Spider-Island
Encyclopedia
"Spider-Island" is a comic book
storyline starting in The Amazing Spider-Man
and crossing over
into other comic books published by Marvel Comics
in 2011
.
and his experiments that lead to the "Spider-Island" story. These were compiled in a comic book reprint
called Amazing Spider-Man: Infested, which was released on August 31.
manages to thwart a store robbery by some thugs. He soon hears a police report that Hydro-Man
is attacking a bank. The Young Allies are shown being beaten by Hydro-Man until Spider-Man arrives and helps to defeat Hydro-Man. Following Hydro-Man's defeat, Spider-Man soon discovers that some of the civilians are starting to develop spider-like abilities. It is later revealed that Jackal achieved this through the aid of several human clones of himself and funding from a mysterious female benefactor. He has also enlisted the aid of the mutated Kaine
whom he had captured.
When everyone starts dressing up as Spider-Man (the Jackal having provided costumes to various civilians), Mary Jane Watson
encounters a man in Spider-Man's Future Foundation
costume until Thing
arrives telling that guy not to disrespect the costume. The rest of the Future Foundation, the Avengers
, the Young Allies, the New Avengers, and Cloak and Dagger
arrive as Mary Jane demands to know what is going on from Mister Fantastic
and where Peter is. With his current girlfriend Carlie Cooper
having also manifested spider-powers, Peter attempts to aid the other heroes in stopping the attacks and finding Carlie, but he is knocked out along with the other Spider-Men as even his allies cannot identify him among the other Spider-Men.
Although Shang-Chi
is able to confirm Spider-Man's identity to the other heroes, he is nevertheless ordered to stay out of the fight due to their inability to distinguish him from the other Spider-Men. However, inspired by a conversation with Mary Jane, Peter is able to rally various other New Yorkers to help him stop the villainous Spider-Men by posing as another random spider-powered citizen. As Anti-Venom
works on 'curing' various Spider-People of their powers, Madame Web reflects on the need for both Venom
and Anti-Venom to fix the Spider-Island problem. Meanwhile, Carlie and Peter attempt to investigate the Jackal's lab reasoning that he is the most likely candidate to have caused this event, unaware that they are being watched. Jackal is then seen working on Spider-King (who is filled with tiny spider embryos).
Horizon Labs works with Mister Fantastic into finding a cure for the spider-powered people while the Avengers and other heroes are trying to keep Manhattan quarantined to keep the Spider Virus from spreading. Madame Web has a precognition that Venom and Anti-Venom will have a large role to play in all of this. While at an abandoned lab at Empire University, Peter Parker and Carlie are attacked by Scorcher
and White Rabbit
(who also have spider powers). When White Rabbit manages to attack Carlie, Peter uses some moves that he learned from Shang-Chi in order to knock out the villains. Carlie then takes the villains back to the precinct and tells that she wants to have a talk with him and Spider-Man to Peter's dismay. Meanwhile, Jackal has been watching them and tells Tarantula to study the tape of the fight as he will soon be tested. The Avengers then close off Manhattan keeping everyone in the city. While Reed Richards has developed a vaccine that can keep people from gaining spider powers but does not work on people who already have them. Right as J. Jonah Jameson
is about to get the vaccine, Reed tells him he has spider powers and has been infected. Anti-Venom continues to cure the victims of Manhattan, while Madame Web passes out from too many spiders accessing the web of life. Carlie is told that Spider-Man is waiting for her at the top of her precinct. Carlie and Spider-Man head to take down another spider-powered villain as Carlie becomes suspicious of where Peter is. But they arrive at the scene they find a six-armed Shocker
, as Carlie and Spider-Man take him on. Shocker reveals that he wants the money so that Mad Thinker
can cure him. Shocker then pulls off his mask to reveal that he's slowly mutating into a spider-like creature. Just as Spider-Man tries to piece everything together, Carlie begins to mutate. While the Spider-Queen tells the Jackal that all the infected people of Manhattan are beginning to mutate, she states that New York will soon belong to her.
Mary Jane Watson evades the citizens who have been transformed into spider-like creatures. When Spider-Man tries to get a mutated Carlie to Mister Fantastic, more spider-like creatures begin to appear giving Spider-Man a hard time to find out which of the spider-like creatures is Carlie. As J. Jonah Jameson ends up becoming a spider-like creature and defeats a Spider-Slayer, the Spider-Queen uses her Web of Life to control the spider-like creatures. Mary Jane starts to develop spider powers while Madame Web loses her precognition.
