Spider-Man: Made Men #1
Ben Urich sits down to write a story about two kids that grew up on the same street he did, Terry Kavanagh and Paulie Falcone. Whereas Urich grew up to become a reporter for the Daily Bugle, Kavanagh and Falcone had gone down very different paths. Ben decides the title to this story will be called “Made Men”[1]…
It all started for Terry and Paulie when they were still kids. They happened upon the Kingpin in the middle of a brawl with both Spider-Man and Daredevil. They watch as the Kingpin beat both into submission as if they were nothing. Spotting the two children, the Kingpin gives them money to keep their mouths shut, threatening to kill them if they don’t. He then tells them to give him a call when they’re old enough to shave and he’ll have some work for them.[2] At least that’s how Tommy tells it to his friends when they are drinking at Alex’s Bar & Grill.
After going away to the Army and to college, Paulie came back to the old neighborhood and when Tommy is telling the same old story, Paulie points out that the Kingpin wasn’t beating on Spider-Man and Daredevil that night, but two crooked cops. This causes an argument between the two childhood friends as Tommy holds it against Paulie for leaving the neighborhood. The two almost come to blows but the fight is broken up by a mutual friend. Tommy has had enough and decides to leave and tells them all that he’s going to be a big shot.
Ben Urich pauses his narrative to detail the first time he did a story on the mobster known as Hammerhead. At the time, Urich was still a cub reporter and was assigned to work with Frank Milner who wrote the crime beat for the Bugle at the time. That case involved the murder of numbers racketeer named Phil Fingers. Seeing how Hammerhead had mangled the body was enough to make Urich sick. Milner’s only mistake was his inability to drop the story because Fingers was one of his informants. His obsession led to him neglecting his career, the end of his marriage, and eventually, he was found in the same condition as Fingers.[3] He continues the story…
That evening in the dead of night on a private plane makes a landing at JFK Airport. The plane is carrying the Kingpin who has returned to New York City after a long absence. He has returned to reclaim the city that was once his.[4] The only people to witness the Kingpin’s return are Tommy and his pal, Rat, who are watching from their parked car on the parking lot. Tommy has been looking forward to this for years and paid to be able to get this close to the Kingpin. He knows that the Kingpin is going to need men, but he is struggling with how he should approach his idol. That’s when one of the other cars in the lot explodes and Hammerhead and his men arrive. Hammerhead explains that he wanted to give the Kingpin an appropriate greeting. The Kingpin is amused by all of this and tells Hammerhead if he is looking for a job to drop off his resume at his office. This angers Hammerhead who tells Fisk that he has enough trouble dealing with he Fortunado family without the Kingpin trying to muscle his way back in.[5] Wilson tells Hammerhead to do the smart thing and side with him before it’s too late. Seeing Hammerhead pulling a gun, Tommy drives through the fence and runs through Hammerhead’s goons. They tell the Kingpin to get in. When Fisk asks who they are, Tommy says they are the men who are going to save him from Hammerhead. After snapping the neck of one of Hammerhead’s men, Fisk gets in the car and tells them to drive.
Urich pauses his narrative again to talk about Vincente Fortunado. When he was making his rounds at the Bugle, Fortunado was thought of as nothing more than a myth. In reality, he had been pulling the strings of organized crime from behind the scenes for years. After Frank Milner was replaced his successor was not very good on the crime beat. Urich decided to make Fortunado as the story to prove to J. Jonah Jameson that he had the chops to work the crime beat. When he next got vacation he flew to Europe and followed the rumors about Fortunado. Near the end of his vacation, he must have gotten too close as Fortunado found him in a cheap motel. The jaws of Fortunado’s pet wolf were around his throat and Fortunado suggested that it was time that they talked.
