Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #8
Return to Sender
Evolutionary War continues from West Coast Avengers Annual #3...
Spider-Man is sitting on a rooftop and is approached by a cat. He thinks about how his Aunt May told him to stay away from cats because she thought he was allergic. He wonders how many ideas that people have of others are wrong. He also wonders how much he knows about his wife, Mary Jane Watson, and if she is allergic to cats. He also wonders what his wife would think if he brought a cat home when suddenly his spider-sense begins to go off. He narrowly avoids an energy blast that was shot in his direction. Leaping over to see where the shot came from, he watches a ship carrying two armored men chasing after a woman. These are Purifiers under the employ of the High Evolutionary and they are seeking to eliminate the girl below. Spider-Man recognizes the technology from similar men he fought earlier with Daredevil. Catching up to the woman they are chasing, the wall-crawler is shocked to discover she looks like his former girlfriend Gwen Stacy. This shocks him because Gwen Stacy is dead. This woman is horrified to see Spider-Man tries to flee. When the web-slinger tires to follow after her, the Purifiers blast at him again. Spider-Man tries to stop them, they teleport away. He can hardly believe that the woman he saw was Gwen Stacy, but has to get home before this woman gets to his home.
Meanwhile, aboard a massive submarine in the middle of the ocean, the Purifier known as Doctor Quint reports back to the High Evolutionary to tell him that they failed in capturing Gwen Stacy. When Quint asks why she is so important, the Evolutionary explains that she is a genetic freak that needs further examination. The secrets her body contains are an important part to his plans to purify the human race so they are ready to reach their next level of evolution. With that, the High Evolutionary turns into pure energy and leaves the vessel. Back at Peter and Mary Jane's condo, Spider-Man digs through his drawers for a photo album. He struggles with the mix of emotions he feels after seeing the woman who looked like Gwen Stacy. Just then, Mary Jane returns home from shopping. She begins telling him about her plans but notices that her husband's mind is on something else. That's when he reveals to her that Gwen Stacy is back. At that moment, the High Evolutionary has reached the Celestials massive ship in deep space. He has come seeking the Young Gods who have been honing their powers under the Celestial's care after they were transformed into superhumans by Earth's many pantheons in order to prove to the Celestials that humanity is a viable species. The High Evolutionary boards the ship where he witnesses Junipur and Katos training the Young Gods in the use of their powers.
The training session becomes heated until Varua detects the High Evolutionary's presence aboard their ship. The Evolutionary is revealed when Daydreamer uses her mental powers to make the intruder visible. At this point, the High Evolutionary is disappointed as he was expecting to see gods, but found only children with god-like power and departs. The Young Gods fail to stop the High Evolutionary from departing. However, Daydreamer uses her powers to probe the intruder's mind as he departs. They are horrified to see that the High Evolutionary is plotting genetic suicide on the planet Earth. Although Katos thinks that this is a problem for the human race to solve, Junipur disagrees. One-half of the Young Gods agree with Katos, however, Bright Sword, an Isralie, refuses to allow another holocaust much like his people suffered during World War II. The other half of the Young Gods agree, and upon Bright Sword's orders, Highnote sings out a song spell that teleports Bright Sword's allies to Earth.
Back on Earth, Mary Jane is hurt that Gwen Stacy is apparently back, thinking that she pales in comparison compared to Gwen. Peter reassures his wife that this isn't Gwen Stacy, but the clone that was created by Miles Warren. He assures her that he has gotten over the death of Gwen and that Mary Jane is the one he truly loves. Suddenly there is a knock on the door, and Peter braces himself for who he expects on the other side. It's the clone of Gwen Stacy who immediately rushes into Peter's arms. This opens up his bathrobe and she sees that Peter is wearing a Spider-Man costume. Horrified, the clone flees the scene. Peter scrambles to go after her when Mary Jane points out that he still loves Gwen Stacy. Peter admits that he is confused but that the clone is confused and needs help. Mary Jane tells him to go to her aid and sort out his feelings once and for all, or not come back. Outside, Spider-Man swings down and pulls the clone of Gwen out of traffic before she can get struck by the traffic. She accuses Spider-Man of murdering her father, but he tries to explain that George Stacy sacrificed his life to save a child from falling debris. Suddenly, Spider-Man is blasted by a Purifier wearing a suit of battle armor. The Purifier then grabs Gwen and begins to teleport away. Unwilling to lose Gwen again, Spider-Man leaps at the Purifier and is teleported away with them.
