Spectacular Spider-Man #257
Prodigy
On the roof of the Top of New York Hotel, the Ambassador of Sufind and his wife are being escorted through a throng of reporters to a helicopter that will take them to the United Nations. The scene turns chaotic when the Ambassador and his wife are taken hostage by armed soldiers representing someone called the Conundrum. When they try to escape in the helicopter they can’t go anywhere because the chopper is being held in place by Prodigy, the new hero in town. When they try to shoot Prodigy the bullets bounce off his armor. Among the reporters recording, this daring rescue is Billy Walters from the Daily Bugle, who is delighted to be one of the first people getting photos of this new hero. After being thanks by the ambassador, Prodigy stops to give a speech to Billy about using his powers for good before leaping away.
Billy’s photos land the front page of the Daily Bugle and J. Jonah Jameson is incredibly pleased with Billy’s work. Also pleased is Norman Osborn who pulls Billy aside to talk about Prodigy, hoping he can somehow exploit this new hero against Spider-Man. However, Jameson finds it strange that all of these new heroes suddenly popping up alongside Prodigy.[1] However, Norman brushes this off as no more coincidental as when Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Daredevil, and Thor all appeared around the same time a few years back.[2] As Osborn escorts Billy into his office, his assistant Flash Thompson is approached by Betty Brant and the two confirm plans to go out to the theater.[3]
Elsewhere in the city, the man known of the Conundrum paces around his hideout. As the images and fragments of his mask change, he does pieces of puzzles and tries to remember his life before this moment and his future plans. He stops, confident with the fact that he is the Conundrum and that’s all that matters. He throws a switch revealing a massive cage holding Tabriaz, the daughter of the Sufindian ambassador. When she asks what he wants, the Conundrum tells her that he wants her father to give him the hand, and warns her of the consequences should he not be able to procure it. Laughing like a maniac, the Conundrum then disappears into a swirl of mist.
In Forest Hills, Prodigy lands in an alleyway where he changes back into Peter Parker. Removing the mask, make-up, and prosthetic nose, Peter muses about how this is what he always imagined being a hero would be like when he used to read Uncle Ben’s old comic books[4] Peter is so lost in thought he walks right into Anna Watson who is out doing groceries and offers to help her. Anna asks Peter how he can be so nice to her after she accused him of cheating on Mary Jane.[5] Peter tells her not to sweat it, but Anna feels terrible for making such an accusation when Peter has been nothing but a perfect husband,[6] and she feels doubly ashamed when she realizes that she is accusing the nephew of her best friend, the late May Parker.[7] Particularly since she watched Peter grow up and become just as much an honorable man as Ben Parker. She then sits Peter down and tells him all about her past shame. She explains that when she was a young woman she went to California to try and get a career as an actress. There she met a struggling writer named Jacob and the two fell in love instantly and got married almost right away, but that love for Jacob quickly faded.[8] She then met Johnny Dipalma a singer and had a brief affair with him until she couldn’t lie to Jacob anymore. When she came clean she was divorced and eventually came back home to Forest Hills. Anna felt so ashamed that she kept this a secret from everyone for years, including May. After explaining all of this to Peter she is surprised when Peter responds with love and understanding.
While at the New York Metropolitan Museum a new display as been loaned to the institution, the Hand of Mumthazi. It is a priceless ruby that is set on a stand shaped like a human hand. It originally belonged to Mumthazi the First the ruler of the Sufindian empire over 1000 years ago. It is rumored that the Hand is the key to great power and that he who possesses it possesses the keys to heaven. Although surrounded by armed guards, the Hand of Mumthazi is the target of Mad Jack who drops his disguise when the time is right and easily incapacitates the guards by making his flaming pumpkin head explode. he steals the Hand from its display case. Back in Queens, Peter is spending a quiet evening in front of the television with Mary Jane. The pair is about to get romantic when Peter catches a report about the kidnapping of the ambassador's daughter and the ransom request. Ambassador Hazram Chaliz addresses the kidnapper telling the listening audience that the Hand of Mumthazi was stolen and he is willing to give anything else to ensure the safe return of his daughter. Peter instantly thinks this is a job for Prodigy and Mary Jane resigns to Peter’s sense of duty but tells him to try and get back before her Aunt Anna gets back from the movies.
