Wreck and Roll!

The Wrecking Crew is put on trial for their recent attempt to destroy the Statue of Liberty, a crime that was thwarted by the Thunderbolts.[1] As their lawyer argues with the judge over his clients being restrained, the Wrecker manages to tip himself over. As he hoped, the weight of his restraints causes him to fall through the floor into the basement of the courthouse where an exploding gas-main frees him from his bonds. With authorities are busy dealing with the fire, the Wrecker frees his teammates and they flee the scene. When the story hits the news, it is seen by Peter and his wife Mary Jane.[2] It is followed by a story about the recent return of the Avengers and Fantastic Four who were believed to have been dead for some time.[3] When Mary Jane asks Peter how he feels about their return, he tells her that he doesn't really understand it and it feels weird. He hopes that everyone made it back in one piece.

At that same moment, the Sub-Mariner comes crashing down in Brooklyn and begins wandering around in a confused daze. Not far away, the Wrecking Crew is hiding out in a nearby junkyard. They are lamenting the return of the lost heroes especially since the new ones who appeared to take their place are still around also. However, the Wrecker figures all they need to do is pull a massive haul, suggesting that they steal gold from Wall Street, having taken inspiration from a Die Hard movie he saw.[4] Although the other members of the Wrecking Crew hated that movie, they like his plan and agree to carry it out. By this point, a still disorientated Sub-Mariner arrives in the Bowery. Appearing before two homeless men they ask him if he is okay. Namor begins to see memories of his first encounter with the Fantastic Four, confusing him even further.[5]

Meanwhile, the Wrecking Crew has arrived on Wall Street and have begun wrecking the area. The fire and damage that is being done is can been from the Bowery. This causes another memory from Namor's mind to flash before his eyes. This memory is of one is one of his attacks on New York City. This violent image compels to the Sub-Mariner to go and investigate. When news reaches the Daily Bugle, publisher J. Jonah Jameson is shouting orders in order to mobilize reporters and photographers to the scene of the Wrecking Crew's attack. To that end, Joe Robertson puts in a call to Peter Parker to get photos of the chaos.[6] By this time, Namor has arrived on Wall Street and instead of trying to stop the Wrecking Crew, he begins wrecking the place as well. That's when Spider-Man arrives on the scene, but the wall-crawler realizes that he is no match for the entire Wrecking Crew and the Sub-Mariner.

Quickly overpowered, the web-slinger is wrapped up in Thunderball's ball-and-chain. Spider-Man pleads with Namor to remember who he really is and do something to stop the Wrecking Crew but is tossed into the East River. Struggling to break free, Spider-Man can't due to the magical properties of the weapon. Thankfully, the Sub-Mariner finally snaps out of his stupor and rescues Spider-Man. However, in doing so, Namor discovers that he can no longer breathe underwater. By the time Namor has freed Spider-Man the Wrecking Crew has escaped but not without leaving a message. Carved into the side of a building and the street is a message to all the returned heroes, it reads "We'Re Back Too". In the aftermath of the battle, Spider-Man asks Namor if there is anything wrong. The Sub-Mariner decides to make his recent discovery a secret and assures the web-slinger that he is fine before departing to figure out how to solve his problem.[7]

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Sub-Mariner, Mary Jane Watson, Wrecking Crew (Wrecker, Thunderball, Piledriver, Bulldozer), J. Jonah Jameson, Joe Robertson

Continuity Notes

1. The Wrecking Crew fought the Thunderbolts in Thunderbolts #1.

2. 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.

3. Some facts about the "deaths" of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four:

   • Both teams were believed to have died during the event of Onslaught Marvel Universe #1.

   • In reality, they lived on in a pocket dimension as seen during the Heroes Reborn event.

   • The newscaster that the heroes were believed to be dead for a year. This is roughly the length of time between the publication of Onslaught Marvel Universe (October 1996) and this issue (February 1998). Roughly speaking, this should be considered a factual reference as Onslaught Marvel Universe took place during "Year Nine" of the modern age, while this story takes place during "Year Ten".

4. The Wrecker is specifically referencing Die Hard with a Vengeance which was released in 1995. Since the Wrecker is not talking about this movie as though it is brand new, its reference here should be considered a factual reference.

5. Namor first met the Fantastic Four back in Fantastic Four #4.

6. Jameson asks Joe Robertson if he still works for the Daily Bugle. At the time of this story, Joe announced his resignation from the Daily Bugle in Amazing Spider-Man #431. Why he's still working here is likely because when he resigned he was just giving a notice instead of outright quitting.

7. The Sub-Mariner's quest for a cure for his current affliction is detailed in Marvel Team-Up Vol 2 #8-11.