Spider-Man #58
Spider, Spider, Who's Got the Spider?
This story continues from Amazing Spider-Man #401...
Mary Jane has been kidnapped and while the Scarlet Spider confronts someone who looks like Peter Parker in a Spider-Man costume, they are interrupted by another Peter Parker who has just come crashing through the door.[1] This Peter Parker is the one who has been incarcerated at Ryker's Island and has come seeking his wife Mary Jane.[2] The Parker in the Spider-Man costume becomes angry, telling the other two that he is tired of the deceptions and demands to have his life back. However, the recent arrival insists that he is the real Peter Parker and he demands that the other tell him where his wife is. Hearing this other man call himself Peter Parker prompts the Peter in the Spider-Man costume to attack the person he claims is an impostor. However, before they can come to blows, the Scarlet Spider gets between the two and convinces them to stand down, as fighting won't help them find Mary Jane.[3] Totally confused, the Scarlet Spider at least knows that he is not Peter Parker. That's when the new arrival says he broke out of prison after Judas Traveller told him that his wife was captured by Kaine. Turning to the Parker in the Spider-Man costume, the Scarlet Spider demands to know what happened. This Peter doesn't know anything because he was hit from behind but promises to save Mary Jane, then passes out as he is still suffering from the blow to the head. After seeing to this Peter Parker, Ben checks on the other. This Peter has pulled out the remains of his black costume and begins gearing up to go hunting for his wife.[4] When Ben asks what they should do with the other Peter Parker, Peter tells Ben that clones are his area of expertise and leaves out the skylight. When the Scarlet Spider goes to check on the other Parker, he finds that he has left the house as well.
Meanwhile, in a cave below Manhattan, Mary Jane tries to get Kaine to explain himself to her, but he doesn't say anything. Fed up with the silent treatment, she decides to leave. Kaine blocks her path and finally tells her what he wants: He wants what her husband Peter has and there is only one way of getting it. While above ground, Peter Parker scours the city looking for his wife, hoping that she will send some kind of sign to him. He also wonders who Kaine is, and why he is so obsessed with his life. That's when the Scarlet Spider catches up and insists that he wants to help Peter find his wife. He also knows a lot about Kaine, and that Peter will need his help. When Ben asks Peter what their next move is, Parker tells him that they need to wait for Mary Jane to signal them, as she knows what to do. As the two restlessly wait for a sign from Mary Jane, they are unaware that they are being observed by the other Spider-Man. Down below, Mary Jane continues to get Kaine to try and explain himself. When she doesn't get any further answers from Kaine, she decides that she needs to act now. However, she fears what might happen if her husband breaks out of prison to rescue her. Suddenly, Kaine begins screaming in pain, as he gets another precognitive flash of someone murdering Mary Jane.[5] He feels that this moment is coming soon and begins to bellow in rage. Fearing for her life, Mary Jane decides she needs to call her husband anyway. She then activates a spider-tracer she has hidden in her necklace, deciding that she needs to in order to save herself and her baby.[6]
At that moment, all three Spider-Men are suddenly bombarded by a powerful jolt from their spider-senses. Peter tells the Scarlet Spider that he modified a spider-tracer so Mary Jane can use it to call him in the event she is in trouble. He then tells the Scarlet Spider that this is his life and orders him to butt out of it before swinging away. However, Peter isn't going alone, as the other Spider-Man decides to follow after him -- convinced that he is the real Peter Parker and that he is reclaiming his life. Meanwhile, in the cave, Mary Jane decides to make a break for it again. Seeing that the woman is fleeing, Kaine follows after her. While on the surface, Peter is about to go down into the sewers when he is stopped by the Scarlet Spider. Ben insists on going first, as he has fought Kaine before, and will keep him busy so Peter can focus on saving his wife. They enter the sewers together, they are confronted by the other Spider-Man who insists on finding Kaine and killing him for taking his wife. He angrily strikes a wall, shattering the brickwork and revealing a tunnel into the cave below. By this time, Mary Jane has found the tunnel and tries to run to freedom. However, Kaine catches up to her and grabs Mary Jane by the hair.
Before he can harm her, Kaine is blinded by a spider-signal from the belt of the other Spider-Man. He demands that Kaine let Mary Jane go, causing Kaine to pause. That's when he and Mary Jane get a good look and three that there are three Spider-Men in the tunnel with them. Fearing for Mary Jane's safety, Kaine tosses her aside and leaps at the trio. As the three men battle Kaine, Mary Jane wonders how this is possible and fears that all three of her saviors might be clones. As Kaine incapacitates the Scarlet Spider and the other Spider-Man, Peter leaps in and strikes their foe as hard as possible. Surprisingly, Kaine doesn't even bother dodging the punch and is hardly phased by it. This shocks Peter, who demands to know who Kaine is. However, Kaine has questions of his own as well, he demands to know if this is the real Peter Parker or another clone. Before he can harm Peter, the Scarlet Spider leaps in and draws Kaine's attention away from Parker. With their enemy distracted, Peter decides to take this opportunity to go looking for his wife. By this time, Mary Jane is trying to escape through the sewers when she is stopped by the other Spider-Man who tries to convince her that he is her husband. However, Peter Parker leaps in and knocks out the other Spider-Man. Peter then convinces Mary Jane that he is really her husband by reminding her that she hates his black-and-white costume. This convinces Mary Jane who then hugs her husband, glad that he is here to rescue her.
Hearing this, the other Spider-Man rips off his mask, insisting that he is the real Peter Parker. Mary Jane and her husband try to turn and flee the scene, but they find Kaine blocking the other side of the tunnel.
... The Mark of Kaine continues in The Spectacular Spider-Man #224.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Scarlet Spider, Spider-Man (clone), Mary Jane Watson, Kaine,
Continuity Notes
The Peter Parker wearing the traditional Spider-Man costume believes he is the real Peter Parker, but he is actually a clone as revealed in Spider-Man: The Jackal Files #1.
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. Peter was recently arrested for murder in Amazing Spider-Man #400. The real murderer was Kaine, as explained in Spider-Man: The Lost Years #3.
Mary Jane was kidnapped by Kaine in Amazing Spider-Man #401.
This is the cloth costume based on the symbiote that Peter brought back from Battleworld in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #8. It was first designed by the Black Cat in Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #99. In recent history, Peter stopped wearing the costume on a regular basis to appease his wife after his first encounter with Venom in Amazing Spider-Man #300.
Kaine has been haunted by these visions since Spider-Man #55.
Mary Jane revealed she was pregnant in The Spectacular Spider-Man #220.