Despite Jackal's contrary advice, Reed Richards and the Horizon Labs manage to develop a serum from Anti-Venom's symbiotic antibodies, able to kill the Spider-Virus and instantly reverse the mutations. The Spider Queen sends Tarantula, able to breach through Peter Parker's personal lab due to their common DNA. However, Peter discovers the breach of security, and starts fighting Tarantula, preventing him from poisoning the serum. As Tarantula, now more physically powerful, and still enabled with a functioning Spider-Sense, starts gaining the upper hand, Reed Richards mentions to the Horizon Labs scientist how Spider-Man lost his special sense. Thus, the main Horizon Lab equipe manages to jury-rig a counter-frequency, restoring Peter Parker's Spider-Sense to an enhanced level (due to Shang-Chi kung fu training being merged to his reflexes). Now fully empowered again, Peter Parker bests Tarantula, drowning him into a pool of serum. Moments later, Tarantula emerges from the pool, with his mutation gone, and even his clone degeneration reversed. The now healthy Kaine, looking like a perfect clone of Peter Parker, shakes off Spider-Queen's mind control, and offers to help Peter. Meanwhile, a side effect of the counterfrequency used on Peter restores Madame Web's and Spider Queen's connection to the Web of Life: as Spider-Queen used an evolved version of her sonic scream to kill Jackal (later revealed as yet another clone), she realizes to have been given the whole powers of the Web, becoming a Spider-Goddess.
By the time Captain America and Venom reach the Spider-Queen, she uses her enhanced powers to evolve into a massive, spiderlike creature of massive strength, siphoning new power from every individual infected by the Spider-Virus. Mary Jane, discovering that owing to her long-term relationship with Peter Parker has developed a partial immunity to the Spider-Virus, uses her newly acquired spider powers to reach the Horizon Labs and reunite with Peter. Meanwhile, Peter Parker has Kaine outfitted with the "Spider-Armor" from Big Time which is able to deflect Spider-Queen's sonic scream. Kaine, Mary Jane, and Spider-Man then join the fight, as the whole heroic community of New York bravely tries to fight Spider-Queen and Madame Web's apocalyptic prophecy. When Spider-Man seems bound to lose, Mary Jane reminds him that as powerful as Spider-Man could be, she had always trusted the brain power of Peter Parker the scientist. Thus, leaving Kaine behind to fight with the other heroes, Spider-Man and Mary Jane flee to the Police Precinct stealing Doctor Octopus
' Octobots that Spider-Man easily converts into a small army of impromptu Spider-Slayer
s (each one carrying a dose of the cure). While Mary Jane bravely defends him, Peter connects with the antenna on the Empire State Building
reversing the mutation of a large part of New York population at once. Emboldened by Spider-Man's example and seeing Spider-Queen losing her powers, Kaine has himself thrown in her mouth using the Spider-Armor to deflect the sonic scream and bony spider-stingers (similar to the ones held by Peter Parker during The Other) to slay the Spider-Queen. While Madame Web claims that her prophecy entailing The Hand of Spider-Man felling the Queen must had been wrong, Kaine (now fully reconciled with Peter) claims that he was merely an executor and Spider-Man's bravery and quick thinking enabled him to deal the final blow. The Jackal, in disguise as part of Damage Control, harvests some of the deceased Queen's marrow for use in future cloning experiments. On the Empire State Building, Mary Jane admits her love for Peter, but he doesn't hear her. They simply stay there to rest, musing about the aftereffects of having the whole New York walk a mile into Spider-Man
's shoes.
The following day, Peter discovers from Doctor Strange that the psychic blindspot that was put in place to protect his secret identity has now been compromised. This was due to Peter revealing his spider-powers in a viral video to encourage other New Yorkers to use their new spider-powers for good and not mayhem. As a result of this, Carlie is able to deduce who Peter actually is. Tired of being lied to, Carlie accuses Peter of being a mask for his "true self" and breaks up with him. Peter locates Mary Jane and admministers the antidote to her albeit with some reluctance on her part. The two once again bond with each other over their recent experiences. Mary Jane tells Peter to look at the Empire State Building which is projecting a red and blue color scheme. This is a way of saying "thank you" to Spider-Man for his heroic deeds during the crisis.
who then flies her to Kingpin
. When Spider-Girl asks why Kingpin wants her help, Kingpin reveals that he and his men have developed spider powers, as a result being targeted by the Sisterhood of the Wasp. He tells Spider-Girl where he has found the location of the Central Wasp Nest. Madame Web tells Spider-Girl that she will need to team up with her "enemy" when the Sisterhood of the Wasp's leader All-Mother plans to release a poison that will kill anyone with spider powers. Spider-Girl and the Hand
end up fighting the soldiers of the Sisterhood of the Wasp to keep them from unleashing the poison. When the soldiers take to the skies, they end up shot down by the Hand archers. Spider-Girl soon rushes to take down the hive-mother while the line of wasps are thin, but runs into Madame Web. She ends up telling Spider-Girl that she still needs to team up with her "enemy" to which Sider-Girl doesn't understand as she already teamed up with Kingpin. When joining the Kingpin to fight the All-Mother, she figures the true meaning of the "enemy" to which she has to team up with the All-Mother to halt the mob of mutated New York natives. They eventually successfully stop the mutated spider reinforcements and the battle is over. Hobgoblin however does not acknowledge the end of battle and attacks the All-Mother and angers the Kingpin to which Spider-Girl convinces him to let Hobgoblin live. The story ends with Spider-Girl getting administered the cure although it is seen that she still has retained some spider powers when she swings away from the Kingpin (who has just offered Spider-Girl a permanent alliance to which she declines to).
