Spider-Man #23
Confrontation
With his allies, the Hulk, Ghost Rider, and Sleepwalker defeated by the Sinister Six, Spider-Man has to face his most deadly foes alone. This is made more complicated by the addition of the alien Gog, and an army of Hydra agents. The battle has attracted media attention and as a news report of the battle broadcast on television, it attracts the attention. Elsewhere in the city, Mary Jane has gone to talk to the studio executives that are in charge of the latest Arnold Scharzenhemer movie to talk them into cutting the nude scenes that she agreed to do in the film. This is because her husband, Peter, is upset by those scenes and is concerned about how their family would react to her doing such scenes.[1] Even though she doesn't care what they think as it is her body and her career, Mary Jane wonders why she is even doing this. As the executives call her into the office, Mary Jane hopes that this doesn't ruin her career.
Back at the scene of the battle, Spider-Man is finding himself increasingly on the defensive as he is outnumbered by the Sinister Six and their army of robots and advanced weapons. When all seems lost, Spider-Man is rescued by the sudden arrival of the Fantastic Four. This is followed by the appearance of both Nova and Solo. With the numbers turned so suddenly, Mysterio tries to keep the odds in their favor by creating illusions that make the heroes appear as members of the Sinister Six so that they fight each other. Things get worse when Ghost Rider and the Hulk both revive and join the fight as well. By this point, Spider-Man is being tricked into thinking that all of his allies are dead. The illusions come to an abrupt end by the arrival of Deathlok, who knocks out Mysterio. The battle rages on, but the heroes are still on the defensive thanks to the massive size of Gog. Solo decides to turn the tables by blasting the creature with a bazooka, in an attempt to kill the creature. Horrified that Solo would just kill so wantonly, he tries to take Solo down, but the vigilante teleports away. Without the strength of Gog, the Sinister Six begin falling at the hands of the combined heroes. Seeing that the battle is lost, the Vulture and Hobgoblin retreat. Furious, Doctor Octopus attempts to activate the Hydra platform to destroy the Earth. However, Mister Fantastic had already disabled the doomsday weapon's controls. This leaves Octavius open to an attack from the Hulk.
The rest of the Sinister Six goes down easily, leaving only Doctor Octopus left to subdue. That's when the Sandman, who has reassembled his shattered glass form, arrives and showers his former ally with shards of glass. Spider-Man scolds the Sandman for such a vicious attack as it could have killed Otto, but the Sandman believes that the notorious criminal deserves worse. In the aftermath of the battle, the villains are put in police custody and Mister Fantastic begins coming up with a means of dealing with Gog. With Sandman restored to normal, Spider-Man reminds him that real heroes don't kill, and if he has truly reformed he's going to have to prove that he's a hero. Later, Peter and Mary Jane are out for a walk. After Peter explains the aftermath of his battle with the Sinister Six, Mary Jane tells him that she turned down the role. Peter is shocked and asks why she did that. Mary Jane tells him that when she went to talk to the movie executives it became very clear that they only cast her for her physical appearance and not her acting ability. Even though she knows that she isn't the best actress in the world, Mary Jane decided that she deserves more than being eye candy for Arnold Schwarzenhemers drooling fanbase. When they finally arrive at home, Peter discovers that Mary Jane had organized a surprise birthday party for him and invited all their friends and family. Seeing how Mary Jane kept this a secret, Peter thinks his wife is the best actress he knows.[2]
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Sinister Six (Doctor Octopus, Electro, Vulture, Mysterio, Hobgoblin, Gog), Mary Jane Watson, Deathlok, Nova, Solo, Hulk, Ghost Rider, Sandman, Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing), Betty Brant, J. Jonah Jameson, Marla Madison, Aunt May, Willie Lumpkin, Joe Robertson, Martha Robertson, Randy Robertson, Amanda Robertson, Kristy Watson, Ben Urich, Flash Thompson, Felicia Hardy
Continuity Notes
Peter and Mary Jane are referred to as husband and wife here. However, years later, their marriage is erased from existence by the demon Mephisto in Amazing Spider-Man #545. As such they should be considered a common-law couple here.
In Civil War #2, Peter has stated that he has been Spider-Man since he was 15 years old. Per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616, this would make Peter 22 years old at the time of this story.
