When Peter Parker can’t attend his graduation, because he’s injured and in the hospital he makes a little video explaining, that he got in to an accident and thanking everyone. Real sweet. Just one problem, the tape May brings to graduation might not be the same or is it?
Betty Brant is responsible for covering her own class’ graduation. Here’s the article she wrote for Midtown’s school newspaper that later on get’s not only published in the „New York Times“ but also many other outlets around the world.
„A Super-Hero’s Goodbye and Welcome“
Spider-Man’s identity revealed at graduation at Midtown Highschool of Science and Technology
Good Morning Midtown High, good Morning World.
Yesterday the class of 2025 graduated, Michelle Jones also known as Mj was our valedictorian and delivered a very inspiring and controversial, critical speech about the American school system, expectations and human rights. Mj ended her speech by saying „expect disappointment so you won’t get disappointed or fight, so no-one ever has to tell themselves this phrase ever again. If I were you I’d do both.“
Michelle, is a not only the captain of the decathlon team, she is also one of the very few students that is truly a friend of Peter Parker who probably surprised us most yesterday.
Parker is a quiet student, is incredibly smart and not known for many more things. One of the few things that people may associate with him is lying Stark-Internship, in fact, before the blip, Eugene „Flash“ Thompson made sure, that every student knew about Parker’s claims to be an Intern for the late Tony Stark. Parker also has showed a tendency to be late, missing or most noticeable leaving class before it ended and disappearing on field-trips.
Yesterday we finally got an explanation for all of this. Parker has been in the hospital for a week due to a serious injury and couldn't attend graduation. His aunt, who is his guardian, brought a tape to be played, the tape had some shocking news for us.
The video starts with Peter lying in a hospital bed, clearly unwell. His arm is in a sling, his face clearly burnt and cut and his other arm attached to an infusion. If you look closer, you can definitely see his body being attached to multiple wires.
But Peter is smiling at the camera or whoever is standing behind it. He introduces himself as Peter Parker and goes in to a short explanation as to why he is not able to attend graduation.
„I got in to an accident and am now hooked up on some stuff that they tell me I can’t rip out for graduation.“
He goes on giggling about how that would make a mess (it appears that he is high on medication) but collects himself when the person behind the camera coughs. He then thanks everyone of our school and some personal friends, and I quote,
„Thanks to Mj, my girlfriend for making me study, thanks to Ned my guy in the chair for helping me in every situation possible, believe me there’s no-one I’d rather build legos with, or you know what. Thanks to May for everything. Thanks to my teachers for teaching me and thanks to Tony for showing me the ropes, I couldn't have wished for a more perfect father-figure, I miss you.
And of course thanks to the team for helping me study whenever I got stuck, for saving my life whenever I got in to a mess, and for having movie nights with a teenager when I couldn't sleep.“
Parker continued to thank his doctors and for keeping him alive and Taylor Swift for making great music.
While Parker was talking, the students started speculating, especially the blipped ones remembered the Internship with Tony Stark and were now wondering if Parker truly knew Stark. Many students were concerned for Parker and I myself have to admit that I was curious a though why Parker talks of his life as if it’s at constant risk. As far as it was known to the school, he did not have a chronic illness if you didn’t count his asthma which disappeared somewhere around sophomore year.
The video ended by Parker wishing everyone good luck and saying goodbye.
Or that’s what everyone thought.
Because after the video cut out, we could see a younger Parker, around fifteen years old sitting in a car next to Tony Stark, who was spotting a bruised eye. Both of the were talking in to the camera. You can see Stark flirting with May Parker (who is as mentioned Peter’s Aunt/guardian) who seems to be the target audience for the recording. Peter looks at Stark with a „What the-F“ face and they start over, talk to May about how Peter did an amazing job at the Stark Internship retreat and then Stark and the driver who appears to be Happy Hogan argue over traffic and job positions and Peter seems just as confused as we are.
The video then cuts to a scene where Parker and his friend and also MSST graduate, Ned Leeds are talking to the camera about their latest Lego project, the video seems to be taken in about 2015/16 and Peter is hanging from his bed or the ceiling. It is not very clear in the clip but he is definitely the wrong way round.
The clip cuts out very shortly after and here’s the most shocking part of the video.
Peter Parker, is standing in front of a very orange background, wearing the Spider-Man suit which Spider-Man wore during the battle of earth. In the background you can see Doctor Strange, Ironman and another man who was seen fighting with the avengers before arguing over something. Peter appears to be filming himself. He sighs and the starts talking.
„Hey May, I’m on Titan, apparently this is where Thanos grew up, not a very nice place, no wonder he got so evil. Anyways, mr. Stark and the wizard guy and this starlord guy are fighting over a plan and I don’t feel very optimistic, I have this weird feeling, that this is the end. I wish you were here. I wish I didn’t leave that damned bus, but here I am. Anyways, gotta go defeat Thanos.“
The video cuts and you could literally hear a pin drop in the room. Everybody, has been affected by the Blip in one way or another, but none of us were at the front lines. None of us were sixteen and dying on a stranger Planet.
I think at this point we should have stopped the video, but no-one was able to move. The next clip seems to be after battle of earth, and it’s just a ten seconds clip of Peter sobbing in to his Aunt’s shoulder, why this was recorded, we can only speculate. The next clip seems to be at Stark's funeral as everyone is dressed in black and Peter is sitting on a couch with Morgan Stark on his lap.
„Hey Morgan, wanna say hi to my video diary?“ He asks the little girl, a sad smile on his face, the young heiress nods and starts talking about a drawing she made of her brother, (if you wonder, who Morgan is talking about, well…) the little girl goes on about wanting cheeseburgers. Peter then talks again. „Hey Morgan, I’m really glad I met you, you really are amazing.“
And the little girl’s answer will break all of your hearts.
„Well, you are my idol Petey, Daddy always told me about my big brother Spider-man, and how great he is, I wanna be just like you when I grow up Petey. I’m so glad you are here now, I missed you a lot.“
And awww, what a sweet girl.
The video ends with that and let me tell you, there has never been as much tension in a room as at this moment.
Later that day I went to visit Parker in the hospital to not only confirm the video and get permission to release this article but also to celebrate graduation with the one student that truly did most for our school, our classmates and this world. Spider-Man. Peter Parker.
With the knowledge we required during the video and later on during a short interview with the teenaged super hero, I would like to tell you some more about Peter Parker.
Peter Parker lost his parents at a very early age and lived with his Aunt and Uncle from then on, his Uncle died in 2014 around the same time Parker gained his spider-like ability’s after he was bitten by a spider. During his four years of high school he not only maintained a somewhat steady GPA but also saved the people of New York with his work as Spider-Man. While Spider-Man did occasionally work with Ironman and the Avengers starting early 2016 when he was just fifteen, he only became an Avenger when Thanos happened and spent his first five years as an Avengers blipped. In the battle of earth he helped save the universe. Weeks later he returned to school with the rest of us.
While he has suffered extreme trauma and to this day is battling with PTSD and anxiety, he never stopped fighting for us and trying.
Yesterday Peter Parker said goodbye to his high school days and today the world welcomes him as an official Avenger under his real name.
I say thank you Peter Parker.
Betty Brant
For an exclusive interview with Peter Parker, Spider-man, read tomorrows newspaper.