, Jessica Jones
, and Hawkeye
survey the people with spider powers. When Jessica Jones calls up Squirrel Girl
on the status of her daughter Danielle, Squirrel Girl discovers that Danielle has developed spider powers. Frog-Man
witnesses terrorists with spider powers attacking the United Nations
. Frog-Man gains the assistance, and eventual grudging respect, of Ms. Marvel, Jessica Jones, and Hawkeye.
's Dark X-Men
. Mister Negative
is told of a prophecy that he is destined to be killed by Dagger. Mister Negative captures Dagger and corrupts her with his Negative Touch. This turns Dagger into a dark version of herself who must consume all light and life. The corrupted Dagger ends up using her powers to plunge Chinatown into darkness. Tyrone begs Mister Negative to save her in which he decides to use his negative touch on Cloak altering his Darkforce powers into that of Dagger's. After Cloak and Dagger heal themselves alongside Chinatown, both of them came to the conclusion that they must deal with their altered powers with each other.
had beat them to the Spider-Island story. Unbeknownst to Norah, she is being spied upon by Phil Urich
who is jealous of her relationship with Randy Robertson
. This causes Phil to become Hobgoblin
and go after her. At Potter's Field, it was shown that Jackal has found Kaine emerging from his grave following the events of the Grim Hunt. Jackal manages to knock out Kaine and drag him back to his lair.
. When trying to figure out what his recurring dream means, Shang-Chi learns from Silver Sable
that she has found possible locations in Manhattan for Bride of Nine Spider's lair. Although Shang-Chi manages to defeat Bride of Nine Spiders and frees Iron Fist, he discovers that the person behind this is the demon Ai Apaec who is seeking to feed off the Immortal Weapons. As Shang-Chi fights Ai Apeac, Iron Fist scrambles to free the other Immortal Weapons. Shang-Chi mutates into a spider during the battle as a result of the infection, but Iron Fist uses his Chi force to cure Shang-Chi, leaving Iron Fist in a weakened state. After making sure Iron Fist and the rest of the Immortal Weapons are evacuated, Shang-Chi collapes the mansion hide-out on top of Ai Apeac leaving him immobilized for the Avengers to put back into custody.
is called in to help with the quarantine of Manhattan. They end up fighting spider-powered versions of Chemistro
III, Mr. Fish
II, Nightshade
, and Spear.
is fighting some of them while Mister Fantastic states in the communication that HYDRA
once used a corrupted version of her DNA on Alicia Masters
as part of their super-soldier experiment. Mister Fantastic then has Spider-Woman look for Alicia Masters.
works have fled the dangers of New York City and returned to Greece, leaving Hercules in charge. He befriends an elderly African man named A. Nancy who loves stories. One night Herc is bitten by a bed bug that gives him spider powers, which he uses to fight crime. He ends up fighting the X-Men
who are in town still dealing with those who were turned into lizard men by the Lizard
. It was shown that Hercules ended up getting spider powers where a tenant at the bar he worked at has been having bedbug problems. The Queen of Spider Island reveals herself to Herc and makes him her slave. She sends Spider-Herc against the X-Men, who were in town after fighting lizard people in the sewers. They try to reason with him, but he attacks them with the Sword of Peleus. Due to the mutagenic properties of Spider-Man's powers, Spider-Herc mutates into Herc-Spider. Suddenly the X-Men are trapped in a magic web and the Greek goddess Arachne appears. Instead of fighting, it is revealed that Arachne is very attracted to Herc's new form and they embrace while the X-Men are forced to watch. While Arachne is preoccupied, A. Nancy breaks into her home and steals her mythical tapestry. He reveals himself as the African spider god Anansi, a collector of stories.
. Venom disguises himself as the Spider-King in order to track the infestation to its source. The Queen and Jackal send him to kill Anti-Venom because he is curing people who have gained spider-powers, but his superiors order him to take him to Mister Fantastic
to help develop a cure. Flash and the Venom-symbiote fight each other because Flash wants to bring Anti-Venom to Mister Fantastic and the symbiote wants to kill Anti-Venom for previously rejecting it. This leads to Venom and Anti-Venom fighting. Venom wins the fight and delivers Anti-Venom to Mister Fantastic. At Project Rebirth, the scientists there are able to use Anti-Venom's blood as part of a cure which is to be tested on the mutated Captain America. Betty Brant gives Flash Thompson a letter that was written by his late father as Flash is called back into action. He attacks the Queen and is backed up by Captain America later in the battle. They take down the Queen, but she transforms into a bigger, stronger spider form and is taken down by Venom, Captain America, Spider-Man, Kaine, and the assistance of the Avengers.
said the "Spider-Island" story was Dan Slott's "most ambitious and sprawling" story yet.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
storyline starting in The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
and crossing over
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
into other comic books published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
in 2011
2011 in comics
-January:*January 4 Axel Alonso is named editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, replacing Joe Quesada.-September:*During the whole month of September DC Comics released 52 brand new titles as part of their The New 52 publishing scheme after canceling all titles in August.-Conventions:*July 2–3 -...
