Spider-Man Unlimited (vol. 3) #6

Jun 23

Jun 23 Spider-Man Unlimited (vol. 3) #6

The Agony of Defeat

Pinned to a wall by the Rhino, Spider-Man admits to himself that there are some villains he enjoys fighting, usually c-listers like the Shocker and Frog-Man, but he doesn’t enjoy fighting the Rhino. When the wall-crawler cracks a joke, the Rhino gets angry and pushes Spider-Man through the wall headfirst. This reminds Spider-Man that of all the times he fought the Rhino in the past, he won by sheer luck.[1] As the Rhino pummels Spider-Man’s head into the ground, the wall-crawler wonders where the cops are, as they would be crawling all over the place by now.

The Rhino then tosses Spider-Man out the window and as he tries to make sense of his new surroundings the Rhino strikes the web-head with a lamp post sending him crashing into the side of a building. Spider-Man is a little relieved when he pulls himself out of the rubble and discovers that the Rhino has escaped. This presents another challenge, with his body in rough shape, he can’t web-sling back to his clothes. As soon as he is on the street, Spider-Man has to run away from the press as they try to get comment about his defeat at the hands of the Rhino. Adding insult to injury, Spider-Man is forced to jump the turnstile and ride the subway back home.

As he showers, Peter realizes he enjoys long showers because they help wash away all the aches and pains from a lost battle. However, no matter how long the shower, it can’t stop the bad feelings over a lost battle, which are somehow worse than his physical injuries. Pulling out a loose tooth, Peter Parker grimly muses that he can put it under his pillow for the tooth fairy. Suddenly, everything goes out of focus and Peter passes out on the bathroom floor.

He’s found later by Mary Jane, who is immediately concerned for Peter’s well being. When Peter wakes up he finds himself in the hospital. The doctor goes over the long list of his injuries he says that most of them are all old injuries that have been agitated. When Peter tells him a teacher,[2] the doctor tells him that he used to be a field medic for SHIELD and has a long history of treating superhumans for injuries, and Peter’s injuries are on part with those. He concludes that Peter has superhuman abilities, but the doctor isn’t concerned about who Peter is outside of his civilian life. He does, however, have a stern warning for Peter to stop his costumed activities at least until his body had a chance to fully heal, if not for his own good, then that of his family.

Once he is released from the hospital, all Peter can do is re-evaluate his loss to the Rhino, replaying the battle in his head thinking of ways he could have defeated his foe. He is thinking about it so hard, Peter thinks he is starting to lose it when he pictures his students in class wearing Rhino masks. Peter spends the next three days feeling helpless, worrying that the next time he goes out as Spider-Man could be his last. Just when he is about to get the Rhino out of his mind, Peter and Mary Jane happen to catch a news story about the Avengers capturing the Rhino. As he is being brought to jail, Rhino tells the reporters that at least Spider-Man didn’t take him down, taking pleasure in the fact that he managed to defeat the wall-crawler. Although he tells Mary Jane that he is relieved the Rhino has been captured when he goes out on patrol Peter is upset because he didn’t get another shot at the Rhino. It makes him feel much like he did when he was fifteen years old and Flash Thompson used to bully him and is shocked to see how easy it is to feel like that again. Putting on his mask, Spider-Man reminds himself that in the face of defeat he has to get up and dust himself off and try harder next time.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Rhino, Mary Jane Watson, Captain America, Iron Man

Continuity Notes

Spider-Man off-handedly said he’s met the Rhino many times in the past. At the time of this story, it was actually 19 times, they were: Amazing Spider-Man #42-43, 280-281, Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man #17-18, Amazing Spider-Man #319, Spectacular Spider-Man #160, Annual #11, Deadly Foes of Spider-Man #1-4. Amazing Spider-Man #334, Spectacular Spider-Man #190, Annual #12/Web of Spider-Man Annual #8/New Warriors Annual #2, Lethal Foes of Spider-Man #1-4, Spider-Man Unlimited #4, Amazing Spider-Man Annual #28, Sensational Spider-Man #2, Amazing Spider-Man #409, Spider-Man’s Tangled Web #1, 5-6, 13, and 19.
At the time of this story, Peter had recently started a job as a science teacher at Midtown High in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #31.

Thug #1

A man named Augie calls his girlfriend Viv from a payphone, after hearing about her day she asks him where they are going for their date on Friday night, Augie tells her that they’re going to California. As he says this he is unaware that Spider-Man has just swung by. When Aguie returns home, his father demands to know where his son has been. Augie says he hasn’t been drinking his life away like his old man, and Augie’s father slams his head into a wall and tells the young man to remember that he’s nothing, just like his old man. Later night Augie meets up with Viv and he tells her his plans for them when they get to California. Viv thinks he’s only joking, but he’s serious, telling her once he gets his big score they’re going west.

The following morning, Augie meets up with his friend Danny at a local burger joint and he tells them that he has a proposition for him. Later, Augie and Danny put on masks and rob a payday loan place with a few other hoods. The robbery is interrupted by Spider-Man who busts up the robbery, sending Augie to prison. Being the new fish, Augie is bullied, but over the days he begins bulking up and beats up the men who bullied him when he first came in. Augie then looks forward to the day when he can get out and get revenge against Spider-Man. As the day of his release approaches, Augie learns about someone called the Mercenary who has been hired to capture Spider-Man for a foreign country that wants to learn how his powers work and is looking for a gang to help him with this job.

Once he is out, Augie goes to the address where the Mercenary is recruiting people and after fighting guards he is Mercenary is convinced that Augie is just the type of man he is looking for. When Augie goes to visit Vivian, her mother says she doesn’t live there anymore and gives her a number she can be reached at, Calling the number from a payphone, Augie learns that Vivian inherited money from her grandmother while Augie was in prison. Unable to wait for him she moved to Santa Monica and she has since gotten married. She tells Augie that he can do anything he wants now and he should follow his dreams, inviting him to call her back for advice if he needs someone to talk to.

Augie returns to the Mercenary and during a briefing, he is singled out and beat up for not paying attention. The Mercenary, tells Augie to learn his place, telling him that he’s a US soldier who managed to alter computer records to make his superiors think that he is still serving in any of a dozen countries and is able to requisition military-grade weapons as a result. He is nothing to them just as Augie is nothing to him. His advice to Augie to learn his gun, find a way to stay alive and get rich and most importantly, stop thinking that you’re more than you really are.

During their next training session, Spider-Man comes crashing in to break up their operation. When Augie has the choice of shooting Spider-Man or the Mercenary, Augie shoots his boss and then makes a run for it. Unfortunately, Spider-Man manages to catch him up, and Augie finds himself webbed up to a lamp post in the very same spot where he made his dreams of going to California.