Shed Part Three

Spider-Man has been forced to stop his pursuit of the Lizard to prevent Billy Connor’s foster mother from bleeding out. Once EMT’s arrive on the scene, Spider-Man follows the signal from the spider-tracer that he planted on the Lizard when it fled the scene.

Tragically, Spider-Man arrives too late as he soon finds the lifeless body of Billy Connors in a nearby alleyway, killed by the Lizard. Still picking up the signal, Spider-Man finds the Lizard’s body nearby and at first, he things the monster is dead. However, the Lizard was just in the process of shedding its skin. Emerging in its old skin in a new, more powerful form, the Lizard tells Spider-Man that Curt Connors is dead and he has shed him from his body. The creature explains that Curt Connors always tried to hold on to what it calls its “monkey brain” but after it murdered Billy, Curt Connors let go. Now in full control of Connor’s mind, the Lizard recalls how Spider-Man hunted it like prey, but now that it is finally in charge, the Lizard intends to turn the tables on the web-slinger.

When Spider-Man attacks, the Lizard easily overpowers him but when Spider-Man continues to fight him. Spider-Man explains that he will not surrender because he is not a mindless lizard. However, the Lizard — having full access to Curt Connor’s memories — believes that humans are just lizards in monkey suits since all humans still have a reptillian r-complex in their brain even after millions of years of evolution. To prove this, the Lizard begins speaking to the r-complex in Spider-Man’s brain and much to Peter Parker’s horror, he finds himself incapable of moving because the Lizard is exerting its will onto him. With his lizard-brain coming to the fore, Spider-Man is overcome by an almost primitive sense of fear and flees. The Lizard is prepared to give hunt but pauses because it realizes that it is naked and needs to wear clothes.

Spider-Man flees to the crime scene at Phelcorp Industries where Carlie Cooper is still sifting over the scene of six grisly murders. By this time, Spider-Man is regaining control of his brain and tells Carlie about his encounter with the Lizard, including the tragic news that Billy Connors was murdered. He tells her how the Lizard is different this time, smarter, and asks what Curt Connors was working on before he was transformed. They go over his work and learn that Curt was working on an libido increasing stimulant by using neural inhibitors that target the r-complex of the brain causing it to swell and apply pressure onto the neo-cortex or the “monkey brain.” As it turns out, Curt had theorized that the Lizard existed in the r-complex and was attempting to “kill” Curt Connors by taking over his brain. In fact, his work at Phelcorp was a cover allowing Curt to try and work on a cure for his condition. Spider-Man asks Carlie to give him all of the supply of Curt’s antidote and then asks for the picutre of Billy that is found among the remains of Curt Connor’s office. When she asks him if he’s joking, Spider-Man grimly says he has no more jokes to tell.

Meanwhile, having dressed him self, the Lizard decides to walks the city streets calling out the lizard brains of the people on the street. With the r-complexes waking up and taking control for the first time, the people on the street begin going berserk.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, the Lizard, Carlie Cooper, Billy Connors (corpse)