They say with great power comes great responsibility. They never mentioned what happens when your wife accidentally straps on an alien watch that turns her into a living firecracker. Allow me to rewind.

My name is Peter Parker. You’ve probably heard of me. I was bitten by a radioactive spider when I was a teenager, and my life got… complicated. The whole “Spider-Man” gig isn’t exactly a 9-to-5. But the best thing that ever happened to me, the one bright, shining constant in the chaos, came with a brilliant smile and a cascade of red hair that could stop a speeding train. Mary Jane Watson. My MJ.

I remember the first time I saw her. Really saw her. Not just the girl-next-door my Aunt May was always trying to set me up with, but her. She was all confidence and light, a force of nature that made my clumsy, science-nerd heart stammer in my chest. Our first date was a disaster punctuated by a villain attack—standard for me—but we ended it with a kiss that felt like a freefall from a skyscraper, terrifying and exhilarating all at once.

Fast forward through a lot of drama, a lot of web-slinging, and one beautiful wedding. Present day. We were perched on our favorite gnarled old oak in Central Park, high above the world. MJ’s head was on my shoulder, her hair smelling of strawberries and summer.

“It’s quiet,” she murmured, her voice a contented hum against my neck.

“Don’t jinx it, MJ,” I said, kissing the top of her head. “My spidey-sense is blissfully quiet for once. Let’s just enjoy the—“

A high-pitched whistling scream cut through the air, growing rapidly louder. We both looked up. A streak of silver and green, trailing smoke like a comet, was hurtling toward the earth. It crashed with a muffled thump about a hundred yards away in a small clearing, shaking the branches beneath us.

“Was that a meteor?” MJ asked, sitting up straight, her reporter instincts kicking in.

“Too small. And too… metallic,” I said, my senses humming a low, curious note. Not danger. Not yet. “Come on. Let’s go see.”

In a fluid motion, I swept her into my arms. She let out a delighted squeal, wrapping her arms around my neck as I swung us from the tree, landing softly near the fresh crater. In the center of the smoldering patch …