Equestria Girls/Spider-Man To Be Rebooted · 4:24am Feb 27th, 2020
Hey guys, it's Equestrian Defender.
And oh... boy am I not looking forward to the inevitable backlash I'm going to get from this.
Now, before you guys come at me with torches and pitchforks, please let me explain.
So, yeah. I am planning on doing a full reboot of my story. This was not a spur of the moment decision, it's one I've been debating on back and forth in my head ever since I took my little hiatus.
But many of you are wondering: What brought this on? Why do you want to reboot your story?
Well, there's a couple of reasons for this.
The first reason is fairly obvious: Flash Sentry in my story is basically just Peter Parker in Flash Sentry's body.
Honestly, you could just swap Flash with any version of Peter Parker in High School and you probably wouldn't notice too much of a difference save for the fact that one is a brunette and the other has anime hair. Part of the reason I was okay with that when I started writing was because at that point Flash Sentry didn't have a lot of focus in canon and he'd basically been an almost blank slate. Now though? While he hasn't been the focus of any of the specials, we still see bits and pieces of his character. Enough to know that besides being part of the Chemistry Club, he's nowhere near as smart as I made him in my fanfic, which is about as smart as Peter Parker normally is. And continuing to write him like this... It just feels unoriginal (even by fanfiction standards.)
The second reason is more of a byproduct of me rewatching the MCU movies, and starting to notice some things. Not all of them good.
And one of those is that I've started to feel that the Spider-Man in the MCU... isn't really as good as I original thought. Don't get me wrong, the Peter Parker stuff for the most part is okay. Tom Holland does seem to combine the nerdy/badass parts of the character, but the fact that most of his tech is created by Tony Stark instead of himself (not counting the Iron Spider suit since that was made by Tony Stark in the comics) kind of takes away from the character. Remember, in the comics and most of the animated series, he made most of his tech himself (granted how he did it on a limited budget was always suspect, but suspension of disbelief and all that.) Far From Home did kinda of scratch that, seeing as how before the climax he made his own suit with his own tech (granted it was using Tony Stark's tech, but what are you gonna do?)
It doesn't help that the two Spider-Man villains in his films, Vulture and Mysterio, were both created by Tony Stark's jerkass actions instead of having their own unique backstories. Mysterio's backstory especially got the shaft on that end.
And of course, we have to address the elephant in the room.
I was reading a few fanfics online about the MCU, and I noticed a few reoccurring questions along the lines of :
"Why would Tony bring Spider-Man into the Civil War when he's not an Avenger and has no stake in the fight?"
"Why would Tony want to bring someone who, at the time, hasn't fought anyone above street muggers and the occasional bad guy with a gun?"
And lastly, "WHAT THE F*** WAS TONY STARK THINKING BRINGING A TEENAGER INTO A SUPERHERO FIGHT?!"
I have tried for months now to try and think of a counterargument for those questions, and I've come up with nothing. I can't argue against the logic of those questions. Spider-Man being in Civil War does not make any sense, other than Disney got the rights to Spider-Man back and wanted to put him in as quickly as possible.
And since my Spider-Sentry is based heavily off the MCU Spider-Man and I've already had Flash put in his journal that he was in the Avengers Civil War, I've essentially written myself into a corner. And I don't want to retcon that because that would just seem cheap.
There's also a whole bunch of other issues with a few inconsistencies I've noticed in my story, as well as the fact that Flash doesn't seem to struggle with being Spider-Man even a little, but the bottom line is I don't think I can bring myself to continue this story as is. Part of me just feels like I could write the story better. Maybe make Flash more of his own character instead of a Peter Parker clone (which is a bit ironic considering we haven't even made it to my version of the clone saga yet). Maybe come up with an original Spider-Suit for Flash. I can still have the villains and most of the plot points I came up with for the future, especially concerning Sunset, Sci-Twi and the others. (probably have to rework some of the MCU stuff, but I was gonna have to anyway.)
Now, a friend of mine did say that writers on this site can go back and edit previous chapters. But I don't feel like that would work. To make the kind of changes I'm talking about and thinking of, I would have to take whole chunks of the previous chapters out, possibly even completely rewrite or delete it if I feel it's not necessary anymore. Possibly even write whole new chapters and stick them in between the other chapters that I've already written, which would break up the flow and have people asking "WTF is going on?" For Flash's new backstory alone, I'd have to completely tear out the Flashback chapters, since I actually want to put in First Base this time around since I'm a fan of Flash being a Big Brother. (I didn't do it the first time around because I wasn't aware of him back then.)
