Originally appeared in Amazing Spider-Man # 259, December 1984
Written by Roger Stern and Tom DeFalco
Art by Ron Frenz
'Spider-Man' created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
Cut to central park, in the middle of the afternoon. A pair of young people…and man and a woman…walk solemnly by the lake…both unsure of what to say.
The woman is Mary Jane Watson. The man is Peter Parker…better known as the Amazing Spider-Man.
Finally, MJ speaks up.
MJ: I’m really glad we finally got this chance to talk, Peter. I can imagine how crazy your life has been lately…especially since I told you that I know you’re Spider-Man.
PETER: (thinking) What am I going to do? How can I ever convince Mary Jane that she’s wrong about my secret identity? Should I even try?
MJ sits on top of a rock, overlooking the lake. Peter sits down next to it, looking up at her.
PETER: (thinking) I care about Mary Jane, I really do! Heck, I even proposed to her once. What’s the harm in her knowing that I’m Spider-Man? But…she can be so flaky at times! Can I really trust her with my greatest secret?
She looks at him, noticing his tenseness...
MJ: Relax, Peter! I know what you’re thinking about, and you needn’t worry. I’m not the space cadet I appear to be.
She looks out towards the lake and sighs.
MJ: It’s funny, we’ve known each other for a long time, but we really don’t know each other! We’re supposed to be friends, but we never open up to each other, we don’t share…
She picks up a pebble and throws it into the water.
MJ: We’re a great pair, aren’t we?
PETER: I guess I never quite looked at it like that.
MJ: Friendship carries some pretty big responsibilities, but we’re just been coasting along.
She looks down at her reflection in the rippling water.
MJ: I do that a lot! Sometimes I think I’ve spent my whole life running away from that kind of responsibility. I guess I get that from my parents…
Suddenly, the reflection in the water changes to show a young couple that has just been married.
MJ: Did I ever tell you about them?
Cut to the same couple, later on. They are standing on the front lawn of their home, kissing passionately.
They met in college, mom was a drama student, and dad majored in modern American literature.
Oh, they were so in love in those days! They just couldn’t wait to get married.
After graduation, mom wanted to move to New York City, to try her hand at acting, but dad had other ideas…
PHILLIP: Be sensible, Madeline! I’ve already been offered a teaching position, it’s only a small college out in the middle of nowhere, but it is a start…
MADELINE: Oh, Philip, I’d move to Siberia if it would make you happy!
*****
Cut to a few years later. Phillip and a dark-haired four year old are standing beside Madeline. In her arms is a newborn, green-eyed baby girl.
They were married about eighteen months when they had my sister Gayle…I was born four years later.
*****
Cut to years later once again. Phillip is walking alongside Gayle, now a teenager. He’s dressed in a suit and holding a briefcase.
As the years passed, dad became a full professor. He was popular with his students, and the college administration respected him.
Mom devoted her life to us kids.
*****
Cut to Phillip working on a typewriter.
My parents must have looked like they had it all…but dad wasn’t satisfied. He wanted to write! To prove to the world that he had the skill and talent to be another Fitzgerald, a Faulkner…
He rips the papers out of the machine and throws them around the room.
He didn’t!
PHILLIP: No! NO! It isn’t coming out right! It’s trash! Everything I write is trash!!!
He storms into the next room, where the girls are.
PHILLIP: Can’t you keep those kids quiet?! Madeline, it’s your fault I can’t concentrate!
A tear falls from Madeline’s face, but she hides it.
She turns to Gayle and MJ.
MADELINE: Hush, girls! Your father is trying to work!
GAYLE: (whispering)But we weren’t doing anything, momma!
MADELINE: (whispering)I know, sweetheart!
*****
Cut to the eight-year-old MJ. She is looking back at her home, holding a suitcase.
Dad began switching jobs, moving from one college to the next. I don’t know what he was looking for, but he never seemed to find it.
Mom endured the constant moving, even though she hated it.