Finding himself in the High Evolutionary's submarine, where he is ordered to be removed and Gwen to be taken to a gene tester. Spider-Man defends himself against the other Purifiers while Quint places Gwen in the gene scanner. Suddenly, Bright Sword, Highnote, Daydreamer, Mindsinger, and Splice teleport into the facility. While the Young Gods deal with the Purifiers, Spider-Man goes looking for Gwen and finds her in the gene tester. He leaps down to free her but is grabbed by another Purifier. Suddenly, the rest of the Young Gods arrive, having decided to go after their teammates and rein them back in. Soon the Young Gods are battling each other, creating more chaos while the High Evolutionary goes over the readings from his scan of the Gwen Stacy clone and he is not happy with what he sees. Meanwhile, the Young Gods who have sided with Katos gain the upper hand, thanks to the direction from Calculus. However, the battle is turned when Daydreamer uses her powers to incapacitate Calculus, ending the battle. At that moment, Spider-Man has broken free from the Purifier and manages to free the Gwen Stacy clone from the gene tester. Spider-Man hugs her and assures her that she is safe because is with him, Peter Parker. However, he pulls away from her and tells the Stacy clone that no matter what he felt for the original Gwen Stacy, she is dead and Peter loves someone else. The Gwen clone pleads with Peter not to leave her alone. Spider-Man assures her that he will help her get back home once he gets some answers.
He approaches the Young Gods as Caduceus uses his powers to heal Calculus' damaged mind. The Young Gods have come to the conclusion that perhaps they should stay out of the affairs of humanity if it means fighting among themselves. After briefly explaining who they are to Spider-Man, Highnote teleports the Young Gods away. That when the High Evolutionary confronts Spider-Man and the Gwen Stacy clone. Spider-Man demands to know what he wanted with the clone of Gwen Stacy. The High Evolutionary explains that he wanted to confirm if she was a clone or not. He then reveals a shocking revelation: This woman is not a clone of Gwen Stacy. He theorizes that Miles Warren used a woman with a similar genotype and created a genetic virus to change the woman so she resembled Gwen Stacy down to a genetic level. After this revelation, the High Evolutionary uses his powers to teleport Spider-Man and the woman who was once believed to be a clone to be teleported back to New York City.
After hearing that she is not really a clone of Gwen Stacy, the woman breaks down and wonders what she will do next. Suddenly, Daydreamer of the Young Gods arrives and having sensed "Gwen's" distress, has come to help. Using her powers, Daydreamer uses her powers to remove the illusions from her mind and apparently restoring the woman to her true form. Her mind at ease, the woman once thought of as Gwen Stacy walks away. It's only once she is gone that Peter realizes he never learned her real name. However, this whole experience has helped him sort out his feelings. Peter returns home to Mary Jane and tells her that he still loves Gwen Stacy, but she is gone for good. Although he still loves Gwen, he points out that he loves Mary Jane, even more, assuring her that Gwen Stacy is part of his past, and Mary Jane is his future.
Evolutionary War continues in Avengers Annual #17...
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Gwen Stacy clone, Mary Jane Watson, Young Gods (Brightsword, Cadeuceus, Calculus, Daydreamer, Genii, Harvest, Highnote, Midslinger, Moonstalker, Sea Witch, Splice, Vaura), Junipur, Katos, High Evolutionary
Continuity Notes
Peter and Mary Jane are referred to here as husband and wife. However, years later, their marriage is erased from existence by the demon Mephisto as seen in Amazing Spider-Man #545. They should be considered a common-law spouse as opposed to husband and wife.
