Beware the Claws of Puma!

Spider-Man is writhing in pain after dislocating his shoulder, leaving him vulnerable to attack from the Puma, who has been hired by the Rose to kill the wall-crawler. Just as Puma is ready to strike the final blow, the Black Cat swings in and kicks Puma away from Spider-Man. Puma regains his balance and a battle with the Black Cat ensues. Using his heightened senses, Puma sees there is a special aura around the Black Cat. Even though he is unsure what level of danger it poses he opts to engage her nonetheless. Puma is unable to even touch the Black Cat because of her special powers. As he leaps to strike her, he falls through the rooftop they are fighting on. As the Black Cat is looking down the hole Puma fell through, Spider-Man awakens and he and the Black Cat head for Peter Parker’s apartment. Meanwhile, Puma follows them but decides to rest before engaging them again. He leaves because he already has both of their scents and knows that he can always track them down when he wants.

The scene shifts to another location in which we see the Kingpin being informed by the Arranger that the Rose has hired an assassin to kill Spider-Man. Kingpin instructs the Arranger to set up a meeting with the Rose. As this is going on, we are taken away to the hotel room of Thomas Fireheart (aka Puma) where he receives a phone call from his secretary, Jenna Taylor, informing him that the City Council in Heartsdale, New Mexico has approved the building of three of his four proposed shopping malls. We are whisked off to the Arranger informing the Rose that the Kingpin wants to have a meeting. Back to the hotel room of Thomas Fireheart, where he is making his transformation into Puma. After transforming he sets out to locate Spider-Man.

We are taken to Peter Parker’s apartment, where the Black Cat is giving Peter a recap of her fight with Puma. Peter comments on the fact that she still has not explained how she beat him. The Black Cat is still keeping the powers that the Kingpin gave her secret, so she avoids answering and leaves. Puma is waiting outside Peter’s apartment and sees the Black Cat’s departure as the perfect opportunity to engage Spider-Man. There is a knock at Peter’s door and it is Mary Jane. She is excited because she has found steady modeling work and wants to celebrate with Peter. Peter’s Spidey senses are warning him of danger and he tries to get Mary Jane to leave, but she refuses. Peter throws her out of his apartment just as Puma smashes through the window. Peter’s new costume (the black one from the alien planet) leaps across the room and covers him. Puma attacks him and cuts his back, but the costume quickly covers up the wound. Outside his apartment, Mary Jane is frantically banging on the door. Puma and Spider-Man crash through the window just as Mary Jane smashed through the door.

At that moment in another part of the city, the meeting between Kingpin and the Rose is taking place. Kingpin lets the Rose know that it is not his choice to have Spider-Man killed at this time. The Rose gives his assurance that the Kingpin’s wish is understood. We shift back to the battle between Puma and Spider-Man. They have moved the battle to a rooftop. As they are fighting Spider-Man tries to reason with Puma, to no avail. Puma lunges at Spider-Man and they both fall over the side. Spider-Man uses his webbing to stop their fall and they end up crashing through a window into a gym. Puma picks up a universal gym and throws it at Spider-Man. Spider-Man leaps to the side and is missed. However, with the weight and force that Puma threw it with, it slams through the wall. Spider-Man stops it from crashing down on the people below. As he stops the universal gym, the weight of it pulls him down with great force, in which he slams onto the top of a bus. Seeing that Spider-Man is weakened, Puma chooses not to kill him, as it would be unworthy of him to slay an opponent that was not at full strength. He leaves and heads back to his hotel room.

Back at the hotel room of Thomas Fireheart, Mr. Johnston and Mr. Varley show up to inform him that his services are no longer needed and he will be compensated accordingly. Mr. Johnston and Mr. Varley return to the headquarters of the Rose and fill him in on how Fireheart took the news. As this is going on the Hobgoblin (Roderick Kingsley) shows up and introduces himself. The scene shifts over to Peter Parker’s apartment where Mary Jane is waiting for his return. When he returns he tries to explain what all the noise was inside his apartment. She stops and him and tells him he doesn't have to lie anymore because she knows he is Spider-Man. She tells him that she has known for years and Peter is shocked.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Black Cat, Mary Jane Watson, Puma, Kingpin, The Rose, Hobgoblin (Kingsley), Hobgoblin (Leeds), Arranger, Mr. Varley, Mr. Johnston, Jenna Taylor

Continuity Notes

• Spider-Man explains to the Black Cat about his new costume and how he got it from another world. That happened in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #8.

• The Kingpin is given an update regarding the progress of his gang war with Micah Synn. This has been an ongoing issue at the time of this story, as depicted in Daredevil #202-214.

• The "plan" the Kingpin has for Spider-Man involved the bad-luck powers he gave to the Black Cat, as depicted in Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #89.

• According to Web of Spider-Man #30 and Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives #3, the Hobgoblin featured in this issue is Ned Leeds, brainwashed by Roderick Kingsley into believing he was the original Hobgoblin.

• Mary Jane states that she has known that Peter Parker was secretly Spider-Man. The details of this discovery are depicted in Marvel Graphic Novel #46 and Untold Tales of Spider-Man #16.