Inhumanity continues from Avengers A.I. #7.INH….

The Inhumans floating city of Attilan has been destroyed over Mahattan by Thanos.[1] As the clean-up effort begins, the Superior Spider-Man sees an opportunity. Assisting fire crews with his Spiderlings, Spider-Man manages to collect some of the debris to learn the technological secrets of the Inhumans.

As he swings across the city, Otto wonders how people can stand living between one crisis and another, never able to escape their tiny little lives. He is glad that he was able to escape his own prison, the dying body of Doctor Octopus.[2] His thoughts are interrupted when one of his Spiderlings reports that he may have found some Inhuman tech. Spider-Man orders him to stand by but the Spiderling decides to go in for a closer look. This causes his spider-tank to short out, forcing Spider-Man to save his life. After firing the Spiderling he checks with one of the firefighters to see what is going on.

He learns that the building has been compromised by a piece of Attilan that landed on the roof. Evacuation efforts have gotten mostly everybody out of the building except for Arthur and Susan Schweibe, an elderly couple who have lived there for years. Worse, whenever anyone goes up there to get them out their equipment shorts out and they start feeling weak. Spider-Man figures that whatever devices are in the wreckage drains energy from both organic and inorganic sources.

Going inside to try and get the Schwiebe’s out again, Spider-Man is ambushed by Arthur Schweibe who is encased in a suit of Inhuman body armor. The armor boosts his strength and he refuses to let anyone vacate him and his wife from his home. As Spider-MAn battles Arthur, he discovers that his wife is dying of cancer and he hopes to use his body armor to make her well again. That’s when the fireman who came in with Spider-Man returns and says he is suddenly too weak to help others get out of the building. In fact, everyone around is growing weaker while Arthur is becoming stronger. It’s then deduced that the armor is draining the life forces of people around the area.

Realizing that he is hurting Susan, Arthur discards the armor and rushes to her side. Realizing this technology is too dangerous for anyone to wield, Spider-Man shatters the armor’s power source. He then refers Arthur to the HEART Clinic where his wife can get free medical treatment. When Arthur fears that his rampage will land him in jail, Spider-Man convinces the firefighter not to say anything, suggesting that Inhuman technology altered the old man’s state of mind. On his way home, Spider-Man spots one of his Spiderlings giving lip to another team of firefighters. He goes down to the street and scolds his Spiderling, telling him that he should be treating first responders as his superiors as that is what they are. As he swings away, Spider-Man admits to himself that first responders are superior to himself as well.

… Inhumanity continues in Avengers Assemble (vol. 2) #23.INH.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man

Continuity Notes

1. Attilan was destroyed by Thanos in Infinity #3.

2. As seen in Amazing Spider-Man #600, Doctor Octopus was dying of a degenerative disorder that would ultimately kill him. He cheated death by stealing Peter Parker’s body in Amazing Spider-Man #298. This will remain the status quo until Superior Spider-Man #31.