Heart & Soul!

While riding the subway, Ben Reilly is on the scene when a group of thieves try to mug the other passengers. Slipping away, he changes into Spider-Man and quickly webs up the crooks. Seeing a man shielding the body of a woman he loves, the wall-crawler takes a moment to watch and figures that he is the real hero of the situation. Deciding to web-sling the rest of the way home he thinks about how Peter Parker ended up married to Mary Jane Watson. He finds it amusing that he thinks of his clone as Peter Parker, since he is the original, but decided to keep his adopted name of Ben Reilly after using the name for over five years. He thinks about how his relationships haven't lasted very long thinking of the various women who have been in his life. This causes him to think back to when times were difference and his mind drifts back to the days when Peter Parker attended Empire State University and was dating Gwen Stacy...

Then

... On that particular day, Peter arrived at school with Gwen Stacy and their arrival is witnessed by Mary Jane and Harry Osborn. When Harry points out that they should go steady like Peter and Gwen, Mary Jane brushes it off, pointing out that the son of a millionaire like Harry and a party girl like her could never settle down. As Mary Jane leaves, Harry thinks about how serious he was about settling down, and figures that women would only want to settle with someone dependable like Peter. After class, Peter and Gwen are walking home from class when Peter asks if they should tell her father that they are dating, as he is ready to take that next step. When they arrive at the Stacy home, they discover that George Stacy is being visited by Joe Robertson at the Daily Bugle. The couple decide to bring up the subject of their dating later. That's when George bumps a bunch of papers off his desk, prompting Peter to leap down to pick them up. That's when he notices that the paperwork is all photos and newspaper clippings of Spider-Man and he finally begins to wonder what the retired police captain and the city editor at the Daily Bugle would be doing researching Spider-Man. He then leaves the Stacy home for his afternoon classes, promising to meet Gwen at the Coffee Bean later that evening.

While at the offices of Osborn Chemical, Harry Osborn visits his father, Norman. Norman decides to cancel going out for lunch as he has a powerful migraine and a pile of paperwork. When Harry suggests they call a doctor, Norman loses his temper and tells his son that he doesn't need one. When Harry tries to confide in his father about his girl troubles, Norman becomes angry again. He tells the boy to stop being so weak and reminds him of the great legacy that will someday be his, and tells him to toughen up. Back at the Stacy home, George and Joe continue to work on uncovering Spider-Man's secret identity. Their only clue is his connection to Peter Parker, a connection George first made when he noticed that Spider-Man was involved in catching the murderer of Ben Parker. When Joe leaves to return to work at the Daily Bugle, George decides that he needs to talk to Peter Parker. To this end, he has decides to invite himself along with Gwen when she meets up with Parker later at the Coffee Bean. Since she and Peter want to tell him about their romance, Gwen is delighted to have him along. While back at the office of Norman Osborn, his secretary tells him that he has a phone call from Miles Warren to discuss his funding grant. Osborn tells his secretary that he doesn't want to be disturbed as he is still angry at how weak willed his son is. After a sudden moment of inspiration he picks up the phone as he just figured out a plan to force his son to toughen up.

Later, at a seedy bar, Joey Ears listens to the conversations among the patrons to see if there is anything worth selling to his various clients. There he overhears a trio of men who have just been hired to frighten Harry Osborn. Hearing the Osborn name prompts Joey to rush out and let one ofh is clients know the news. Joey pays a visit to the hideout of Kraven the Hunter to tell him about the news regarding the Osborns. This is of great interest to Kraven who once had dealings with Norman Osborn to broker a deal between him and the Green Goblin. At that moment, Peter Parker has just haggled with J. Jonah Jameson on the payment for photos of Spider-Man. On his way out of the office, Peter is stopped by Joe Robertson who tells Peter that he and George Stacy have some theories on the true identity of Spider-Man and figures that George will want to talk to the boy about them.

As Peter heads for the Coffee Bean, he worries that George may have figured out his secret. When he arrives he notices Harry Osborn sitting by himself while Mary Jane dances with everyone else. Although Harry tells him there is nothing wrong, Peter knows that he is upset that Mary Jane doesn't take their relationship seriously. That's when Gwen pulls Peter aside adn reveals that her father has come out with them. To make matters worse, Peter's spider-sense goes off warning him of the three shady looking men in the back of the Coffee Bean. Peter quickly makes an excuse about calling his Aunt May and slips outside to change into Spider-Man. On the rooftops, he spots Kraven the Hunter running by and wonders what his foe is doing in the area as well. As Spider-Man tries to ambush Kraven, the three hoods inside pull out their guns and hold everyone hostage. One of the crooks, a man named Phil Dietz takes particular interest in George Stacy as the retired officer busted him once. As his fellow goons try to calm Phil down, Gwen begins to wonder where Peter is. That's when Spider-Man and Kraven the Hunter come crashing in through the window. with the gunmen distracted, George clubs one of the gunmen, causing him to drop his gun. When Mary Jane tells Harry to pick it up, the young Osborn is frozen in panic. When Phil tries to shoot George, Spider-Man leaps in the way. When Stacy tells the wall-crawler that he is handy to have around, words he said to Peter Parker earlier that day, he finally makes the connection between Spider-Man and Peter Parker. By this point, Kraven finds Harry but is disgusted by the young man's fear. That's when the last gunman tries to take a shot at Kraven, however he easily dispatches him. Having had enough indignities for one day, Kraven then flees the scene.