I wasn’t wild about it either.
*****
Cut to a classroom, where MJ is sitting at a desk.
As a result, Gayle and I were always changing schools. It wasn’t easy to make friends…but I really wanted the other kids to like me, to notice me…
TEACHER: We have a new student…Mary Jane Watson.
MJ jumps on top of her desk…raising her hand into the air dramatically.
MJ: That’s me…the one and only!
The rest of the class laughed.
I guess I became a bit of a class clown!
*****
Cut to a dance studio. Gayle is there…practicing some moves.
Gayle handled her loneliness differently. She began to study dance…
She would practice for hours…just her and her music.
*****
And back at the house…
Meanwhile, things continued to get worse between mom and dad…
Phillip begins to yell at Madeline, who just sits there and takes it.
PHILLIP: I never wanted a house or children! They’re anchors holding me down!
***** And then one day…
Gayle comes home from practice, greeted my her father. He walks up to her and strikes her across the face.
PHILLIP: ENOUGH! Those bloody dance lessons are costing me a fortune!
Madeline looks at him, horrified. Tears start to form in her eyes.
MADELINE: PHILIP, NO! Not the children! Don’t take your frustrations out on them too!
MJ sees the entire display from the kitchen. Quickly, she goes outside. She runs down the street as fast as she can…tears flowing down her cheeks.
I couldn’t believe my father had actually struck Gayle! I felt helpless! Enraged!
I didn’t know what to do, so I began to run…
She stops five blocks from home, trying to catch her breath. A group of her friends see her, and walk up to her.
GIRL: Hey, Mary Jane! Where you going in such a hurry?
GIRL # 2: You okay? You look like something’s wrong!
MJ wipes the tears out of her eyes, trying to hide it.
MJ: W-wrong?
She does a cartwheel on the grass.
MJ: Are you kidding? Nothing’s ever wrong with Mary Jane Watson!
*****
Cut to a rotation between Phillip receiving an award at the college, to Madeline, Gayle, and Mary Jane pack suitcases and heading out the door.
Mom finally gave up on her marriage a few weeks later. While my father was being honored by his college, we slipped out of the house while he was still at the awards ceremony. I guess mom just couldn’t face him anymore.
A messy divorce followed! Dad sued her for desertion, and the court wasn’t very sympathic towards her.
*****
Cut to a run-down house in a back-ended neighborhood. The girls are sitting on a couch, while an older couple watches them.
We didn’t have much money, so we were forced to turn to family for help…
MAN: I still don’t see why we’re got to take them in!
WOMAN: They’re kin, and they’ve got nowhere else to go!
*****
Cut to another house, where MJ is dancing around the room, her hair in a bonnet.
It wasn’t easy on us, being shuffled from one set of relatives to another, but I tried to make the most out of it…
MJ: (with accent)Oh, dollink! You’re so cute, I could diiie!
A woman starts laughing.
WOMAN: (giggle)That a great Aunt Martha, Mary Jane!
*****
Cut to yet another house…
It’s funny, but there was only one relative that I enjoyed visiting. My father’s sister…Aunt Anna! She always made me feel so at home.
Anna answers the door, while MJ follows her.
She comes back, with someone accompanying her.
ANNA: Mary Jane, I want you to meet my friend May Parker.
Aunt May goes up to Mary Jane and smiles at her.
ANNA: She has a nephew who’s only a year older than you!
MJ goes over to the window and looks out it.
She sees a boy walking home from school. Nervous-looking and timid. He had large coke-bottle glasses, and a cluster of books in his arms.
I must have been around thirteen when I first laid eyes on you, Peter! You were just starting high school, and you looked so serious! A real bookworm!
She rests her cheek on her hand and stares at him longingly.
Do you remember how our aunts were always trying to get us together?
Cut to the reflection in the water. It shifts from the fourteen-year old Peter Parker into his adult self.
MJ: Do you Peter? Peter…?
