121st Street. What Were They Thinking???

Folks,

Followers of the new Marvel series, "Civil War" are in for a really nasty shock. Me included. Spider-Man is gonna reveal to the world that he is actually Peter Parker!! Although it often occured to me if it was really necessary for superheros to conceal their identity, it has become a staple for superheroes, in superhero comic books to conceal their TRUE identity. A more critical reader would question what does one mean by TRUE? In this context, is Peter Parker actually Spider-Man or is Spider-Man really Peter Parker? Who is hiding who?

One may argue that this question is startlingly obvious, for Peter Parker was Peter Parker before he was bitten by that darn radioactive spider, which probably have had a bad day before it sank its fangs into Peter's pasty skin. We are not gonna into the details of the spider here since it is Peter we are interested in. Due to the fact that Peter has always been the way he is before the bite, people point out that the Peter we see, is the TRUE identity behind that mask. Or is it? What if Spider-Man is the very figure Peter is meant to become all these while? Considering this, Peter, the pre-bitten character, is but a preliminary stage of life anticipating the TRUE Peter Parker to emerge - one that is heroic, brave, witty, smart and loaded with teenage angst. Hence, Peter Parker, the nerdy photographer, is the mask, in which Spider-Man, who exudes the most remarkable quality of Peter Parker is concealed.

Maybe it is in the sub-conscious of every nerd to want to be a superhero, to want to have spandex somewhere in the closet to be worn when the time calls for it. Spider-Man is the epitome of the desire of every one who feels that he is not getting enough out of life.

Now what? Peter Parker and Spider-Man is one. What is gonna happen? The removal of the mask is always seen as a confessional act, the act to remove all ambiguity from a person - he is what you see he is. Theoretically, no, there is no such thing. We need masks, actual and imaginary, for the very simple reason that no one today can bare their soul without suffering some pretty nasty consequence. Wanna try? Try telling your boss or teacher what you truly think of him/her? That's you removing your mask, and for that you'll need to suffer the consequence. Peter, by revealing himself only serves to maks even more things than ever. Like, what's the true motive behind the un-masking? What plans does he have after his un-masking? More questions come up, and more shocking truths will need to be hidden. Hidden behind what? Masks.