At the Sufindian Embassy, Norman Osborn meets with Hazram Chaliz, an old friend, and offers his assistance. That’s when Prodigy arrives on the balcony and offers his aid as well. Hazram accepts the offer of aid and Prodigy introduces himself to Norman Osborn.[9] Everyone is very impressed with the new hero except for Norman’s assistant, Flash Thompson, who figures Spider-Man could easily defeat him. Meanwhile, Peter is pleased with himself for being able to completely fool Norman Osborn, hoping that he can use his Prodigy identity to gather more evidence against his long time foe. After pledging to bring Tabriaz’s kidnapper to justice, Prodigy leaps away. While in Lower Manhattan, Mad Jack is hiding out in a closed up Irish pub gloating over his successful heist. Suddenly, the Conundrum appears in the room and demands to know what with the Hand of Mumthazi. Jack explains that all he wants is the girl as she is of more interest to his employer than the ruby.[10] The Conundrum finds it insulting that Jack would use his skills to be a mercenary for hire. The pair are about to come to blows when Prodigy comes smashing through the wall. The hero smashes the two together and is surprised when their heads are crushed to a pulp and their costumes fall limp. Prodigy quickly looks around for his foes and is shocked to see both have grown to giant size and are now towering over him.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Billy Walters, Flash Thompson, J. Jonah Jameson, Betty Brant, Anna Watson, Mary Jane Watson, Norman Osborn, Jack O’Lantern/Mad Jack, Conundrum
Continuity Notes
Jameson is speaking about Ricochet, Dusk, and Hornet. What they don’t know is that these are all disguises devised by Spider-Man to use while there is a bounty on his head following the Spiderhunt event.
Norman Osborn says that the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Daredevil and Thor all appeared around the same time a “few years ago”. That’s a bit of an understatement. Per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616 the Fantastic Four first came on the scene around 10 years prior to this story.
Betty as Flash guesses who it is by covering his eyes. He responds by listing off by comparing Betty to Courtney Love (not a compliment), Kate Winsley, and Fiona Apple. They also agree to see Les Miserables at the theater. All of these things should be considered topical references to the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616 in that Betty (who is in her 20s at the time of this story) is being compared to celebrities that were roughly around the same age as her at the time, further “Les Miz” has not been on Broadway since 2014.
Peter read through Uncle Ben’s old super-hero and monster comic books in Amazing Spider-Man #-1 and Sensational Spider-Man #-1 .
Anna accused Peter of infidelity in Spectacular Spider-Man #253-254. She was convinced otherwise when Mary Jane told Anna that he was really Spider-Man. Anna laughed that off as a joke, but it also convinced her that her accusations were just as outlandish.
Peter and Mary Jane are referred to as husband and wife here. However, years later, their marriage is erased from existence by Mephisto in Amazing Spider-Man #545. As such they should be considered a common-law couple here.
At the time of this story, everyone believes that May Parker died in Amazing Spider-Man #400. However, it is later revealed in Spider-Man #97-98 that this woman was an imposter and the real Aunt May is still alive.
There are some inconsistencies with Anna’s story here. The last issue she said the man she married was Robert, and in this issue, she calls him Jacob. The last issue she said she was eighteen when this happened and she was nineteen here. Marvel does not provide clarification in Anna Watson’s handbook profile in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #11, however, I presume this would be a case where Anna’s ex-husband would be identified by Richard Jacob Hillard, as that is what Marvel usually does when there is a mix-up like this. Anna specifically states that Jacob wrote for radio dramas during a period where radio dramas were going out of style. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616 since Anna has a normal human lifespan and is locked into the Modern Age.
Prodigy says he wishes he was around when the Green Goblin kidnapped Norman’s grandson. The Goblin kidnapped Normie Osborn during the Spiderhunt story arc.
The Conundrum and Mad Jack talk about their master. As revealed in Spider-Man: Mysterio Manifesto #1-3, both were trained by Quentin Beck, the original Mysterio.
