Spider-Woman (vol. 3) #11

Mar 27

Mar 27 Spider-Woman (vol. 3) #11

2000

Welcome to my Nightmare

While Spider-Woman battles a foe she thinks is the Rhino, Madame Web and Jessica Drew are learning that Mattie is fighting something far more dangerous. At the Meridian Home mental institution, Doctor Robert Meridian tells the two women that what he is fighting is far more dangerous. At that moment, Spider-Woman is shocked when the Rhino suddenly sprouts mechanical arms like those worn by Doctor Octopus. Realizing that she is not facing the Rhino, Spider-Woman lays into the villain but she is caught off guard when the “Rhino” attacks her with its mechanical arms from behind.

Back at the mental hospital, Jessica Drew demands that Meridian explain himself. He tells Jessica and Madame Web that it all happened thirty years ago when Meridian was just beginning his career as a psychologist. Unaware of how out of depth he was he agreed to take on Brian Leighton as a client but quickly learned that he could alter reality with his mind, making him a projecting exomorph. Robert spent years trying to treat Leighton, but the boy internalized his abilities and withdrew using his abilities to create an escape from reality. By the time he was fifteen, Brian was completely catatonic, living internally in a fantasy world. Over the years, Meridian learned that while Brian was physically an adult, he still had the mind of a small child but bereft of the morality which governs society. As his powers also include telepathy, he has been able to draw raw information from the world around him. It’s Meridian’s conclusion that Brian is driven by the most primitive aspects of humanity. He kept Brian locked up in a cell until today when something made him wake up and lash out.

At that moment, Lighton continues to overpower Spider-Woman, and as he pummels her thanks her for showing him that the outside world is more interesting than the fantasies he played out in his mind. He explains that he learned everything the moment that Spider-Woman touched the door to his cell. He then offers Spider-Woman a place by her side, telling him that he requires a female companion. When Mattie refuses, Brain tosses her away sending her crashing into the side of a truck. Deciding to fight fire with fire, Spider-Woman then summons her psychic spider-legs and races back to battle Brian some more. That’s when Madame Web contacts telepathically to offer her assistance. She then mind-links Spider-Woman with Brain so that they can continue their battle in his mind so nobody outside gets hurt. As Mattie battles Brian — whose Rhino form begins growing tentacles to swarm her — Madame Web informs Spider-Woman that her powers are even greater inside Lighton’s mind.

Deciding that Madame Web is a distraction, Brain impales her with his mechanical arms and tentacles. Furious that he attacked Madame Web, Spider-Woman begins attacking Brain as he begins changing his form into a hulking green creature. Realizing that she can use her own imagination to shape the reality around her as well and creates a massive robot for her to battle Lighton with. Recovering from the attack, Madame Web pays attention to the battle and realizes that there is something about Lighton’s speech. Pulling back to the real world, Cassandra telepathically orders Jessica Drew to attack Doctor Meridian. When Jessica knocks out the doctor, Spider-Woman arrives a moment later with the unconscious form of Brain Lighton — who is still a boy —- back to the hospital, saying that the mental battle suddenly ended. Madame Web explains that that Brain and Robert formed a mental link and that it was Meridian’s own dark thoughts that were influencing the boy. Now that both are knocked out, Madame Web can perform psychic surgery on both severing their link as well as shutting down Brain’s powers so the boy can live a normal life. Now knowing how Brain was manipulated into doing evil by someone else, both Jessica and Mattie can only feel sorry for the poor boy.