Spider-Man 2099 Meets Spider-Man #1
Spider-Man has found himself in the year 2099 AD and is being pursued by the police force known as the Public Eye. Not knowing where he is or how he got there, the wall-crawler calls out for help. Thinking that they are dealing with the Spider-Man of their own era, the Public Eye officers order the web-slinger to surrender, but the masked hero refuses to do so and easily disarms the shooters. He then leaps onto the back of one of the Public Eye crafts and grabs the officer in a headlock. He asks the officer what year it is and is told that it is the year 2099. Spotting a tunnel going into the ground, Spider-Man decides to leap down the tunnel. Seeing that this leads to Downtown, the Public Eye decides to break off their hunt.
While in the modern age, Miguel O'Hara wakes up exhausted after his battle with the Vulture the night before. Thinking he is in his own home he calls out for the lights to turn on. When there is no response, he then calls for Lyla, his holographic personal assistant. This wakes up Mary Jane, who is sleeping next to him, thinking that it is her husband talking.[1] When she turns on the bedside light. When she sees Miguel O'Hara in the bed next to her, instead of Peter Parker, she screams. Miguel tries to tell her that this is some big mistake and can't answer her demands as to what happened to her husband. Grabbing his costume, Miguel goes up onto the roof hoping it is all just some dream. However, when he sees the New York City skyline he begs for himself to wake up.[2] In some other time or place, a group of men observes the two Spider-Men as they try to make sense of their situations. Their leader tells them to keep observing, that things are going according to plan, and what happens next is up to them. In the future, Spider-Man crawls through the tunnel to Downtown, thinking that he is being punished for sneaking out to go on patrol as Spider-Man.
In the present, the Spider-Man of 2099 swings across the city and realizes that this is old New York, the place that is now part of Downtown in his own time. Coming across the Daily Bugle, he recalls that before the advent of the info nets of his time, news was printed on newspaper. Going into the Bugle, he explains to the reporters that he is from the future and wants to know what the news of the day is so he can figure out why he has been brought to this era. His information gathering is interrupted by publisher J. Jonah Jameson, who doesn't believe that this man is from the future, figuring that he is Spider-Man trying to play some kind of trick. With no patience for Jameson's rants, Spider-Man webs up Jonah's mouth and pushes him into a wheeled chair. Seeing how Jameson was treated by this Spider-Man, the Daily Bugle staff is even more interested in helping him. While in 2099, Hikaru-Sama of Stark-Fujikawa contacts Tyler Stone of Alchemax. He informs Stone that his company has picked up strange energy readings and reminds Tyler that if Alchemax is responsible for these readings, that such energies are illegal to experiment on. When he Hikaru asks to inspect the Alchemax facilities, Stone declines his offer. While Downtown, Spider-Man continues to try and figure out what he is doing in the future. Suddenly, his spider-sense goes off allowing him to avoid an attack from the Vulture of this era. Like many others, the Vulture mistakes Spider-Man for his counterpart in this era.[3] Although Spider-Man easily deflects this ambush, the Vulture then starts threatening the people on the street who have gathered.[4] Spider-Man quickly knocks out the Vulture. When the crowd approaches him, their religious fervor toward him creeps the wall-crawler out and he slips away. Climbing up the side of a building, the web-head bumps into Gabriel O'Hara, who mistakes Spider-Man for his brother, Miguel. Once he realizes that this isn't his brother, Gabriel begins to panic, but Spider-Man calms him down by asking for his help.
In the present, the Spider-Man of 2099 learns that a small firm called Fujikawa Industries is about to test a new energy conservation device.[5] He realizes that what day today is, he asks for the story to be printed out so he can look into it. By this point, J. Jonah Jameson has gotten free and threatens to have Spider-Man arrested. Miguel removes his mask to try and make a point that he is from the future -- hence why he is willing to reveal his face in public. He also warns Jonah that something tragic is going to happen that will cost the lives of many unless he does something. He finishes his tirade against Jonah by telling him that in the future Spider-Man is revered as a hero, while J. Jonah Jameson is lost to obscurity. Jameson doesn't believe it. Spider-Man 2099 leaves the Daily Bugle, the group watching him from another time wait impatiently for him to notice Mary Jane coming to the Daily Bugle to look for her husband. Recognizing her, Miguel swings down and snatches Mary Jane off the ground and asks for her help. Taking her to a nearby rooftop, Spider-Man explains that he has figured out that she is the lover of this era's Spider-Man. He tries to tell her that today is the day where super-villains are going to try and take over it, causing a great cataclysm that will begin the end of the golden age of heroes. He says that of all the heroes who disappear during this time, Spider-Man is the first one. With that, Miguel pulls off his mask and he and Mary Jane officially introduce themselves to each other.