PETER: How could I ever forget?
Peter and MJ get up and slowly walk back towards the path.
PETER: Aunt May was always trying to set me up with Anna Watson’s niece, but I still managed to put off meeting you for years.
She turns to him and grins.
MJ: Foolish boy!
PETER: Don’t blame me! I was only told that you had a great personality, and you know that THAT means! When I think of all the time I wasted avoiding you…
She looks at him sadly.
MJ: That’s the trouble with time, Peter! It was a nasty habit of slipping away from us…
*****
Elsewhere, at that very moment…
Cut to a train yard, somewhere in New York.
A group of men carry tables inside one of the abandoned trains. Inside are roulette tables, blackjack games, and all the designs of a full-fledged Casino.
BOSS: Let’s go, guys! Hurry it up! I spent a small fortune converting these stupid trains into the city’s classiest casino, and I don’t want anything going wrong on opening night!
WORKER: You needn’t worry, Mr. Hudson! The cops would never think of looking for an operation like this in a ‘deserted’ train yard!
At that precise moment, a loud explosion goes off behind Hudson.
The roof explodes with a fiery impact, sending debris flying everywhere.
HUDSON: WHAT THE?!
WORKER: The roof! Something’s blasting a hole in our roof!
And through that hole swoops a terrifying figure. He’s dressed in a bright orange elf-like costume, with aqua green material covering his arms and legs. Covering his head is an orange hood, attached to an orange cape flying behind him. A shoulder bag is slung around his shoulder. Holding him in the air is a metallic glider, shaped like a bat. Finally, covering his face is a sickly looking beige mask, with glowing red eyes…
…the mask of a goblin!
HOBGOBLIN: I’m afraid you’ll have to postpone tonight’s festivities, Mr. Hudson! You and I have business to discuss! The police may not be aware of this sweet little set-up, but nothing escapes the notice of the Hobgoblin!
He pulls a ‘pumpkin bomb’ out of his bag, and holds it in the air threatenly.
WORKER: Let’s get him, Louie!
LOUIE: Forget it! We ain’t being paid enough to take on action like HIM!
Mr. Hudson slowly rises to his feet, trembling.
HUDSON: Wh-what are you doing here? What do you want.
The Hobgoblin laughs.
HOBGOBLIN: We are about to become business associates, Hudson! I’m cutting myself a piece of your pie! Since you’ve already invested considerable effort and expense in this enterprise, I shall choose not to be greedy! I shall only require a small percentage of your weekly profits! Shall we settle on 10%?
HUDSON: You’ve gotta be nuts! I’m already kicking into the Kingpin’s coffers! Why should I split with you, too?
Hobgoblin points at him, his finger beginning to crackle with energy.
HOBGOBLIN: Think of the alternative! You cater to a very exclusive clientele. How long will they continue to patronize you if I begin to make life unpleasant for them…and you?!?
His glider slowly rises back out the hole in the roof it created.
HOBGOBLIN: You’d best consider my proposition very carefully, Hudson. I could make life most unpleasant, indeed!
Then, he flies off into the sky.
*****
Cut back to Central Park. Peter and MJ are still walking along the path they were before.
PETER: Whatever happened to your father?
MJ: He moved to Oregon some years ago…and he didn’t even bother to say goodbye. I wrote to him a few times, but he never answered my letters. After a while, I stopped trying…
Cut to a much younger MJ, standing in the rain with her mother and sister. A door opens in front of them, where a man greets them.
Meanwhile, mom had finally found us a permanent place to live…with her cousin, Frank Brown!
Frank was a steel worker whose wife had died the year before.
He took us in on the condition that mom would keep house for him, and his three children…
Living with Frank was quite an experience. He was a hard man. Stern! Unforgiving! But, he did treat us fairly…
*****
Cut to a high school. Gayle is talking arm-in-arm with a dark-haired boy in a football jersey.
