Zzzzt~
In an instant, a sky full of thunderous webbing wove into a massive net, blanketing the heavens. Tony, clad in his anti-Thor armor, felt a sinking dread.
Boom~
A streak of fire roared past as Tony tried to escape the web's grasp, but his speed was too slow.
"Oh, sht, can someone tell me since when Thor had this kind of skill?"
Tony's shout echoed as he raised his hand, firing electromagnetic pulses at the web. But the webbing instantly broke down the energy into raw current, amplifying the net's power.
Zzzzt~
As the electrified web descended, the trapped armor thrashed like a caged bird, crashing through high walls and outer barriers. In a spectacularly humiliating display, Tony slid down the side of a building, crashing onto the street below.
After Thor-Spider captured Tony, he raised Mjolnir high, summoning endless bolts of lightning. The city sky darkened with swirling storm clouds.
Rumble!
In moments, the blackened sky churned with a vortex of thunderclouds, crackling with terrifying energy. A massive lightning orb, dozens of meters wide, formed under Thor-Spider's command, locking onto Tony sprawled on the street.
The onlookers below stared in disbelief.
Under the oppressive terror of the lightning orb, they didn't even have time to scream. Human instinct drove them to scatter in panic.
The watching Spider-Men gasped in unison.
"My God, is he really just wielding Thor's Mjolnir?"
"I feel like even Thor couldn't take him."
"No need to feel it—that's just facts."
"Without the hammer, Thor's nothing. With it, he's just a glorified battery. I've got experience with this."
"He's pissed. This'll kill Stark."
"And wreck the whole street! Stop him!"
Without hesitation, the group of Spider-Men swung toward Thor-Spider to protect the city.
From a window, Charlie watched the scene, rubbing his forehead.
"I misjudged him. He was already going easy on me those last few times."
"Last few times? You know him?" Lizard-Parker asked, curious.
"Sort of."
Charlie's gaze fixed on the figure in the sky, hammer raised, brows furrowed.
Under the other Spider-Men's pleas, Thor-Spider snapped out of his rage, slowly dispersing the thundercloud vortex. With a single "basic attack," he smashed Iron Man's armor to pieces.
Cough, cough~
In the rubble, Tony shed his broken armor, crawling out of the smoking wreckage in a disheveled heap.
His face blackened with soot, he shouted skyward, "Cowards! We agreed to fight together—why am I the only one getting pummeled?"
At his call, a nimble figure leaped from a nearby shop.
Black Panther T'Challa landed on a car roof, crouching low.
"Hey, buddy, you said you'd go first," he shrugged.
"Exactly, Tony. You said it. We all heard you," Natasha said, stepping out of a speeding van alongside Dr. Banner.
War Machine Rhodes crashed to the ground from the sky.
Seeing Tony's sorry state, he rushed to his side.
"Sorry, I'm late."
"No, you're right on time."
Thor-Spider landed with a boom, pointing Mjolnir at Tony and laughing.
"Let's show them what a clown this playboy looks like! Haha!"
Tony's face darkened further under Thor-Spider's mockery.
"Lightning bug, are you some mutant spawn of Thor and Spider-Man?" he shot back, unyielding.
"What did you say?"
Thor-Spider's eyes crackled with lightning, his anger flaring, ready to teach Tony another lesson.
But the other Spider-Men swarmed around him.
Some grabbed his arms.
Others clung to his legs.
One even tugged at his waistband.
"Peter, enough already!"
"You'll kill him if you keep going. Just make him pay up."
"Yeah! Demand a lot. If you can't spend it all, share some with us!"
"We don't mind easing your financial burdens."
"His mouth's foul, but we also want to know how you're connected to Thor."
Under their persuasion, Thor-Spider snorted, pointing Mjolnir at Tony.
"I've got business today, so you're lucky. Otherwise, I'd smash that mouth of yours."
Tony smirked, ready to fire back, but Rhodes clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Tony, they outnumber us. We can't win," he whispered.
Tony nodded, and Rhodes released him, keeping a close eye on his lips, ready to knock him out if he said anything reckless.
No matter if it was man, god, or demigod—Rhodes could knock them out cold.
Thankfully, Tony remembered why they were here.
He stood, starting, "We're the Aven—"
Mid-sentence, Rhodes slapped a hand over his mouth again.
