Women & Secrets

Miguel O’Hara was just trying to cash his paycheque at the bank when it is targeted by some bank robbers. Slipping away, he changes into Spider-Man and quickly takes out the would-be thieves. Exiting the bank, the police order Spider-Man to surrender but he quickly web-slings away, deciding to come back and cash is cheque tomorrow.

Miguel then makes a visit to his super-attendant, Tempest Monroe. He has brought her flowers to thank her for cleaning what was obviously blood off his apartment floor. When he asks how the blood got there she sarcastically tells him that it was from the last guy who tried to give her flowers. She then slams the door in his face, but changes her mind moments later and invites him in after asking why he wears sunglasses inside.[1] Inside, Miguel learns that Tempest is a huge sports fan, thanks to her father. She offers him a bottle of water which confuses him at first since they don’t sell bottled water in the year 2099. He makes a joke about this, knowing that Tempest wouldn’t believe the truth. Having looked around her apartment, he then asks her how sick really is. Tempest is upset by this invasion of her privacy and tells him to get out of her apartment. Miguel complies but apologizes for upsetting her.

As Miguel heads for the elevator Lyla, his holographic assistant asks what he did wrong. He explains to his virtual assistant that he pried into Tempest’s personal life. When he wishes he could know what was going on back home in 2099, Lyla suggests that his brother Gabriel is looking for a way to bring Miguel back home but she admits that it was only wishful thinking. When he emerges on his floor, Miguel is surprised to see his boss, Liz Allan waiting outside his apartment. She wants to talk to him privately so he invites her into his sparsely decorated apartment. There she tells him that she looked into his past and discovered he couldn’t possibly be any of the Miguel O’Mara’s that she was able to find on the internet. She also discovered that the references on his resume were all bogus and wants to know who he really is.

Realizing that he’s been caught, Miguel briefly considers tossing Liz out the window but decides against it. With Liz pressing him for answers, Miguel wants to know why she is so interested in his past. She tells him about her encounter with Spider-Man the other day and is convinced that Miguel is secretly him. Miguel tries to deny this and Liz threatens to inform the government about him. When she turns to leave, Miguel has Lyla change his outfit into something futuristic looking. He admits to her that he has come from the future of 2099 and got trapped in the past while trying to keep his grandfather, Tiberius Stone, alive.[2] He is now spending his time “guiding” his grandfather and pleads with her to keep this a secret, otherwise, he’ll have to disappear. He then asks her what she wants from him in order to keep quiet. All she does is kiss Miguel on the lips and leave. She does pause to ask him a question if her favorite team will make the World Series, but he has no idea what she is talking about.

That’s when Tempest comes knocking at his door. She asks who the woman leaving his apartment was and he tells her it was her boss. She then points out that Miguel has lipstick on his mouth and he tries to convince her that Liz Allan is just overly friendly. However, instead of coming by to throw more things at him, she reveals that she has a rare form of cancer. She could go for treatment but it probably won’t work so she’s not bothering. When Miguel asks how long she has left, she tells him that she maybe has a month left. She then thanks Miguel for the flowers and leaves Miguel with a lot to think about.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man 2099, Lyla, Tempest Monroe, Liz Allan

Continuity Notes

1. After getting his spider-powers in Spider-Man 2099 #1, Miguel’s eyes have heightened abilities. A side-effect of this enhancement has made his eyes sensitive to light, hence the sunglasses.

2. Miguel came back in time to protect his grandfather in Superior Spider-Man #17-19 and ended up stranded in the modern age.

Topical References

• This story is stated as taking place in the year 2014. The specific year should be considered a topical reference.

• Real-world products: Evan water, Siri

• Liz makes reference to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. This is a US Navy prison that houses suspected terrorists. It is quite a controversial place and under the Obama administration, it was to be shut down. That was until the lame-duck Presidency of Donald Trump, who signed an executive order to keep it open indefinitely. Now that Trump’s out the continued operation of Guantanamo Bay is in question, my prediction is that it will probably get shut down under the Biden administration thus making its reference here topical (For the record, I am making this prediction in December 2020, so let’s wait and see if I’m right.)

• Another topical reference is when Liz Allan asks Miguel if the Cubs ever win the World Series. Miguel has no idea what she’s talking about. For the longest time the Cubs were believed to be “cursed” because, at the time of this publication, the Cubs hadn’t won the World Series since 1908. Their losing streak was a running gag. This is now topical because the Cubs finally won the World Series in 2016.

• Tempest specifically states that she has T-Cell Prolymphocytic Leukemia. At the time I write this it is still an incredibly rare form of leukemia. As I write this (December 2020), there are not many treatment options and those who do get it aren’t expended to have a very long lifespan after diagnosis. However, since this is a real-world illness advancement in medical technology could lead to this form of Leukemia a curable illness. As it stands, real-world illnesses referenced in the Marvel Universe should be considered topical.