These Purifiers have been chasing the blond haired woman in Spectacular Spider-Man #142-143.
Spider-Man first faced the Purifiers in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #22.
Gwen Stacy was killed during a battle between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin in Amazing Spider-Man #121. This is not the real Gwen Stacy, but her clone, who was created by the Jackal as seen in Amazing Spider-Man #142-149.
The Young Gods were gathered and presented to the Celestials in Thor #300.
The clone of Gwen Stacy shares the same memories as the original. Gwen blamed Spider-Man for the death of her father, George Stacy, in Amazing Spider-Man #90. Gwen never discovered that Peter was really Spider-Man when she died in Amazing Spider-Man #121.
It's later revealed that the High Evolutionary was lying to Spider-Man. The woman here is indeed a clone. As revealed in Scarlet Spider Unlimited #1, Mile Warren was a disciple of the High Evolutionary and was exiled for his experiments with cloning. In order to cover up the possibility of cloning technology, the High Evolutionary prepared this ruse.
Opposing Forces
Bright Sword, Vara, Genii, Daydreamer, Harvest and Mindslinger have teleported themselves outside of the city of Jerusalem. They have come to Bright Sword's homeland because Daydreamer detected a strange presence here shortly after they departed from the High Evolutionary's headquarters. Scanning the area, Daydreamer detects that some ancient alien force is bured beneath Jerusalem. The group finds themselves questioning if they made the right decision, as Katos and Juniper would not approve of their interference. However, Bright Sword insists that they must do the right thing in this situation.
En route, they come across a clash between Palestinian villagers clashing with members of the Israeli Army. Bright Sword insists that they stop and end the clash before people are hurt, however the other Young Gods protest this idea. Suddenly, Daydreamer warns them that the alien creature has become aware of their presence and is not happy. Suddenly, a massive alien robot erupts from the ground. When it strikes down Daydreamer, Bright Sword attacks, ignoring Vaura's warnings not to fight the creature until they can learn more about it. Unfortunately, Bright Sword is also knocked out by the robot. While Genii holds the robot back with his power to control the Earth, Varua calls together Mindslinger, and Harvest to her side so they can form a Uni-Mind. Sensing that the creature is powered by anger, the Uni-Mind uses its vast mental powers to cut it off from this emotion, causing it to explode. In the aftermath of the battle, Daydreamer scans the robot and learns that it was created by a god, but is unsure which pantheon the god came from.
Although they have vowed teo stay out of the dealings of humanity, the fact that a rogue god use the anger and hatred of this land to power one a deadly robot, leaving them wonder what they should do next.
Recurring Characters
Young Gods (Brightsword, Daydreamer, Genii, Harvest, Midslinger, Vaura), Uni-Mind
Young Gods Fact Pages!
A feature that recounts the individual members of the Young Gods. The group was created by the various pantheons of Earth to prove to the Celestial host that the human race was worth continued existence. Each member represented the best humanity has to offer. The Young Gods are:
Moonstalker, an Alaskan Inuit named Kiana, who lived during the 11th Century. She was granted the powers of super-speed, stealth, and the ability to camouflage herself. She was selected due to her skill as a hunter.
Vaura, a Polynesian girl from the year 1405. She was taken from Ruk Island for her skill as a priestess. She was gifted with telepathy, teleportation, and the ability to merge with her fellow Young Gods to form a Uni-Mind.
Calculus was 20-year old Jawaharlal Patel, a Hindu of the Brahmin Caste born in 1926. He was selected by the Hindy pantheon due to his achievements as a scientist. He was granted the powers of instant calculation and analysis of probabilities, master planning, and telepathy.
Artist Jason Kimbal was a skilled artist that lived in Harlem during the 1970s. He was a talented fashion designer until his compulsive gambling caused him trouble. Becoming the Young God known as Gemii, he gained the power of mind-over-matter, however at the cost of his life force.