With the police arriving on the scene, George suggests that Spider-Man take off so he doesn't have to answer any embarrassing questions. Spider-Man takes this as his cue to leave, but he is left to wonder if Stacy has learned the truth about his double identity. Meanwhile, Kraven the Hunter confronts Norman Osborn in his office. Norman is more than happy to give Kraven the money he is owed and offers him a position in the vast criminal empire that he is going to create. Kraven refuses this offer and turns down the money as he finds no honor in his schemes and leaves. While back at the Coffee Bean, Harry goes to see if Mary Jane is okay and she gives him the cold shoulder for acting like a coward. Peter Parker returns, much to the delight of Gwen. Seeing that Peter and Gwen are obviously more than friends and that they are happy together, George decides to keep the fact that he has figured out Spider-Man's true identity a secret until the day he dies...

Now

... Ben thinks about how George did keep Peter's identity a secret until he died. He also thinks about how Gwen was killed by the Green Goblin not long after then. He thinks about how a little bit of himself died that day, and decides that perhaps now its time for a change and swings off.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man (Reilly), In flashback: Spider-Man (Parker), Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane Watson, Harry Osborn, J. Jonah Jameson, Joe Robertson, Betty Brant, Ned Leeds, George Stacy, Norman Osborn, Kraven the Hunter

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.

• At the time of this story, Ben Reilly was convinced into thinking he was the real Spider-Man while Peter Parker was the clone. That was in The Spectacular Spider-Man #226. However, this was all part of an complex revenge scheme by the Green Goblin as seen in Spider-Man: The Osborn Journal #1. The mentioned of being on the road for five years is an accurate measurement of time between Amazing Spider-Man #149 and this story per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.

• This flashback occurs between Amazing Spider-Man #87 and 88. Per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616 this flashback takes place roughly six years prior to this story. As stated above, Ben Reilly is really the clone. He has all of Peter's memories up to Amazing Spider-Man #149, hence why he has memories of these events.

• Mary Jane's reluctance to settle down has nothing to do with who she is dating, but because of her troubled family life as explained in Amazing Spider-Man #259.

• Norman's mood swings are due the fact that he stress causes his persona at the Green Goblin to push to the surface since being stricken with partial amnesia in Amazing Spider-Man #40.

• Peter Parker's Uncle Ben was murdered and captured by Spider-Man in Amazing Fantasy #15. George first made this connection when Spider-Man petitioned George to deputise him in Untold Tales of Spider-Man #1. At the time of this story, Peter had the staff at the Daily Bugle convinced that he has a special deal with Spider-Man and cut the money he made taking photos of the wall-crawler. Peter has maintained this deception since Amazing Spider-Man #46.

• The connection between Miles Warren and Norman Osborn is explored in more detail in Spider-Man: The Osborn Journal #1.

• Unaware that Norman Osborn and the Green Goblin were the same person, Kraven dealt with Osborn as a middle man for a job to attack Spider-Man, as seen in Amazing Spider-Man #47.

• On his way out, Peter overhears Ned Leeds expressing interest in writing an article about the Green Goblin. This is alluding to the fact that Ned was later unmasked by the Hobgoblin in Amazing Spider-Man #289. However, it is later revealed that Ned was a hypnotized pawn of the real Hobgoblin -- Roderick Kingsley -- in Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives #1-3.

• George keeps his knowledge of Spider-Man's true identity until his death in Amazing Spider-Man #90.

• Gwen was murdered by the Green Goblin in Amazing Spider-Man #121.