In the year 2099, Spider-Man is given a disguise so Gabriel can take him to Miguel's apartment. There he has Miguel's assistant Layra scan his Peter Parker to confirm who he is. Lyla finds no record of Peter in her records. Although he doesn't know who he really is anymore, he still wants to get back to the present and decides Alchemax is the best place to start.[6] While back in the present, Mary Jane is surprised to learn that Miguel was inspired by her husband to become the Spider-Man of his era. Miguel admits that he didn't want to become Spider-Man at first, but grew into the role.[7] Suddenly, Miguel begins seeing things with his enhanced vision and realizes that the trouble at Fujikawa Industries is about to begin and puts on his costume. While in 2099, Spider-Man begins to sense a similar energy reading with his spider-sense. This energy signature is coming out of the Alchemax building. As the crisis reaches its climax, the men observing both Spider-Men are suddenly attacked by a hooded being on a glider who has been manipulating events to ensure the two Spider-Men fail their mission.
In the present, Spider-Man 2099 makes his way to Fujikawa where he is ambushed by Venom. Venom can sense that this is not the Spider-Man of this era, but is ill-prepared for this hero's talons and lack of humor. In 2099 AD, Tyler Stone is operating a machine is tapping temporal energies from the fifth dimension. They have based this device on an invention from the modern age.[8] However, with Hikaru coming to investigate Alchemax operations and orders the machine shut down. Unfortunately, the technicians have lost control of the device because some outside force has taken control of it. Outside, Spider-Man is scaling the side of the building when he is attacked by the Public Eye. Having no time for this, the wall-crawler goes smashing into the lab where the device is located. Looking into it, the wall-crawler thinks he can see his wife through the energy field. In the present, Mary Jane is thinking about the future, and now that she knows what is going to happen she feels that her hopes for tomorrow have been stolen from him. While at Fujikawa, Spider-Man 2099 continues to battle Venom. His villain suddenly stops fighting and flees the scene. Turning to see what scared Venom away, Spider-Man sees visions of Earth's heroes in the energy field, seeing the moments leading to the end of the heroic age.
Miguel is pulled into the energy field by the modern Spider-Man and the pair find themselves pulled into the timestream. The two Spiders decide to forgo any fighting, realizing that they should work together. They are pulled forward in time to a future where all of humanity is in ruins. As they wonder where they are, they are ambushed by a new Hobgoblin who tells them that they are in his domain in the year 2211. He explains that he has come to create a temporal flux to destroy them with the Hobgoblin's powers, which are a combination of science and sorcery. Although the two Spider-Men try to take down the Hobgoblin, the villain is too powerful for them. Their foe then pulls out two weapons he calls Retcon Bombs, which will erase both men from history. However, before these bombs can hit their targets, the bombs are caught in the webbing of the Spider-Man of 2211 who has come to save his predecessors. The hero of 2211 then tosses the Retcon Bomb at the two flux generators. This causes both Spider-Men to be sent into the timestream again. However, this time, they are sent in different directions. Both men are curious about why the other became a masked hero. They are both unsurprised when they both say they became Spider-Man because they had to. As they part ways, they complement themselves on each other’s costumes.
Peter finds himself back at his apartment, where he is happy to see his wife. While in the future, Miguel looks through the historical records and determines that history is still the same, the heroes of the modern age went missing at some point. The only difference is that the date the great cataclysm happens is no longer listed. Although Gabriel and Layla don't remember there ever being a date. Miguel remembers there was a date, but he is now starting to forget when it was. Miguel figures that the Richards Doctrine was wrong and that the future is always in flux.[9] While in the present, Peter Parker admits to his wife that seeing the future has convinced him that everything he does worthwhile and that his actions will impact people generations from now. Mary Jane tells Peter not to needlessly risk his life because people are counting on him.
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.
The original twin towers of the World Trade Center are depicted as part of the New York City skyline here. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616. The original towers were destroyed in a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, and have since been replaced by the Freedom Tower.
The Vulture mentions his recent battle with the Spider-Man of 2099. Based on the chronological placement of this story, that would be the battle that occurred in Spider-Man 2099 #6-8.
Spider-Man makes a quip about actor Kato Kaelin. At the time of this story, Kaelin was the subject of a lot of punchlines due to his involvement in a number of sleazy direct-to-video films and his involvement in the OJ Simpson murder trial. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616. It's also unlikely that he will become President of the United States, so the Vulture's reference to Kaelin becoming President at some point between the Modern Age and 2099 AD seems incredibly unlikely and should also be considered a topical reference as well.
Spider-Man 2099 realizes that he is in a time prior to the merger of Stark-Fujikawa. On Earth-616, Stark and Fujikawa Industries will not merge until Iron Man #329. However, Tony Stark would reaquire his part of the company in Iron Man Vol 3 #56.
At the time of his story, Peter was being manipulated by the Jackal into questioning if he is the real Peter Parker or if he is a clone as seen in the Smoke and Mirrors story arc.
Miguel's reluctant transition from scientist to hero was chronicled from Spider-Man 2099 #1-9.
Tyler Stone specifically states that the invention was from the 1990s. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.
This statement is the best explanation as to why the history of 2099 AD constantly changes during the events of Spider-Man 2099 Vol 2 and 3.
