Spider-Man #3
Torment: Part 3
As the rain continues to pour across Manhattan, Spider-Man finds himself in a life-or-death battle with the Lizard, who has become a mindless killer thanks to some outside influence. This influence, a distant sound of drum beats, has been clouding Spider-Man's mind, making it harder for him to think. Despite this, Spider-Man continues to fight back against the monster that has already claimed the lives of six innocent people. From her mansion hideout, the woman responsible commands the Lizard to hold back, as she wants Spider-Man to suffer more before his end. Spider-Man continues to hold his own against the creature and suddenly notices that the Lizard hasn't said a word. Fighting off the creature, he asks Connors what has happened to him. He gets no answers, and soon the pounding in his head and the pain from the battle becomes too much for him and the wall-crawler blacks out. Elsewhere in the city, Mary Jane waits for a taxi cab to pick her up from the nightclub she was dancing at. She hopes that when she gets home her husband will be in so they can cuddle up.[1]
By this time, the Lizard is standing over Spider-Man and is about to land a killing strike when his master orders him to stop. She reminds the Lizard that Spider-Man must be made to suffer before he dies. Upon her commands, the Lizard carries Spider-Man atop a building and tosses the wall-crawler into the trash-strewn alley below. At that moment, Mary Jane's cab arrives and as it drives her home she thinks about how busy Peter has been and hopes they can spend their entire weekend in bed together. While in the alley, Spider-Man rests after his brutal beating and begins to dream. He thinks back to the fateful day when he was bitten by the radioactive spider that gave him his powers. He recalls how he tried to get a career in show business. One day, he allowed a thief to run past him, thinking it wasn't his problem. He learned a harsh lesson when he returned home one day and discovered that his Uncle Ben had been murdered by a burglar. Tracking him down as Spider-Man, Peter discovered that his Uncle Ben's killer was the same thief he let run away earlier.[2] While Spider-Man slumbers, the woman who controls the Lizard orders the monster to come back to her lair as she prepares a spell for the next part of her plan.
As Mary Jane returns home, she is upset when the taxi speeds off, splashing her with a puddle. At this point, Spider-Man has finally awoken. His head is pounding even more than ever before. As he pulls himself up off the ground, he is horrified to see the image of Kraven the Hunter, part of his face completely gone and with the Lizard at his feet.[3] The specter of Kraven tells the wall-crawler that the evening has just begun.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Lizard, Calypso
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. They should be considered a common-law couple here.
These events all occurred in Amazing Fantasy #15.
At the time of this story, Kraven the Hunter is dead here after committing suicide in Amazing Spider-Man #294.