Caduceus former life was that of Mark Cadmon, a 30-year old man from Chicago circa 1919. Although he was a physician, he lived a hard life in the rought and tumble city. He was given the ability to healing and telekinetic mutation.
19-year old Chi Lo, lived on a small island off the coast of Japan in the early 1970s. Due to her achievements as a farmer, she became Harvest and given the power to control plants and vegetation.
Bright Sword was Carter Dyam, a 24-year old Israeli soldier from the early 1970s. A skilled warrior he was given the powers of physical indestructibility, hyper-strength, and a mastery of all weapons.
Mindslinger was a poet known as Gregor Buhkarov, from 18th Century Russia. He was given the power of telepathy and trans-substantiation.
Sea Witch's past life was that of 17-year-old sailor Bridgit O'Hare. She lived in 12th century Ireland. She gained the ability to manipulate liquids in all of its forms.
Highnote, was a 19th Century Colombian known as Raoul Hernando. A skilled musician he gained the power of sonic telekineses.
Splice was a craftsmaker named Chandra Ku from 18th Century Africa. She gained the power animate unliving objects and to create weapons, tools, and devices out of raw material.
Lastly, Daydreamer, a philosopher from 19th Century Canada named Catherine Moranis. She is gifted with telepathy, and project images.
The Son of Earth
The history of the High Evolutionary continues from West Coast Avengers Annual #3...
Having ascended to godhood, the High Evolutionary had begun following other intellectual pursuits. Using his powers to fuse a number of meteors together into a base of operations, the High Evolutionary then willingly devolved himself to human form. Utilizing the secrets he learned he decided to learn all he could about the evolution of life on planet Earth. Using his scientific genius he created Counter-Earth, an exact duplicate of Earth that existed on the opposite side of Earth's sun.
Seeding the world with life, he then sped up its evolution to the dawn of man. Unfortunately, while resting, the High Evolutionary was off guard when the renegade New Man known as the Man-Beast used the High Evolutionary's devices to teach humanity the ways of violence. The High Evolutionary hoped to avoid his humanity live a history of violence like on his homeworld. However, he punished the Man-Beast for this evil act. At that same time, Adam Warlock emerged from his cocoon. He came to the aid of the High Evolutionary and convinced him not to destroy Counter-Earth, as he saw a spark of goodness in the life he created. Adam Warlock then asked to go down to Counter-Earth and guide humanity and protect it from the evil of the Man-Beast. However, despite Adam Warlock's attempts to purge the evil of the Man-Beast, he found himself crucified for his troubles. However, with the help of the Hulk, the terror of the Man-Beast was ultimately purged from his world.
Soon after, Counter-Earth was under threat from the world devourer known as Galactus. However, he managed to repell Galactus with the aid of the Fantastic Four. Shortly thereafter, Adam Warlock returned to the High Evolutionary thinking that Counter-Earth was destroyed. However, Warlock's perceptions were clouded by his Soul Gam. Before the High Evolutionary could talk sense to Warlock, Adam blasted him with the Soul Gem. However, instead of dying, the High Evolutionary reverted to his god-like form once again...
... The history of the High Evolutionary continues in Avengers Annual #17
Recurring Characters
High Evolutionary
Continuity Notes
Adam Warlock's attempts to purge Counter-Earth of evil was chronicled in Marvel Premiere #1-2 and Warlock #1-8.
Warlock's crucifixion and resurrection was chronicled in the pages of Incredible Hulk #176-178.
Galactus attempted to consume Counter-Earth in Fantastic Four #171-175.
Adam Warlock seemingly slew the High Evolutionary in Marvel Two-In-One #62.
Evolutionary War Reading Order
X-Factor Annual #3
Punisher Annual #1
Silver Surfer Annual #1
New Mutants Annual #4
Uncanny X-Men Annual #12
Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #8 <— You Are Here