So, it is with a heavy heart that I'm afraid I am ending Equestria Girls/Spider-Man... and am rebooting the story. I am still going to continue making my EQuestria Girls Marvel Universe, but I have to reboot the first part of it. Which is probably the same as rebooting the whole thing. I don't know.
I'm sorry guys. But don't worry. I'm positive that the newer version will be just as good, if not better, than the old one. And I hope you guys will at least give it a chance when I get around to writing it.
Thank you so much for listening. And for following the original story from the beginning. I pray you guys will at least be merciful in the comments section.
I completely understand your reasons for wanting to reboot your story. As cool as the MCU is, the writers did make some glaring mistakes with it, including the ones you mentioned here.
I do have to ask though, will you keep the old version up? I still like it, especially the interactions Flash had with his friends and the prank war! XD!
Good luck! Hope to see the reboot soon!
5210361
I am planning on leaving the old one up if anyone wants to read it. I'm not adding anything more to it, but I'm not going to be one of THOSE writers who take something down just because they're not working on it anymore.
Thanks. Not sure when it will be but I hope it'll be soon.
......... okay then.
Welp, you are not the first writer to do this here, so go ahead, what I ask you though, is that don't do this again a 3rd or even a 4th, some guys were so insecure, they redone the whole story that many times, it got annoying, so I hope you do really well this second time, because a 3rd time people will just leave XD.
5210380
Is that good or bad?
PS: Don't worry my plans for Venom remain unchanged.
5210381
Don't worry, it's only happening this one time. If I try to do it more than that, it probably means I never really believed in this story in the first place.
5210382
Its' in the middle. And yeah I figured the plans wouldn't change but..... I've been having a rough day. This was just the cherry.
5210386
Well, my whole week has been crap so far. Not only because of this, but on Monday me and my family were forced to put down our dog on account of her having cancer. It was not fun.
5210394
My sympathies we had to do that last month to our dog as well, and I can say that my dad is still not over it.
5210402
Thank you. And I'm sorry to hear that.
That's a shame but I do get it. I do agree that Flash was pretty much just Peter but that didn't bother me too much.
As for why Tony recruited Peter? It's actually very simple. Peter was young, capable and most importantly malleable. Tony knew he could tell Peter anything and the kid would go along with it no questions asked plus Peter has no personal connection with the people they are going up against. Provide him with some tech to give him an edge and boom Tony now has a useful ally he doesn't have to worry about betraying him. Not saying Tony didn't care for the kid just that his reasons for recruiting him weren't completely altruistic.
5210394
Yeah I hear ya dude.
5210405
Bingo. And he ended up caring for him anyways.
5210405
Thank you.
Yeah, that doesn't really make it better. In fact, it makes Tony look like a manipulative bastard and makes me even more for TeamCap.
5210407
True.
5210409
Well yeah, that's kind of the point, Tony is having serious trust issues in the film. The whole reason he wants government oversight is that he doesn't trust himself after Ultron and then he loses trust in his allies after they decide to betray the team and he can't even be certain that people who stayed won't end up switching sides during the fight. He needs Peter because Peter is an outsider with no stakes in the fight, it's the same reason Cap recruits Scott even though it will cause the guy nothing but problems in the long run.
Aww man! So I'm going to have to start the whole story from the beginning?
You know what? This is fine. I am okay with this. As long as we get to see how it ends, it'll be fine. 
No Bro! Were coming at you with guns, helicopters, tanks, and other illegal weaponry stolen from Stark Industries 😇
5210414
And again. I FEEL LIKE CAP WAS A HUGE DICK NOT MENTIONING WHAT BUCKY DID ON THAT DAY. Like..... for real HOW MUCH OF THE CLIMAX WOULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF HE HAD JUST BEEN UPFRONT?
5210415
You will. Trust me.
5210419
Oh. Okay then. I'm just gonna go teleport to my space fortress that's orbiting the planet. Bye! (teleports away)
5210420
That's a big problem with a lot of stories. People just don't communicate.
5210424
Because everyone wants to solve the problem on their own.... yet in this case. YEAH STEVE YA COULD'VE JUST SAID SOMETHIN'!
Well, here’s to new beginnings, when you reboot, I’m sure most of your readers will be there.
And the other characters?
