When Did Martin Li Figure Out Peter was Spider-Man

[Winter]

This has been a big issue with fans of the series, that Mr. Negative seemed to have figured out that Peter was Spider-Man but it's not made clear when he figured it out or how.

At this time I'm replaying the first game and I think I know when Li figured it out which was during the events of the first game, when Peter found his secret room at F.E.A.S.T.

Think about it, Li had just comeback and said he had to get something from his office, an office which now had an open door to his secret room when his office was locked off and had clearly not been force opened. And then Li meets Peter outside the room below the secret room and gets all cryptic and starts making vague threats towards Peter and May, and when Peter goes to follow him he uses his powers to get a bunch of homeless people to attack Peter outside F.E.A.S.T.

This only makes sense if Li had realized Peter was Spider-Man which wouldn't be hard for him to figure out given all he had learned. Again the door to him office was not force opened while the door to his secret room was and Peter was clearly able to get out of said room alive. That combined with Peter showing Li the demon mask earlier in the game, Peter being at the bombing that killed Jeff where Spider-Man failed to show up well, it likely didn't take Li much to put two and two together and come up with Parker.

[CharlesPhipps]

I feel like I'm usually the one who throws wrenches in your theories and I hate that (they're always very well reasoned) but there's also the rather Occam's Razor answer that Doc Ock could have told him since he knew Peter's secret identity from the very beginning.

[Winter]

I feel like I'm usually the one who throws wrenches in your theories and I hate that (they're always very well reasoned) but there's also the rather Occam's Razor answer that Doc Ock could have told him since he knew Peter's secret identity from the very beginning.

But why would he do that? Not saying that he couldn't have done that but I don't see a reason for him to do so. Otto and Li's main motivation in the game is to destroy the life and reputation of Norman and Spider-Man is just an obstacle to that goal. Further more Otto has kept his word about Peter being Spider-Man, he hasn't told anyone partly because of his love for Peter because despite the fallout between the two Otto still clearly saw Peter as a son.

Again, not saying that he couldn't have told Li but it's equalily simple and, I think, more dramatic if Li figured it out himself. And again there's the whole scene in F.E.A.S.T., where he's clearly threatening Peter to stay out of his way and then, for no real reason, has a bunch of homeless people attack Peter. Honestly this scene makes little sense unless Li already figured out or suspected that Peter is Spider-Man. It could be that he only suspected and it was only confirmed in SM2 but this may end we may not know for a while now.

[CharlesPhipps]

Fair enough. You're right, this could have been a way he figured it out.