…and he brought a certain amount of stability to our lives. That’s when Gayle first started dating Timmy…Timmy Byrnes!
Oh, he was such a hunk in high school! I was half in love with him myself
*****
Cut to Gayle at another dance studio. She’s practicing with a trio, the teacher applauding their performance.
I remember how happy Gayle was! Everything was finally coming together for her!
Her dance teacher was certain she had a real shot at a college scholarship.
*****
Cut to the football field. Timmy is playing quarterback, while MJ and Gayle cheer him on.
She was living every young girl’s fantasy! Not only was her boyfriend the captain of the football team…
*****
Cut to an award ceremony. Timmy is shaking hands with the principal, while the girls applaud.
…but he was one of the school’s top scholar’s, too!
PRINCIPAL: The national honor society welcomes Timothy Byrnes to its ranks!
Yeah, things looked great! It’s a shame fantasies don’t work out in real life…
*****
Cut to a performance theatre. Gayle is on stage, dancing for a huge audience. They’re taking pictures and applauding.
Gayle kept studying, and working at her art!
She loved to dance! She really did!
*****
Cut to night, after the concert. MJ is watching Gayle and Timmy walk through the part, his arm around her.
But it was real obvious that she loved Timmy even more
*****
Cut to another stage…inside a high school.
MJ is playing Juliet in ‘Romeo And Juliet’.
As for me, I was busy with the school’s drama department…
BOY: Juliet! Wherefore art thou?
MJ: Here I am, Tiger!
The audience begins to laugh.
Needless to say, my first few performances lack a certain ‘polish’…
*****
Cut to the living room. Gayle and Timmy are standing in front of everyone, their arms around each other.
As the school year drew to a close, Gayle dropped her big bomb…
GAYLE: Timmy and I have decided to get married as soon as we graduate high school!
MADELINE: WHAT?! Are you crazy?! You’re throwing away your chance for college! For everything…!
GAYLE: You can’t tell me how to live my life, mom…not after the mess you made of yours!
*****
Cut to a chapel, much later. Gayle and Timmy are at the alter, with MJ and Madeline standing close by.
In the end, Gayle had her way. They were married in a simple church ceremony.
Soon after that they left town. Timmy planned to enter a pre-law college program in the fall, and Gayle was going to take a job to help support them…
For some crazy reason, that seemed very romantic to me at the time.
Pretty dumb, huh?
*****
Cut to a stage performance at the school. MJ is performing again.
The next year was a wild time for me. I was fifteen, and life was beautiful! I even acted in a few more plays…
MJ: I have always depended on the kindness of strangers!
It wasn’t bad!
*****
Cut to the Watson’s mailbox…
And then, I received the letter…
MJ opens it and reads it.
MJ: It’s from Gayle! She’s coming to visit. She has a surprise for us!
MADELINE: I wonder what it is?
*****
When they arrived, we found out…
Madeline hugs her eldest daughter, tears of joy in her eyes.
MADELINE: Oh, Gayle. I’m so happy for you and Tim!
Behind them, MJ watches Timmy standing in a corner, his back to the others.
Yeah, everyone was happy for them! Well, almost everyone…
*****
Cut to the hospital, nine months later.
MJ and Timmy are looking in the maternity window, at one of the infants. Timmy has a frustrated look on his face. Almost in pain.
I still remember the day the baby was born! He was the cutest little boy!
But the expression on Timmy’s face…! He was only nineteen, but he looked so haggard, so desperate! Like some caged animal…
MJ: …or a drowning man who had just been tossed an anchor!
Cut to Peter and MJ, buying ice cream from a local vendor. They continue to walk town the pathway, deeper into the park.
PETER: Come on, Mary Jane. It couldn’t have been THAT bad! I thought he loved your sister.
MJ: He did, but that didn’t change the facts… Timmy had barely finished his first year of college! He loved Gayle! I’m sure he did! But that didn’t mean he could accept the responsibility for raising a family!
She finishes her ice cream, and tosses the wrapper in the trash.
