high-profile girls and even dated them. However, few of Peter’s romances can compare with the time he ended up meeting and falling in love with Virginia Dare – the first English child born in the New World and the girl given the title “The First American Baby.”
The two first met in Neil Gaiman’s original 1602 comic book miniseries, a bizarre but popular story that transplanted the Marvel superheroes into the early 17th century and had them take on the characteristics of the times, with many characters establishing unexpected relationships thanks to their new stations. Few of the characters, however, had the relationship “Peter Parquagh” developed with the young English colonist Virginia Dare.
Who is Virginia Dare?
Virginia Dare was the first English child born in the Roanoke Colony in 1587. As this supposedly made her the first white child born in the New World, she gained some notoriety as the birth of the first white child was often used by European colonists to mark the establishment of a European colony in the New World. Her grandfather, John White, recorded her birth when he returned to England in 1587 for fresh supplies. When he returned three years later, however, the entire Roanoke Colony, including Virginia, had vanished.
Their mysterious disappearance led to much speculation, and over the next four hundred years, Virginia Dare became a popular figure in American myth and folklore. Some believed Virginia and the rest of the colonists had been taken in by local Native American tribes. Fictional stories have Virginia transformed into a white doe by a Native American witch doctor and later shot by her lover. Other tales state that she was the mother of Pocahontas... while still others state she was in a romantic love triangle between Pocahontas and John Smith.
How Virginia Dare Ended Up in the Marvel Universe
When Neil Gaiman wrote his Marvel comic book series 1602, he incorporated aspects of the Virginia Dare legend into his story. In Gaiman’s version, Virginia befriends a Native American tribal member named Rojhaz (who turns out to be a time displaced Steve Rogers/Captain America). Rojhaz saves the Roanoke Colony from starvation, allowing them to flourish. To possibly emphasize her status as the “first white child born in the New World” this Virginia Dare has white hair, a pale complexion, and wears a white dress.
When Virginia is twelve, she gets exposed to an artifact that gives her the power to change into different animals – all colored white. These include cats, owls, and… T. rexes. Yes, apparently Gaiman decided to establish that, in the Marvel Universe at least, dinosaurs roamed freely in the New World. Virginia’s transformations even allowed her to become mythological creatures like a griffin and even a sphinx, making her a potentially formidable adversary.
How Virginia Dare Met Spider-Man
Gaiman’s 1602 also established that Spider-Man’s counterpart Peter Parquagh is the assistant of Sir Nicholas Fury, Queen Elizabeth’s head of intelligence. When fifteen-year-old Virginia Dare and her bodyguard Rojhaz journey to England to visit the Queen (since Rojhaz saved the Roanoke colony, they did not disappear in this timeline), Virginia forms a friendship with Peter.
Ironically, Peter never acquires spider-powers in 1602 (in fact a running gag has him almost getting bit by a spider repeatedly, but never quite receiving his origin). He does witness many of the strange events of the story, however, as 17th century versions of the Fantastic Four, Doctor Strange, and the X-Men (aka “Witchbreed”) team up to save their world from being destroyed. In the final scene, Peter finally gets bitten by a spider and Virginia offers to take him home and care for his wound.
Peter plays a much bigger role in the sequel 1602: New World, which shows him now living in America (and working the printing presses for “Jonah Jameson’s” newspaper). He’s also started developing stronger feelings for Virginia Dare, who learns about his new spider-powers. Together, Virginia and Peter help prevent Norman Osborne from instigating an all-out war between the Native Americans and English colonists. Despite the problems caused by 17th century versions of the Hulk and Iron Man (aka “Lord Iron”), Virginia manages to stop the war by turning into a giant sphinx and forcing everyone to stand down.
The Tragedy of Virginia Dare and Peter Parquagh
While 1602: New World ends happily, the good times were not to last. The follow-up, Spider-Man 1602, provides a tragic end to Virginia and Peter’s tale. The story begins with Virginia and Peter now deeply in love and Peter planning to propose to Virginia soon. However, when Norman Osborne attempts to kill the Native Americans with smallpox-tainted blankets, Peter becomes “The Spider” once more and has Virginia run to fetch the governor and additional help. Virginia becomes a white doe and – similar to one of her legends – gets shot by Osborne, dying in Peter’s arms.
It’s a disquieting end that also references Spider-Man’s famous story, Mary Jane Watson (a traveling actress).
Sadly, even this happy ending doesn’t last for poor Peter Parquagh. When the multiverse-spanning Spider-Verse event begins, Parquagh’s “Spider” is one of the first alternate Spider-Men to be hunted down and killed by the spider-totem eating Inheritors. Although this means 1602’s Peter never got to fight in the Spider-Verse events, it did reunite him with the love of this Spider-Man’s life – the woman known as Virginia Dare.
