Spider-Man PS4: What Does The Ending Really Mean?

5. Peter's Old World Is Truly Gone

Spider-Man PS4 Aunt May FEAST
Insomniac

What Marvel's Spider-Man does in its story is really clever, because it provides a fascinating commentary on how Spider-Man has matured since his original introduction during the Silver Age. There's a general nostalgia at the moment for stories all about Peter Parker's high school years, epitomised by the two separate movie reboots we've seen since 2012, both of which have chosen to root their narratives during this period of Spidey's life.

The Peter Parker of Insomniac's world is older though; he's got a job, his old friendship group have dispersed, and his relationship with Mary Jane Watson is off. Both he and MJ do, however, yearn for the days of old, with Harry nowhere to be seen and the world, as MJ puts it, seeming as though it will collapse "if we take a nap."

This exchange comes just after the duo reminisce of the time they, along with Harry, spent an entire day looking for the best pizza in New York. Peter's response is both poignant and mature though, stating (to paraphrase) that they now have to fight so that the kids of tomorrow get to "spend their days" looking for pizza.

It's a new kind of responsibility for Pete to bear, and it isn't without its trauma. Aunt May's passing exemplifies this transition and it's absolutely heartbreaking, but with a young Miles Morales to mentor, and him and MJ together again, the only way to go is forward. Everything is going to be okay, even if adulthood itself can be a trying, confusing and upsetting time. Who better to tell that story than Pete himself?

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Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.