Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #23
How Many Times?
Now
At the home of Arthur Stacy, Spider-Man tells Stacy that he cannot kill Stewart Ward, a United States Senator, no matter how much of a threat he may be. Arthur insists that Ward is a danger to the entire world and decides that maybe it’s finally time he tell Spider-Man everything he knows. However, Spider-Man’s spider-sense is going haywire again. When Arthur points out that the signal booster he used to bring Spider-Man to him has been turned off, the wall-crawler quickly grabs Stacy and tries to getaway. A moment later, the Stacy home explodes catching the pair in the blast.
The Past
Years ago[1], during his time as a paramilitary, Arthur Stacy (code-named Seeker) was on a mission with operatives Ranger and Sentry (the man who later became Senator Stewart Ward). They were sent to Europe on a mission against the terrorist organization known as Hydra. Unfortunately, their mission is compromised prompting the three soldiers to retreat from enemy fire. Ranger is furious that their position has been compromised since Sentry was responsible for gathering intelligence and should have seen this coming. Seeker tells them that this is not the time to fight, prompting Ranger to toss an explosive out into the street to cover their escape.
Now
Senator Stewart Ward has gathered all the information he needs to know about symbiosis from the Venom symbiote. Thanking the creature for the information, Ward casts it away, telling it can go slinking back to Eddie Brock if it wants and warns it not to come back as he is more powerful than it can even imagine.[2] Ward then calls in one of the Secret Service agents that have been assigned to his security deal. Stewart suddenly undergoes a transformation, his skin turns red and leaks with fluid and a strange spore-like substance begins to matt his clothing. He then grabs the agent and consumes some vital life force leaving the man nothing but a withered husk.
Elsewhere, Spider-Man is still recovering from the blast and is haunted by visions of Arthur killing Stewart Ward and memories of Gwen Stacy’s murder.[3] Standing over him are Arthur Stacy and Ranger and they decide that Spider-Man is no use to them and decide to leave. However, Arthur insists that they must find his children first before they got after Ward. Spider-Man tries to stop them but is too weak and decides the best course of action is to leave before the cops show up, and then get some rest at home so he can figure out what to do next.
The Past
Seeker, Sentry, and Ranger have found cover in a ruined building to try and figure out their next move. Ranger figures that Hydra will soon have the whole country swarming with operatives and that they should get moving in 10 minutes. Sentry complains about this because he wants to finish the mission but Seeker tells him to be quiet. As Seeker looks at a letter and photo from his daughter, Jill, Sentry remarks that he’s got some cute kids. Sentry then insists that there was nothing intelligence and then tries to find a common bond between the two of them. However, Seeker wants nothing to do with Sentry because, like Ranger, Seeker sees Sentry as nothing more than an opportunist who is looking for things that make him look good even if it risks the safety of others. That’s when Hydra catches up with them prompting Ranger to ask what they should do next. Sentry insists that they can complete their mission saying he knows a way back into the facility that nobody knows. Seeker knows they have no choice and Ranger agrees to go along, but if Sentry betrays them he vows to kill him.
Now
Spider-Man returns home more exhausted than ever and wonders why he can’t seem to get enough sleep and why his dreams are haunted by dreams of all those who had failed in the past, particularly the death of Gwen Stacy.[4] He figures that this is all just from the stress of dealing with the plane crash that seemingly killed his wife, Mary Jane.[5] After a quick shower, Peter drops off to sleep. At that moment, elsewhere in the city, the Green Goblin blows up a building and flies away from the scene.[6] Later, Peter Parker wakes up from another nightmare about Gwen and gets the inspiration to go looking for her cousin, Jill, as if he finds Jill he’ll find her father. After evading an offer to go out on the town with his roommate, Peter changes into Spider-Man and begins the hunt.
