Spectacular Spider-Man #131
Descent
This story continues from Amazing Spider-Man #293…
Kraven the Hunter has seemingly killed Spider-Man and usurped his identity. As the Spider, Kraven barges in on a gang of crooks engaged in a drug deal and brutally beats them into submission. That's when the police arrive, but when they ask the masked man to stand down, but the Spider flees. Thinking that this is Spider-Man, the officers remark how the hero has been on a rampage against crooks all week long. When they check on the crooks, they discover that one of the heroin dealers is dead. Not far away, Kraven finds himself struggling to keep his identity straight. At first, he thinks of himself as "the spider", but then denies this. Ripping off his mask, he shouts his name over the pounding rain, considering himself Spider-Man's superior as he defeated the wall-crawler and taken his place.
Elsewhere in the city, a woman tries to hail a cab, only for it to pass her by. Angry to be left in the pouring rain, the woman decides to walk since her destination is ten blocks away. Unfortunately, she is yanked into a nearby alley by the man-monster known as Vermin. After senselessly slaughtering his innocent victim, and consuming some of her body. The vicious creature then scurries across the street hoping to find its foes, Spider-Man and Captain America. Instead, Vermin walks into the path of a squad car. Leaping on the hood of the car, the Vermin smashes through the windshield and throws the police officer in the passenger seat onto the street. There he is swarmed by an army of rats summoned up from the sewers by Vermin. The officer's partner manages to wing Vermin with her gun. However, before the creature can attack it pauses. This is because the other officer reminds him of his mother. Licking her face, Vermin orders his rats back into the sewer and streaks off into the night rain.
Meanwhile, Joe Robertson goes over the newspaper while listening to the evening news. He is disturbed by a knock at the door. It turns out to be Peter Parker's newlywed wife, Mary Jane who has come talk about her husband. She is about ready to tell Joe that Peter is really Spider-Man, but decides not to tell him after all. She apologizes for calling so late and promptly leaves. While back at the Kravinoff estate, Kraven torments a rat in a cage with a knife. His fevered mind thinks that there must be one final tests out there to prove that he is superior to Spider-Man, sensing a creature to hunt somewhere in the city. In the sewers below, Vermin looks up to the surface with fear, almost as though he can sense that something dangerous is now stalking him. The creature is correct, as Kraven has decided to go on the hunt that very evening.
Later, dressed in a Spider-Man costume, Kraven tracks down Vermin who is sleeping in the sewers. Seeing what he thinks is his foe Spider-Man, Vermin begins to panic. Kraven mocks Vermin over his last defeat at Spider-Man's hand. The Vermin points out that he had Captain America to help him last time and lunges at the masked man. Kraven mocks the Vermin as they battle it out. Vermin savagely lashes out at Kraven, cutting his side and biting his foot. However, Kraven manages to beat the man-monster into unconsciousness. With his foe defeated, Kraven carries Vermin back home with him. Throughout this entire ordeal, spiders have swarmed around the grave where Kraven buried Spider-Man. Suddenly, the wall-crawler's hand bursts out of the dirt, his first thoughts are his wife, Mary Jane.
… This story continues in Web of Spider-Man #32.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Kraven the Hunter, Vermin, Mary Jane Watson, Joe Robertson
Continuity Notes
Kraven appeared to kill Spider-Man in Web of Spider-Man #31.
Peter and Mary Jane are referred to as husband and wife in this story. However, years later, the demon Mephisto erases their marriage from existence in Amazing Spider-Man #545. As a result, Peter and Mary Jane should be considered a common-law couple as opposed to husband and wife here.
The Vermin fought both Spider-Man and Captain America in Marvel Team-Up #128.