.
Infested
"Infested" was a series of six back-up stories that were at the end of regular issues of The Amazing Spider-Man. They were in issues #659, 660, 662–665. These stories featured the JackalJackal (Marvel Comics)
The Jackal is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 , and was created by writer Gerry Conway and artist Ross Andru. In The Amazing Spider-Man #148 The Jackal is a fictional character that appears in...
and his experiments that lead to the "Spider-Island" story. These were compiled in a comic book reprint
Reprint
A reprint is a re-publishing of material that has already been previously published. The word reprint is used in many fields.-Academic publishing:...
called Amazing Spider-Man: Infested, which was released on August 31.
Spider-Island
The story begins when Spider-ManSpider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
manages to thwart a store robbery by some thugs. He soon hears a police report that Hydro-Man
Hydro-Man
Hydro-Man, also spelled Hydro Man , is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics...
is attacking a bank. The Young Allies are shown being beaten by Hydro-Man until Spider-Man arrives and helps to defeat Hydro-Man. Following Hydro-Man's defeat, Spider-Man soon discovers that some of the civilians are starting to develop spider-like abilities. It is later revealed that Jackal achieved this through the aid of several human clones of himself and funding from a mysterious female benefactor. He has also enlisted the aid of the mutated Kaine
Kaine
Kaine is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain and antihero who serves as both an ally and an enemy of Spider-Man. He first appeared in Web of Spider-Man #119, and is the Jackal's first failed attempt at cloning Peter Parker...
whom he had captured.
When everyone starts dressing up as Spider-Man (the Jackal having provided costumes to various civilians), Mary Jane Watson
Mary Jane Watson
Mary Jane Watson, often shortened to MJ, is a fictional supporting character appearing, originally, in Marvel comic books and, later, in multiple spin-offs and dramatizations of the Spider-Man titles as the best friend, love interest, and one-time wife of Peter Parker, the alter ego of Spider-Man...
encounters a man in Spider-Man's Future Foundation
Future Foundation
Future Foundation is a fictional organization appearing in comics published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Jonathan Hickman, the team first appeared in Fantastic Four #579 and stars in the series FF, written by Hickman and illustrated by Steve Epting...
costume until Thing
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
arrives telling that guy not to disrespect the costume. The rest of the Future Foundation, the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
, the Young Allies, the New Avengers, and Cloak and Dagger
Cloak and Dagger (comics)
Cloak and Dagger are a fictional comic book superhero duo in the . They were created by writer William "Bill" Mantlo and designed by artist Edward Hannigan.-Publication history:...
arrive as Mary Jane demands to know what is going on from Mister Fantastic
Mister Fantastic
Mr. Fantastic is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the Fantastic Four. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 ....
and where Peter is. With his current girlfriend Carlie Cooper
Carlie Cooper
Carlie Cooper is a fictional character, a supporting character of Spider-Man in Marvel Comics' main shared universe. She is friends with Peter Parker, Harry Osborn, Vin Gonzales, and Lily Hollister...
having also manifested spider-powers, Peter attempts to aid the other heroes in stopping the attacks and finding Carlie, but he is knocked out along with the other Spider-Men as even his allies cannot identify him among the other Spider-Men.
Although Shang-Chi
Shang-Chi
Shang-Chi is a Marvel Comics character, often called the "Master of Kung Fu". He was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin....
is able to confirm Spider-Man's identity to the other heroes, he is nevertheless ordered to stay out of the fight due to their inability to distinguish him from the other Spider-Men. However, inspired by a conversation with Mary Jane, Peter is able to rally various other New Yorkers to help him stop the villainous Spider-Men by posing as another random spider-powered citizen. As Anti-Venom
Eddie Brock
Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...
works on 'curing' various Spider-People of their powers, Madame Web reflects on the need for both Venom
Flash Thompson
Eugene "Flash" Thompson is a supporting character in Marvel Comics’s Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 ....
and Anti-Venom to fix the Spider-Island problem. Meanwhile, Carlie and Peter attempt to investigate the Jackal's lab reasoning that he is the most likely candidate to have caused this event, unaware that they are being watched. Jackal is then seen working on Spider-King (who is filled with tiny spider embryos).