I completely understand the reasons for rebooting the story. And it's fine by me, I've enjoyed what you've written but I also totally understand your views. I do like stuff from the old version but I'm definitely going to be interested for what you come up with for the new story as well. ^_^
The thing Stan Lee said, the reason why he considered Spider-man his son is because...ANYONE CAN BE SPIDER-MAN. Doesn’t matter if you’re white, black, yellow, blue, red, pink with purple polka dots. Male, Female, Transgender, Non-Gendered, Apache Attack Helicopter. Anyone can be Spider-Man. And the best part is that beyond all the super powers Spider-Man, Ultimate Spider-Man, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Ham, Spider-Man 2099. That they’re relatable, so you want Flash Sentry to be Spider-Man. Go for it, just be sure it’s Flash under the mask and not Peter disguised as Flash. I’m in your corner bud, and if you need any Spider-Man comic book trivia or anything like that I can offer some help. But you’re more than fine with rebooting the fic, it’s your choice and if people don’t like it, they can kick rocks.
I never got around to reading the original, so a reboot is the perfect time for me to get onboard.
For the Spider-tech, there are a couple ways you could go. First, you could go all organic, like the Sam Raimi version of the character. That would eliminate the need for mechanical web shooters entirely, along with someone that could invent them.
Another option would be to bring in a smart ally early. Twilight or Sunset would be an obvious choice, as far as canon goes. If you wanted create your own characterization outside of EqG, Rarity or Coco would be interesting options. They'd be a good pick for designing and repairing the suit, but maybe they tinker on the side. (Random thought. Rarity is mechanically inclined from designing sweetie-bot, or prosthetics for her sister).
Another thing I'm going to mention is how well adding terminology from another source to EQG sometimes works well, but other times, it feels disjointed. Not with your story in particular. Again, I haven't read it. I just skimmed the tropes page.
The main thing is Canterlot names clashing with realistic names. Putting Twilight Sparkle next to John Smith can seem odd.
It would take a bit more effort, but you could fully integrate Marvel into the EQG by using Equestrian characters as stand-ins for the Avengers. For instance, Starswirl could be Dr. Strange. It doesn't have to be a 1:1 adaptation. I'm just throwing the idea out there.
This suck, but I hope the reboot is as good as the original, maybe even better.
Well, that's a bummer. But you do what you believe you gotta do. I look forwards to seeing the new version
Yeah, I get the feeling. You have no idea how many times I wanted to reboot or retcon things like this in my own story, maybe even just end it already so I can move on to the sequel I am way more excited about to write. And while I have changed a few things in production (like change who the Kingpin is, retool Starlight Glimmer into Dock Ock, etc etc), there are a couple of things I really wanted to change but I simply couldn't because I'd already established them too well (such as who the Goblin or Black Cat are).
However, I'm stubborn as all hell and I'm going to see it through no matter what, even if it'd probably take forever.
Though enough about me, so what can we expect from this reboot then? Is it still gonna have Flash Sentry, but more in character, or are you thinking of someone else to fill that role? In that case, I'm curious to find out who.
And I do agree that it's probably be best not to have it be too MCU focused, though perhaps not for the reasons you brought up, but rather because it'd probably be better to have it be a more self-contained story that doesn't have to mention a bunch of movies or other superheroes who are all so tonally different.
Yeah. I can completely understand the reasoning. And, yeah, you make VERY valid points.
And, yeah, the stuff the other reviewer mentioned about eliminating the "tech" needs by going all organic (ala the Raimi Spider-Man) sounds like it would probably be the better way to go - at least until Flash runs into something that he actually NEEDS something more high tech than his powers alone can handle (but that won't be until he has been in the business for at least a few years, by which point he will have already known Sunset and Sci-Twi for a while anyway)
And yeah, the stuff about using EG characters as substitutions for the Marvel characters could be cool too.
Yeah, the stuff about Starswirl as Doctor Strange sounds like it could be a good idea.
Actually, come to think about it, it might be fun visualizing the Rainbooms (minus Sci-Twi, who isn't there when the other girls get their powers) as a mix of the Fantastic Four and the X-Men (though they get their powers and start their careers as teenagers and get their powers from magic instead of science - specifically at the tail end of the first Equestria Girls movie):
Sunset could be the Reed Richards in terms of intellect and leadership (though Sunset's power set is closer to that of a cross between Johnny Storm/the Human Torch and Wanda Maximoff/the Scarlet Witch)
Fluttershy could be Susan Storm/the Invisible Woman in terms of power set and shy, but still protective personality (though she is NOT more than a friend to Sunset)
Applejack could be Ben Grimm/the Thing
Rainbow Dash could have the rivalry with Applejack that Johnny Storm does with Ben and "as close as siblings" relationship with Fluttershy that Johnny does with Sue, but have a power set closer to that of a cross between Uro Munroe (sp?)/Storm and Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver
Rarity could be a mix of Scott Summers/Cyclops (what? you KNOW she can definitely rock the "special glasses" part) and Rogue (she can ALSO rock the gloves plus she definitely has the "flirty" part of the personality AND the irony of the human counterpart of the bearer of the Element of Generosity having a power that involves taking the abilities and memories of others with a mere touch is simply humorous in itself)
Pinkie Pie could have Wolverine's healing factor (though a MUCH more light-hearted personality) and Reed Richards's super-stretching power.
