Amazing Spider-Man #287
...And There Shall Come a Reckoning
Spider-Man is furious that Daredevil tricked him into staying away from a gang meeting, and is now searching Hell's Kitchen to try and find the masked hero. He is furious that Daredevil also knows his secret identity. As he searches, he notices a bunch of kids hanging outside of an abandoned building and decides to check it out. Smashing through one of the boarded up windows, Spider-Man is shocked to discover these kids are selling crack and are armed to the teeth. Spider-Man webs up the drug dealers, and while he is busy, a teenage girl tries to take all the drugs, but Spider-Man stops her and tells her to get help. Spider-Man is disgusted by the sight and soon leaves when he hears police sirens. The next morning, in a New York park, Richard Fisk and his new girlfriend meet up with Richard's longtime friend Alfredo. Leaving Dina in the car, Richard and Alfredo go for a walk. It's on this walk that Alfredo hands Richard a disk containing files he hacked from the police database. Richard is concerned about the cop that he killed the night before, as well as Hobgoblin's betrayal, and hopes that the masked villain doesn't blow his cover. He then gets a call on his cell phone from Dina, who tells him that he is running late for a meeting that he has uptown. Before leaving, Richard tells Alfredo to pull all the trap and to meet him at his loft that evening.
Later, Peter Parker is visiting his Aunt May for lunch at her boarding house. He is glad to be among May and her tenants as it gives him a chance to relax. However, that relaxation is quickly disturbed by the arrival of Matt Murdock who has come looking for Peter. Peter makes an excuse for having an errand to run with Murdock and the pair left in a cab. As they go, Peter warns Murdock against showing up at his Aunt's home again. Peter is also angry at Matt for tricking him the night before. Murdock explains that Spider-Man's involvement in the gang war has only prolonged it. Murdock explains that there is much more at work than Peter realizes. By this point, Parker has heard enough and demands that the cab driver let him out, even though they are on the Grand Central Express Way. When the driver refuses, Peter kicks the passenger door off its hinges and pulls Matt out of the cab. The two start trading blows until the cab driver pulls them apart. After reaming Peter out for hitting a blind man, the driver helps Matt back into the cab and drives off, telling Peter he will be billed for the broken door.
That evening, Alfredo breaks into the information technology shaft of the Kingpin's skyscraper and pulls all his data traps from the mainframe. As he exits the sewers, Alfredo is snatched by the Hobgoblin who demadns to know what the Kingpin is returning to the city. When Alfredo refuses, the Hobgoblin drops him in the Hudson River, expecting him to drown. However, Alfredo manages to swim to the surface before he runs out of air. The next morning, Peter Parker is woken by a knock at his door. It's Ned Leeds, who tells Peter that the Kingpin is returning to the city that evening, and that since he hasn't been convicted of a crime, a massive police escort is making sure he returns safely. Ned asks Peter to be his photographer on the scene as he can't reach Lance Bannon. Peter is uncomfortable since the last they talked it wasn't on friendly terms. Ned explains that at the time he was under a lot of pressure and buries the hatchet. Later at Kingsley International, Mary Jane Watson is outside as the Hobgoblin flies to the roof. She dismisses what she is seeing as a figment of her imagination. However, when inside the office of Roderick Kingsley, Roderick is reaming out Lance Bannon, telling him he has gone to ofar. Bannon tells Kingsley that he will regret it. On his way out he runs into Mary Jane who asks what Bannon is doing at Kingsley International. Lance tells Mary Jane to forget that she saw him there.
That evening, in Hell's Kitchen, Matt Murdock meets with Karen Page, Melvin Potter, the Falcon, and Sgt. Frances Tork. They are preparing for the return of the Kingpin. Expecting Spider-Man to interfere, Matt Murdock prepares a gun, assuring the others that the wall-crawler will not interfere with the Kingpin's return. While back at the Greenwitch Village loft of Richard Fisk, Alfredo goes over his encounter with the Hobgoblin. Richard considers giving up on his plans, but Alfredo protests against it. When Fisk changes into the Rose, Dina informs him that there is vital information about his mother that they pulled out of the Kingpin's computer records. Elsewhere, Tork and his allies are staking out the Kingpin's return to the city. As they expected, Spider-Man confronts the police motorcade and demands that the Kingpin come out and face him. As an NYPD sniper locks Spider-Man in his sights, the Kingpin pulls out a gun and tries to shoot the wall-crawler. However, the hero's spider-sense allows him to dodge the shot easily. Spider-Man then lashes into the "Kingpin", ripping off his mask, revealing him to be Daredevil in disguise. Daredevil doffs his disguise and reveals that they set up Spider-Man to prevent him from stopping the Kingpin from returning to the city.
Daredevil tries to explain that they can't operate outside of the law and find a peaceful resolution to the mob war. Spider-Man is fed up of being manipulated and attacks Daredevil. Although Spider-Man has superior strength and agility, Daredevil is able to get the better of Spider-Man thanks to his enhanced senses. Even with his eyes and one arm webbed up, Daredevil is able to hold his own against the web-slinger. The sniper gets Spider-Man back in range, however as he takes the shot, Daredevil leaps in the way and deflects the bullet with his billy club. Daredevil explains that there was an assassin that was attempting to eliminate the Kingpin, and that they developed this ruse to throw him off, and manipulated Spider-Man into helping them pull it off. This distracted allowed the Kingping to slip into town unnoticed. Outside his skyscraper, the Kingpin is greeted by the Arranger who welcomes him back. Their reunion is interrupted by the arrival of the Hobgoblin. The Kingpin hands over an envelope containing information about soviet spies that the Hobgoblin sought. Back in his office, the Kingpin tells the Arranger that he made the deal with the Hobgoblin to give him that information in exchange for the Rose's true identity. However, the Kingpin already knows who the Rose is and intends to use that knowledge to destroy him.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Aunt May, Mary Jane Watson, Daredevil, Hobgoblin, Rose, Kingpin, Arranger, Roderick Kingsley, Dina, Alfredo Morreli, Arthur Chekov, Victor Polermo, Rose Polermo, Lance Bannon, Sgt. Frances Tork, Falcon, Redwing, Karen Page, Melvin Potter
Continuity Notes
Spider-Man recalls how Daredevil learned his secret identity (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #110) and that Matt Murdock had recently moved back to Hell's Kitchen (Daredevil #223).
This story offers clue as to the "true" identity of the Hobgoblin, pointing to Ned Leeds, as he was looking for information on Soviet spies last issue. Although he is operating as the Hobgoblin in this story, he is actually brainwashed into thinking he is the Hobgoblin by the real one, Roderick Kingsley, as revealed in Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives #1-3.
The depiction of 200 Park Avenue as the Pan Am building should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616. Particularly since the building was renamed to the Metlife Building in 1992.
The Kingpin has been hiding out in Europe since his minions lost faith in him following the events of Daredevil #233.