Tony: "…"
Rhodes: "…"
"Sorry, too nervous," Rhodes said, awkwardly letting go and stepping in front of Tony.
"Let me handle this. You're too impulsive."
Ignoring Tony's resentful glare, Rhodes cleared his throat.
"Ahem, hello. We're the Avengers. Which one of you is Peter Parker?"
"I am!"
"Me too."
"Oh, we all are."
The Spider-Men raised their hands, and Rhodes' face darkened—though no one could tell.
"Uh, okay… Peter Parkers, why are you here? What's your goal?"
Through friendly questioning, the Spider-Men took turns explaining.
"So, I was eating breakfast when this crazy attack happened—"
"You're too wordy. Let me!"
"No, I'll do it. I talk fast. #￥@￥@&"
"What kind of gibberish is that?"
"Your ears are just bad."
"Let me. I studied broadcast journalism."
"What? No way! Peter Parker's a tech genius, not a live commentator!"
"He should be a famous reporter."
"No, a reporter who hasn't gone full-time yet."
"Sorry, I'm a disgrace to Spider-Man. I'm just a pizza delivery guy, never went to college."
Sniff "You're bad off, but I'm worse. I went to college and still deliver pizza."
"Ah! I'm the worst! I'm a grad school alum, and I'm delivering pizza too!"
"Wahhh, we're so pathetic!"
Half an hour later, Rhodes and the others pieced together the situation from the rambling.
The Avengers huddled.
"They're a bunch of dead bugs."
"No, dead people. This is unreal. Who could bring a bunch of dead people together?"
"A god?"
"No, not even a god could do this. At least not Thor."
"Their goal is to save May, but I checked—May's fine."
"Then why haven't they left?"
"They said they have to wait 24 hours."
"No, 22 hours now."
"Should we trust them?"
"I think—"
Before Banner could finish, Tony's wrist device pinged, his face paling.
"Damn it, my mansion got bombed."
"Who did it?" Banner asked.
Tony sighed, "Who else? Vision."
At Vision's name, the group's expressions shifted.
Banner shook his head. "We got Wanda killed. He's out for revenge. We can't argue with that."
"But he bombed my mansion," Tony pointed out.
Natasha mused, "That's because we don't have mansions."
"I have a kingdom," T'Challa said, straightening. "But Wanda's death had nothing to do with me. Lucky me."
Tony: "…"
He took a deep breath. "Vision used the Mind Stone to hack the network and control a military base's missiles to bomb my mansion. He's not done. We need to stay sharp."
Just then, a fiery streak roared across the sky.
"That's…"
The group looked up to see a missile, trailing a long flame, hurtling toward the city.
"It's heading for the hospital!" Natasha exclaimed.
Banner tensed. "Why bomb a hospital? Who's there?!"
"Spider-Man," Tony said, realization dawning. "Damn it, he's targeting May too!"
T'Challa frowned. "He's after you. What's that got to do with May?"
Tony gritted his teeth. "When Wanda died, Peter was there. He got distracted and couldn't save her. Her death's tied to Spider-Man, so Vision wants to kill the person Spider-Man cares about most."
"He's gone mad."
A familiar voice cut in.
A figure leaped from the rubble. Natasha's face lit up.
"Barton, you're finally here!" She rushed to greet him.
Clint nodded slightly, then addressed the group. "Vision's out to avenge the Civil War. If we hadn't fought, Wanda wouldn't have died. Steve and Bucky are already dead. Falcon's missing. I had no choice but to find you."
"Steve's dead?" Tony froze, a hollow feeling settling in.
"What's his plan?"
"I think—"
Beneath their feet, a red-and-blue figure in the shadows listened, thoughtful.
"So, Vision's after Aunt May too. Is he the real threat?" Charlie mused.
With Vision's power, killing Steve and Bucky would be tough—unless this universe's Captain didn't have his plot-armor powers.
But Charlie caught a key detail.
The Mind Stone!
If Vision had the Mind Stone, this universe likely held the other five Infinity Stones! In the last retry, all the Spider-Men were teleported to Charlie's side—only an Infinity Stone could pull that off.
So…
As Charlie pondered, the Spider-Men were already swinging into action to intercept the missile.
Whoever stopped it could break May's death curse.
