Amazing Spider-Man #417
Secrets!
In a strange realm, Judas Traveller drifts in the void shackled in chains. Suddenly, he begins to melt. He calls out to Spider-Man, warning him that they have both been betrayed and manipulated.
This vision causes Peter Parker to jolt up out of bed, alerting his wife Mary Jane. She assures him that he was just having a bad dream, and he apologizes for waking her up. Mary Jane says she was already awake because of their unborn daughter -- May -- has been moving around and figures the child is eager to be born. As he settles back to sleep, Peter's mind can't help but turn back to thoughts to Judas Traveller. Elsewhere, Chakra -- a member of Traveller's Host -- is currently being hunted by her teammates Boone and Medea who are attempting to kill her for betraying the team. However, Chakra did nothing of the sort, as she discovered the team has been secretly working against their leader, Traveller. Fighting back against her attackers, Chakra manages to escape. Boone and Medea are then approached by Mister Nacht, who tells them that their employer will not be happy with their failure to capture Chakra.
The following morning, Peter Paker pays a visit to Ben Reilly as he works at the Daily Grind to talk about his dream. The two talk about the mysteries surrounding Judas, and question why someone with so much power behind him would need a team of followers. Changing the subject, Peter tells Ben that Mary Jane's Aunt Anna has moved in with them at Aunt May's old house to help with the baby. He then tells Reilly that Anna has been named May's godmother and he wants Ben to be his unborn daughter's godfather. This request is an honor to Ben, who gladly accepts. That's when Peter gets an alert to contact Joe Robertson at the Daily Bugle and excuses himself to call him. When he gets ahold of Joe Robertson, he is informed that John Jameson contacted him and is looking for Spider-Man.
Meanwhile, at a warehouse, Gaunt and Scrier meet with Mister Nacht and are brought up to date on the Host's efforts to capture Chakra and Traveller. Gaunt is unhappy that they have evaded capture so far and remind them that their employer will be very unhappy if they fail to prevent the pair from interfering with his plans for Spider-Man. That's when Scrier assures Gaunt that Judas Traveller will not be able to interfere with their plans as he has been locked in a suspension chamber that now sits in the bottom of an inground swimming pool. By this time, Spider-Man is swinging across the city with Peter Parker in his arms. Peter thinks back to how much he enjoyed web-slinging before he discovered he was a clone and retired as Spider-Man. They soon arrive at Ravencroft Institute where they meet with John Jameson. As it turns out, John has been hiding Chakra since she escaped from the Host. She tells them that Judas Traveller is in danger and needs their help. When Spider-Man points out that Judas has been able to flatten armies in the past, Chakra informs them that the powers of Traveller are not what they seem. Peter offers his and Spider-Man's aid, although the wall-crawler agrees to help, he refuses to allow Peter to tag along, reminding him that he an expecting father.
When Peter is dropped off in Queens, he is hurt that Ben would ditch him like that, even though he knows that Reilly is right to not include him in the hunt for Traveller. When he arrives home he is delighted to see that Mary Jane's Aunt Anna has arrived. Her arrival puts Peter in a better mood. Meanwhile, Spider-Man and Chakra arrive at a nearby gym where Judas Traveller is being held. It's here that Chakra reveals that Judas does not have cosmic level powers as was previously believed. In fact, he is merely a mutant who uses telepathy to cast illusions of greater power into the minds of others. The only truth that Traveller told the wall-crawler in the past was that he was a psychologist interested in studying the nature of good and evil. When Spider-Man asks if Scrier was one of his patients, Chakra tries to explain that it is much more complicated. Before she can provide the details about Scrier they are ambushed by Boone and Medea. As the pair fight for their lives, Scrier meets with the Rose and his bodyguard Delilah to further discuss his proposal for an alliance. The Rose has been digging into the organization Scrier is involved in and what he has learned was quite shocking. However, the Rose doesn't like the secrets that Scrier has been keeping. Particularly that Scrier led him to believe he was an individual when he was actually one Scrier among an entire criminal organization made up of men and women who also call themselves Scrier. As the Rose reveals what he knows about the Brotherhood of the Scrier, and that they worship a mystical being of the same name, Spider-Man and Chakra find themselves surrounded by an army of Scriers.
