Still Standing

Months Ago…

Having swapped bodies with Peter Parker, Otto Octavius stands before his enemy who is trapped in Otto’s dying body. A mind link has impressed to Otto the importance of continuing the legacy of Spider-Man. Peter Parker looks beyond police tape and sees all his friends and loved ones. Dying in Otto’s arms, Peter has him promise to keep them all safe.[1]

At that moment, across town, doctors are called to the bedside of a obese woman who has been in a coma for some time is starting to wake up. As they race her out of the room, another one of their Jane Doe’s begins to wake up. This is Madame Web, who is now seeing images of the great web becoming undone and fears that soon all of the spiders will die.[2] When the other woman wakes up in the operating room she asks what happened to Otto Octavius. That’s when a doctor lets slip that Doctor Octopus just died, upsetting the patient.

Now

Spider-Man is swinging across town, running late for his evening with Anna Maria Marconi as “Peter Parker.” Otto is nervous about this evening because he will be cooking for her for the first time. That’s when one of his spider-bots detects the Black Cat breaking into a building nearby. He tells Anna Maria that he’ll call back and goes to confront the Black Cat as she is exiting the building. Unaware that Otto Octavius has taken over Peter Parker’s body, the Cat begins playing coy until the web-slinger punches her in the face so hard he breaks a tooth. She can’t believe that Spider-Man is trying to apprehend her.[3] However, Otto doesn’t care about Parker’s past with this woman and leaves her webbed up for the authorities. As he swings away, the Black Cat vows to get revenge for this.

Soon, “Peter Parker” arrives at Anna Maria’s apartment and takes her up to the roof. There he has set up a picnic over the street laid out on Spider-Man’s webbing using a new solution that only dissolves when exposed to a special chemical agent. Having submitted his thesis and expecting to get his PhD, “Peter” asks Anna Maria to partner with him with his next business venture, Parker Industries. Since his employment with Horizon Labs has come to an end, Otto intends to forge ahead and wants her to be a part of it. It’s an offer that Anna Maria accepts and the pair make a toast to the future.

The next morning, May Parker and her husband Jay Jameson are in the waiting room at the Columbia University Medical Center. She can’t believe that her nephew is going to start his own company and muses how proud her late husband, Ben Parker would be to hear the news. However, she is concerned about the colateral that Jay has put together to give Peter a business loan. However, Jay was willing to put it together since he thinks it was a sound investment. That’s when May’s physiotherapist, Sha Sha Ngyen, finishes up with her previous appointment. The large woman she was treating thanks Sha Shan for her work and says that this will be their last session together now that she is back on her feet, saying that she has work to be done. May tells Sha Shan that she is going to have to cut their visit short because she and Jay are going down to the bank to finalize “Peter’s” business loan.

Lather, at the bank, Jay and May meet up with “Peter” and his business parters, Sajani Jaffrey and Anna Maria Marconi to sign the final paperwork. “Peter” assures Jay that he will make back his investment ten times over. Like everyone else, Otto is putting up all of3 his collateral, at least that which belong to Peter Parker, confident that his offshort bank accounts — opened as Doctor Octopus — can continue funding his Spider-Man operations.

However, at that moment, Carlie Cooper and Yuri Watanabe have returned from their trip from the Cayman Island. Now that she has evidence proving that Spider-Man is actually Doctor Octopus, she intends to take the information to the Avengers. With the work done, Yuri has Carlie to keep her involvement a secret and leaves. Carlie then calls Mary Jane Watson but gets her voice mail. She tells Mary Jane to call back as soon as possible, and warns her to stay away from Peter Parker until they have had a chance to talk.[4] At that moment, Mary Jane has dolled herself up to personally thank Pedo Olivera, the firefighter who saved her life when supervillains set her nightclub on fire.[5] However, when she rings the bell, Mary Jane is knocked down by the firehouse dog, who Pedro was giving a bath. Even though she is messed up, Pedro invites her in for a cup of coffee.

By this time, both “Peter Parker” and Anna Maria Marconi have arrived at Empire State University where “Peter” is going to give his thesis to Dr. Don Lamaze and the rest of the science staff. Anna Maria knows that “Peter” is going to knock them dead and kisses him for good luck. Soon, “Parker” is giving his thesis on nano-technology that can be used for cybernetic appendages that can be controlled by the human mind. After giving a two hour demonstration of his work, Otto has everyone impressed. Everyone, except Don Lamaze, who openly accuses him of stealing the work of his late “friend” Otto Octavius.[6] Otto is stunned by this sudden exposure and doesn’t have an answer for Lamaze. Don, who has had a strong dislike for “Parker” due to his constant disrespect intends on proving that his work is plagiarised and have him expelled. Furious, Otto intends on dealing with Lamaze before he can foil his plans.

Meanwhile, Angelina Brancale arrives at the hidden laboratory of Caroline Trainer off Avenue B. She is relieved to see that everything is still there, including the virtual reality rig that allowed her to create her Stunner persona. Putting on the equipment she activates the device and summons her avatar. Materializing into solid holo-matter form, Stunner vows to avenge the death of her love, Otto Octavius, by killing the superior Spider-Man.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Black Cat, Stunner, Anna Maria Marconi, Sajani Jaffrey, Aunt May, Jay Jameson, Wraith, Carlie Cooper, Mary Jane Watson, Don Lamaze, Madame Web, Glory Grant, Sha Shan Nguyen, Pedro Olivera

Continuity Notes

1. For more on the Doctor Octopus/Spider-Man body swap see Amazing Spider-Man #698-700.

2. There is a lot going on here. Here are all the references that are dropped:

   • The fat woman in a coma is Angelina Brancale, aka Stunner. She was an ally of Doctor Octopus who used a virtual reality construct of her ideal self to assist him. During a period that Doctor Octopus was dead, she sacrificed her virtual self to bring him back to life, putting her in a coma. See Spectacular Spider-Man #222 and Amazing Spider-Man #426-428. Per the Sliding Timescale she has been in a coma for about four years at the time of this story.

   • The other “Jane Doe” is Madame Web, aka Julia Carpenter. She has been in a coma since she was overwhelmed with visions of the future in Amazing Spider-Man #695.

   • They also mention that Norman Osborn recently escaped their care. Osborn was in a coma following his capture in Avengers (vol. 4) #24 and later escaped in Amazing Spider-Man #697. He has been operating as the Goblin King since Superior Spider-Man #4.

3. Otto recalls how he has once tried to kill the Black Cat in the past. This was back in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #72-79.

4. Carlie has been suspicious of Spider-Man since Amazing Spider-Man #700 when she encountered a dying Doctor Octopus claiming to be Spider-Man. She decided to investigate Spider-Man further after witnessing him brutally beat the Vulture in Superior Spider-Man #3.

5. Mary Jane’s nightclub was attacked by members of the Goblin Nation in Superior Spider-Man #10.

6. Otto and Lamaze attended Empire State University when they were young men, as revealed in Superior Spider-Man #3. However, Otto considers Lamaze a clod and never saw him as a friend.