Charlie opted out of the race. A single missile wasn't a huge crisis for these capable Spider-Men.
It probably wasn't the root cause of May's death.
Wait—not one!
Suddenly, the sky filled with black dots. City alarms blared as hundreds of missiles surged across the sea, undetected until now.
Charlie's brow furrowed deeper.
Was it not Vision who teleported the Spider-Men last time?
If it was him, they wouldn't be facing Spider-Men—they'd be dodging a missile swarm!
"Damn it! Bombing bugs with missiles again? So annoying!"
Charlie couldn't sit still. In a blink, he grew massive in a flash of light.
Crack, crack, crack~
Boom!
Webs as thick as ropes shot out, snaring a missile and flinging it far away.
Rumble!
The missile exploded, fire and shockwaves sweeping the sky, blasting every corner of the city streets.
Citizens fled in panic as the giant red-and-blue figure leaped over their heads, swinging into the sky.
Tony and the others froze, stunned.
"Is that Scott?"
"No, it's Spider-Man," Banner said, dazed.
"He's huge," he marveled.
Meanwhile, the Spider-Men sprang into action.
"Hey, wait for me! I can't fly!"
"Don't blow it up!"
Buzz~
Brilliant magic flared as Supreme Spider-Man opened portals, redirecting missiles to barren deserts.
Thor-Spider hurled Mjolnir, using his brute strength to knock missiles skyward.
Rumble!
Explosions rocked the sky, clouds scattered, lightning raged, and a storm rolled in.
Torrential rain and typhoon winds swept the city. Pedestrians screamed.
Boom!
A thunderbolt struck a tree. A bespectacled man wiped water from his glasses, startled.
"My God, who's ascending to godhood here?!"
"Get lost, nerd!"
Shoved aside, the man gasped, "Not a cultivator—it's a weather weapon!"
Whoosh~
A typhoon roared, hurling a broken lamppost at him.
"No, I'm gonna die!"
Screaming, the man crouched, clutching his head, awaiting fate.
The ground shook, and the wind stilled.
Sensing something, he peeked open his eyes.
A massive fist was embedded in the pavement, the lamppost shattered by the giant's punch.
Looking up, he saw glowing blue triangular eyes.
Staring at the towering figure, the man screamed, "I believe in the light again!"
"You fake fan—that's Spider-Man!" a fleeing citizen snapped.
Charlie: "…"
He stood, eyeing the nearly cleared missiles, then tapped his wrist device, shrinking back.
Just a bit longer, and he'd know if these missiles were the true cause of May's death.
Soon, Supreme Spider-Man redirected the last missile. No Spider-Man received a mission success or failure prompt.
As expected, the game wasn't over!
Before Charlie could think, a scream came from the hospital.
"No!"
Glass shattered as Peter Parker was blasted out of a room, Mary Jane's scream following as she was thrown from the building.
"Mary Jane!"
"Don't!"
The Spider-Men swung past the falling Peter, firing webs to save the familiar yet unfamiliar woman.
"You can't save someone with webs!"
A portal flared. Charlie leaped through, catching Mary Jane, bending his knees to absorb the impact, and landing safely.
The Spider-Men gaped.
"My God, Mary Jane's okay!"
"This Spider-Man's got serious experience."
Sniff "I'm so moved. How many times did he practice to react that fast?"
"His Mary Jane must've died in a fall too."
"He finally did it."
"Congrats."
Charlie set Mary Jane down, glaring at the teary-eyed Spider-Men, muttering, "Freaks."
He turned to Peter, still clutching his back. "What happened?"
"It was Uncle Ben. He took Aunt May."
"Uncle Ben?"
The Spider-Men gasped.
Charlie's eyes narrowed. Contestant Ben Parker. These guys finally showed themselves.
Waiting this long to act meant these Ben Parkers were cunning—not to be underestimated.
Maybe tougher than the Spider-Men.
"Which way did he go?" Charlie asked.
Peter looked embarrassed. "I got kicked out. I didn't see."
At that, the Spider-Men fanned out, surrounding the hospital in a shrinking perimeter.
Soon, they regrouped.
"No suspicious figures."
"He vanished right under our noses. How?"
"There's one possibility."
Lizard-Parker pointed at Supreme Spider-Man. "There's only one truth!"
