Beneath it All

A couple named Jeff and Liss are out late and Liss expresses her concerns about being out in the open with the recent disappearances in the city. Jeff dismisses her concerns saying the media is blowing everything out of proportions. Suddenly, something reaches out from the manhole cover next to them and drags Jeff into the sewers. Liss tries to pull Jeff back up, but whatever is pulling him down is too strong and he soon disappears into the darkness below. With Jeff now gone, Liss cries for someone to help her.

At the Daily Bugle, the story was reported and photographed by Betty Brant and Peter Parker. When it makes the front page, they get praise from both Joe Robertson and J. Jonah Jameson for a job well done. Jameson tells them to get to the bottom of this mystery, promising them a bonus if they can find a way to tie Spider-Man in with what’s going on. After Jameson leaves, Joe reminds them to ignore Jonah, saying the city is tense enough without the papers publishing sensational headlines, he points out the competition is using their front page to blame the kidnappings on mutants in particular. The pair are looking forward to get answers and as they leave, Jameson pushes past them reminding them to get the story.[1] Down the street, a limo pulls up beside Jameson and he is asked to get inside. Waiting for him is Senator Stewart Ward. Jameson asks what Ward wants and the Senator says he wants to talk about the madman living beneath the city.

Elsewhere in the city, Betty is surprised to hear that Mary Jane is modeling again and remarks on how little she is around anymore.[2] When Peter asks how things are going with Betty and Flash Thomspon, Betty says there is nothing to talk about.[3] They soon arrive at the scene of the most recent kidnapping where they agree to canvas the neighborhood for witnesses. Suddenly, Peter’s spider-sense begins going off and he tries to get Betty moving before the danger arrives. Unfortunately, someone hits him over the head, knocking him out, just as the madman from the sewers grabs Betty from under the manhole cover and pulls her underground.

Meanwhile, in Westchester County, Marrow has read the newspaper reports and is furious that sewer-dwelling mutants are being blamed for the disappearances. Storm, leader of the X-Men, tells Marrow that she is not to stay at the mansion, reminding Marrow that she is no longer part of the Morlocks.[4] Marrow reminds them that the Morlocks are mutants just like the rest of the X-Men and it is their duty to protect other mutants. Storm reminds Marrow that the Morlock tunnels are not safe, pointing out how Marrow and Archangel were attacked by the Abomination the last time they went down there.[5] She then says that if the X-Men are going to investigate what is happening in New York they must develop a strategy first, much to Marrow’s chagrin.

Back in the city, Peter Parker wakes up in the hospital with Mary Jane, Aunt May, and Jill Stacy all waiting around his bed. He tells them that Betty Brant has been captured and he has to do something to rescue her. Mary Jane asks Peter what he can do, and then whispers in his ear to remind him that he promised to retire as Spider-Man.[6] Allowed to leave as long as he goes home to rest, Peter starts putting on his clothes when Flash Thompson storms into his hospital room. He blames Peter for not doing anything to prevent Betty from being kidnapped. Convinced that mutants have something to do with her kidnapping, Flash vows to do something about it and storms out of the room. That’s when J. Jonah Jameson enters the room and tells Peter that he’s sorry about what happened to Betty but tells him to back off the story but won’t explain why. Mary Jane assures Peter that the new Spider-Man will handle this and they return home.[7] That evening, Peter waits until both Aunt May and Mary Jane have fallen asleep in front of the television so he can sneak out as Spider-Man. The wall-crawler is not alone, as Marrow has decided to take matters into her own hands as well and sneaks out of the X-Mansion without her teammates knowing.

By this point, an angry mob has formed outside the city sewer access, prompting the police to come out and try and disburse the people. When one of the officers tries to convince people that there are no mutants living in the sewers, Flash Thompson works up the mob to the point where they are about to get violent when Marrow intervenes. She introduces herself as one of the mutants they are so afraid of and vows that no human will enter the sewers and live. When the police prepare to clash with Marrow, Spider-Man uses his webbing to jam their guns and pull Marrow out of harm’s way. Surprisingly, the arrival of Spider-Man has shocked some sense into the crowd. That’s when one of the detectives asks Spider-Man to do whatever he has planned since the police are going to be too busy keeping the mob out of the sewers. Cutting herself free from Spider-Man’s webbing, Marrow insists that she is the only person who can solve this problem by going down in the sewers and killing the real person responsible. As she goes into the sewers, Spider-Man tries to stop her but she knocks over some drums, tripping up the wall-crawler and covering her escape.[8] Recovering from this, Spider-Man follows after Marrow unaware that Flash Thompson has managed to slip past the police and is tailing him.

