Spider-Man 2099 Annual #1
Leap of Faith
Kenny, a worshiper of Spider-Man, has climbed to the top of a high rise. He calls out to Spider-Man, saying that he believes in him that he will not let the vigilante down. When Public Eye officers begin surrounding the building telling Kenny to get down. He complies, but not in the way they expected as he leaps off the building. As he plummets he thinks back...
He remembers how his wife Loreen is upset that Kenny hasn't done much of anything since he was unemployed and they are flat broke. Kenny assures her that things are going to get better. This upsets her, because Kenny is waiting for the return of Thor, and she is fed up with him because that's all he has been doing since he was fired from Alchemax. He gets upsetting telling her that he is going to show her what kind of man he really is. With that, he grabs something out of the closet and storms out. Loreen demands to know what he is doing but gets no answer. When Kenny leaves their apartment, Loreen realizes that Kenny is about to do something stupid.
Sure enough, Kenny has dressed up as Thor and is flying around uptown on a skykite. He proclaims that Thor is coming and the downfall of corporations like Alchemax. It just so happens, this was at the very moment Miguel O'Hara had gotten his spider-powers and was trying to escape the Alchemax building.[1] As Miguel leaped onto his skykite, his newly grown finger talons shred the material. When Kenny asks who this man is, Miguel makes a snide comment for Kenny to pick either Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, or Spider-Man. Believing that this is the Spider-Man of legendary, Kenny proclaims him as a harbinger of Thor. Once they are safely on a rooftop, Kenny tells Miguel that Spider-Man needs to be wearing a mask and gives him the shredded material of his skykite.
Recalling this memory, Kenny begins to smile as the Public Eye officers try to catch him. Unfortunately, Kenny is falling too fast for them to catch him. Once more...
After his encounter with Spider-Man, Kenny meets with other Thorites to tell them about his encounter with Spider-Man. Kenny insists that he saw the start of a new age of heroes. This is met with laughter from his colleague. When Kenny doesn't understand why one of his fellow Thorites -- Baldur -- who wonders why, of all people if Spider-Man returned he would appear before Kenny before anyone else. Angered and humiliated, Kenny returns home and tells Loreen to shred his Thor costume. He then sits down and turns on the television. He turns on the television. The regular programming is interrupted by a news report of Spider-Man's battle with Venture. Kenny is horrified when he witnesses Kenny and his fellow Thorites getting killed by the cyborg vigilante.[2] Seeing Spider-Man in battle reaffirms Kenny beliefs that he did meet Spider-Man and Baldur and the others were smited for disbelieving him.
As he continues to fall, Kenny believes that Spider-Man will save him. As the ground rushes ever closer, thinks back one more time...
Loreen came home to discover that Kenny has once again avoided getting a job to start a sect of Spiderites.[3] Furious that her husband continues to do nothing, Loreen kicks the other Spiderites out, much to Kenny's humiliation. Loreen has had enough and tells Kenny that she wants a divorce as she is tired of Kenny slipping further and further into religious mania at the expense of their marriage. As she tries to talk sense into Kenny some Spiderites return to tell Kenny that they are being attacked by the Fenris in retaliation for how Spider-Man humiliated them recently.[[4] Kenny decides to go out and join the fight, despite Loreen's concerns about the danger. He ignores her and runs out of the room, leaving Loreen to cry. Kenny joins the fight but gets badly beaten. The fight ends when Spider-Man arrives and chases away the members of the Fenris. Seeing this, Kenny thinks that Spider-Man answered his prayers and saved him.
As Kenny gets closer to the ground, Kenny believes that Spider-Man will save him, proving to everyone -- especially Loreen -- that he was right all along. He thinks about the moments that led up to his literal leap of faith...
Loreen has packed some bags and is about to leave the apartment she has shared with Kenny. That's when Kenny comes in all battered and bloody. Loreen is horrified and scolds him for getting involved in a fight where he could have gotten himself killed. Kenny is still diluted into thinking that Spider-Man would not have allowed him to die. When she tells Kenny that he is crazy, he loses his temper, accusing her of always tearing him down. This is the final straw for Loreen who finally leaves. As she walks out of the apartment, Kenny yells her from the window that he will finally show everyone that he is right.
By this time, Kenny is getting close to the ground had he begins to panic. Especially when he sees Miguel O'Hara watching from the crowd below. Realizing that Spider-Man can't rescue him without his mask, Kenny braced himself before he hits the ground.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Kenny,
Continuity Notes
This encounter between Kenny and Miguel happened in Spider-Man 2099 #2.
This scene was first depicted in Spider-Man 2099 #3.
Former Thorites started worshiping Spider-Man as early as Spider-Man 2099 #9.
Spider-Man trounced the Fenris' leader in Spider-Man 2099 #17
Faith Healer
After walking out on her husband Kenny, Loreen has come to St. Patrick's Cathedral. There she prays to God for a sign of what she should do next. Suddenly, there is a flash of light in the church as the Net Prophet teleports into the church looking for Father Jennifer. Loreen panics until Father Jennifer arrives and tells her it's okay, calling the Net Prophet a friend. The Prophet explains that after seeing this time and place, he is at a loss as to what he should do with himself.[1] The Father tells him that God will show him a sign when the time is right. This reminds the Net Prophet to ask about why people worship Spider-Man, Thor, and about the creatures that live in New Atlantis. This has all struck a chord with him over the few memories he has. He recalls a time he was worshiped and doesn't think he likes it.
