Sometimes the smallest actions can have far-reaching consequences. If a spider hadn’t bitten Peter Parker, he never would have acquired spider-powers. If Spider-Man had stopped a burglar early in his career, he never would have learned that great power comes with great responsibility. And if Spidey hadn’t agreed to play football with some kids, the universe may have been conquered by an alien despot.
Wait, what? Yes, strange as it might sound, Spider-Man once unknowingly saved the universe by playing a game of football with some neighborhood kids. Seems impossible, but thanks to an odd series of events, it actually happened in Web of Spider-Man #34...
The story begins as an alien thief named A’sai uses a stolen device from Galactus’ ship to sneak onto Uatu the Watcher’s moon base, but Uatu warns him that his devices have safeguards that prevent misuse. Annoyed but intrigued, A’sai suggests that they make a wager with the Watcher’s freedom and total access to his weapons as the stakes. The Watcher agrees and gives A’sai access to his monitors to find an event to bet on.
At that moment, on Earth, Spider-Man sees a group of neighborhood kids playing football. When one of the children - a boy nicknamed “Gerbil” gets hurt - Spidey offers to sub for his team. While the kids are excited to have a superhero play with them, they give Spider-Man several handicaps - making him promise not to use his enhanced agility or spider-powers... and also forcing him to have one hand tied behind his back. Spidey agrees, but with so many handicaps, he finds the opposing team, led by a bully named Truck, actually has a winning advantage. As luck would have it, A’sai catches sight of the game and uses it as the basis of his bet, with Uatu backing Spider-Man’s team and A’sai backing Truck’s. Despite Spidey’s help, his team enters the third quarter with a score of fifty-six to zero… in Truck’s favor.
Unwilling to admit defeat, Spidey manages to get his team a touchdown by the end of the third quarter. Using this as a rallying moment, he encourages the kids to conquer their fears and play as if every down decided the game. Encouraged, the underdogs begin employing better strategies and score touchdown after touchdown, bringing the game to a score of fifty-six to forty-five. At that moment, however, A’sai - worried he might actually lose his bet - uses the Watcher’s technology to beam extra power to Truck and grant him temporary superhuman strength, causing him to nearly break another boy’s leg.
Inspired by Spider-Man, Gerbil rejoins the game and knocks down Truck to make the winning touchdown. Back on the moon, A’sai wails about his loss, but before he can use his weapon against the Watcher, Uatu teleports it into the heart of a star. Informing A’sai that he knows the thief attempted to “welch on our bet,” the Watcher punishes A’sai by turning him into a Joker playing card and transporting him to a casino on Earth. Lighthearted and inspiring, “The Cosmic Gambit” shows how epic cosmic tales are at their best when grounded by relatable, down-to-earth events. Spider-Man may have not known the stakes he was playing for, but his desire to help and inspire others proves that even his most mundane good deeds may be noticed by godlike beings. Even if the Watcher isn’t saying anything…