"It's a magic portal!" Muscle-Peter exclaimed.
All eyes locked on Supreme Spider-Man.
"No, it could be Charlie Parker," Venom-Parker insisted, still fixated on Charlie. But with so many Spider-Men, some in nano-suits, he couldn't pick Charlie out.
The Spider-Men had lost faith in Venom-Parker.
They stared at Supreme Spider-Man, demanding answers.
Supreme Spider-Man shrugged helplessly.
"You saw me—I never left your sight. And I'm Peter, not Ben Parker."
The Spider-Men started to relax, but Charlie leaped forward, shouting, "He's a sorcerer! He can make clones and disguise himself as anyone!"
At the familiar voice, Venom-Parker jolted.
"That's Charlie Parker!" he yelled, pointing.
Lizard-Parker slapped his hand down. "Who's Charlie Parker? It's obviously Supreme Sorcerer Peter! Grab him before he escapes!"
"Yeah, don't let him get away!"
"Watch him!"
Surrounded, Supreme Spider-Man sighed. No one listened to his explanations.
Charlie didn't mind stirring the pot—it gave the real culprit a chance to slip up.
"He's still lying! Everyone, take him down!"
"Get him!"
The Spider-Men pounced. Supreme Spider-Man, unwilling to fight, escaped through a portal.
With him gone, the Spider-Men split into groups, searching for clues to May's disappearance.
Venom-Parker watched Charlie vanish into the crowd, wailing, "Why won't anyone listen? That's Charlie Parker, the scariest Resurrection Match opponent! He took Aunt May—believe me!"
Lizard-Parker crouched beside the despairing Venom-Parker, speaking gravely.
"Give it up. One Spider-Man's sharp, but a crowd of us? We get dumb. Especially around that guy."
Venom-Parker sank deeper into despair.
Lizard-Parker sighed. "I've been there."
As a veteran, he understood Venom-Parker's pain.
Wherever Charlie was, no one escaped his schemes.
Wait—this guy's my rival! Why am I comforting him?
Lizard-Parker spat, stood, and slipped into the crowd.
Soon, he spotted Charlie on a web hammock by certain "features."
"You know where that guy went?" he asked.
Charlie glanced at him. "Who? The Ben Parker who took Aunt May, or the Supreme Sorcerer bug?"
"Ben Parker, obviously."
"Oh, no idea."
"And the Supreme Sorcerer?"
"No clue."
Lizard-Parker: "…"
He borrowed a web-shooter, spun a hammock, and rested.
After a bit, he asked, "May's gone. Where do we look next?"
"We don't," Charlie replied curtly.
Lizard-Parker thought. "Fine. You must've foreseen the future with your powers. I trust you."
He flopped back and slept.
As night fell, Charlie checked the time.
"Almost time."
Last retry, this was when the Spider-Men were teleported to May.
Would it happen again?
A blue vortex swirled before him.
Buzz~
On the other side, an elegant figure smiled—not warmly, but with a sly edge.
"Dear Spider-Man, I've found your beloved Aunt May. Follow me."
Lizard-Parker woke, gasping, "Loki!"
"Yes, it's me," Loki said, spreading his hands. "I'm a kind god. Trust me. Your friends are waiting."
He waved, revealing a group of Spider-Men.
"Stop dawdling like a bunch of dames," Muscle-Peter called. "Hurry! Kind Loki's found the guy. Together, we've got a shot."
Lizard-Parker: "???"
"You know who Loki is? The God of Mischief! How can you trust him?" he demanded.
"God of Mischief?" Loki chuckled. "Don't slander me. I'm the God of Kindness."
Before the Spider-Men, he borrowed Thor-Spider's Mjolnir, toyed with it, and politely returned it.
"See? I've proven myself," Loki grinned.
The Spider-Men nodded.
"Only the super righteous can lift Mjolnir. This Loki's definitely a good god."
"Maybe he turned over a new leaf."
"We can totally trust him."
Lizard-Parker glanced at Charlie.
Charlie smiled and stepped through the portal.
"Looks like it's you," he said to Loki.
Loki blinked. "What?"
"Nothing. Thanks for using the Space Stone to take us to that jerk."
"My pleasure," Loki said, forcing a friendly smile as he opened a larger portal.
"He's there. Go!"
"Thanks."