That's when Loreen to speak up about the Spiderites and tells the Net Prophet about Kenny and how he is probably going to get himself killed. The Prophet asks to see a picture of Kenny. Seeing Kenny's photo, the Net Prophet feels his power ramping up. Not knowing why, he tells both Loreen and Jennifer that sometimes you have to do things operating on faith. The Net Prophet then teleports away. He then appears in the crowd that has gathered to watch Kenny fall from the top of a building. Seeing Kenny fall, the Net Prophet quickly teleports himself and Kenny away before the astonished crowd -- which includes Miguel O'Hara and his fiancee Dana D'Angelo.[2]
Kenny is teleported into the ocean in order to stop the dissipate his speed. Pulling Kenny out of the water, the Net Prophet explains how he saved his life. Kenny thinks this is yet another sign from Spider-Man. In response, the Net Prophet kicks Kenny and calls him an idiot. He tells Kenny that both her and Spider-Man are just men and not any less an agent of God than Kenny is. He finishes his speech by telling Kenny that he needs to have faith in himself over anything else. With that, the Net Prophet teleports Kenny back to the church where Loreen is waiting for him. He tells Father Jennifer that he saved the life of one soul, he only has several billion more to go and teleports away.
Recurring Characters
Net-Prophet, Loreen, Father Jennifer D’Angelo, Dana D’Angelo, Miguel O’Hara
Continuity Notes
The Net Prophet was pulled to this era in Spider-Man 2099 #12.
One of the bystanders say that the city has gone crazy after the Aesir. They are referring to the Fall of the Hammer Event.
Deep Cover
On the ocean floor, the excavation of the Alchemax Atlantis uncovers an old Russian submarine. When Special Projects Director Christa Devane reports back to Alchemax, her boss Tyler Stone comes to see it himself, bringing Miguel O'Hara with him because he has a background in 20th-century computer formats. When they arrive, Miguel is surprised to see such an old submarine. Initial examinations have indicated that the sub is over 135 years old.[1] Soon Miguel is put to work trying to decode the computer database.
In the meantime, Christa Devane brings Tyler Stone to another segment of the ship, a number of bodies in cryogenic stasis. Tyler intends on examining them well before Miguel decodes the computer data, thinking that whatever secrets the cylinders contain will be no threat to 2099 technology. Meanwhile, Miguel has finished translating the computer data from Russian to English. He begins reading about a secret project called Red Dawn: First Strike. It details that the individuals in the stasis tubes are a number of Russian cyborgs -- designated Doktor October, Red Dawn, and Hammer -- that were part of a secret strike force created to wage war on the United States in the last century. O'Hara then realizes that Tyler Stone would be foolish to open up the cryo chambers without knowing what was inside. In the lab, Tyler Stone orders the cryogenic tubes to be opened. He figures that these cyborgs might fill in the gaps in the information they have on the end of the last heroic age. Stone is interested in learning more about this era in the hopes of ending the one that is currently frustrating the operations of Alchemax.
As Miguel rushes to the lab, he changes into Spider-Man so he can try and stop Tyler before he unleashes these dangerous cyborgs. However, he arrives too late to stop them from freeing the cyborg named Chernobyl. The cyborg is surprised that he was freed by an American. Thinking that he is in his own era, he tells Tyler Stone that he intends to crush the United States and has a particular interest in destroying Captain America. That's when Alchemax security tires to blow Chernobyl away, but their weapons have no effect. That's when Spider-Man enters the room and ambushes Chernobyl. As the two battle, the hero tries to convince Chernobyl that he has been in suspended animation for almost a century and the war he was created to fight in is long over. Breaking free from the Alchemax building, Chernobyl decides that he is going to destroy New York City. Realizing that Chernobyl's armor is actually attached to his body, Spider-Man begins shredding it off with his finger talons. Realizing his defeat is imminent, Chernobyl begins overloading his systems which will cause him to self-destruct taking out within 1000 square kilometers. As a last-ditch effort, Spider-Man forces Chernobyl to look at the world around him.
Realizing that Spider-Man was telling the truth, and he no longer has any purpose left in the world. Chernobyl flies up into the air and out of orbit where he hopes he can discharge the energy safely. When Chernobyl seemingly explodes, Spider-Man can see the blast from the surface, and can't help but feel sorry for the guy. The hero then rushes back to Alchemax and changes back into Miguel O'Hara. There he accidentally pours coffee on the antique computer, shorting it out and plays it up as an accident so Tyler Stone can't capitalize on the information it contained. Meanwhile, in Siberia, Chernobyl has survived and is confronted by a soldier who tells him to turn around or be destroyed. Chernobyl kills the soldier instead and continues on his solitary walk across the frozen tundra.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Tyler Stone
Continuity Notes
Based on this figure, the submarine was built in 1964. This story has multiple references to it being a relic of the heroic age. Later on in the story, Chernobyl states that he wishes to fight Captain America. 1964 happens to be the year Avengers #4 was released, which featured the return of Captain America. As such, this should be considered a topical reference. Per Superior Spider-Man #17 the modern age is locked in at least two generations prior to 2099 AD.