MJ: True love…HA! It doesn’t stand a chance against reality!
She looks downwards, sadly.
MJ: What good is it, anyway?
*****
Cut to just beyond Central Park. Specifically, at a small, upper west side confectionary.
OWNER: Keep an eye on the place, fellas! I’ll be in the back in case anybody needs me.
He walks into the back room, where something very different is happening. Groups of people are lined up, placing their bets.
OWNER: How we doing, boss?
BOSS: This afternoon tally looks pretty good so far! Better place your bets, boys! The next race starts in two minutes…
Suddenly, something crashes through the window.
The Hobgoblin has arrived.
HOBGOBLIN: Save your money, gentlemen! There will only be one winner today! And his name is…HOBGOBLIN! AH HA HA HA HA HAH!!!!!
His glider swoops across the room, knocking various people off their feet.
BOSS: What are you clowns waiting for…an engraved invitation?! Smash that flying freak before he wrecks the place!
MAN # 1: You heard Mr. Santellio! Get him!
MAN # 2: (pulls a gun)We’ll tackle him all at once!
However, the onrushing crowd doesn’t stand a chance. A blast of energy shoots from Hobgoblin’s glove, incinerating the weapon. The others he just swats away like rag dolls.
HOBGOBLIN: You pathetic fools! Your combined strength is nothing when compared to the power of Hobgoblin!
The glider flies higher, chasing after Santellio.
Santellio runs.
HOBGOBLIN: Don’t run away, Santellio! You and I still have business to discuss!
SANTELLIO: No! Keep away! Don’t…!
But it’s no use. The Hobgoblin catches up to him, and picks him up by the shirt collar.
HOBGOBLIN: Stop squirming! You must realize that there’s no escape from me!
SANTELLIO: Let go! Don’t hurt me! Please…!
HOBGOBLIN: Relax, Santellio! For the present, you are much more valuable to me alive…but that could change! We are about to become business partners! From this moment on, I am in for 10% of your weekly take!
SANTELLIO: S-sure. Anything you say!
He drops him.
HOBGOBLIN: Good! Just consider me an additional expense which you must pay for the privilege of operating in this fair city! Don’t feel to badly, Santellio! You made the right decision! After all, your only alternative…was death!
With that, he flies back out the shattered window.
*****
Then, back in the park…
Peter and MJ have stopped by a tree. In MJ’s hands is a small branch, which she fiddles with.
Peter looks at her, concerned.
PETER: You okay?
MJ: Yeah…I guess so. I was just thinking about Timmy Byrnes…
She sighs.
MJ: He really wasn’t such a bad guy. I don’t think he ever meant to hurt Gayle, or anyone else. He was just a kid who let his life get out of his control.
Cut to a college campus. Timmy is wandering around, lost in his thoughts.
Poor Timmy! He had always dreamed of attending law school, but he was only in his second year of undergraduate study…and he already had a wife and baby to support!
Think of the strain he must have been under! The pressure…
*****
Cut to a nursery. Gayle and Timmy are arguing…right in front of a crib.
No wonder his grades began to slip…and his marriage began to fail!
Timmy angrily points at the child inside.
TIMMY: You’re the reason I can’t study properly! You and your kid!!
*****
Cut to Frank’s house. Madeline is on the phone, in a complete panic.
Gayle was confused! Desperate! She started calling mom for advice, for support…! But that led to other arguments…
FRANK: Get off the phone, Madeline! Let the kids solve their own problems!
MADELINE: Frank, PLEASE! My daughter needs me.
Silently, MJ walks outside. She wanders the streets for hours on end.
Maybe uncle Frank was right! Maybe my mother shouldn’t have gotten so involved! She hadn’t been feeling well for months, and those phone calls certainly weren’t doing her any good.
I know I tried to shut Gayle and Timmy out of my mind…
I was only in high school! Proms and parties…that’s all I wanted to think about!