As for Sci-Twi, she can be in the role of Tony Stark (though actually closer to a good guy version of Lex Luthor because she designs and builds her Powered Armor from being inspired by Flash, Sunset and the others rather than getting into an accident and needing the armor to save her own life) with Spike serving as a mix of Happy and Rhodes.
I completely understand and just by looking through these comments it looks like nearly everyone else does too.
I look forward to this new version you are making. I just know you are going to take this story that is already amazing, and make it even greater. No rush though, you take all the time you need to make it.
Good luck with this reboot, the rest of your EQGMU stories, and all other stories you have planned for us.
After giving it some thought I think the biggest issue of Flash being spiderman isn't that he was basically a Peter Parker expy it was the fact that you were so inconsistent about it. The fact that you had Flash as a stand-in for Peter and Twilight instead of Gwen/MJ but then also had actual Spiderman characters in the story like Miles. I think it would have been better if you had either stuck to having the actual Spiderman characters mixed in with this world or only doing expys. Having a mix just seemed weird (and a little lazy).
There actually was a good reason for Tony to bring Spidey into Civil War- nobody knew who he was. He was a wild card.
Think about it. The Avengers fought side by side for quite some time, and knew each other inside and out. Spider-Man was a chaotic variable, Tony's ace in the hole, to throw off Cap's tactics.
5210430
Thank you. And I hope so.
5210431
The MLP characters and Thorax will still be there. Not sure about everyone else just yet.
5210434
Thank you.
5210438
Wow. That was really well done. Thank you.
5210442
I'll keep your advice in mind. Though I don't think I'm going with Flash getting organic web shooters.
5210444
Me too, man.
5210461
Thanks man.
5210464
I have no idea when I'll get around to the reboot, but it will still have Flash Sentry as Spider-Man, though more in character.
And actually, a guy commented and gave me an idea:
I think it could work. The CW did the same thing with Green Arrow in the Arrowverse. You know, back when it was good and didn't suck!
5210486
Thank you.
I'm not a big fan of the organic web shooters from the Sam Raimi films. Or with Silk in the comics, frankly. Mainly because they make no sense whatsoever. Do their arms just grow tiny organs that somehow create the webs? How do they shoot out like that when real-life spiders have to slowly weave them? Shouldn't they have a limited supply of webbing per day? And for that matter, shouldn't movie Peter's wrists and Cindy's fingers hurt like hell from constantly spamming their webs? It just makes no sense. And yeah I know, comic book science, but something like this is where I draw the line.
I've already got plans for the HuMane 7, and it's not any of that. Good ideas, just not what I'm going with.
5210494
Thank you. I was honestly surprised by how understanding the majority of people are.
5210510
Yeah, I kinda realize that too. Hopefully I can fix that next time around.
5210548
True, but the argument could be made that he shouldn't have dragged a minor into the fight when everyone else was over the age of 18. Especially since if you really read into the scene, he kinda blackmailed him into going there.
5210667
Age doesn't really matter in this case, Peter was already going out on the streets fighting crime and saving people. It's not like Tony made him be a superhero. Besides it was a win-win, Tony gets Peter for his team and Peter gets some new tech to help him out as Spiderman.
5210667
Not gonna say he wasn't forceful, but Spidey, compared to Cap's team, was a heavy hitter. The kid is strong. I don't think Tony would have exposed him, I think Tony was actually not thinking about his identity crisis.
Still, Spidey worked well in the fight, didn't he?
5210667
Again. More than fair enough. I thank you for the explanation.
Still, considering the "limited budget" and "only-slightly-above-average intelligence" (not stupid, but not smart enough to build his own web-shooters either), maybe it might be better to NOT use web shooters AT ALL for the first year of his career, relying instead on wall-crawling, super-leaps and running at fast car speeds (a lot like Superman in HIS first two years in the comics, though Superman didn't wall crawl either) and also relying mostly on stealth and cunning (after all, with the exception of Donatello, the Ninja Turtles get by pretty well on the low-tech approach most of the time).
Maybe you could do an inversion of the typical Peter/Spider-Man bit by having Flash be FAR more talkative in his civilian identity than in costume.
5210421
I'm not mad at you. I mean, I understand that you're just not happy with the story any more. It's just that I had so many reservations going into it, and now that I'm invested, I'm more than a little disappointed. Don't worry. I'm getting over it.