In the sewer tunnels, Marrow picks up the scent of her friend Callisto and determines that she had been tracking the real killer. That’s when Spider-Man catches up with her and tries to convince Marrow to let him help. Their argument quickly ends when they hear someone screaming and follow the sound of their cries. Putting aside their differences, the pair find all of the kidnapped victims tied up in one of the tunnels. Among them is Callisto, who tells Marrow that the kidnapper started with the Morlocks until he started grabbing fresh victims from the surface. As Spider-Man frees Betty from her bonds, she tells him that they need to get people up to the surface quickly. Suddenly, the room is filled with bats and Callisto tells them that the madman they seek is here. What appears before them is a man with fangs and long sharp fingernails. He introduces himself as Hunger and can sense the power coursing through the newcomer’s veins. When Spider-Man and Marrow lunge at him, Hunger easily slips past them and then notices that his victims are free and trying to escape. When Hunger tires to pounce on Betty Brant, Spider-Man pulls him away with a web line. When he and Marrow try to attack Hunger, the madman manages to grab both of them by the neck. That’s when Flash Thompson comes out of hiding and tries to help but is swatted aside like a gnat.

Deducing that their foe is a vampire, Marrow tells Spider-Man that there is only one way to stop him. Spider-Man snaps off one of the long bones protruding form Marrow’s back but cannot bring himself to take a life. As Hunger mocks him, Spider-Man says that while he is unwilling to kill it doesn’t mean he won’t fight and attacks Hunger. One of Spider-Man’s blows strikes Hunger in the face making his nose bleed. He is surprised by this because Hunger thought something like this is impossible and there is much about this world he has yet to learn. With that, Hunger turns into pure energy and smashes his way through to the surface and escapes into the sky. In the aftermath of the battle, Marrow cannot understand why Flash came down into the sewers and risk his life for the others. Spider-Man tells her that he did it because he’s human and suggests that there is more to the people of the surface world than she gives them credit for. While elsewhere in the city, Senator Stewart Ward gets a call and is informed that Hunger has escaped. He is pleased and tells the caller to contain Hunger again as he is useful.[9]

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Marrow, Hunger, J. Jonah Jameson, Joe Robertson, Betty Brant, Stewart Ward, Mary Jane Watson, Jill Stacy, Aunt May, Flash Thompson, X-Men (Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Rogue), Callisto

Continuity Notes

1. Jameson threatens to demote Betty Brant back to being his secretary. Betty started working at the Daily Bugle as J. Jonah Jameson’s secretary back in Amazing Spider-Man #4. She later became a reporter for the paper in Web of Spider-Man #91.

2. Mary Jane’s modeling career abruptly ended thanks to the machinations of Jonathan Caeser in Amazing Spider-Man #314. Mary Jane’s career suddenly saw a come back during the Gathering of Five and Final Chapter story arcs. Since Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #1, Mary Jane’s career has frequently taken her out of the city for photo shoots and other modeling gigs.

3. Betty and Flash started seeing each other while Betty was still married to her husband, Ned Leeds, back in Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #98. The two started dating regularly not long after Ned was murdered in Spider-Man Versus Wolverine #1. They eventually drifted apart following Spectacular Spider-Man #148. More recently the pair reconnected in Spectacular Spider-Man #250 when Flash started working for Norman Osborn who, at the time, was co-owner of the Bugle. However after Osborn’s defeat at the hands of Spider-Man in the Final Chapter story arc, Flash no longer works for the Bugle and the two have drifted apart again.

4. Marrow grew up among the Morlocks since she was a child as seen in Uncanny X-Men #347. She officially joined the X-Men in X-Men (vol. 2) #70.

5. The Abomination has been living in the sewers of New York since Incredible Hulk #382. Marrow and Archangel encountered him in X-Mne (vol. 2) #74.

6. Peter promised to retire as Spider-Man following the end of the Final Chapter story arc. Unknown to Mary Jane, Peter has started wearing the webs again in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #2.

7. Mary Jane is referring to Mattie Franklin who took over as Spider-Man in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #1 until Peter took back the mantel the following issue.

8. Marrow mentions the last time she had to deal with Spider-Man, which was in Uncanny X-Men #346.

9. What Stewart Ward uses Hunger for is not made immediately clear. When the character is seen again in Peter Parker: Spider-Man #7 he is pursuing his own agenda. Any plots about Hunger are dropped right after that issue.