The Second Master Part Three

From the Pleasure Pier in Galveston, Texas, locals watch as a strange light is seen from out at sea. It is an explosion from the Roxxon oil rig and they quickly flee the scene as flaming debris comes raining down on the pier.

Four miles away, the Scarlet Spider and the Rangers have just witnessed a Roxxon experiment gone wrong. An unknown energy source discovered by the drilling operation has just manifested in a demonic form surrounding its latest host. While the Rangers try to contain the monster, Kaine grabs Zoe Walsh — the woman who led him here — and carries her to safety. The whole time, he is wondering how he got himself into this mess.

Spotting one of the fleeing scientists, the Spider stops him in a web-net and demands answers on how to stop the creature. The panicked scientist tells them there is nothing that can stop the monster. Shooting Star then points one of her six shooters at him and asks him to try again, hoping to get a different answer. The scientist quickly explains that while Roxxon was digging for oil they discovered a pocket of energy the likes of which they haven’t seen before as it was apparently a self sustaining energy that has been locked under the Earth’s crust for millions of years. Roxxon CEO David Walsh ordered the energy extracted and when they reached it, it caused an explosion that killed many of the workers. In the aftermath of the blast the energy had taken possession of one of the men. However, they discovered that the bodies the energy possessed quickly burned out requiring new hosts. Walsh, wanting to harness this power enlisted the aid of a Mexican cartel to bring them fresh bodies. The scientists started calling the entity Mammon, after one of the angels that was banished to hell.[1]

As the scientist is finishing his tale, David Walsh arrives with an army of armed soldiers. He tells them to recapture his daughter so she can be institutionalized and gives orders that every superhero on his rig is to be eliminated. This leads to a brief clash between the soldiers and the Scarlet Spider and the Rangers. The clash is cut short when Mammon breaths a blast of energy that incinerates a number of the soldiers. Red Wolf would have been killed as well if it hadn’t been for a quick save from the Scarlet Spider.[2] Suddenly, Mammon rejects its human host, as it is now strong enough to live independently. The creature speaks in an alien language, prompting Fifty-One to use is telepathy to try and communicate with it. Unfortunately, Mammon is far to alien for the other-worldly Fifty-One to make contact with. All Fifty-One can divine is that the creature needs a new host.

By this point, David Walsh has found his daughter and is trying to take her away. She fights him every step of the way. Suddenly, Mammon makes a move to take Zoe as a host. Not wishing his daughter to be harmed, Walsh steps in the way and is possessed by Mammon instead. Kain suddenly comes up with an idea and has the Rangers distract the monster momentarily. He then attacks the creature, using his Mark of Kaine to burn David Walsh’s chest. This angers Mammon enough to chase after him. The Scarlet Spider then leads the monster to one of the oil tanks. There, he uses his webbing to pull Walsh free from the creature and leaps out of the way as Mammon rushes him. Upon colliding with the oil tank, Mammon shatters it and quickly finds itself stuck in the crude. The Rangers arrive in time to see the creature sinking into the oil. Firebird, assuming that the Scarlet Spider is dead begins giving a prayer until Kaine reveals that he and David Walsh are still alive.

In the aftermath of the battle, the fires on the rig are contained and the oil containing Mammon are contained in order to be transferred over to the proper authorities. Although David Walsh survived his brief possession by Mammon, he is raced off for medical attention, with Zoe refusing to leave his side. Meanwhile, Roxxon was fast at work covering the whole thing up. Before they knew it, all the evidence of wrong doing was gone and a new CEO, a man named Todd Hamilton, has arrived to thank the Spider and the Rangers for their help. Kaine is disgusted by the corruption and greed that Roxxon represents.

Returning to the mainland, Texas Twister tells Kaine that his team will be keeping a close eye on Roxxon in the future. However, the Scarlet Spider doesn’t have much faith in the Rangers being able to deal with Roxxon in the future. When invited to join the Rangers, the Scarlet Spider punches Texas Twister in the face. He says that he came to Houston to get away from superheroes. However, as he takes off, the Twister tells him that the people of this city are his responsibility, irritating Kaine because it reminds him of Peter Parker.

While at the Houston Medical Center, David Walsh is being kept on life support. Zoe has just learned that she now has legal control of her father’s estate. She has decided to blame the Scarlet Spider for everything that has happened and vows to use her father’s fortune to make him pay, as soon as she finds him. She then begins drawing a detailed sketch of what Kaine looks like under his mask.

Recurring Characters

Scarlet Spider, Mammon, Roxxon (David Walsh), Rangers (Texas Twister, Shooting Star, Firebird, Living Lightning, Fifty-One), Zoe Walsh, Lobo Cartel (flashback, unidentified)

Continuity Notes

1. The Marvel Universe has a somewhat murky record of angels and demons that exist in its fiction, particularly when it comes to Biblical entities. In the real world, Mammon was actually a character in John Milton’s poem book Paradise Lost and is described as one of the fallen angels that were cast to Hell along with Lucifer. In Marvel Comics, Mammon was first referenced back in Tales of the Zombie #1, when he was invoked in a spell. The character also has an mentioned in the Marvel Zombies: The Book of Angels, Demons & Various Monstrosities in the profile on Angels. Short of that, there is nothing else on the character. Any suggestion that the Mammon seen here is the Mammon is conjecture at this point because there is no conclusive evidence to support the claim.

2. The Scarlet Spider asks Red Wolf if his wolf would have been able to tear the creature’s throat out. This is a reference to something Red Wolf said earlier about Kaine last issue. Each Red Wolf has a loyal wolf companion. Each one is traditionally named Lobo. When one wolf dies, Red Wolf eventually finds a successor. Prior to this story, during Secret Invasion, the most recent Lobo was killed and replaced with a Skrull spy that was later exposed and eliminated. See Avengers: The Initiative #19. At the time of this story, however, Red Wolf has yet to find a replacement.

3. Texas Twister says that the Initiative is gone. Following Civil War #1-7, the superhero community was required to register with the government. This led to the formation of the 50 State Intuitive that saw the formation of government run super teams formed in all 50 American states. The Rangers became the Initiative’s official team in Texas, as seen in Civil War #7. The Initiative was later dissolved following the disbanding of the Super-Human Registration Act. See Avengers: The Initiative #23 and Siege #1-4.