An Untold Tale of The Amazing Spider-Man

Having just recently been married to Mary Jane and having returned from their honeymoon, Spider-Man swings across the city filled with joy. Spotting a purse snatching, the wall-crawler quickly webs up the crook. Still this causes him to think about the dangers he faces every day as Spider-Man and wonders if when they have children if he will keep his secret identity as Spider-Man as secret. He thinks about his own parents who kept their jobs as government spies a secret, something that he didn't learn until years after their death. He thinks about how he managed to keep this secret from his Aunt May for years, but has only done so because he wouldn't know how she would handle knowing the truth given her fragile health. When he returns home, he startles Mary Jane has she was trying -- with little success -- to cook them dinner. When Mary Jane admits they have a lot to learn about married life, Peter makes a joke about how his Aunt May kept her marriage to his Uncle Ben fresh by waiting for him to come home to work in frilly lingerie. At that very moment, someone visits the grave of Ben Parker and smashes it to pieces.

The following morning, Peter Parker arrives at the Daily Bugle to tries to find Joe Robertson. He is soon pulled aside by J. Jonah Jameson who introduces Parker to the Bugle's newest reporter, Ken Ellis. Joe tells Peter that he will be teaming up with Ellis who is investigating the murder of a member of the Russian community in Brighton. Soon the pair arrive on the scene, and while Ken pumps the officers for information, Peter slips away and changes into Spider-Man so he can snap photos of the crime scene. Elsewhere in Manhattan, a SHIELD strike team led by Jennifer DeVille busts a gun smuggling operation run by the Russian Mob. After busting up he operation, Jennifer begins questioning their leader about the location of a Russian operative known as the Deadmaker, before he makes the lives of an elderly woman and her nephew miserable. By this point, the Daily Bugle has published a front page story suggesting that Russian spies are active in New York City. However, not everyone is happy with Ken Ellis' story, as Jennifer DeVille storms into the Daily Bugle offices telling Joe Robertson and Ken Ellis that they just put the lives of May Parker and her nephew in danger.

At that moment, Peter and Mary Jane are about to have a moment of romance when suddenly his spider-sense beings going off. Telling Mary Jane to run for cover, Peter puts on his web-shooters and climbs onto the roof of his apartment and discovers that a missile has been fired at his apartment. He is able to web up the missile before it strikes his home. When a second missile is launched, Peter has to leap off the roof to stop it, hoping his wife will be safe while he is gone. However, by the time Peter returns home, someone has kidnapped Mary Jane. Shortly after discovering this, Ken Ellis arrives with Agent DeVille who tells him that this attack has to do with Peter's parents. Talking to Peter in private, DeVille explains that his wife's kidnapping has to do with a Russian double agent named Gregori Anatolovich -- aka the Deadmaker -- who his parents discovered was also involved with Hydra as well as Russian intelligence. When the Parkers turned this information over to the Russians they locked up Anatolovich in a Siberian gulag. At first Peter figures that this Deadmaker broke free and is going after the Parker family for revenge. However, that when Jennifer tells him that Gregori Anatolovich died in prison 11 years earlier.

At that moment on the Lower East Side, Russian mobsters take Mary Jane and Aunt May to the hideout of the new Deadmaker, the son of the original. He tells them that since Peter Parker's parents were responsible for the death of his father, he intends to return the favour by killing Peter Parker. At the same time, DeVille takes Peter to see his Aunt May's home as well as the desecrated grave of his Uncle Ben. However, Peter knows that his Aunt May and Mary Jane will be safe as Deadmaker wants him and he knows just where to find them. He goes to the abandoned apartment building that was once the home to Richard and Mary Parker before they died. Changing into Spider-Man, the wall-crawler ambushed Deadmaker and pulls him as far away from Aunt May and Mary Jane as possible. He easily defeats Deadmaker, convincing him that his father's legacy was not something to be a proud of as he was a traitor to his country. Deadmaker tries to convince the wall-crawler that he knows nothing about the loss he has suffered. However, Spider-Man knows all too well, alluding to the losses of Gwen Stacy and his Uncle Ben. Lastly his parents, who he thought they were dishonorable people until he learned the truth. As a SHIELD helicopter arrives to pick up Deadmaker, he tells the young man that he needs to find his own destiny.

The next day, Peter and Mary Jane join Aunt May in paying respects at Uncle Ben's newly restored gravestone.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man (Parker), Mary Jane Watson, J. Jonah Jameson, Ken Ellis, Joe Robertson, Aunt May

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. This ultimately changed the timeline as follows:

  • Originally, Peter and Mary Jane were married in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21 and they went on a honeymoon in France in Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #7.

  • As seen in Amazing Spider-Man #638-639 the pair cancelled their wedding but decided to remain engaged. Although they didn't get married they still went on vacation in France to sort out their relationship.

• Peter learned about his parents double lives and their tragic deaths in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #5.

• Ben Parker was murdered by a burglar back in Amazing Fantasy #15.

• The article specifically mentions the former Russian spy organization known as the KGB. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616 as the KGB was disbanded in 1991.