Spider-Man: Secret Wars #2
This story takes place prior to the events of Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #3…
Now
Part of the patchwork planet called Battleworld is the city of Denver, Colorado. Spider-Man and Ben Grimm have found an unlikely ally in Doctor Doom.[1] They have gathered the locals to defend their city from troll-like alien invaders. As the X-Men’s dragon Lockheed returns signaling the time to fight is upon them. While Spider-Man and Ben Grimm give words of encouragement to keep fighting, Doom orders them to destroy the would-be invaders.
One Day Earlier
Spider-Man and Ben Grimm have come that Denver was one of the cities taken by the Beyonder to make Battleworld. Walking around the city, they wonder why the Beyonder chose to make it part of this patchwork planet. They are also surprised about how calm the citizens are even though their city has been transported to an alien world. Still, they have come at the behest of Mister Fantastic to keep the people of Denver informed on what is going on in order to prevent any panics from forming. They have come to set up holographic projectors which contain a recorded message from Reed Richards telling them how they were brought here by a being called the Beyonder and that once the gathered heroes defeat their foes they will do everything in their power to return Denver to Earth.
Once they have completed their task they are greeted by woman named Janet who invites the two heroes into her apartment to meet her family and have dinner with them. They meet her husband Albie and their children Rachel and Jordan. Janice then goes to look for Hubert, their oldest son. As Ben and Spider-Man entertain the children, Albie tells them about the Spindles — as they have come to be called by the locals — a group of troll-like creatures from another world that have been giving them trouble. That’s when Janet returns with her son who is just as surprised to see two superheroes in his home. As they sit down to dinner, Spider-Man and Ben ask for more information about the Spindles. Janice suggests that they talk to the Bildes, a family Janice took in that actually met the creatures.
Upstairs, they meet with Jerry and Susan Bilde. They used to live on the outskirts of Denver. One day, not long after their city was stolen by the Beyonder, the Bilde’s were working in the yard when a horde of Spindles tried to attack them. Luckily, they were saved by a small dragon, allowing them to flee into the city. They then introduce Spider-Man and Grimm to the dragon in question, who turns out to be Kitty Pryde’s pet dragon Lockheed.[2] That’s when Hubert also reveals that Doctor Doom has been hanging out in Denver. Hubert takes them to his girlfriend’s apartment where they see Doctor Doom on a balcony of an apartment building across the street. For some reason, he is talking to two locals Marsha Rosenberg and Mary MacPherran.[3] Unfortunately, all Hubert has seen them do is talk with Doctor Doom but has no idea why Doom keeps coming to the city.
Spider-Man and Ben both agree that they should find out what Doctor Doom’s plans are and decide to stay the night. They are invited to stay the night in Hubert’s room where they discover that the teen is a huge fan of the Thing. The following morning, Spider-Man and Ben begin spying on Doctor Doom to figure out what’s going on. As Spider-Man tails the Latverian monarch he begins finding more people that have been displaced by the Spindles. Unfortunately, he can’t figure out what Doom is up to other than talking to the locals. Doom soon becomes aware of the fact that he is being tailed and decides to confront Ben Grimm instead of attacking the two heroes outright.
Doom tells them flat out that he has discovered a device that can give power to two different individuals and had been canvassing the locals to find worthy candidates. Now that Spider-Man and Ben Grimm are here, he then offers them the opportunity instead. He offers Ben Grimm power without being a monster like the Thing, and Spider-Man boosted abilities that will give him the edge over his foes. However, both Spider-Man and Ben flatly reject this deal with the devil. That’s when they are contacted by Reed Richards who warns them that the Spindles are amassing an invasion force that is going to attack Denver. Both Richards and Doom agree that the best way of dealing with the Spindles is to mount an aggressive defense to convince them that Denver is too costly a prize to win.
Now
Spider-Man, Ben Grimm, and Doctor Doom lead the citizen of Denver into battle against the Spindles, with Lockheed providing air support. Everyone fights fiercely against overwhelming odds. Things begin to look grim when Lockheed runs out of steam but everyone keeps fighting. Three of the fiercest citizens are Marsha, Mary, and Hubert. At one point, Hubert is knocked down by one of the attackers and is saved by none other than Doctor Doom. Ultimately, the people of Denver succeed in driving off the invaders. Spider-Man thanks Doctor Doom for saving Hubert’s life. In the aftermath of the battle, Doctor Doom decides to select Marsha and Mary as the recipients of power he is offering.
Spider-Man and Ben decide to let Doom and his new allies go, since they owe him one and decide to celebrate with the people of Denver.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Ben Grimm, Doctor Doom, Lockheed, Mister Fantastic, Skeeter McPherran, Marsha Rosenberg
Continuity Notes
It should be noted here that Ben Grimm is in human form. He reverted back to this state in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #2. He will discover the ability to change back and forth, thinking that some property on Battleworld is the cause of this ability. However, as it is revealed in Fantastic Four #245, Ben actually had this ability from the get-go but his low-esteem and fears of losing his then-girlfriend Alicia Masters prevented him from doing so.
Lockheed went missing during one of the early clashes between the heroes and villains gathered in Battleworld. See Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #2.
This is alluding to the fact that Doom will give both women super-powers, turning them into Volcana and Titania respectively. See Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #3.
Topical References
One of the locals mentions how he once saw Satchel Paige pitch back in 1952. This should be considered a topical reference since the Sliding Timescale will eventually bump ahead where someone being alive to see Paige pitch in 1952 while still being alive in the Modern Age of the Marvel Universe will become an impossibility. Paige was a was a professional baseball pitcher who played in both the Negro League and Major League Baseball. He retired from baseball after the 1965 season and died in 1982.