On a small island, the Spider-Men landed.
Seeing a lit cabin in the woods, they readied for a fight.
Charlie glanced at the closing portal, thoughtful.
Lizard-Parker leaned in, whispering, "Loki's no kind god."
"Obviously," Charlie laughed, eyeing the cabin. "Lizard stud, you decide how chaotic this gets."
Lizard-Parker's eyes gleamed. "Me?"
"You're the expert. I'm nowhere near your level."
"Uh…"
Lizard-Parker straightened, flustered. "You're right about my skills, but next time, you better prioritize my resurrection. Even old-man Cap waits behind me. And you owe me cash."
"Deal," Charlie grinned. "Your copyright's gone, but I've got Captain Carter. If I step up, everyone eats."
"Fine. Last time I help you."
Lizard-Parker clenched his fist, hyped. The Spider-Men closed in on the cabin.
Before they could shout, the door opened. Supreme Spider-Man stepped out with Aunt May.
"Too late, folks. I saved Aunt May."
Lizard-Parker leaped forward, pointing. "You magic baby spider! Still claiming you didn't snatch her?"
Supreme Spider-Man: "…"
"Listen to me."
"I'm not listening!"
Aunt May: "…"
She stepped forward, smiling. "Kids, don't misunderstand. He saved me."
"No way," Lizard-Parker said, glancing at the Spider-Men. "He's enchanted her with magic."
"I didn't!" Supreme Spider-Man snapped, fed up. "I see it now. You're stirring everyone against me. What's your game?"
The Spider-Men realized he was right. This Peter was leading the charge.
Lizard-Parker didn't explain.
He laughed, hands on hips. "Haha, you got me. I'm done pretending."
To the Spider-Men, he said, "You see it. He's got magic. He always finds Aunt May first. If we don't take him out, even mighty, handsome Thor-Peter can't keep up—let alone us handsome bugs."
"You're a lizard. We're bugs," Muscle-Peter corrected.
Thor-Peter waved him off. "Let him keep praising—uh, talking."
Lizard-Parker grinned. "Nothing more to say. You get it."
The Spider-Men nodded.
"Take him out first."
"No time for portals!"
"Get him!"
"For Aunt May!"
Now it was Supreme Spider-Man's turn to enjoy a Spider-Man beatdown.
"No, you… you idiots!"
Cursing, he tried to escape with May through a portal.
But Charlie wasn't letting him off easy.
Everyone had to taste the pain he'd endured!
Before the portal could form, a blue glow rippled, the Space Stone locking down the area. Supreme Spider-Man's portal twisted and shattered.
"Thanks, kind Loki! Everyone, go!" Lizard-Parker rallied.
The Spider-Men swarmed Supreme Spider-Man.
Charlie blended into the crowd, watching for any slip-ups.
Last time, he faced the Spider-Men alone and didn't try to take May, so Loki hadn't used the Space Stone.
He wasn't thrilled about ganging up on Supreme Spider-Man.
Just play along and call it a day.
Leave some face for fellow Spider-Men.
With that, nine clones split off.
Buzz~
Nine web-beams tore through the night, blazing with extreme heat.
Zzzzt~~
Crack, crack, crack
Crimson rays crisscrossed, melting the ground, slicing the island, and hitting the sea. Steam rose as the water boiled.
"My God, what is this?"
"The island's splitting!"
"No! These guys are terrifying!"
"What's happening?"
As the Spider-Men shouted, the island shook, seawater flooding the cracks, submerging it.
Amid the chaos, only Venom-Parker laughed maniacally.
"Haha, it's Charlie Parker! I told you he's the scariest in the Resurrection Match! You didn't believe me—glub, glub"
Before he finished, Venom-Parker sank, bubbles rising.
Above, Supreme Spider-Man floated on his cloak, holding May, wiping sweat from his brow.
That crimson ray had split the island. If it hit him, he'd be done.
Thor-Peter held back, sensing Charlie Parker was the real threat.
On a piece of driftwood, Lizard-Parker cursed.
"Damn fool, you ruined my setup! You'll get mobbed!"
"Sorry, I just put in a little effort. Didn't expect the island to be so fragile," Charlie said from his web, shrugging, then eyeing the few flying Spider-Men left.
"Good. With only this many left, I'll take the lead."