There have been moments where Marvel Comics has brought real-life figures into its books. This was shown sometimes in shadows, such as when President Barack Obama rewarded Carol Danvers following the events of Civil War II. However, that wasn’t the only time the former U.S. President appeared in Marvel Comics, and it wasn’t even the first. In fact, in one issue of The Amazing Spider-Man, not only did President Obama appear in the book, but Spider-Man had to save the day by fighting his oldest villain. The issue had Spider-Man save the United States by ensuring a fair change of power.
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It has been 17 years since Marvel Comics had Spider-Man save President Barack Obama and become an American hero.
Spider-Man Saves the U.S. President from The Chameleon
On January 14, 2009, Marvel Comics released The Amazing Spider-Man #583 from Mark Waid and Barry Kitson. The issue had two stories in it, with the first focusing on Peter Parker and Betty Brant, and Parker forgetting what Betty said she wanted for her birthday. Titled “Platonic,” it opened with Spider-Man battling a D-list villain called Kilgore, who was clearly a rip-off of Lex Luthor with mech armor. It then switched to Betty taking Peter on a speed dating trip to help him find a girlfriend (and failing miserably). It was a sweet story about best friends, but it wasn’t what really made this book stand out.
It was the bonus back-up feature, and it featured Spider-Man saving President Barack Obama. Under the creative team of Zeb Wells and Todd Nauck, Spider-Man’s first-ever super-villain, the Chameleon, made his return. The story took place on the day he was supposed to take office, but things took a strange turn when a second Obama showed up, and the Secret Service had no idea which was the real one. Spider-Man figured it out quickly by having someone ask Obama a question only he would know the answer to, and it worked.
It was humorous because Chameleon believed that if he snuck in as President-Elect Obama and was sworn in, he would have been named the President of the United States. Obama even made a joke, saying, “I’m more upset by the Chameleon’s shockingly deficient understanding of the electoral process.” When Obama fist-bumped Spidey, it made his day. Shockingly, President Barack Obama either appeared or was mentioned in Marvel Comics 46 times, appearing in everything fromย Secret Invasionย andย Siegeย to issues ofย Black Panther, The Incredible Hulk,ย andย Avengers. His last appearance was in Captain America: Sam Wilson #19 in 2017.
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