5210948
Okay then.
Don't worry. Flash will still end up with Sci-Twi.
5210667
Pretty much. Same way that Mutants can manifest their powers, or how Wolverine can retract his bone claws, but still move his wrist. I can understand not wanting to lean on comic book logic too much though
5210834
That would work pretty well actually.
Into the Spiderverse hardly had Miles using webshooters at all. Even when he gets his own pair, it's only because someone else gave them to him. There's actually a deleted sequence that shows him trying out different things to try and copy the effect to no success.
Suppose if Flash was going out on patrol, he could start by staking out various locations. It would be enough for common thugs and robbers. Once he makes a name for himself, and the power escalation starts with villains, he would need an upgrade to his suit and kit.
I just realized something. It makes sense that MCU Peter would inherit Tony's enemies. One, Stark Industries controls a good chunk of the world in the MCU. It would make sense for Tony to have enemies not even he knows about for various reasons, whether they be vicious competitors or underlings who have a problem with his methods. I wouldn't be surprised if the Green Goblin or the Kingpin came about because of something Stark Industries-related. Two, MCU Peter Parker is a total cinnamon roll. The only people that don't like him are his rich academic rival and a guy who is competing with him for the same girl. Even the enemies he makes because of his association with the Starks like him.
I see.... Well good luck to you. I hope you find more enjoyment writing the new fic.
And sorry I didn’t comment on this earlier. I’ve been having a rough week of my own...
5212358
It's cool, dude. Monday last week, we lost our oldest dog to cancer. I can relate.
truth be told only read it for flashlight shipping.
iam spiderman fan also.
I understand your reasoning. Heck, I remember mentioning how Flash seems more like Peter Parker than Flash back in... august of last year. Huh. Anyhow, yeah, totally get it.
As for Tony Stark bringing Spider-Man into the fight, I can think of several reasons, but they're, at the very least, a matter of debate. Like, I don't think he believed anyone was actually going to get hurt. Everyone (except Black Panther) would be trying to pull their punches, and Tony knew Peter could do it since he had footage of just how powerful the kid was while still not breaking anything by accident. And that Peter might have reminded him of himself, a genius losing a loved one early, only without the truckloads of money, leading to their weird father/son relationship. Well, as noted above, all at least debatable and not very much of an excuse, which is, I think, kind of the point. Tony and Steve both made serious mistakes.
There was one big upside to the aforementioned relationship in regards to your story, though. Namely that Flash Sentry, by EQG standards, didn't have the smarts to build his gear. So he'd have a very good reason to get all his tech from Tony Stark. Of course, lacking the warm relationship the two then proceeded to build up leaves that feeling a bit more hollow than the MCU movies did.
As it is, your reasoning for starting over is quite sound. Personally, I still think if Equestria itself is still part of your story's universe and the rest of the world doesn't share the horse puns of Flash's hometown, someone from outside would eventually comment on it. Just TELL me nobody would eventually turn around to their allies and go "What is this, a hippie commune?"
Hi. I decided to check out your story some time ago, and I came to LOVE it. It’s a nice homage to the comics, while still keeping the spirit of the source material.
That being said, I completely understand your decision to reboot this story. As a writer, it’s expected that you would want to write the best story you can write, and I look forward to when the reboot comes out. No need to hurry, though, you can’t rush art.
Possible idea for the web shooters. Kind of a "low-tech and low budget but still effective" idea:
Namely:
Instead of web shooters, per say, Flash uses (and re-uses) a pair of ropes that he always carries with him. I mean, he's got the superhuman speed and agility to get away with "quick, repeated, flips of the wrist" as far as using ordinary rope for swinging (by tossing the rope, swinging a bit and then pulling away the rope that was used while he is using the OTHER rope so he can use the rope again as many times as he needs it) or for disarming bad guys (with quick, whip-like cracks).
After all, if Indiana Jones can get by on an ordinary bullwhip, his grit and his wits, surely Spider-Man can get by on two lengths of ordinary rope, his grit, his wits and his powers.
I mean, Indiana Jones doesn't have super-powers and Spider-Man does, so if it's good enough for Indiana Jones, it should be good enough for Spider-Man, right?
Yet, two lengths of ordinary rope aren't quite the same as the web shooters, but, being "low-tech but re-useable" they DO solve the problem of Flash not having the intellect and budget to build his own web-shooters. He can upgrade to the actual web shooters sometime within his second year as Spider-Man after either Sunset or Sci-Twi is put in the know about his secret identity.
Of course, if you already have another/better idea (which is likely), I can understand and profusely apologize for wasting your time.
Can you make scootaloo flash sister I really like the family