Outnumbered and overwhelmed, Spider-Man and Chakra are about to be overpowered by the Scriers when Peter Parker -- wearing a Spider-Man mask and gloves -- comes leaping into the rescue. That's when Chakra discovers that Judas is being contained in the gym's inground pool. As Peter Parker leaps into the water and attempts to free Judas, the Scrier meeting with the Rose admits that he is impressed that the mobster was able to learn so much about his organization. However, he points out that very few people have learned the secrets about the Brotherhood and lived to tell about it. That's when Scrier reveals that he knows who the Rose is, saying that he is Richard Fisk, the son of the former Kingpin of New York. That's when the Rose reveals that he is not Richard Fisk and assures Scrier that he will never know his true identity. By this point, Peter has managed to free Judas Traveller. Regaining consciousness, he lashes out at the Scriers, using his mental powers to make them appear to be thrown into the astral plane. Needing to get away, Chakra turns into her spirit form and begins to carry Judas away. Traveller's final words to the Spider-Men is one more warning that a madman has been behind everything and is plotting against him. He then teleports away before he can elaborate any further. As the pair try to make sense of this warning, they are unaware that Mister Nacht has been watching from the shadows and taking notes the entire time.
Back at the warehouse, both Nacht and Scrier return to report back to Gaunt. When Scrier informs him that the Rose declined to form an alliance. Reminding Scrier that their employer has zero tolerance for failure and snaps his neck.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson, John Jameson, Chakra, The Host (Judas Traveller, Medea, Boone, Mister Nacht), Gaunt, Brotherhood of the Scrier, The Rose, Delilah, Joe Robertson, Anna Watson
Continuity Notes
Peter and Mary Jane are referred to as husband and wife here. However, years later, their marriage is erased from existence by Mephisto in Amazing Spider-Man #545. As such they should be considered a common-law couple here.
Mary Jane has been pregnant since The Spectacular Spider-Man #220.
The identity of the Host's true employer is detailed in Spider-Man: The Osborn Journal #1.
Ben comments that he dreams about Jenny McCarthy at night. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.
At the time of this story, everyone thinks that Aunt May died in Amazing Spider-Man #400. However, this was an impostor as revealed in Spider-Man #97.
Peter is depicted as having a pager in this scene. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616 since pagers are generally considered an obsolete technology.
Peter's narrative here glosses over the increasingly complicated Clone Saga:
Originally, the Jackal created a clone of Spider-Man in Amazing Spider-Man #149. That battle ended with Spider-Man seemingly killing his clone and he later disposed of the body in a smokestack in Amazing Spider-Man #151.
The supposed clone survived and left New York on a five-year self-imposed exile as seen during the Parker Legacy story arc.
The alleged clone returned in Web of Spider-Man #117, calling himself Ben Reilly. This turned Spider-Man's life upside down.
After running some tests, it was revealed that Ben Reilly was the real Spider-Man and that the man calling himself Peter Parker all these years was actually the clone. That happened in The Spectacular Spider-Man #226.
Peter retired as Spider-Man in The Spectacular Spider-Man #229 to focus on his family.
The truth is far, far more complicated than all of this. As revealed in Spider-Man: The Osborn Journal #1, this was all part of an elaborate manipulation created by the Green Goblin.
When Spider-Man expresses his hope that Carnage didn't escape captivity again, John Jameson tells Spider-Man to bite his tongue. This is a testy issue for John who was briefly possessed by the Carnage symbiote during the Web of Carnage story arc.
Peter makes a joke about Anna looking like Sharon Stone. This, obviously, should also be considered a topical reference.
The full scope of the organization that Scrier belongs is detailed in Spider-Man: The Osborn Journal #1.
Scrier mentions all of Richard Fisk's past identities: The Schemer (Amazing Spider-Man #82-85), The Rose (Amazing Spider-Man #253) and Blood Rose (Web of Spider-Man #84).
The true identity of the new Rose is revealed in Amazing Spider-Man #436.
