Dark Reign: Mister Negative #1

Jul 19

Jul 19 Dark Reign: Mister Negative #1

The Last Stand of Mister Negative

In New York City’s Chinatown, Mister Negative meets with another Chinese supervillain known as the White Dragon. The meeting is taking a turn for the disrespectful when the White Dragon notes that Negative hails from Fujian province, which - historically - the White Dragon’s ancestors from Guangdong gathered pesants to sell into slavery all over the world. Negative points out that if anyone it’s the White Dragon, since his current master is a Lao Fan. Getting down to business, White Dragon explains that his “Lao Fan” the Hood, has sent him to inform Mister Negative that he, like every other supervillain in the five boroughs, are now working for him. However, Mister Negative refuses to hand over his stake in Chinatown. White Dragon says that 65% of all the income Negative earns from his human trafficking, prostition and illegal gambling operations are to be paid to the Hood. Since Mister Negative is currently trying to crush the Maggia, he decides an alliance with the Hood is in order. When White Dragon says this is more subservience to the Hood, Mister Negative still shakes on it. This however, is only so he can use his powers on the White Dragon, turning him into a loyal servant.

Under Mister Negative’s control the now-Black Dragon returns to the Hood’s hideout and begins attacking members of his gang, telling them that preaching his loyalty to Mister Negative. When the Hood enters the room, he guns down the White Dragon, causing him to revert back to normal. The Answer tells him that Mister Negative must have subverted White Dragon to his cause. The Hood decides that if Mister Negative is going to play hardball, he’s going to play back, since his neighborhood of Brooklyn invented hardball.[1]

Meanwhile, Betty Brant — reporter for the DB! — has been tasked with investigating Martin Li, the philanthropist being the FEST Homeless shelter.[2] What she knows began a number of years ago when a cargo ship carrying over 200 Chinese immigrants trying to enter the United States illegally arrived off Rockaway Beach. When the fishing boats that were supposed to bring them to shore never arrived, the Sneakhead (human trafficker) in charge ordered the captain to get closer to shore so the passengers can swin to shore. That’s when the ship got stuck on a sandbar near the local Coast Guard station. When the surviving undocumented immigrants discovered this they decided to take their chances swimming to shore rather than getting caught by the Coast Guard and being shipped back to China, especially after the three months of hell they endured to get to America. Unfortunately, in their weakened condition, they were unprepared for the waters currents. The following day, the people of Rockaway awoke to discover 212 drowned Chinese immigrants on their beach. The lone survivor was the man they now know as Martin Li.

From there, Martin transformed the Chinatown garment shop he worked into an financial empire and used political donations to both parties to gain amnesty for his illegal status. Eventually, Martin Li’s philanthropy work led to him winning the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This was due, in no small part, to the foundation of the FEAST Center. Recounting all of this, Betty Brant doesn’t feel entirely right digging up dirt on Martin Li for the DB!, but sticks with it because it is her job.[3] Investigating Martin Li’s background, Betty is surprised to discover that although Martin is a millionaire he has his wife, Yana Li, living in a four storey walk-up on East Broadway. Deciding to look into this, Betty pays a vistit to Yana’s apartment on the outskirts of Chinatown to try and get an interview.

At that moment, Martin Li is driving across the city and take the time to call May Parker and asks her to come up with a short list of people she thinks would be best to lead the new FEAST Center they are opening in Jackson Heights in the following month. At that same moment, HAMMER is shutting down Chinatown to help facilitate an operation for the Hood being carrying out by Lightmaster and the Spot. Lightmaster finds the fact that the Spot never talks very unnerving and wonders what sort of connections the Hood has to be able to bribe HAMMER, and reminds the Spot never to get on their bosses bad side. Lightmaster then uses his powers to cause a blackout all over Chinatown, prompting Martin Li to tell May that he’ll call her back. At that same moment, White Rabbit, the Squid, and the Scorcher are sent to smash Mister Negative’s criminal operations in the area and kill everyone they find.

May calls her nephew, Peter Parker, to express her concerns over Martin Li’s abrupt end to their conversation, especially with news coming out about some kind of incident in Chinatown. Peter turns on the television and and sees an representative from HAMMER giving a press conference saying that what’s going on is a routine training exercise. Peter tries to ignore the situation but realizes he can’t just leave Martin Li in a situation like this and goes out looking for him as Spider-Man.

By this time, Martin Li has transformed into Mister Negative and has been taken to his hideout. There his Inner Demons and Hammerhead inform him on the attacks on his illegal businesses. Mister Negative is aware of the situation and orders his minions to hold the line while he has organized a contingency plan. That’s when the Answer arrives outside Mister Negative’s stronghold with the Spot, the Squid, Scorcher, White Rabbit, Lightmaster, Speed Demon, and Bloodshed. While they are busy fighting the Inner Demons, Spider-Man arrive sat Martin Li’s townhouse. Not recognizing Mister Negative in the darkness, Spider-Man tells Martin that they have to get out, but when he touches Negative’s body, Spider-Man is transformed by his corrupted influence.

Back at the scene of the battle, the Answer has the Spot teleport all the the Inner Demons to Staten Island, leaving only Hammerhead left to defend his master’s stronghold. That’s when Spider-Man, now under Mister Negative’s influence, has arrives saying that he has come to kill them all in the name of Mister Negative.

Recurring Characters

Mister Negative, Spider-Man, Hammerhead, the Hood’s Gang (The Hood, Bloodshed, Lightmaster, Scorcher, Speed Demon, the Spot, the Squid, White Dragon/Black Dragon. White Rabbit), Aunt May, Betty Brant, HAMMER, Yana Li

Continuity Notes

Although White Dragon appears to die here, he turns up alive again (and back under Mister Negative’s control) in Web of Spider-Man (vol. 2) #9-11.
Betty was assigned by Dexter Bennett to dig up dirt on Martin Li since he gave his support to mayoral candidate Bill Hollister in Amazing Spider-Man #588.
Betty mentions how she is an ex-secretary and ex-wife. The facts:
- Betty Brant was married to Ned Leeds. The couple tied the knot in Amazing Spider-Man #156. She was windowed when Ned was murdered by the Foreigner’s assassins in Spider-Man Versus Wolverine #1/Amazing Spider-Man #289.
- Betty was a secretary for the Daily Bugle on-and-off for years starting in Amazing Spider-Man #4. She later became a reporter in Web of Spider-Man #91 in order to bring her husband’s killer to justice and stuck with the job ever since, surviving Dexter Bennet’s take over of the Bugle’s and it’s subsequent downsizing and rebranding to the DB! in Amazing Spider-Man #548.