Nick Spencer's Amazing Spider-Man run introduced one of the best secret identity twists in comics - but Marvel seems to have forgotten about it. There's no denying that being in a relationship with a superhero is risky business - as Peter Parker himself has discovered at great cost. It's not just the fact loved ones can become a target if a supervillain learns a hero's secret identity; it's also that their loved ones often wind up stressing out, wishing with all their heart they could find a way to be there for them.
The secret identity lies at the heart of the problem. To love a superhero with a secret identity is to withdraw from the world, concealing a huge part of your own identity. Mary Jane Watson has it harder than most, and during her ill-fated marriage to Spider-Man, she began chain-smoking as a coping mechanism. But she's not alone in feeling the strain of it all; every superhero family is something of a disaster zone, and every superhero relationship feels the pressure.
Nick Spencer's Amazing Spider-Man #9 introduced one of the best secret identity twists ever seen in comics; the Lookups, a support group for a superhero's nearest and dearest. The Lookups were created by Jarvis, the Avengers' butler, a man who's been close to heroes for decades and has come to understand the truth that heroes aren't the only ones who pay for their heroism - their loved ones do, too. As he explained to Mary Jane, he's spent many years serving the Avengers, and he considers it a privilege. "But I've also experienced firsthand the unfortunate consequences that can come with having these people in your life," he observed. "The dangers that can come with being in their orbit." And so he created the Lookups.
The Lookups meet secretly at a church in New York, and all those who are close to heroes are welcome, with some using holographic technology to attend remotely. The Avengers supported the initiative, with Tony Stark donating A.I. drones that patrol the building and project face-obscuring technology to ensure attendees can't be identified. Doctor Strange donated a potion released as a gas that circulates in the meeting place, ensuring any details accidentally disclosed are forgotten. Still, readers were able to deduce the members of the Lookups included Daredevil's best friend Foggy Nelson, Scott Lang's ex-wife Peggy Rae Burdick - whose daughter is a member of the Young Avengers - Miles Morales' best friend Ganke Lee, Pepper Potts, Spider-Man's ex Carlie Cooper, and the Fantastic Four's mailman Willie Lumpkin.
The Lookups are a brilliant idea, ensuring every superhero's friends and allies can have the support they need. With careful writing, they could even be used to more cohesively draw Marvel's comics together - with comics' secondary characters interacting with one another rather than just the superheroes themselves. Unfortunately, they've failed to have anything like the impact and presence they deserve; the idea was tossed into Nick Spencer's Amazing Spider-Man run and never really developed, and other writers seem to have overlooked it. It's just a shame such a great idea, one that could be so beneficial for the entire Marvel Universe, has been forgotten.