The Past
Seeker and his allies were able to fight their way into the secret Hydra facility and discover that they have a number of strange creatures contained in glass cylinders. Seeker and Ranger want these things destroyed, but Sentry wants to learn more as he discovers that these are alien life forms. Suspecting that Hydra is trying to develop a bio-pathogen weapon from these alien corpses he asks for a moment to hack into the computers and get the data since it will be worth a fortune to the right buyer. Seeker and Ranger think the best thing is to make sure everything is destroyed and when Seeker starts setting charges, Sentry puts a gun to his head. Ranger then draws on Sentry and begins asking where his real loyalties are.
Sentry scoffs at this, saying that there are no sides, only individual victories. Opening one of the sealed containers, Sentry then takes a vial of the alien pathogen. That’s when Seeker twists out of Sentry’s aim, forcing him to shoot the rest of the vials. Sentry manages to get away with a single vial as Ranger and Seeker set up the explosive charges.
Now
Spider-Man is heading for the Kit-Kat Club after being tipped off by Randy Robertson that Jill Stacy will be there. He hopes that he can get there before Arthur and Ranger arrive. Thinking about how crazy this whole situation is, Spider-Man wonders how he gets himself in these kinds of situations. Spotting a purse snatcher making a run for it, Spider-Man pauses long enough to web up the crook and keep going.
The Past
Ranger and Seeker have tracked Sentry to a nearby a crowded market. When Ranger spots him he prepares to shoot but Seeker reminds him that Sentry has a vial of an alien pathogen and that they have no idea what it’ll do if it’s released and suggests that they deal with him up close. When they get the drop on Sentry, they order him to freeze.
Now
Spider-Man finds Jill Stacy waiting in line at the Kit-Kat Club and ambushes two strange men with inflamed skin that is dripping with oozing sores. Getting a good look at them he wonders what is wrong with them.
The Past
Seeker and Ranger order Sentry to hands over the pathogen when they are suddenly attacked by an alien creature. Sentry says that the alien is a member of the Z’Nox race. A number of Z’Nox were left behind on Earth during a recent invasion attempt and the bodies of its comrades were taken by Hydra.[7] This Z’Nox agent then hired Sentry to recover some of the pathogens in order to get revenge.
Now
As Spider-Man fends off the strange attackers he also tries to pull Jill to safety. However, she fears that he’ll get her killed like he did her cousin Gwen and tries to fight him off.
The Past
Seeker and Ranger are forced to cove as Sentry and the Z’Nox try to shoot them. In the ensuing firefight, the vial is shattered, seemingly on purpose by the Z’Nox. The pair are forced to flee the scene leaving everyone in the market to die. Ranger explains that there is nothing they can do than contact their handlers in SHIELD And have them get a decontamination team into the area to prevent the pathogen from spreading.
Now
Spider-Man continues to fight off the strange zombie-like attackers when they are shot dead by Arthur Stacy and Ranger. That’s when Stewart Ward appears with a group of Z’Nox warriors. He tells Stacy that the time has come for his allies to enact their years-long plan. Now that the pathogen growing inside him has ripened, the Z’Nox have returned to have their revenge.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Stewart Ward, Arthur Stacy, Ranger, Randy Robertson, Z’Nox, Venom symbiote, Hydra (in flashback)
Continuity Notes
The narrative of the story states that the flashback in this story happens fifteen years prior to this story. As this flashback is supposed to have happened sometime shortly after a Z’Nox invasion of Earth that occurred in X-Men #65. Fifteen years is not an accurate calculation of the Sliding Timescale. By that measurement, the flashback would have happened roughly seven years prior to the main story.
Ward forcibly separated the Venom symbiote from Eddie Brock last issue.
Gwen Stacy was murdered by the Green Goblin in Amazing Spider-Man #121.
The real source of Peter’s nightmares is from chemicals that have been placed in Peter Parker’s toothpaste as we’ll see in Spider-Man: Revenge of the Green Goblin #2.
The world at large believes Mary Jane died in a plane crash in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #13, although Peter’s not convinced. He proves to be right as we see in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #29.
This is not any past Gobling, but Peter Parker doing the Goblin’s biddings as we’ll learn in Spider-Man: Revenge of the Green Goblin #1-3, Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #25, and Peter Parker: Spider-Man #25.
As mentioned above, the Z’Nox invasion referenced here happened in X-Men #65.
