I Hate a Mystery Conclusion

After Spider-Man revealed his identity to the public, Midtown High has been booby-trapped by Mysterio in order to try and destroy Spider-Man.[1] After roaming the halls and evading traps, Flash Thompson has gotten a group of children to the front door. He tells the kids to get to cover while he goes back to look for both Miss Arrow and Spider-Man, whom he finally believes is Peter Parker.[2] When the children outside, they succumb to the knock out gas that took out the police and protesters who were standing outside the school. With the kids safely outside, Flash then runs back into the school to find Arrow and Spidey.

Spider-Man ad Principal Harrington, meanwhile, are in the school auditorium where Francis Klum and Daniel Berkhart are having a pissing contest over how can rightfully take the Mysterio name. While the two are arguing, Spider-Man gets Harrington to safety by locking him in the A.V. room.[3] Berkhart then tries to ensnare Klum with a pair of snakes. However, Frances is a mutant with the ability to teleport and is able to appear behind Daniel and deliver a jolt of electricity to his foe with his gauntlets. Daniel, however, manages to redirect this electrical charge with a simple wave of his cape. While the two are fighting it out, Spider-Man has decided to climb onto the ceiling and read the newspaper.

Elsewhere, Miss Arrow has been confronted by the original Mysterio, Quentin Beck, who is somehow still alive after taking his own life with a shotgun blast to the head.[4] When Arrow suggests that this is all an illusion, he tells her that the gaping hole in his head is not an illusion and that he really died. Putting his fishbowl helmet back on. He explains that the universe decided that he wasn’t finished living. After ending up in the place where all suicides go, he was enlisted by certain individuals who felt that he could serve their needs. When he suggests that Arrow would know something about that, she tells him that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.[5] Surrounding Arrow in a circle of flame, Mysterio goes on to say that God hates suicides because killing people is a pleasure he reserves for himself and hates it when others cheat Him of it. Still, he says that he now has his new role to play, much like Arrow has hers. When Arrow once again says she doesn’t know what he is talking about, Mysterio thinks it’s just as well and changes the subject to the two heirs to the title of Mysterio. He can see that they are still fighting while Spider-Man waits for his opportunity to attack. He suggests that both Klum and Berkhart are wasting their talents which could be used to bring about a golden age to humanity.

By this time, Berkhart manages to strike down Klum. However, before he can land the killing blow, Spider-Man webs up Daniel’s gauntlets. Although Daniel can melt through the webbing in moments, the distraction gives Spider-Man time to get up close to his opponent. When Daniel attempts to obscure Spider-Man’s senses with a cloud of smoke, he doesn’t account for the fact that Spider-Man’s spider-sense is more sensitive than the last time they fought and he easily ends up knocking him out.[6] That’s when Klum gets up and reveals he was playing possum until Spider-Man defeated Burkhart.[7] He then tosses a knife on the ground and uses hypnotic suggestion to try and force Spider-Man to pick up the knife to kill himself. However, before Spider-Man can harm himself, Flash Thompson arrives, grabs the knife out of his hand, and throws it at Klum. That’s when Francis claims that he planted a bomb in the basement of the school at he just activated, saying that when it goes off it will take out the entire block. While Spider-Man and Flash rush to the basement to search for the explosive, Klum pulls the knife out of his shoulder. While elsewhere, Quentin Beck continues his conversation with Miss Arrow. He tells her that no matter what, Peter Parker must remain at Midtown High because it suits the needs of both of their masters. Once again, Miss Arrow claims to not understand what he is say, but Beck doesn’t care if she continues this charade of ignorance or not and teleports away, reminding her once again to make sure that Parker stays at the school.

