- "Peter, Peter, Peter... no good deed goes unpunished. You can thank me later."
- ―Green Goblin to Spider-Man[src]
The Escape from Spider-Man was a battle between Spider-Man, May Parker, Green Goblin, Electro, and Lizard. The battle was planned by Green Goblin after he managed to convince the other uncured multiversal visitors to side with him and abandon Parker and his allies', May and Otto Octavius, attempts to cure them.
Background[]
- "I don't know how many of these visitors we got."
- ―Doctor Strange[src]
The Daily Bugle broadcasted a video message, recorded by Quentin Beck before his death during the Battle of London. In the message, Beck framed Spider-Man as a criminal and a murderer who was responsible for the drone rampage in Europe and his death, as well as revealed Spider-Man's true identity as Peter Parker. Parker, as well as Michelle Jones, Ned Leeds, and May Parker, were apprehended by the United States Department of Damage Control, and although Matt Murdock managed to clear Parker from legal issues, he was still subjected to the negative public perception.
Doctor Strange's spell affects the Multiverse
Parker's reputation started to affect people close to him, so in an attempt to fix everything, Parker asked Doctor Strange for help. Strange started casting the Runes of Kof-Kol ritual to make everyone forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man; however, Parker did not want his friends and family to forget about him. Parker tried to tamper with the spell but it backfired, as the spell damaged the fabric of the Multiverse, making people who knew Spider-Man's identity from other universe, to emerge in theirs.
The trio investigating
On the Alexander Hamilton Bridge, Spider-Man encountered Doctor Octopus and Green Goblin, who were transported while they were in the middle of a fight with their Spider-Man. Strange eventually transported Spider-Man and Octopus to the New York Sanctum, where he kept Octopus and Lizard trapped. Strange explained the situation to Parker and ordered him to find and capture the remaining Multiverse intruders, so Strange could send them back to their universe and avert the crisis. Parker enlisted the help of Michelle Jones and Ned Leeds who managed to trace a suspicious activity at the United States Army installation outside of New York City.
Spider-Man fights Doctor Strange
Parker learnt that the villains would all die in their original universes, so he engaged with Strange in a battle due to their conflicting opinions. Parker wanted to find a way to save them and not let them die while Strange believed it was their fate and that they had to die. The fight resulted in Parker outsmarting Strange in combat and trapping him in the Mirror Dimension as well as stealing his Sling Ring which Parker then gave to Ned Leeds. Parker took all of the villains to Happy Hogan's Condominium, where he and May Parker were currently living. Parker made use of Happy Hogan's Stark Industries Fabricator and began making devices that could cure the subjects of their conditions. He made a replacement inhibitor chip for Doctor Octopus to give him control over his mechanical arms, an energy siphon for Electro which was designed to extract his powers, and an Anti-Goblin Serum for Norman Osborn.[1]
Battle[]
- "You have a gift. You have power. And with great power, there must also come great responsibility."
- ―May Parker to Peter Parker.[src]
Spider-Man's senses go into overdrive
All of a sudden whilst working with the villains, Spider-Man's senses went into overdrive nullifying all sounds around him, telling him that someone posing a danger for was very close by. Being unable to visually discern who was the cause of it, Spider-Man closed his eyes and trusted his senses and reflexes to guide him to the culprit, who was detected to be Norman Osborn.
The Green Goblin awakens
His senses did the work for him, resulting in him firing a web shot at Osborn, revealing him to be the cause as the Green Goblin persona had re-emerged. Green Goblin preached that his powers along with the others were not diseases to be cured but rather gifts that made them gods. A shocked Parker told his aunt to run as his spider-sense told him Goblin was posing a threat to her.
Electro and Doctor Octopus fight
Electro, convinced by Green Goblin's philosophy, stole the Arc Reactor and attacked Octavius sending him out of a window, while Sandman fled the scene. Meanwhile, Spider-Man battled with Green Goblin and the two engaged in a fierce and brutal battle throughout the entire building with Goblin. Goblin and Spider-Man fought a ferocious battle in which the latter discovered Goblin's immense power, forcing him to use his full strength against Goblin. Goblin threw Spider-Man out of a window, and as Spider-Man held onto the side of the building, he looked down below and saw The Daily Bugle watching. He was then suddenly attacked by Lizard, who grabbed him and told him he was right, that he couldn't help them and threw him back inside of a window. Green Goblin then proceeded to fight him again, crashing through multiple levels, until they reached the first.
However, before he could choke him to death, his aunt ran to them and stabbed Green Goblin with the first version of his cure. Unfortunately, it did not work, and Green Goblin called his Goblin Glider, which impaled her, fatally injuring her as Green Goblin then proceeded to throw a Pumpkin Bomb and escape. Parker tried to catch it before it exploded, sending the foyer crashing down. As Spider-Man awakened he checked on May who at first assured him that she was fine, told him that with great power comes great responsibility and collapsed from her wounds. When several armed agents of the Department of Damage Control arrived, Spider-Man attempted to call for help but the agents didn't hear him and it was also too late as May had died but not before reassuring her nephew he did the right thing.
Happy Hogan realizes May died
As Happy Hogan arrived to see Spider-Man mourn over his aunt's death, the armed agents mercilessly forced him out of his car and arrested him for interfering. Hogan then yelled at Spider-Man to run in which the agents proceeded to fire a barrage of bullets at Parker, only managing to hit him in the shoulder. Parker then fled before they were about to enter the building to apprehend him.[1]
Aftermath[]
Peter Parker mourns the loss of his aunt
- "Aunt May taught me that everyone deserves a second chance. That's why I'm here."
"And where's 'here' exactly?"
"A place that represents second chances." - ―Spider-Man and J. Jonah Jameson[src]
Parker retreated to top of a building in Times Square and watched on a huge screen how J. Jonah Jameson reported on the recent event. Then, he retreated to the top of Midtown School of Science and Technology and wept, mourning the loss of his aunt. Michelle Jones and Leeds, using Strange's Sling Ring, attempted to summon Parker with a portal, but instead, they summoned two alternate versions of Parker who previously fought the villains in their universes. The four of them all traveled to find Parker on the rooftop, allowing the three Spider-Men to meet for the first time. They got to know each other by talking about their own losses of loved ones, and the Spider-Men teamed up to finish the cures themselves, using a lab at Midtown School of Science and Technology to do so.[1]