The day after Tommy saved the Kingpin, Paulie Falcone is being fitted with a wire but he warns his FBI field commander that it is too dangerous when he is trying to earn the truth of people who trust nobody. His field commander doesn’t care, even though Paulie was a hotshot with the DEA, he is going to do things as he is ordered. With a major mob war brewing, the Bureau wants them to do everything by the book. He almost comes to blow but he is stopped by a fellow agent. Later when he is out on the street, Paulie wonders what his commanding officer was thinking and quickly dumps the wire, knowing that having it on him will be certain death if he gets caught. He comes upon some muscle beating on a guy and tells them to stop it. They pull their guns and begin threatening Paulie, but that’s when his uncle Tony comes out and tells them to put their guns away, Paulie is family. Tony says that Paulie has come to take a job as a driver for the boss. The guards, however, won’t let Paulie in until the makes sure he’s not wearing a wire. After he passes the test he is taken to meet the boss, Don Fortundao.[6]
There is another pause as Ben goes over his past experiences with another crime boss named Silvermane. It was still when Ben was young enough to think he was immortal when he found the barrel of a gun pressed against his temple. He thought his credentials from working at the Daily Bugle would be all he needed to be allowed inside when he mustered up the bravery to knock on Silvermane’s front door. Surprisingly, instead of a bullet to the head, Urich was allowed to actually sit down and have a talk with Silvermane. Even though the mobster was incredibly old, Urich still feared for his life as they talked about what he intended to write about the famed mobster.[7]
One night, Tommy and Rat are sent on a job to steal on Silvermane on behalf of the Kingpin. While Rat is nervous, Tommy is cool as a cucumber because he wants to prove to the Kingpin that they are indispensable. He is also not very afraid of Silvermane, thinking that he is only an old man in a fancy wheelchair. Breaking into a restaurant through the backdoor they happen to witness Silvermane’s bodyguards in a gunfight with the Punisher. As Silvermane flees the scene, Tommy decides to take advantage of the opportunity. Shouting that the Kingpin sends his regards, Tommy manages to shoot the elderly mobster through the shoulder.
This time, Urich takes the time to talk about his experience trying to uncover the identity of the Rose. He recalls that the Rose managed to get high up in the Kingpin’s ranks and eventually got involved in every aspect of organized crime. At the time, Urich was paying an informant named Tony Tea Bags in his attempts to uncover the Rose’s identity. One Christmas Eve, Urich waited for Tony at a diner instead of spending it at home with his family. After Tony was two hours late a waiter came with a serving tray and put it on the table. Removing the lid it revealed a fish with its mouth stuffed with teabags and a single rose. Urich got the message, Tony Tea Bags was no longer on his payroll.[8]
That evening, Tommy and Paulie are having dinner together with their girlfriends. Since neither men talk wants to talk about their current jobs, Tommy’s girlfriend Lisa begins telling one of Tommy’s story. As usual, the story is embellished so Tommy looks like he’s the better man. Their meal is abruptly ended when two gunmen come in forcing Tommy and Paulie to take them down and get the girls home safe. The two go to a nearby cemetery to talk about what happened but they get to fighting instead. After they get it out of their system the two start to seriously talk about what they both do for a living. Paulie says he is working as a driver for the Fortunado mob. Tommy warns Paulie that something big is going down and Fortunado and the other mobs are expected to fall. When Paulie asks if the rumors that Tommy is working for the Kingpin are true, he tells Paulie that it’s not safe to answer and leaves to check on the girls before doing a job.
From here, Fisk talks about the time his investigative reporting went up against Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of Crime. He fears Fisk more than anyone because when he wrote about Daredevil’s crusade against Fisk, the Kingpin saw it as a threat. At first, the Kingpin had his fingers broken, then he threatened his wife. Because of this, he considered retiring for a time and now fears what it would mean if the Kingpin returned to power. Still, he will still write until he falls again. If the Kingpin doesn’t regain control, then he’s already picked out a place in Florida.[9]
At midnight that evening, the Kingpin meets with Norman Osborn about his intentions for the city. The Kingpin explains that he is willing to destroy what he loves in order to run it again, saying that anything can rise from the ashes, Norman Osborn being a perfect example. When he asks if Osborn will oppose him, Norman tells him that he will.[10]
Ben Urich refuses to write anything about Norman Osborn because of the trouble it caused him last time.[11]
What follows is a blood gang war as each mob family attacks the other and the bodies start piling up. Eventually, there is a temporary truce called for a meeting of crime bosses. Fortunado, Hammerhead, Silvermane, Caeser Cicero, and the Rose all meet to discuss what they are going to do about the return of Richard Fisk. When Cicero insults Fortunato, the elderly mobster attacks him. The fight quickly ends when a torpedo strikes their boat forcing everyone to abandon ship. As everyone flees the sinking ship, Fortunado turns to Paulie and tells him that he wants Wilson Fisk’s head. On the shore, Norman Osborn tells his men that one torpedo will be enough as he has accomplished his goal for the evening. Back with his superiors, Paulie tries to warn his field commander of the looming gang war but his racist attitude angers Paulie to the point where he punches out the field commander out and resigns his post. Later that evening, the Kingpin prepares for war to come to the doorstep of his office building. Sure enough, the rival mobs do come but they find opposition from Spider-Man, Daredevil, Captain America, and the Punisher. Upstairs, Paulie manages to get into the Kingpin’s office leading to a tense moment where Tommy and Paulie are pointing guns at each other. Eventually, Tommy shoots Paulie and helps the Kingpin open his secret escape passage. Once he has done so, the Kingpin fatally blasts Tommy in the back with the weapon concealed in his cane. To this betrayal, the Kingpin tells Tommy that he promised to look after Tommy for the rest of his life and he did and that Tommy made the biggest mistake in this business, he thought he had friends. With the Kingpin gone, Paulie crawls over to Tommy, as he dies, Tommy explains that he didn’t fatally shoot Paulie because they were friends.
