Before Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange denied one of Peter Parker’s biggest requests in the controversial One More Day.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for recent issues of Amazing Spider-Man and Sinister War, on sale now from Marvel.
As the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange has some incredible power at his disposal. The mystic arts enable Stephen Strange to help countless people across multiple dimensions. But during one of Spider-Man’s biggest comic book hardships, Doctor Strange couldn’t help his friend. Peter Parker came to the Sorcerer Supreme in 2007’s Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #24, by J. Michael Straczynski, Joe Quesada, Danny Miki, Richard Isanove and Chris Eliopoulos in the second part of the controversial “One More Day” storyline. At the time, Peter’s Aunt May was comatose, shot by an assassin who was targeting Spider-Man following the events of Civil War.
With Peter’s secret identity exposed to the public, and his status as a fugitive, the web-slinger had few places to turn. Unfortunately, as soon as Spider-Man arrived at the Sanctum Sanctorum, Doctor Strange insisted that there was nothing to be done for Aunt May. As Master of the Mystic Arts, Strange was fully aware that interfering in natural processes, such as death, was out of his hands.
Still, Strange sympathized with the wall-crawler, since Peter felt guilty for May’s condition. For this reason, Doctor Strange let Spider-Man use the mystical object known as the Hands of the Dead to travel across the world instantaneously. This way, Peter could seek help from some of the best minds in the Marvel Universe, both friend and foe. Once again, however, no one could help Peter save his aunt, emphasizing Strange’s point that there was nothing to be done. Even so, Spider-Man tried to save Aunt May behind Doctor Strange’s back, using the Hands of the Dead to travel back in time.
Of course, the web-head still couldn’t save May, and Strange had to save him from Nightwalkers, mystical creatures that guard all of existence. After saving Spider-Man, Strange advised that Peter take the opportunity to be there with his aunt and say goodbye. Each of these events showed why Aunt May couldn’t be saved, and that trying to interfere with natural forces would have serious consequences. Still, Peter and Mary Jane were later approached by Mephisto, who made an offer to save Aunt May’s life. Moreover, Mephisto said he could restore Spider-Man’s secret identity. The big catch, however, was that Peter and MJ had to sacrifice their marriage to Mephisto. The couple agreed, saving Aunt May, yet also altering history and leaving a massive void in both of their lives. In this altered history, it was believed that Doctor Strange helped Spider-Man restore his secret identity, as established explicitly in Amazing Spider-Man #640-641, by Joe Quesada, Paolo Rivera and Richard Isanove.
Years after the fact, Doctor Strange recently noticed the effects “One More Day” on Peter’s soul in 2020’s Amazing Spider-Man #51, by Nick Spencer, Patrick Gleason, Edgar Delgado and VC’s Joe Caramagna. When Spider-Man failed to use the Hand of the Vishanti, Strange’s suspicions arose. Strange followed up on this in 2021’s Amazing Spider-Man #60, by Nick Spencer, Mark Bagley, John Dell, Andrew Hennessy, Rachelle Rosenberg and VC’s Joe Caramagna, when he approached Mephisto about Peter Parker’s soul. By 2021’s Sinister War #1, by Nick Spencer, Mark Bagley, Andrew Hennessy, John Dell, Andy Owens, Brian Reber and VC’s Joe Caramagna, Doctor Strange began to battle Mephisto on Peter’s behalf. Over a decade after “One More Day,” Strange is working to fix its effects on Spider-Man’s soul after refusing his initial request.
All of this illustrates how Peter probably should have listened to Doctor Strange in the first place. If he did, Spider-Man wouldn’t have experienced such detrimental effects on his soul. Even though Peter didn’t listen to Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme is still fighting for Spider-Man, demonstrating his commitment to his friend’s plight. Saving Aunt May from a natural death might have been outside of his power, but saving Peter’s soul from Mephisto’s influence is right in Doctor Strange’s wheelhouse. Even though Doctor Strange couldn’t fix Spider-Man’s first problem, he’s still tending to Peter Parker’s future with the dedication of a physician.
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