Spider-Man's Identity Was Almost Exposed in The Dumbest Way
Superheroes in comic books are nearly synonymous with the term "secret identity". Their alter egos are the thing that separate their professional superheroics from the day-to-day life and relationships, and are often an extra means of protecting he people about whom they care. Naturally, any superhero would defend their secret identity as best they possibly can against any threat that might expose it, but sometimes even the best efforts can be undermined. For one of the most popular superheroes in the Marvel Universe, however, absent-mindedness nearly cost him his biggest secret. Spider-Man himself once almost let slip his secret identity in front of his entire school...in one of the laziest ways imaginable.
Here this snafu unfolds in the pages of Ultimate Spider-Man #88; Peter Parker finds himself hunted by the criminal gang the Wild Pack, led by the mysterious Silver Sable. Having followed Parker to Midtown High School some issues past, the Pack had mistaken his secret identity as belonging to fellow student Flash Thompson. Doubling down on this case of mistaken identity, the Pack kidnap Thompson, and hide him away at some unknown location, before their mistake is realized and Flash manages to escape their clutches and run to the authorities.
Parker, already distracted from the fact that the Pack had tracked him down to his school, enters his school, not realizing that a security checkpoint had been set up by police, who are searching the bags of students entering.
Parker, to his own detriment, had stuffed his entire Spider-Man outfit into his backpack, which was now in the hands of the police checkpoint. Panicking, and mere seconds away from being exposed, he's saved by another student, Mark Raxton, wearing a knock-off Spider-Man costume, running through the halls, saying HE'S Spider-Man. Once outside and in full view of TV cameras, he then plugs his unsigned band. Parker, his bag no longer of interest to the police checkpoint, grabs his bag and runs out, no longer thinking it safe to be at school, and heads to Aunt May, who is working at a call center.
For the second time in the same day, Parker carries around his Spider-Man costume in his backpack. Overcome with guilt over Flash's abduction, Parker hands his backpack to Aunt May, saying only, "Sp-Spider-Man". Aunt May --- misunderstanding, and thinking Parker is worried about Spider-Man attacking HIM --- takes his backpack, and places it right on the ground --- where anyone could take it --- and tries comforting her nephew by telling him how Spider-Man's the menace Peter Parker can never be. Leaving the scene shortly after, Parker calls his then-girlfriend, Kitty Pryde, who urges him to instead bring the fight to the Wild Pack, rather than wait for them to make their next move. The issue conclude with Parker doing just that, cockily taking out the pack, before being overpowered by Silver Sable herself.
On the list of typical problems, Spider-Man exposing his own secret identity is problem one of the easiest for him to avoid. Whether he's out fighting bad guys, or trying to maintain his relationships with his aunt, friends, or Mary Jane Watson, there are plenty of other problems on which our favorite webslinger needs to concentrate. While there are plenty of ne'er-do-wells in his extensive and impressive rogues' gallery who would be more than happy tot inflict some personal damage to Spider-Man, the fact that he not once, but twice, nearly outed himself in the same day goes to show just how much damage Spider-Man can risk doing to himself. It's not the worst mistake Spider-Man (or his worst comic book story) would ever make, nor would this be the only time his identity was revealed...but it certainly would have been embarrassing.