"I'm just Peter Parker, I'm no longer Spider-Man."
In the scene, Peter's eyes turned red, tears welling up. He knew that choosing this path would surely disappoint his late uncle Ben, but he couldn't bear the consecutive blows and burdens.
Outside the screen, spectators sighed as they saw Peter choose to retire. A young man who hadn't even graduated from college, persisting daily with the belief that "with great power comes great responsibility," fighting criminals and upholding justice—losing so much for it, how could people blame Peter for choosing retirement?
Of course, without exposure of the Quiz game's series of Spider-Man videos, the audience might have made cold comments. Because they didn't know Spider-Man and Peter Parker well enough.
However, after watching these down-to-earth future videos of Peter and delving into his life, people completely understood his choice.
In The Eternal Space, Bruce Wayne raised an eyebrow. "It's apparent that your future self chose this path more out of guilt and a sense of responsibility for your late uncle."
Peter Parker was stunned for a moment, nodded, and said, "Yes, Mr. Wayne, you see it accurately... Honestly, without the Quiz game changing my life, I would probably be like the person in this future video. Although I swing between tall buildings in New York every day, I'm not sure if this is the life I want."
People get tired, and superheroes are no exception. Tony wanted to retire; so did Captain America. Now, the resolute Bruce Wayne, after a series of setbacks, also felt low for a long time.
These experienced superheroes are inevitably going to have low moments, especially young ones like Peter.
In the normal timeline, Peter Parker, at this point in time and before, obviously didn't have the determination of Batman.
As Bruce Wayne just said, Peter persisted in carrying out the principle of "with great power, comes great responsibility" mainly because of his guilt and self-blame for his uncle's death. So, in such a low moment, he imagined having a conversation with his late uncle.
The Peter in the video also lived up to his words. That night, he threw the Spider-Man suit into the trash.
The next day, Peter went back to being the ordinary, clumsy teenager who walked and stumbled, wearing glasses, with a relaxed and cheerful smile on his face.
After unburdening himself of the superhero responsibilities, the visible changes in Peter Parker were clear. His professor, who used to be disappointed with him, was now satisfied with his transformation. He hoped Peter would continue to strive in this new direction.
Mary Jane noticed his change and was pleasantly surprised. Peter, who used to be Spider-Man, came to watch her play. Afterward, Peter approached her, hoping to mend their relationship.
Mary Jane had accepted another person's proposal, making her engaged. However, witnessing Peter's change, she was moved, and her attitude toward him softened.
At the Daily Bugle, Jameson was thrilled to see the Spider-Man suit thrown away. He thought Spider-Man had finally surrendered to his daily smearing. However, the top critic of Spider-Man in New York, who privately mocked him, actually put on the Spider-Man suit and made Spider-Man's shooting sound effects while standing on the office desk...
Seeing this, the disappointed and low-spirited audience, who were upset about Spider-Man's retirement, couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Haha, this guy is really funny. Childish like a kid. He smears Spider-Man so persistently, and yet he comes to play Spider-Man?"
"Men are just grown-up children. Which boy hasn't dreamed of being a superhero? This jerk is no exception. Smearing Spider-Man is his job, to earn money and attention. Dreaming of being Spider-Man is his dream. But, in my opinion, this guy can't become a respected superhero in his entire life!"
"Anyway, it's regrettable that Peter made this choice. I can't help but think, have we been too demanding of superheroes? It seems like we take their protection for granted. Don't forget, whether it's Spider-Man, Batman, or Iron Man... they aren't using our tax money."
"To be honest, most ordinary people have some resistance and fear towards these super-powered vigilantes. It's like how we view lions and tigers, their power represents danger. So, most people and officials hope to build a sturdy cage for them."
"Your statement is too extreme. In my opinion, we should reexamine our relationship with superheroes. We can't just demand their protection."
Following Spider-Man's retirement, some viewers began discussing the relationship between ordinary people and superheroes.
At this point, the video paused again, indicating a new question. Soon, the scene faded, and a new question appeared: [Question: With whose help did Peter Parker once again take on the role of Spider-Man]
[A: Aunt May
B: Mary Jane
C: Dr. Octopus
D: Harry Osborn]
"Indeed, Peter, you never fail to impress. In the end, you become Spider-Man again." Commissioner Gordon breathed a sigh of relief.
Bruce said, "I thought the question would be 'Did Peter Parker really give up his identity as Spider-Man?'"
Arthur smiled at him, "If it were that way, wouldn't the question be too simple? Well, you can't say that. Perhaps some people really can't guess the answer."
He turned to look at Commissioner Gordon, apparently implying that Commissioner Gordon lacked intelligence. This made Gordon quite annoyed, but he quickly realized that this guy was intentionally provoking him, trying to disrupt his answering rhythm.
Commissioner Gordon had been fooled once and duped once. Now he forcefully calmed himself down, and turned his head away from Arthur, pretending not to hear.