*****
Cut to Madeline and Gayle on the phone…
But then, Gayle called with a rather startling announcement…
GAYLE: Mom, I…I’m pregnant again!
MADELINE: That’s wonderful, sweetheart!
*****
Cut to the Byrnes’ apartment.
Mom still wasn’t in the best of health, but she decided to celebrate Gayle’s news with a surprise visit! She truly believed that a second child would force Timmy to accept his responsibilities, would heal the marriage! But…
MJ and her mother enter, only to see Gayle sobbing on the couch.
MADELINE: Gayle, what’s wrong? Where’s Timothy?
GAYLE: (crying)He’s…gone! Packed his bags and left. Said he couldn’t cope with the thought of another child.
Madeline runs over to her and wraps her arms around her.
MADELINE: Don’t worry, dear! Your sister and I won’t desert you! I’ll phone your uncle Frank and tell him we’re staying here!
MJ simply looks out the window.
I suppose I should have hated Timmy for what he’d done to Gayle…but I couldn’t! Not when I wanted to run away, too!
*****
Cut to a few months later, at a hospital. Madeline is on a hospital bed, while Gayle holds her hand.
In the months that followed, mom’s health continued to deteriorate. She grew weaker and weaker, until she had to be hospitalized…
That’s when we first learned she was dying.
My whole world was rapidly bursting apart…!
*****
Cut to MJ, working at a McDonalds.
To help with the bills, I dropped all my extracurricular activities…including drama club…and devoted myself to a series of after school jobs…
*****
Cut to the hospital. A doctor walks out of Madeline’s room.
With all her grief, my mom still had one last dream. She was determined to live long enough to see her second grandchild.
He looks at the two girls, a sad look on his face.
That one look says it all.
She…didn’t make it.
Mary Jane starts to sob uncontrollably, as Gayle holds on to her tightly.
*****
Cut to a graveyard.
Mary Jane stands in front of a small tombstone, her face expressionless. She stands there, unmoving, until Gayle walks up behind her.
She puts her hand on her sister’s shoulder.
GAYLE: I know things look pretty bad now, Mary Jane, but we’ll find a way to make things work out. Trust me.
A single tear falls down Mary Jane’s cheek.
GAYLE: Once I have this baby, I’ll get a full-time job…and you won’t have to work so hard after school! We can find someone to watch the kids during the day, and…
Without warning, MJ slaps Gayle’s hand away from her.
MJ: No…NO!!! Your kids are YOUR problem! I’ve got my own life to live…and I’m not going to waste it, like mom wasted hers!
She looks at Gayle, tears flowing uncontrollably while she screams at her sister.
MJ: You and mom…and even Timmy…gave up your dreams because you wanted to make someone else happy! Well, that’s not going to happen to me!
She starts to run away.
GAYLE: Mary Jane, WAIT!
She doesn’t look back.
MJ: NO! I want more out of life! Much more!
Poor Gayle! I never looked back at her. I just started running…
Cut back to the park. MJ is crying, still talking to Peter.
MJ: …and, in one way or another, I’ve been running ever since!
She wipes the tears from her face and looks at him.
MJ: It’s almost been four years since I last saw my sister. Her second child was another baby boy… Cute little guy, too! Aunt Anna showed me pictures when he was born. I only wish momma could have lived to see him…
Peter puts his hand on her shoulder.
PETER: Why don’t you go see him? Maybe you and your sister could finally come to terms?
MJ: I don’t think that’s possible, Peter. Too much time has passed…
They start walking to a clearing, under a bridge.
MJ: I’ve phoned Gayle a few times over the years…mostly on holidays and the kids’ birthdays. She’ never happy to hear from me. I don’t think she’ ever forgiven me for deserting her. I really don’t blame her! I’ve never forgiven myself, either.
PETER: (thinking) My Aunt May once told me that Mary Jane and I had a lot in common. We’ve both lost…so very much.
He looks down, saddened by the thought.
