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In Spine-Tingling Spider-Man #2, Marvel’s web-slinging hero is faced with his worst nightmare in a recreation of a classic movie moment.
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Spine-Tingling Spider-Man#2, available now on Marvel Unlimited.
In Spine-Tingling Spider-Man #2 (by Saladin Ahmed, Juan Ferreyra and Joe Sabino), Peter Parker’s web-slinging alter ego is in a struggle with his strangest weakness. A haunting lullaby is causing sleep deprivation for anyone who hears it, including the web-head.
While searching for the origins of robotic drones that are wreaking havoc in Manhattan, Spider-Man realizes that in the midst of performing his heroic duties he’s neglected to eat. Relief seems to be on the way in the form of a delivery man, but an accident forces Spider-Man into a surprising callback to a memorable moment in his cinematic history.
The second issue of the horror-tinged Spider-Man series introduces a novel problem for the hero. The delivery man carrying his much-needed take out order suffers a broken leg after a hit-and-run. Spider-Man called an ambulance for him, but the driver is inconsolable; his family is depending on the money he’s going to lose on the deliveries he can no longer make.
Without hesitation, Spider-Man takes it upon himself to finish the delivery man’s route, reasoning that it’s a better use of his time than punching supervillains. Spider-Man’s sudden side-hustle winds up being a welcome respite from his current challenges, allowing him to actually be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man for the first time in a very long time.
Spider-Man handled his delivery route without incident. It’s a far cry from his most well-known delivery gig, in his second feature film appearance. When Spider-Man 2 begins, Peter Parker is working as a pizza delivery boy to make ends meet. In one of many examples of the difficulty he has in balancing his two lives, Peter is frequently late to his job.
His fed-up boss, Mr. Aziz, gives him an ultimatum; make a huge delivery in eight minutes or be fired. Peter changes to Spider-Man to deliver the pizzas, but saving two children from being hit by a truck distracts him. He delivers the pizzas, but they’re still late. This costs Parker his job, beginning a series of unfortunate events that briefly led to Peter quitting being Spider-Man.
Spider-Man 2’s video game adaptation made Parker’s delivery gig into a series of side missions. Taking advantage of being the first open-world Spider-Man game, the missions tasked players with swinging through Manhattan to deliver pizzas within a time limit. The missions weren’t complete until players returned to the pizza parlor, triggering a cutscene where Mr. Aziz assured Parker he’d always have work if he made his deliveries on time. Completing every delivery earns players recognition as “Employee of the Month” in the game’s awards.
Parker’s doomed pizza delivery gig is remembered today because of the “Pizza Time” meme, one of many that sprung from Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy. Spine-Tingling Spider-Man’s Peter proves to be better in his substitute deliveryman role than Tobey Maguire’s was, which is impressive, considering the exhaustion he’s dealing with.
Unfortunately, Spider-Man doesn’t get the chance to enjoy a job well done. While eating, Spider-Man hears the cursed lullaby again, causing him to frighten an elderly woman. Spider-Man desperately needs sleep, but he won’t be able to rest any time soon. Spencer Smythe, the man behind the Spider-Slayers, has hidden powerful explosives throughout Manhattan, and an exhausted Spider-Man will have to follow Smythe’s demands to keep him from leveling the city. The whole ordeal may have him wishing for a simpler job, or at least one that allows him to rest when he needs it.
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