Spider-Man #34
Vengeance Is Mine
Spider-Man and the Punisher have tracked down the Master of Vengeance to his hideout. With the Punisher webbed to a wall, Spider-Man is at the mercy of the villain who blames the wall-crawler for ruining his life. However, Spider-Man manages to evade his blows. The Master of Vengeance is furious over the fact that the well-crawler cannot remember who he is. As Spider-Man avoids his blows, the Punisher explains that the Master of Vengeance is Dwight Faron, a chemist the wall-crawler busted for making illegal drugs for the mob until Spider-Man busted him. As Spider-Man battles his foe, he is blasted out of a window, taking their fight onto the streets below. Left alone, the Punisher manages to pull himself free from the wall he has been webbed onto thanks to the rotting plaster. He then grabs some acid off the table and using it to dissolve the webbing that still clings to him and the broken pieces of plaster.
While back outside, Spider-Man tries to lure the Master of Vengeance out of the crowded streets. Demanding that the wall-crawler stop, the Master decides to start threatening to harm the people around them. As Spider-Man resumes his battle, as a news crew shows up on the scene. As the fight, the Master of Vengeance rants about his plan to frame the wall-crawler, unaware that his confession is being captured on film. Realizing what he has done, the Master of Vengeance blasts the news van. Realizing that his powers are fading again, the Master of Vengeance tosses the reporter away in order to distract Spider-Man long enough to get away. Rushing back into his hideout to drink more of his serum, the Master discovers that the Punisher has freed himself and taken the last two vials of his serum. Before the vigilante can kill the Master of Vengeance, Spider-Man arrives and throws off his aim. The Master knocks the Punisher aside and gets ahold of one of his vials. Drinking it, the Master of Vengeance is revitalized and he begins blasting at Spider-Man again. This time, the web-head tricks the MAster into blasting the ceiling, causing it to collapse on the Master's head. When he prepares to fire another blast, the Punisher fires a pistol, which grazes the villain's gloves. The Master of Vengeance explains that the gloves were the only thing that allowed him to control his electrical discharges.
Spider-Man runs to his side and tries to get the gloves off, but he is clubbed from behind by the Punisher and carried outside. The just barely manage to get out as the building suddenly explodes. Recovering from the blow to the head, Spider-Man is furious that the Punisher left the Master of Vengeance to die. However, Spider-Man's morality fails to get through to the vigilante, who tells Spider-Man that the only he way he will be stopped is if the wall-crawler kills him. Spider-Man is prepared to bring the Punisher in when suddenly, the Master of Vengeance emerges from the wreckage of the building. Surprisingly, the Master is unharmed, and still very fast. He grabs the wall-crawler in a bear hug. While Spider-Man struggles to get free, the Punisher climbs up a nearby rooftop where he tries to take out the Master of Vengeance with a sniper rifle. His spider-sense warning him of the danger, Spider-Man manages to push the Master out of the way so that the shot merely creases his brow. With the Master of Vengeance knocked out, Spider-Man removes his mask, but still doesn't recognize him.
That night, Peter Parker returns home to his wife Mary Jane.[1] He wonders if his actions of Spider-Man can have a negative impact on people's lives. Mary Jane explains that people like Faron develop unhealthy fixations and that if it wasn't Peter, it would have been someone else. As they get into bed, Peter thinks about how he let the Punisher get away but vows to capture the vigilante next time they meet.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Mary Jane Watson, Punisher, Master of Vengeance
Continuity Notes
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.