PETER: (thinking) Aunt May…I’ve even lost her recently! She hasn’t spoken to me since I told her that I had dropped out of graduate school! I really should have straightened things out between us long before now, but I’ve just been so busy lately. I just hope I haven’t let too much time pass…
Then he looks at the woman walking beside him.
PETER: (thinking) And I still don’t know what to do about Mary Jane knowing my secret identity. The girl just bared her soul to me! How can I lie to her now?!
MJ: I really didn’t mean to lay all my grief on you, Peter. It just sort of came out. You’re a good listener.
She puts her hands on his shoulders, and smiles.
MJ: In a funny way, I suppose this makes us even.
PETER: How do you mean?
MJ: I know your greatest secret, and now, you know all of mine… Peter, I never meant to tell you that I knew you were Spider-Man. I didn’t know how you’d react! In fact, I almost ran out on you again.
She smiles.
MJ: But I couldn’t! I care about you, Peter. I really do! I may find it real hard to cope with the fact that you get your kicks by risking your neck, but that doesn’t change my feelings for you! Look, I don’t want you to misunderstand…I’m not talking about love!
PETER: I know, Mary Jane. I guess I feel the same way about you…
They pause for a moment. Then Peter wraps his arms around her and hugs her. He smiles.
PETER: (whispering)And, I just want you to know that your ever-amazing Spider-Man is real proud to count you among his friends.
She laughs.
MJ: Oh, Peter! You can be SUCH a cornball…!
They let go, and walk towards the park exit.
MJ: What’s going to happen to us now?
PETER: Who knows? Maybe we should just take it one day at a time.
*****
Cut to mid-NYC. Specifically, the Baxter Building.
A tall, green-skinned woman is carrying a couple-ton hunk of machinery overtop her head.
JEN: Hey, Reed…I finally managed to disconnect this module from your old particle accelerator. Where does it go now? Reed? YOU-HOO!
The man at the computer finally has her attention. He’s about forty, with gray at his temples. He’s wearing a white and dark-blue uniform, with a stylized ‘4’ on the chest. His arms stretch across the room to switch off devices…just like a rubber band.
REED: Oh, hello She-Hulk. I’ll be with you in a moment…
JEN: Gee, I hope I’m not interrupting an important experiment.
REED: Not at all! I was just using my thought transmitter…in an attempt to establish contact with this alien entity. But so far, I’ve been unsuccessful.
He indicates a glass cylinder in the center of the room. Inside is a black blob, constantly changing shape.
REED: You probably don’t recognize it in this form, but Spider-Man brought it back with him from the Beyonder’s planet. Up until recently, he was wearing it as his costume…but then, I examined it and discovered that it was, in fact, a living creature…a symbiote that was determined to permanently graft itself to the web-swinger’s body!
They walk out of the room.
JEN: Whew! And I used to think it looked sexy on him! What makes you think you can communicate with it?
REED: Just a hunch, really. It used to respond to Spider-Man’s thoughts. That could imply a certain level of intelligence.
JEN: Give me a break! Next, you’ll be telling me that it’s capable of feeling emotions. Like love…and hate!
Unknown to the two heroes, the symbiote almost seems to be ‘watching’ them leave.
*****
Cut to another building, a few blocks away.
A man in a purple rubber mask clips a rose from his garden, sniffing it.
ROSE: You have done well, my friend. Within a few weeks, we will control all of the major gambling interests in this city.
He turns towards his guest…the Hobgoblin.
HOBGOBLIN: Exactly! I told you my plan was foolproof!
He walks over to the Rose, reaching into his bag. He pulls out a torn photograph.
HOBGOBLIN: With your insider’s knowledge of the rackets and my power, nothing can stop us!
ROSE: I trust you haven’t forgotten about the Kingpin Of Crime. He will not be pleased when he learns that the Hobgoblin has joined forces with the Rose!