Horizon Labs works with Mister Fantastic into finding a cure for the spider-powered people while the Avengers and other heroes are trying to keep Manhattan quarantined to keep the Spider Virus from spreading. Madame Web has a precognition that Venom and Anti-Venom will have a large role to play in all of this. While at an abandoned lab at Empire University, Peter Parker and Carlie are attacked by Scorcher
Scorcher (comics)
Scorcher is a Marvel Comics supervillain.-Fiction character biography:Steven Hudak was a research chemist who was wrongfully accused of embezzlement by his employer...
and White Rabbit
White Rabbit (comics)
The White Rabbit is a supervillainess in the Marvel Universe and is an enemy of Spider-Man . She first appeared in Marvel Team-Up #131 in July 1983, and was created by J.M...
(who also have spider powers). When White Rabbit manages to attack Carlie, Peter uses some moves that he learned from Shang-Chi in order to knock out the villains. Carlie then takes the villains back to the precinct and tells that she wants to have a talk with him and Spider-Man to Peter's dismay. Meanwhile, Jackal has been watching them and tells Tarantula to study the tape of the fight as he will soon be tested. The Avengers then close off Manhattan keeping everyone in the city. While Reed Richards has developed a vaccine that can keep people from gaining spider powers but does not work on people who already have them. Right as J. Jonah Jameson
J. Jonah Jameson
John Jonah Jameson Junior is a supporting character of Spider-Man in the .Jameson is usually the publisher or editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, a fictional New York newspaper and now serves as the mayor of New York City...
is about to get the vaccine, Reed tells him he has spider powers and has been infected. Anti-Venom continues to cure the victims of Manhattan, while Madame Web passes out from too many spiders accessing the web of life. Carlie is told that Spider-Man is waiting for her at the top of her precinct. Carlie and Spider-Man head to take down another spider-powered villain as Carlie becomes suspicious of where Peter is. But they arrive at the scene they find a six-armed Shocker
Shocker (comics)
The Shocker or just Shocker is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #46 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Romita, Sr.-Fictional character biography:Herman Schultz was born in New York...
, as Carlie and Spider-Man take him on. Shocker reveals that he wants the money so that Mad Thinker
Mad Thinker
The Mad Thinker is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . He is a genius specializing in evil robotics and usually comes up with very elaborate infallible devious plans that unfold like clockwork....
can cure him. Shocker then pulls off his mask to reveal that he's slowly mutating into a spider-like creature. Just as Spider-Man tries to piece everything together, Carlie begins to mutate. While the Spider-Queen tells the Jackal that all the infected people of Manhattan are beginning to mutate, she states that New York will soon belong to her.
Mary Jane Watson evades the citizens who have been transformed into spider-like creatures. When Spider-Man tries to get a mutated Carlie to Mister Fantastic, more spider-like creatures begin to appear giving Spider-Man a hard time to find out which of the spider-like creatures is Carlie. As J. Jonah Jameson ends up becoming a spider-like creature and defeats a Spider-Slayer, the Spider-Queen uses her Web of Life to control the spider-like creatures. Mary Jane starts to develop spider powers while Madame Web loses her precognition.
Despite Jackal's contrary advice, Reed Richards and the Horizon Labs manage to develop a serum from Anti-Venom's symbiotic antibodies, able to kill the Spider-Virus and instantly reverse the mutations. The Spider Queen sends Tarantula, able to breach through Peter Parker's personal lab due to their common DNA. However, Peter discovers the breach of security, and starts fighting Tarantula, preventing him from poisoning the serum. As Tarantula, now more physically powerful, and still enabled with a functioning Spider-Sense, starts gaining the upper hand, Reed Richards mentions to the Horizon Labs scientist how Spider-Man lost his special sense. Thus, the main Horizon Lab equipe manages to jury-rig a counter-frequency, restoring Peter Parker's Spider-Sense to an enhanced level (due to Shang-Chi kung fu training being merged to his reflexes). Now fully empowered again, Peter Parker bests Tarantula, drowning him into a pool of serum. Moments later, Tarantula emerges from the pool, with his mutation gone, and even his clone degeneration reversed. The now healthy Kaine, looking like a perfect clone of Peter Parker, shakes off Spider-Queen's mind control, and offers to help Peter. Meanwhile, a side effect of the counterfrequency used on Peter restores Madame Web's and Spider Queen's connection to the Web of Life: as Spider-Queen used an evolved version of her sonic scream to kill Jackal (later revealed as yet another clone), she realizes to have been given the whole powers of the Web, becoming a Spider-Goddess.
By the time Captain America and Venom reach the Spider-Queen, she uses her enhanced powers to evolve into a massive, spiderlike creature of massive strength, siphoning new power from every individual infected by the Spider-Virus. Mary Jane, discovering that owing to her long-term relationship with Peter Parker has developed a partial immunity to the Spider-Virus, uses her newly acquired spider powers to reach the Horizon Labs and reunite with Peter. Meanwhile, Peter Parker has Kaine outfitted with the "Spider-Armor" from Big Time which is able to deflect Spider-Queen's sonic scream. Kaine, Mary Jane, and Spider-Man then join the fight, as the whole heroic community of New York bravely tries to fight Spider-Queen and Madame Web's apocalyptic prophecy. When Spider-Man seems bound to lose, Mary Jane reminds him that as powerful as Spider-Man could be, she had always trusted the brain power of Peter Parker the scientist. Thus, leaving Kaine behind to fight with the other heroes, Spider-Man and Mary Jane flee to the Police Precinct stealing Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics since 1963. A highly intelligent mad scientist, Doctor Octopus is one of Spider-Man's greatest foes...
