Codename: John Hancock

While investigating the crooked political dealings of Bio-Technix Incorporated, a cybernetics company, Spider-Man has discovered that his foes Doctor Octopus and Fusion are working for the company. Overpowered by the two foes, Fusion demands to know how Spider-Man knew they were involved with the company. When Spider-Man says he stumbled upon them by accident, Fusion doesn’t believe it and continues beating on the wall-crawler.[1] Fusion then orders Doctor Octopus to kill Spider-Man and his minion begins choking Spider-Man with his mechanical arms. As Fusion mocks Spider-Man, the wall-crawler reveals that he’s not as trapped as he appears, explaining that Octavius greases his mechanical arms too much and it allows him to slip loose and smash the back of his head into Otto’s nose, bloodying it. As Spider-Man slips free, Fusion isn’t able to get a good shot with his weapon and tells Otto to go after the web-slinger. At first, Octavius hates being spoken down to, but Fusion uses his power of suggestion to frighten Doctor Octopus into complying.

Rushing back into the lab, Spider-Man grabs a cybernetic arm and a briefcase full of information before Octopus or the arriving security guards can stop him and slips out before the emergency doors can be shut. Furious that Spider-Man got away, he orders Otto to go after the wall-crawler. When the Doctor points out that going after the web-slinger would attract undue attention, Fusion tells him that he doesn’t care what Otto thinks, Octavius’ job is to comply with his orders.

Back at the Daily Bugle, Joe Robertson continues to convince J. Jonah Jameson that an investigation into Bio-Technix is an interesting story. Unfortunately, Jonah isn’t totally convinced.[2] Joe has been fed anonymous information and when he convinces Jonah that this story won’t blow up in their faces, Jameson decides to let Joe run with it after all. These tips have been fed to Joe by Peter Parker who, after getting off the phone, looks through Doctor Octopus’ briefcase. After digging past all the pornography and science magazines he finds a piece of scrap paper. It has a series of rough design sketches as well as the name of a cybernetics recipient named Alex Destino, as well as the codeword GL-52, and the name John Hancock. Peter decides to call the number to see what he can learn. The phone is answered by Alex’s wife, who tells him he must have the wrong number because his husband is in good health and doesn’t need a prosthetic limb. As she says this, Alex — who is outside gardening — falls off his ladder while trying to prune a tree branch with a chainsaw.

Meanwhile, Congressman Bradley Miles is telling Fusion that he can’t comply with his latest request because things are moving far too quickly. Fusion refuses to listen to excuses, threatening to use his powers to force Miles to ruin his political career on live television. He then says he needs to schedule the delivery of the new device that evening. At that same moment, SHIELD director Nick Fury is dumping some garbage in a dumpster when he is visited by Spider-Man who has come to exchange information with the nation’s top spy. He lays out the conspiracy going on behind Bio-Technix. He tells Fury that his investigation into the company has determined that their cybernetic limbs not only respond to brain impulses but have a two-way connection which could allow the company to control those who wear them, this is a particular concern since the people being fitted with these devices are high ranking members of the government who just happen to be getting into injuries where they are losing limbs. Fury is interested in knowing more, but Spider-Man demands to know what GL-52 means and who John Hancock is. Fury explains Hancock isn’t a who, but a what, saying that it was a tracking device that allowed the United States government to track the nuclear capabilities of developing nations by measuring radiation levels. However, the project was scrapped after General Ryker — a rogue offer in the military — abused the technology to try and settle a vendetta against the Hulk.[3] GL-52, the device that was used to do this but it went missing recently. With the information that Spider-Man has provided, Fury remembers that one of the staff at the facility where GL-52 was being kept was a recent amputee. When Nick asks Spider-Man who stole GL-52 and why Spider-Man leaves telling the Fury that he’ll get back to him about that.

At that same moment, Bradley Miles has brought John Hancock to Fusion and Doctor Octopus. With the device in hand, Fusion explains that he can use it to track the radiation in Spider-Man’s system so they can find him at any time the want. Since soldier that brought it to them is of no longer use and is the only witness to their plans, Otto stuns Fusion by killing him. Fusion tries to rein in Otto, but his powers of persuasion no longer work on Doctor Octopus. Otto lays into Fusion, explaining that he was never under his mental control at all and was only playing him to learn what his plans were. Explaining that he played Fusion like a fool, Octavius then explains that he doesn’t need any witnesses and begins crushing Fusion’s face with one of his mechanical arms. By this time, Joe Robertson’s story has broken and the news is so big it makes the television news as well. When Spider-Man arrives at the Bio-Technix facility to take in Fusion and Doctor Octopus he arrives too late to stop Octavius and is horrified to find that the villain has strung up Fusion in the lab and nailed a number of mechanical limbs onto his body, making him a disgusting effigy of Doctor Octopus.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Doctor Octopus, Fusion, J. Jonah Jameson, Joe Robertson, Nick Fury, Bradley Miles

Continuity Notes

1. Spider-Man quips that Fusion must have seen Austin Powers as the Vulture did. Spider-Man was surprised to learn that the Vulture saw the movie when they last fought in Peter Parker: Spider-Man #38. That being said, the reference to Austin Powers should be considered topical.

2. Jonah is depicted drinking from a mug that reads “World’s Most Cantankerous Dad”. No, Jonah doesn’t have any children of his own, however, this is likely a gift from Mattie Franklin, the daughter of his friend Jerry Franklin. When Jerry died in Spider-Woman (vol. 3) #3, Jonah took in Mattie and his wife Marla Madison have been raising her like a daughter.

3. General John Ryker went after the Hulk in order to get a sample of his gamma-irradiated physiology so he could cure his wife of cancer. This conspiracy ran from Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #12-20.