Spider-Man: Born Again

Chapter 1: Pilot

Hello, and welcome to Spider-Man: Born Again! I won't keep you from it for too long, but I just want to say thank you to all the readers who have supported me as a writer for this long. As of March 30th, I have been a publishing fan-story writer for over two years now, starting with The Defenders of Remnant as my first story, up to today, with Born Again being my fourth story. And I don't intend to stop anytime soon. I just want to express how grateful I am for those that have gotten me this far, and those who will continue to read as I keep going.

Now, that being said, this is a SPOILER WARNING!

Again, SPOILER WARNING! This story, Spider-Man: Born Again, is a SEQUEL STORY. Everything I write is in a shared continuity I have labelled as 'The Defenderverse', and this is the fourth entry in that series. HOWEVER, the ONLY story required before this one is my original story, The Defenders of Remnant. I would happily enjoy support for the others, and recommend reading everything to fully enjoy my work, but if you are here just for Spider-Man or Marvel Comics in general, this story follows the story from The Defenders of Remnant, so if you do not wish to have that story's events spoiled for you, go read that first, then come back. This has been your spoiler warning.

With that out of the way, 'Nuff Said, and I give you the Pilot chapter to Spider-Man: Born Again.

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Spider-Man: Born Again

Chapter 1: Pilot

Seven Months Ago...

Peter Parker stood before a tombstone with a solemn look on his face. He had been standing here for hours, re-reading the name engraved on the tombstone over and over again in his head:

Mary Jane Watson. 2002 - 2021

Each time reading it didn't make it easier. If anything, it made his very soul sink even lower. He couldn't move away, either. He remained rooted to the spot, unable to tear himself away from his misery. He didn't care. It was his fault she was gone, his fault that they were gone. He was broken by his failure. If the past year since then has taught him anything, it was that.

One year.

A year since they were taken from him. A year since he ended the life of the man who did it. A year since he's put on the mask of Spider-Man.

After what happened, he couldn't bring himself to wear it again. He'd been tempted, to be sure; to go back out and try to do right by those he lost. But whenever he looked at the costume, all he saw was red: the blood of both those he lost, and that of the man he took the life of to end it all.

Norman Osborne. The Green Goblin.

Even thinking the name made him sick. Not just because of what Osborne did, but what he drove Peter to do. He had driven him to break his number one rule, and left him with no one to help him put the pieces of himself back together.

His Aunt May, the love of his life Mary Jane, and even Norman's own son and Peter's best friend, Harry. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Norman had been driven so insane in his pursuit to kill Spider-Man, he went as low as killing his own son to get at him. He was an irredeemable monster, that now laid below ground with the rest of those Peter saw as his family.

After what happened, he hung up the mask. He quit his job at the Daily Bugle. Hearing Jameson spout on about how for years he was right about Spider-Man and no one listened, it drove Peter even more mad than he already was. For the past year, he'd been living off freelance photography jobs. He didn't have the energy for much else. It barely got him by, but it was enough to live off of.