' Octobots that Spider-Man easily converts into a small army of impromptu Spider-Slayer
Spider-Slayer
The Spider-Slayers are a series of fictional robots in the Marvel Comics universe that were specifically designed to hunt down, capture, and/or kill Spider-Man.-Fictional character biography:...
s (each one carrying a dose of the cure). While Mary Jane bravely defends him, Peter connects with the antenna on the Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
reversing the mutation of a large part of New York population at once. Emboldened by Spider-Man's example and seeing Spider-Queen losing her powers, Kaine has himself thrown in her mouth using the Spider-Armor to deflect the sonic scream and bony spider-stingers (similar to the ones held by Peter Parker during The Other) to slay the Spider-Queen. While Madame Web claims that her prophecy entailing The Hand of Spider-Man felling the Queen must had been wrong, Kaine (now fully reconciled with Peter) claims that he was merely an executor and Spider-Man's bravery and quick thinking enabled him to deal the final blow. The Jackal, in disguise as part of Damage Control, harvests some of the deceased Queen's marrow for use in future cloning experiments. On the Empire State Building, Mary Jane admits her love for Peter, but he doesn't hear her. They simply stay there to rest, musing about the aftereffects of having the whole New York walk a mile into Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
's shoes.
The following day, Peter discovers from Doctor Strange that the psychic blindspot that was put in place to protect his secret identity has now been compromised. This was due to Peter revealing his spider-powers in a viral video to encourage other New Yorkers to use their new spider-powers for good and not mayhem. As a result of this, Carlie is able to deduce who Peter actually is. Tired of being lied to, Carlie accuses Peter of being a mask for his "true self" and breaks up with him. Peter locates Mary Jane and admministers the antidote to her albeit with some reluctance on her part. The two once again bond with each other over their recent experiences. Mary Jane tells Peter to look at the Empire State Building which is projecting a red and blue color scheme. This is a way of saying "thank you" to Spider-Man for his heroic deeds during the crisis.
Spider-Island: Amazing Spider-Girl
As Anya Corazon tries to figure out her past, she and her friend Rocky are attacked by the Sisterhood of the Wasp (a misguided monster sect who are "fabled enemies of the spiders") who are targeting Anya. Anya gets Rocky to safety and changes into Spider-Girl. She ends up getting an unlikely ally in the HobgoblinPhil Urich
Philip Benjamin "Phil" Urich is a Marvel Comics character whose first appearance was in Web of Spider-Man #125. He once was the second person to use the Green Goblin identity as a superhero instead of a supervillain...
who then flies her to Kingpin
Kingpin (comics)
The Kingpin is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . Kingpin is one of the most feared and powerful crime lords in the Marvel Universe. The character is a major adversary of Daredevil, the Punisher, and Spider-Man...
. When Spider-Girl asks why Kingpin wants her help, Kingpin reveals that he and his men have developed spider powers, as a result being targeted by the Sisterhood of the Wasp. He tells Spider-Girl where he has found the location of the Central Wasp Nest. Madame Web tells Spider-Girl that she will need to team up with her "enemy" when the Sisterhood of the Wasp's leader All-Mother plans to release a poison that will kill anyone with spider powers. Spider-Girl and the Hand
Hand (comics)
The Hand is a fictional supervillainous organization in the Marvel Comics universe.The Hand is an order of evil mystical ninja who are heavily involved in organized crime and mercenary activities such as assassination plots. The Hand covets power above all other objectives. They are primarily based...
end up fighting the soldiers of the Sisterhood of the Wasp to keep them from unleashing the poison. When the soldiers take to the skies, they end up shot down by the Hand archers. Spider-Girl soon rushes to take down the hive-mother while the line of wasps are thin, but runs into Madame Web. She ends up telling Spider-Girl that she still needs to team up with her "enemy" to which Sider-Girl doesn't understand as she already teamed up with Kingpin. When joining the Kingpin to fight the All-Mother, she figures the true meaning of the "enemy" to which she has to team up with the All-Mother to halt the mob of mutated New York natives. They eventually successfully stop the mutated spider reinforcements and the battle is over. Hobgoblin however does not acknowledge the end of battle and attacks the All-Mother and angers the Kingpin to which Spider-Girl convinces him to let Hobgoblin live. The story ends with Spider-Girl getting administered the cure although it is seen that she still has retained some spider powers when she swings away from the Kingpin (who has just offered Spider-Girl a permanent alliance to which she declines to).