Later, the Kingpin meets with Norman Osborn to discuss business. Everything went according to plan and both agree to a truce for the time being. However, as he walks away, Norman Osborn points out that they will have to deal with each other soon enough. The Kingpin knows this all too well. That’s when he notices two kids watching this exchange and goes through the same routine that he did with Paulie and Tommy all those years ago: money to keep their mouths shut, and the offer of a job when they’re old enough.
Ben Urich finishes his manuscript and locks it in a drawer. When his wife asks him if he’s done he does, but when she asks when it will be published he tells her that it won’t in his lifetime.
Recurring Characters
Ben Urich, Kingpin, Hammerhead, Don Fortunato, Silvermane, Norman Osborn, Rose, Caeser Cicero, Spider-Man, Daredevil, Punisher, Captain America, Doris Urich
Continuity Notes
Ben Urich is depicted as using a typewriter to transcribe his story. Usually, something like this would be considered a topical reference since typewriters aren’t used by reporters anymore. However, given the nature of the story he is writing here one could assume he is using a typewriter because a computer can be hacked.
There are no sources available that place when this flashback takes place that I have been able to find. I’d say that this flashback likely takes place sometime shortly after the Kingpin’s first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #50. Primarily since Tommy and Paulie are probably between 10 and 12 years old here. The Sliding Timescale would have moved 10 years between the flashback and the “present-day” of this story, which would fit since in they are depicted as adults in their 20s later on.
Urich recounts how Hammerhead used to be a normal mobster until he was seriously injured and experimented on by Jonas Harrow. This was all detailed in Amazing Spider-Man #113.
The Kingpin’s empire was dismantled in Daredevil #300. He left New York for a time until he decided to return to his home in X-Men (vol. 2) #64. However, the assertion that this was his first return back is not accurate as the Kingpin was active in Spider-Man/Kingpin: To the Death #1. He has also been active in New York in Marvel Knights: Double Shot #1, Elektra #16, and Daredevil #375 (this story takes place between the events of the Daredevil story) it could be that Urich is only aware of the Kingpin’s return after those events.
Hammerhead has been clashing with the Fortunado family since Spider-Man #70.
Paulie learns that Fortunado’s former driver was a guy named Joey Z and that he's no longer with the mob. That’s putting it mildly. Joey Z was murdered by the Trapster in Spider-Man #88.
Urich makes mention of Silvermane’s connections to Hydra and his dabbling in cybernetics. Silvermane was briefly the Supreme Hydra from Daredevil #120-123. Silvermane has been using cybernetics to prologue his life since Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #69.
At this time, Ben Urich thinks only one person has ever been the rose. However, at the time of this story, there have been three. The first was Richard Fisk, the Kingpin’s son, who operated as the Rose and later the Blood Rose from Amazing Spider-Man #253 until Web of Spider-Man #100. Sgt. Blume of the NYPD also operated as the Rose when Richard Fisk needed him to do so from Web of Spider-Man #87 until his death in Web of Spider-Man #89. The most recent Rose is actually fellow Bugle reporter Jacob Conover who took over the identity in Amazing Spider-Man #414. His identity will remain a secret until Amazing Spider-Man #436 when he is arrested for his crimes.
Ben Urich learned Daredevil’s secret identity in Daredevil #164 but decided to keep it to himself. Urich found himself in the Kingpin’s crosshairs during the Born Again story arc. His fingers were broken in Daredevil #229 and his wife was threatened in Daredevil #231.
The Kingpin is referring to how Norman Osborn managed to cheat death. He appeared to die when he was impaled by his Goblin Glider in Amazing Spider-Man #122. However, as revealed in Spider-Man: The Osborn Journal #1, Norman survived thanks to the healing properties of his Goblin Formula. Norman went into hiding until Amazing Spider-Man #412 and then revealing his survival to the public in Spectacular Spider-Man #250.
The reason why Ben Urich refuses to write anything about Norman Osborn is that he got burned spectacularly for doing so in the past. In Spider-Man: Legacy of Evil #1, Ben wrote a book revealing to the world that Norman Osborn was the Green Goblin. Since everyone thought Osborn was dead, this went uncontested. However, when Osborn revealed he was alive to the public it was also when he bought part ownership of the Daily Bugle and used it to systematically discredit Urich’s book. He managed to thoroughly “debunk” Urich’s book during the Spiderhunt event when he had a new Goblin kidnap his grandson.
