Destinations

This story continues from Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #29…

Spider-Man is the prisoner of the Stalker who has kidnapped Mary Jane for months and undergoing a painful process as the Stalker uses his mental powers to steal all of Peter’s memories, emotions, and personality. As Peter screams in pain, Mary Jane pleads with her captor to stop, but the Stalker refuses, saying that he is only taking what should be rightfully his. Besides, he tells Mary Jane that the pain Peter is feeling through this process is something that he feels himself. He tells Peter that the pain would stop if he’d just stop resisting. Wanting this to stop, Mary Jane grabs a chair and instead of hitting her stalker, she breaks it over Peter’s head. As expected, the pain and injuries transfer over to her captor, breaking his mental connection with Peter.

Furious over being betrayed by Mary Jane, the Stalker then lashes out on her with his powers, knowing her unconsciousness. When Peter asks what the Stalker had done to her, he discovers that Mary Jane’s kidnapper has fled the scene. Unable to revive her, Peter puts his Spider-Man mask back on and rushes Mary Jane to the nearest hospital and demands that the doctor help her right away. Convincing the doctors that this is not a prank, he is trying to explain to them what happened when suddenly he is mentally contacted by the Stalker. He tells Peter that he stole Mary Jane’s mind and that only he will choose if she will live or die. He then tells Spider-Man that the only way to save Mary Jane is to meet him at the place with the swan. Knowing where the Stalker is talking about, Spider-Man tells the doctors that he can’t stay and answer their questions and leaves. That’s when one of the nurses recognizes that their mystery patient is actually Mary Jane Watson.

Spider-Man races to a nearby park where the Stalker is feeding the swans in the pond. The Stalker reminds Spider-Man that this is the spot where Mary Jane was once chased by a swan. The hero demands to know how the Stalker knows this as both Peter and Mary Jane promised to keep the embarrassing situation a secret. The Stalker explains that the are mentally linked and that what Peter knows, he knows. That’s when the Stalker tells Peter a secret of his own, that he can see the future, and in that future he sees Peter in a lot of pain. Spider-Man, however, doesn’t buy any of this and tells the Stalker to just let Mary Jane go because she didn’t ask for any of this to happen. Mary Jane’s tormentor explains that he didn’t choose this situation either since he can see the future he believes that he has never had any choice in his actions. He then warns Spider-Man that in a few minutes he’s going to be in a great deal of pain and then he’s going to die, but not before the Stalker can steal all his memories and personality. He then says he is really sorry, he didn’t choose to love Mary Jane, but only loved her because Peter loved her and that this whole thing has been about him and Peter.[2] Spider-Man refuses to go down without a fight and when he tries to attack the Stalker, his opponent backhands Spider-Man so hard he ends up landing back into the pond.

Meanwhile, Aunt May gets a phone call from Anna Watson who tells May that Mary Jane had just turned up at the hospital. Although May doesn’t believe it, she agrees to meet Anna at the hospital. As she hangs up the phone she grabs a photo of Peter and Mary Jane and prays for her nephew.

At this time, Spider-Man screams in pain as the Stalker probes deeper into his mind. The Stalker then begins mocking Spider-Man, mentioning the names of all the people he knew and loved and how his memories are being drained. When Spider-Man splashed the Stalker in the face with water, the villain responds by mentally blasting Spider-Man through a nearby fence. He then tells Spider-Man how he has wasted his true potential and promises to make better use of being Spider-Man than Peter ever has and strikes him with another mental bolt, sending him crashing into the side of a garbage truck. Spider-Man questions the Stalkers plan, that this is all about killing Spider-Man and taking his place. When the Stalker confirms this, the web-head reminds the Stalker of the immortal words of Uncle Ben: With great power comes great responsibility. This causes the Stalker to pause and he recalls how Spider-Man has lived up to this ideal by never taking a human life. He realizes that he can never become Spider-Man if he kills Peter in the process and realizes the errors of his ways. Walking away, the Stalker realizes that he was only exchanging his paints for those of Peter Parker’s and that he actually couldn’t handle living with Peter’s pains. Releasing his hold on Peter, he tells Spider-Man that he is free and walks into the nearby forest where the Stalker explodes.

With the battle over, Peter changes out of his costume and rushes back to the hospital where he discovers that Mary Jane is awake. Breaking down in tears, Peter asks if this is real. Without saying another word, Mary Jane pulls Peter close, and the couple cries together.

This story is continued in Amazing Spider-Man Annual 2001.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Mary Jane Watson, Stalker, Aunt May, Anna Watson

Continuity Notes

1. The Stalker kidnapped Mary Jane in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #13 and used a plane crash to cover it up, making everyone think she had died. Peter only discovered she was alive recently due to the mental link that was being formed between himself and the Stalker in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #29.

2. Mary Jane is referred to as Peter’s wife here. Years later their marriage is erased from existence by Mephisto in Amazing Spider-Man #545. As such, Mary Jane would be referred to as Peter’s fiancee here instead of his wife.