HOBGOBLIN: We will deal with the Kingpin in due time! But now I am much more concerned with a matter of personal vengeance. I would like to borrow a few of your men!
He hands the Rose the photo.
On it are Harry Osborn and his wife, Liz.
HOBGOBLIN: I want them to pay a business call on some old friends of mine…Mr. And Mrs. Harry Osborn!
*****
Cut to Peter, walking up the stairs leading back into his apartment.
PETER: (thinking) It’s a shame Mary Jane had a date tonight! We were getting along so well! I wonder if we could ever…WHOA! I don’t like the direction THAT thought was taking! I’m already in love with the Black Cat! I shouldn’t even be THINKING of Mary Jane in that light…but I can’t seem to help myself! Why can’t romance ever be simple?
He walks into his apartment and sighs.
PETER: (thinking) I can’t worry about my screwed up love life now! If this afternoon convinced me of anything, it’s that I’ve got to make peace between me and Aunt May before anymore time passes! I’ll see her tonight! Might as well catch the evening news while I change clothes.
He grabs the remote and turns on the TV. A news program is running.
ANNOUNCER: …had battled the mysterious Spider-Man on many occasions! Up until recently, the authorities believed him dead…but new evidence seems to indicate otherwise! The Hobgoblin may well be alive! Numerous eyewitnesses claimed to have seem him gliding over the city’s rooftops earlier this afternoon!
Peter’s eyes go wide in shock.
PETER: (thinking) The HOBGOBLIN?! I never really believed he died the last time we fought! I’ve been waiting for this! I always knew I’d have to face him again!
He dashed towards the closet, swinging the doors open.
PETER: (thinking) Can’t waste a moment! Got to try to find him! Looks like I’m going to have to put off seeing Aunt May for another night! I’m sure I left my costume in here! Where is it? Ah!
He pulls out a hanger…which has a familiar piece of red-and-blue material on it.
He grins.
PETER: (thinking) This old thing may not be half as flashy as the black threads I’ve been sporting the past few weeks…but I almost feel like I’m welcoming an old friend back home again!
He pulls on the pants.
PETER: (thinking) I’ve always felt partially responsible for the creation of Hobgoblin!
Then the shirt.
PETER: (thinking) He’s already killed a few people! I won’t let that happen again!
He puts on his belt, and slides the shirt over it.
PETER: (thinking) I’d better check all my equipment now. I won’t have time later.
He activates the buckle, and a bright red spotlight shines on the wall.
PETER: (thinking) My spider-signal seems to be functioning properly!
Then he checks a miniature camera on the side.
PETER: (thinking) My automatic camera is loaded with fresh film. Good! If I’m lucky, I can snap a few pix for the Daily Bugle! I’ll just slide it into place to the left of my spider-signal!
And he does.
Then he slides a pair to mechanical cylinders over his wrists…the trigger placed directly on the palms of his hands.
PETER: (thinking) This web-shooter checks out fine! So does this one! I even loaded them with fresh wet-fluid cartridges so I won’t have to worry about running low on webbing!
He pulls on the webbed boots…
PETER: (thinking) I can’t be too careful when it comes to the Hobgoblin! He’s one of the most dangerous foes I’ve ever fought! He’s got an arsenal of deadly weapons at his command!
…then the gloves…
PETER: (thinking) His super-strength is nearly the equal of my own! And I’ve never met anyone half as cunning!
Finally, he examines the last piece of material…the mirrored lenses showing his reflection.
PETER: (thinking) He’s always managed to fight me to a draw in the past.
Then, he pulls the mask over his face…and the transformation is complete.
SPIDER-MAN: NOT THIS TIME!
With a single, powerful leap, Spider-Man leaps out the skylight.
SPIDER-MAN: He’s not getting away from me again! I’m going to fight him like I’ve never fought before…and I’m going to WIN! When I’m finished with him, the Hobgoblin’s going to know he’s been beaten! He’s going to know what it means to face the power of SPIDER-MAN!