In the basement, Spider-Man and Flash find the bomb attached to the boiler. However, when the web-slinger attempts to disarm it, Mysterio catches Flash in a noose and begins choking him. He then taunts Spider-Man about their being only enough time to save Flash or disarm the bomb Despite this boast, Spider-Man thinks around this. Using a web-line, he pulls a barrel under Flash so he can stand upright. He then disarms the bomb before helping Thompson out of the noose. He then warns Klum that his costume had adapted to his hypnotic suggestions and filter them out and his spider-sense can detect Klum if he tries to teleport. By this point, Francis has decided to give up his plan to kill Spider-Man and retreats into the school library. He runs into Miss Arrow, who has gotten sick of dealing with Mysterios and suddenly produces stingers similar to the ones that Spider-Man has and impales Klum through the chest. However, before she can land the killing blow, Mysterio teleports away.[8] Hearing screams, Spider-Man and Flash come running into the library to see what’s going on. By this point, Miss Arrow’s sinters have disappeared and she tells them a fabricated accounting of events — telling them that Klum came stumbling in already injured before teleporting away. Going outside, they discover the cloud of knock out gas dissipating. While Spider-Man begins waking up the children, Miss Arrow tells Flash that he was very brave and kisses him. She then tells him that they have to convince Peter Parker to remain at the school, an idea that Flash agrees with. While back inside the school, Principal Harrington is still hiding in the A.V. room asking if it’s safe to come out yet.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Mysterio (Beck), Mysterio (Berkhart), Mysterio (Klum), Flash Thompson, “Miss Arrow”, Roger Harrington

Continuity Notes

1. There are three different Mysterios in this story so for the sake of clarity I’ll be referring to them by their names. For readers following along these Mysterio’s are:

   • The original Mysterio, Quentin Beck, who first took on the role in Amazing Spider-Man #13. He’s the Mysterio in a red costume and purple cape… he’s also the only one missing a good chunk of his face.

   • Daniel Berkhart is the second Mysterio who first took on the role in Amazing Spider-Man #141. He’s the Mysterio wearing the green bodysuit with a purple cape.

   • Lastly, we’ve got Frances Klum who purchased a Mysterio costume and gear from the Kingpin in Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do #6. He’s wearing a nearly identical costume as Berkhart, only his green bodysuit has black stripes on it.

2. Peter Parker publicly revealed that he was Spider-Man in Civil War #2, however, when Flash heard the news in Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #11 he didn’t believe it. Why? Well after waking up from a coma in Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #3 (long story) he suffered some memory loss, forgetting that he and Peter Parker became friends after high school, making him a royal dick to Peter at the time of this story.

3. Spider-Man is surprised to hear that one of Mysterio’s is Frances Klum. Although he dealt with Klum from Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do #1-6, he was unaware that Klum bought Mysterio gear from the Kingpin.

4. After being diagnosed with cancer, Beck created a massive plot to ruin Daredevil. When it failed, he blew his brains out in Daredevil (vol. 2) #1-7. Who sent him to judge the battle of the Mysterio’s is not verified. After this story, Mysterio returns to life without the supernatural powers seen here. It was later revealed in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #1 that an entity calling itself Kindred brought Mysterio fully back to life, although it’s unclear with Kindred is responsible here. I wrote a whole thing about it at the end of my synopsis last issue, go read about it there.

5. Miss Arrow is actually the entity known as the Other in disguise as we’ll see in Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #21-22. The reason she is oblivious here is that the Other completely submerged its true identity with the false memories it created for Arrow so it could better blend in without arousing Peter Parker’s attention.

6. Spider-Man mentions his new and enhanced powers. His increased powers happened in two separate occasions. First, in Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 2) #17-20, giving Peter the ability to fire organic webbing instead of needing a web-shooters. During the Other: Evolve or Die event (Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1-4, Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #19-22, and Amazing Spider-Man #525-528) Peter’s other spider-powers were enhanced on top of also growing a pair of stingers in each wrist.

7. Frances says that he wants to avenge what Spider-Man did to his brother, Garrison. In reality, he was actually killed by his brother who teleported into him Garrison to prevent him from raping the Black Cat as seen in Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do #1-6. According to the Klum entry in the Spider-Man: Back in Black Handbook, he eventually started blaming Spider-Man for his brother’s death. No real explanation is given, however, I posited a theory on it at the end of my synopsis for Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #11.

8. Although left open-ended here, it’s later confirmed that Frances Klum died from the injuries sustained by Miss Arrow here as he is later seen as one of the many people brought back to life during the Dead No More story arc as seen in Clone Conspiracy #2.

Topical References

• Pop-culture references: New York Yankees,