Spider-Island: Avengers
When the infestation of Manhattan began, Ms. MarvelMs. Marvel
Ms. Marvel is the name of a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and designed by artist Gene Colan, the non-powered Carol Danvers debuted as a member of the United States Air Force in Marvel Super-Heroes #13 and as Ms. Marvel—a...
, Jessica Jones
Jessica Jones
Jessica Campbell Jones Cage is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe, created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Gaydos. Jones debuted in the series Alias as an embittered former superheroine who had used the aliases Jewel, Knightress, and currently Power Woman...
, and Hawkeye
Hawkeye (comics)
Hawkeye , also known as Goliath and Ronin, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. Hawkeye joined the Avengers in Avengers Vol. 1 #16 Hawkeye...
survey the people with spider powers. When Jessica Jones calls up Squirrel Girl
Squirrel Girl
Squirrel Girl, real name Doreen Green, is a fictional character and superhero in the . Her first appearance was in Marvel Super-Heroes #8 , in a story plotted and drawn by Steve Ditko and scripted by Will Murray. Her ability to control squirrels is surprisingly powerful and has allowed her to...
on the status of her daughter Danielle, Squirrel Girl discovers that Danielle has developed spider powers. Frog-Man
Frog-Man
Frog-Man is a minor comedic superhero created by writer J. M. DeMatteis and artist Kerry Gammill for Marvel Comics. His first appearance was in Marvel Team-Up #121.- Fictional character biography :...
witnesses terrorists with spider powers attacking the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. Frog-Man gains the assistance, and eventual grudging respect, of Ms. Marvel, Jessica Jones, and Hawkeye.
Spider-Island: Cloak and Dagger
When Cloak and Dagger see an advertisement of them on a billboard, Cloak tells Dagger that they would be able to come to anyone's services. They are approached by the New Avengers who are on their way to handle a riot involving people with spider-powers. While stopping the people dressed as Spider-Man, Cloak and Dagger recall the time when they worked for Norman OsbornGreen Goblin
The Green Goblin is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 ....
's Dark X-Men
Dark X-Men
The Dark X-Men are a Marvel Comics comic-book team. They made their debut during the crossover between Dark Avengers and Uncanny X-Men written by Matt Fraction, as part of the broader Dark Reign storyline. Each member but Namor has been handpicked by then–H.A.M.M.E.R...
. Mister Negative
Mister Negative
Mister Negative is a fictional comic book supervillain, appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as an enemy of Spider-Man and the Punisher...
is told of a prophecy that he is destined to be killed by Dagger. Mister Negative captures Dagger and corrupts her with his Negative Touch. This turns Dagger into a dark version of herself who must consume all light and life. The corrupted Dagger ends up using her powers to plunge Chinatown into darkness. Tyrone begs Mister Negative to save her in which he decides to use his negative touch on Cloak altering his Darkforce powers into that of Dagger's. After Cloak and Dagger heal themselves alongside Chinatown, both of them came to the conclusion that they must deal with their altered powers with each other.
Spider-Island: Deadly Foes
Norah Winters shows disappointment when she sees that Betty BrantBetty Brant
Elizabeth "Betty" Brant is a supporting character in Marvel Comics’s Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #4 .-Fictional character biography:...
had beat them to the Spider-Island story. Unbeknownst to Norah, she is being spied upon by Phil Urich
Phil Urich
Philip Benjamin "Phil" Urich is a Marvel Comics character whose first appearance was in Web of Spider-Man #125. He once was the second person to use the Green Goblin identity as a superhero instead of a supervillain...
who is jealous of her relationship with Randy Robertson
Randy Robertson
Randy Robertson is a supporting character in Marvel Comics's Spider-Man series. Created by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr., he first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #67 .-History:...
. This causes Phil to become Hobgoblin
Hobgoblin (comics)
The Hobgoblin is the alias of several fictional characters that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first and best-known Hobgoblin is Roderick Kingsley. He first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #238, and was created by Roger Stern and John Romita, Sr...
and go after her. At Potter's Field, it was shown that Jackal has found Kaine emerging from his grave following the events of the Grim Hunt. Jackal manages to knock out Kaine and drag him back to his lair.
Spider-Island: Deadly Hands of Kung Fu
Shang-Chi is told by Madame Web that people with spider powers are running amok in Manhattan. When he sees Iron Fist fighting the Spider-Man imposters and Peter Parker nearby, Shang-Chi springs into action. Bride of Nine Spiders inexplicably starts attacking and abducting her teammates in the Immortal WeaponsImmortal Weapons
The Immortal Weapons are fictional characters, each a champion of one of the Seven Capital Cities of Heaven in the . The Immortal Weapons first appear in The Immortal Iron Fist #8 and as a group, were created by Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction and David Aja.-Publication history:After the characters...
