearance right before his eyes.

The peeling paint on the walls has become smooth and warm again, and the dark brown stone bricks exude a calm texture; the nailed windows have been transformed into clean and bright long windows, with invisible magical light emanating from the windowsills.

That old, dilapidated wooden door, covered in peeling paint and dust, instantly transformed into a heavy, black, solemnly closed formal door with a brass door knocker.

The address 177A is clear and upright, the light is no longer distorted, and only a quiet and dignified atmosphere remains in the air.

The dilapidated building that no one wanted to give a second glance has now become what New York's Holy See should look like.

The main door opened automatically, the heavy black wooden door silently pushing inward.

The king was dressed in a dark-colored mage's robe. He was slightly overweight and had dark skin. He did not have the solemnity that a servant of the Supreme Mage should have. Instead, he had a nonchalant and relaxed air about him.

He strolled out of the door with his hands behind his back, stood on the steps, waved to Peter, and said with a hint of impatience, "Come in, the Sorcerer Supreme is waiting for you."

Peter followed the King into the New York Sanctuary, the doors closing behind him.

In the center of the sunlit domed hall, the Ancient One, dressed in a yellow robe, stood quietly waiting for him on the wide, dark wooden steps of the Sanctuary.

Peter looked at the Ancient One, a woman with a bald head, her appearance in the MCU.

But Peter's world has superheroes like the X-Men and the Fantastic Four.

Based on the image of the Ancient One, it can be inferred that the universe Peter is in is neither the main universe 616 in the comics nor the MCU universe in the movies, but a universe with an unknown number.

"You've arrived."

"I am coming."

"You shouldn't have come."

"I'm here."

After a long silence, Gu Yi slowly spoke: "I already know why you've come."

Peter said, "Then please ask the Sorcerer Supreme to answer my questions."

"First, we need to figure something out." The Ancient One pointed at Peter from afar, "Who are you?"

Peter said in a calm tone that was unusual for his age: "I am Peter Parker, son of Richard and Mary Parker, and nephew of Ben and May Parker."

"In most universes, I am still the embodiment of the Spider Totem, the anchor of the web of life and destiny, or rather—Spider-Man."

Gu Yi held up a finger and wagged it, saying meaningfully, "What I mean is, in your own self-perception, who do you see yourself as?"

Hearing the Ancient One's words, Peter knew that some things could not be hidden from the Sorcerer Supreme's eyes after all—but since he was here, he had no intention of hiding anything.

Peter's tone grew deeper, even darker, as he looked at his young, childlike hands: "Or perhaps I am a rootless wanderer from a distant otherworld, a nameless transmigrator, a bandit who has taken over this child's body?"

"No," the Ancient One said, "you are not a time traveler, nor are you a bandit who possesses another's body."

She slowly descended the dark wooden steps, the Sorcerer Supreme's tone calm, yet carrying a power that penetrated the heart.

Her gaze fell on Peter's downcast face, as if she could see through his inner struggle and self-doubt.

"You are just a lucky one who happened to inherit a memory from a distant place—a complete memory from a universe outside of our entire multiverse system, from a stranger who has no connection to you."

"You are young, with limited life experience, and haven't truly anchored your own existence. When that heavy, complete, and even strange memory with a strong sense of self suddenly floods in, you are swept up by it and confused by it."

"You've confused 'memory' with 'self,' mistaking someone else's past for your own life, and mistaking accidental reception for forced plunder."

"This body has always been yours, belonging to a child named Peter Parker. And that memory from another world is merely a thread that accidentally fell from the net of fate, both a gift and a curse to you."

"While this memory has given you a wealth of experience, skills that are unimaginable to ordinary people, and a precognitive intelligence advantage, it has also distorted your personality and cognition to some extent, causing your destiny to deviate in an immeasurable way."

So it wasn't about possession after all, it was just an extra memory?

Peter thought to himself.

After Peter received this foreign memory, his worldview underwent a significant change.

In this memory, most Spider-Men are both admirable and tragic figures.

They are admirable because they uphold their responsibilities, dedicate themselves selflessly, are willing to burn themselves to protect others, and devote everything to justice.

But they are also incredibly tragic, held hostage by a grand ideal, foolishly sacrificing their youth, wealth, reputation, family, and future, giving up happiness that was within their grasp.

They did everything in their power to save the world, but they couldn't protect those closest to them—Uncle Ben, Aunt May, Gwen, Mary Jane, Harry…

Peter is not a coward who fears death. Uncle Ben and Aunt May have raised him well, and he will not be afraid to sacrifice himself in the face of true righteousness.

But the prerequisite is to protect the people he loves first, and to let those who stayed by his side when Peter Parker was still a quiet, poor boy, live a happy life that everyone envies.

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Holiness."

Peter said, "But then again, what does my self-identity have to do with Gwen being bitten by a spider? Or is it that the Spider-Man of our universe is actually Gwen?"

The Ancient One looked at him calmly and continued to answer Peter's questions: "It is precisely because of your confused self-perception that the Totem temporarily abandoned you and chose Gwen instead."

She paused, her voice steady and clear, with the demeanor befitting a mage, rather than the roughness of a king, who resembled an underground boxer.

"The spider totem only recognizes hosts with a self-consistent soul and unwavering beliefs. When you doubt that you are an outsider, a wandering soul possessing another's body, your connection with the universe and the web of fate becomes extremely fragile. When the totem cannot sense your own identity, it will sever the resonance and seek a more stable and compatible soul."

"So, the Spider-Man of this universe should have been you. You lost yourself first, and the totem lost its anchor, which is why you chose Gwen Stacy."