Spider-Man #78
The Love of a Woman
Riding the subway home, Peter Parker rests his head on his wife, Mary Jane's lap.[1] As her husband sleeps, Mary Jane thinks about how they have been through more than people twice their age due to the fact that Peter is secretly Spider-Man. She thinks how things weren't always this way, when they were carefree kids in love. How much simpler things were when it was just her, Peter, Flash Thompson, Harry Osborn, and Gwen Stacy. Before things got complicated with the constant threat of alien symbiotes, mechanically enhanced criminals, and goblins. Before the past came back to haunt them. Her thoughts are interrupted when three young men approach her and her husband, intent on starting something. However, when they see the look on Mary Jane's face, they decide she isn't going to be an easy mark and go to another subway car. That's when Peter reveals that he was awake as soon as there was danger, thanks to his spider-sense, and admits he was impressed with how Mary Jane handled the situation. Relieved that he was awake all along. When asked if he is still angry with her for agreeing to go to dinner with the Stacy's, Peter admits that he can't be mad after she covered for him when he passed out at the table and the couple make up.[2]
As Peter and Mary Jane head back to Queens for the night, Morbius the Living Vampire continues to stalk the grounds of Empire State University.[3] Catching his latest victim and feeding, Morbius continues to be concerned about his growing need to feed and wants this nightmare to end, increasing his need to find Doctor Andrea Janson.[4] In Queens, Peter tosses and turns in his sleep, as he has a nightmare and deals with the side effects of being bitten by Morbius earlier that evening. Unable to sleep, Mary Jane listens to her husband toss and turn and worries because Peter refuses to go see a doctor, afraid that doing so might compromise his secret identity. That's when Peter wakes up screaming. Unable to rest while Morbius is still on the loose, Peter gets out of bed and changes into Spider-Man, despite the concerns expressed by Mary Jane. Peter insists that he can't see a doctor until Morbius has been captured and leaves. This time, Mary Jane refuses to sit around and wait and worry about her husband coming home safe so Mary Jane begins going through her dresser.
While at the New York University Medical Center, Betty Brant is getting stitches after getting injured while on an investigation. After she is discharged by her doctor, she discovers that Flash Thompson is waiting for her in the emergency room. He had heard she was injured and came to offer her a ride home. Betty tells Thompson that she already has a ride with a friend. Not wanting to make this awkward, Flash decides to leave, telling her to give him a call sometime. Back at Empire State University, Doctor Andrea Janson is working in the molecular biology lab. There she is thinking about her previous encounter with Morbius earlier that evening. She thinks about the accident that turned Michael into a living vampire and thinks how her expertise as a hematologist would be useful in trying to find a cure. However, she thinks about the danger she was in and was relieved that Spider-Man interfered. Despite what she could do for Morbius, she is deeply afraid and hopes to never see him again. She is then startled when Morbius enters her lab, having come for her help and begs her not to scream. By this time, Spider-Man has arrived at Empire State University when a dizzy spell hits throwing his aim off. With his balance off, the wall-crawler braces himself as he falls onto a nearby rooftop and just barely manages to stop himself from sliding off the icy surface and fall to the ground below. Arriving nearby in a cab is Mary Jane who sees Spider-Man struggling and thinks that it is ridiculous that her husband is risking his life when he is in no condition to do so. However, before Mary Jane can go to her husband, someone carrying a bat tells demands to know where she is going.
Back in the lab, Michael Morbius explains his increasing hunger and begs Doctor Jansen for his help. Unfortunately, they are interrupted by Spider-Man who intends to stop Morbius and end his killing spree. Outside, the men with bats turn out to be members of the racist group known as the Friends of Humanity. With a killer on the loose, the FOH have decided to patrol the campus and protect students, believing that a mutant is responsible for the murders.[5] Mary Jane declines their offer of help, but they begin to insist. That's when Spider-Man and Morbius come crashing out of a nearby window. As the two battle it out, Morbius insists that he wants to be cured so he can stop his bloodlust. However, Spider-Man insists that Morbius likes killing, pointing out that if he needed to live off blood there are ways of getting it without resorting to murder. Morbius explains that he cannot control his compulsion and beat the sickly wall-crawler into submission. However, before Moribus can feed he is attacked by the members of the Friends of Humanity, who mistake him for a mutant. Their baseball bats break harmlessly against the vampire's body. As Morbius turns to deal with the bigots, Mary Jane tries to convince them to run. Unfortunately, Morbius manages to grab one of the Humanity members and begins feeding on him.
By this point, Spider-Man recovers and forces Morbius to stop feeding on the racist. Becoming frenzied from his hunger, Morbius tells the wall-crawler that he has given him no choice but to feast on the hero. However, Spider-Man is so weak he can barely stand on his own two feet. That's when Mary Jane gets between Spider-Man and Morbius. She then tries to convince the vampire to stop and let someone help him. She is joined by Doctor Jensen who has come with an IV bag full of blood. She offers to use her knowledge to help try and cure him, but will only do so if he resists his urge to kill. After a tense moment of silence, Morbius takes the IV of blood and goes with Andrea without further incident. Although he is still weak, Spider-Man insists on going after Morbius, but Mary Jane points out that the member of the Friends of Humanity is in need of medical attention. Realizing that he has no choice, the wall-crawler carries the young man to the emergency room. Joined by Mary Jane, she is proud to see that no matter what happens, her husband Peter always does the right thing, no matter the price.
The next edition of the Daily Bugle has a front page story about the incident. The headline screams "SPIDER-MAN AND VAMPIRE ATTACK E.S.U. STUDENT IS THERE A MUTANT CONNECTION?"
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Friends of Humanity, Morbius the Living Vampire, Mary Jane Watson, Flash Thompson, Betty Brant, Doctor Andrea Janson
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.
Peter has been uncomfortable about the return of Arthur and Jill Stacy to New York. This is because, as Spider-Man, Peter blames himself for the death of George Stacy (Arthur's brother) and his daughter Gwen. The pair died in Amazing Spider-Man #90 and 121 respectively.
The narration recounts the origins of Morbius the Living Vampire. Those events happened in Amazing Spider-Man #101.
Morbius' blood lust has been growing ever since he fed on Nate Grey in X-Man #24.
The members of the Friends of Humanity mention the death of their founder, Graydon Creed. Creed, a presidential candidate, was recently assassinated in X-Factor #130. The identity of the shooter is not revealed until X-Men Forever #2.
Continuity Errors
Mary Jane thoughts here state that when she was unaware that Peter was Spider-Man when they first started dating. This is not accurate at all, as seen in Marvel Graphic Novel #46, Mary Jane has been aware that Peter has been Spider-Man years before they actually met as she saw him leave his Aunt May's home in costume on the night his Uncle Ben was murdered (circa Amazing Fantasy #15). She kept this a secret until Amazing Spider-Man #257.
