Marvel Team-Up #136
Webs
Spider-Man is web-slinging across the west end of Manhattan looking for crime photos to take for the Daily Bugle. He is unaware that he is being monitored from afar by men who are planning some kind of scheme. Swinging in the pouring rain, Spider-Man wonders if quitting grad school was such a great idea since he has been unable to find any photos. However, as he passes a nearby construction site, he hears someone being robbed. After setting up his automatic camera, Spider-Man swings in and stops a group of thieves from getting away with some specialized calibration equipment. Spider-Man makes short work of them and leaves the thieves webbed up for the police and departs. This was all part of a plan by Daniel Steyr, owner of Steyr Security Systems. With the wall-crawler gone, he sends some of his men down to get a sampling of the wall-crawlers webbing. Unable to remove it from a steel girder, they are forced to use a laser torch to cut away the section with the webbing stuck on it. Returning to Satyr's craft, it flies away so the sample can be examined. At that moment, Spider-Man returns to his apartment in Chelsea where he strips off his costume and tries to keep warm and fend off a cold.
Meanwhile, at Steyr Security Systems Daniel Steyr goes down to one of the labs to learn if his scientists have cracked the secret of Spider-Man's webbing. Unfortunately, when he gets there he learns that they were unable to do any examination as the sample crumbled to chemically neutral powder, much to Daniel's anger and frustration. When his lab tech asks why it is important to duplicate Spider-Man's webbing, Steyr explains that it could be used to save lives. He relates to a situation a couple of weeks ago when he was on his way to a lecture when he was about to be robbed. A police officer intervened but took a fatal bullet and died. Steyr learned that the officer had been issued a bulletproof vest but found it too bulky to wear. Daniel was determined to find a means of creating a lightweight bulletproof vest to save lives. He got the idea to get a sample of Spider-Man's webbing after reading a newspaper story about the heroes recent exploits. It featured a photograph of the masked hero deflecting bullets with a shield made out of his webbing. With his decoy scheme a failure, Steyr realizes that he is going to have to get Spider-Man himself. To this end, he looks through his files to find individuals that are fit to find the wall-crawler. He finds two suitable candidates: Wonder Man, the former Avenger who now works for the testing division, and Brendan Doyle, the mercenary known as the Mauler.
At that moment, in the research and development division, Wonder Man is allowing his body to be used as a test subject for a new type of bazooka. While the weapon test works, Wonder Man is not harmed. He tells the technicians what the explosion was like so they can make the necessary improvements. When he is referred to as an Avenger, Wonder Man thinks about how he recently went on reserve status as he isn't comfortable playing a superhero. However, with his acting career going bust, Simon Williams wonders if he should swallow his pride and go back to the Avengers. Just then, his thoughts are interrupted by Daniel Steyr who offers Wonder Man a bonus for a job. Simon accepts it and goes to change his clothing before learning more. OVerhearing this is the Mauler, who assures Styre that he and his armor are more than capable of handling what comes next.
Two days later, Peter Parker is having a hard time selling photos of Spider-Man to the Daily Bugle. J. Jonah Jameson is bored with the constant photos of the wall-crawler and has no sympathy for Peter who has his rent coming up. Just then, one of the copy boys comes up with an advertisement from Steyr Security Systems about a demonstration of a new fabric that is more durable than Spider-Man's webbings. Jameson is impressed by this that he signs off on a full page ad, no charge, as he hopes that it will make Spider-Man look foolish. Seeing an opportunity, Peter gets Jameson to assign him to take photos of the demonstration. The next morning, Peter Parker is on site to take photos of the demonstration. Wonder Man is used to showing how strong the fabric is, but he snaps in half, leading to Daniel becoming a laughing stock. Peter can't help himself and slips away and changes into Spider-Man and demonstrates his own webbing by wrapping up Wonder Man's hands. This is all part of Styre's plan and he orders Mauler to attack. Spider-Man is caught off guard and taken away by the Mauler. Wonder Man breaks free of the webbing. Finding the arrival of Spider-Man and the Mauler to be too much of a coincidence and the sudden disappearance of Daniel Styre, Wonder Man realizes that he was being used.
Wonder Man goes to the records room and forces the technician to give up the location of Daniel Styre. Meanwhile, at an abandoned National Guard Armory in Brooklyn, Spider-Man wakes up to find himself shackled to a table. Daniel Styre demands the web-slinger reveal the secret of his webbing, but Spider-Man declines. Styre then orders the Mauler to kill the wall-crawler, but before he can, Wonder Man comes crashing through the wall. Freeing Spider-Man, Wonder Man handles the Maule. Spider-Man then goes after Daniel Styre, who activates a battery of hidden weapons to try and keep the hero away. The battle attracts the attention of the police who enter the facility. When one of the officers walks into the crosshairs of one of the automated weapons, Daniel Styre sacrifices his life to save the officer. Spider-Man then disables the weapons. Seeing his employer getting gunned down, the Mauler retreats. After Wonder Man explains everything to the authorities, he and Spider-Man part company. Both men are secretly worried about their current financial situations and ironically both think the other doesn't have these kind of concerns.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Wonder Man, Mauler, J. Jonah Jameson
Continuity Notes
Styre recalls the Maul's origins, these were depicted in Iron Man #156.
Wonder Man mentions a few facts about his career with the Avengers: His fear of death, which stems from when he died circa Avengers #9, his ionic nature caused him to cheat death, as seen in Avengers #151. He developed a fear of death because of this experience as revealed in Avengers #162. He had recently left active duty with the team in Avengers #211.