. When trying to figure out what his recurring dream means, Shang-Chi learns from Silver Sable
Silver Sable
Silver Sable is a fictional character from Marvel Comics, a female mercenary, hunter of war criminals, the leader of the Wild Pack, and CEO of Silver Sable International...
that she has found possible locations in Manhattan for Bride of Nine Spider's lair. Although Shang-Chi manages to defeat Bride of Nine Spiders and frees Iron Fist, he discovers that the person behind this is the demon Ai Apaec who is seeking to feed off the Immortal Weapons. As Shang-Chi fights Ai Apeac, Iron Fist scrambles to free the other Immortal Weapons. Shang-Chi mutates into a spider during the battle as a result of the infection, but Iron Fist uses his Chi force to cure Shang-Chi, leaving Iron Fist in a weakened state. After making sure Iron Fist and the rest of the Immortal Weapons are evacuated, Shang-Chi collapes the mansion hide-out on top of Ai Apeac leaving him immobilized for the Avengers to put back into custody.
Spider-Island: Heroes for Hire
Heroes for HireHeroes For Hire
Heroes for Hire is a fictional superhero team published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in Power Man and Iron Fist #54 , and was created by Ed Hannigan and Lee Elias.-Publication history and original concept:...
is called in to help with the quarantine of Manhattan. They end up fighting spider-powered versions of Chemistro
Chemistro
Three people have taken the moniker of the supervillain Chemistro in the fictional Marvel Comics universe.-Curtis Carr:The first Chemistro, Curtis Carr, was born in Kansas City, Kansas. While working as a chemist and research scientist for Mainstream Motors, he created an "alchemy gun" capable of...
III, Mr. Fish
Mr. Fish
Mr. Fish is a fictional supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe who is an enemy of Luke Cage. He first appeared in Luke Cage, Power Man #29.-Backstory:...
II, Nightshade
Nightshade (Marvel Comics)
Nightshade , formerly known as Dr. Nightshade and Deadly Nightshade is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. She first appeared in Captain America #164 and was created by Steve Englehart and Alan Lee Weiss....
, and Spear.
Spider-Island: Spider-Woman
When the civilians who gained spider powers start to turn into half-spider creatures, Spider-WomanSpider-Woman (Jessica Drew)
Spider-Woman is a fictional character, a superheroine in the Marvel Comics Universe. The character first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #32 , and 50 issues of an ongoing series titled Spider-Woman followed...
is fighting some of them while Mister Fantastic states in the communication that HYDRA
HYDRA
HYDRA is a fictional terrorist organization in the Marvel Universe.Despite the name's capitalization per Marvel's official spelling, the name is not an acronym but rather a reference to the mythical Lernaean Hydra...
once used a corrupted version of her DNA on Alicia Masters
Alicia Masters
Alicia Reiss Masters is a supporting character to the Marvel Comics superheroes the Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, she first appeared in The Fantastic Four #8 ....
as part of their super-soldier experiment. Mister Fantastic then has Spider-Woman look for Alicia Masters.
Herc
The Greek owners/operators of the bar where HerculesHercules (Marvel Comics)
Hercules is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery Annual #1 and was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby....
works have fled the dangers of New York City and returned to Greece, leaving Hercules in charge. He befriends an elderly African man named A. Nancy who loves stories. One night Herc is bitten by a bed bug that gives him spider powers, which he uses to fight crime. He ends up fighting the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
who are in town still dealing with those who were turned into lizard men by the Lizard
Lizard (comics)
The Lizard is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe and enemy of Spider-Man. The Lizard first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #6 , and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko...
. It was shown that Hercules ended up getting spider powers where a tenant at the bar he worked at has been having bedbug problems. The Queen of Spider Island reveals herself to Herc and makes him her slave. She sends Spider-Herc against the X-Men, who were in town after fighting lizard people in the sewers. They try to reason with him, but he attacks them with the Sword of Peleus. Due to the mutagenic properties of Spider-Man's powers, Spider-Herc mutates into Herc-Spider. Suddenly the X-Men are trapped in a magic web and the Greek goddess Arachne appears. Instead of fighting, it is revealed that Arachne is very attracted to Herc's new form and they embrace while the X-Men are forced to watch. While Arachne is preoccupied, A. Nancy breaks into her home and steals her mythical tapestry. He reveals himself as the African spider god Anansi, a collector of stories.
Venom
When the people of Manhattan start developing spider-powers, Venom is sent in to capture a spider-like beast that is fighting Firestar and Gravity. Venom manages to capture the Spider-King and discovers that he is an enslaved Captain AmericaCaptain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
. Venom disguises himself as the Spider-King in order to track the infestation to its source. The Queen and Jackal send him to kill Anti-Venom because he is curing people who have gained spider-powers, but his superiors order him to take him to Mister Fantastic
Mister Fantastic
Mr. Fantastic is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the Fantastic Four. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 ....
to help develop a cure. Flash and the Venom-symbiote fight each other because Flash wants to bring Anti-Venom to Mister Fantastic and the symbiote wants to kill Anti-Venom for previously rejecting it. This leads to Venom and Anti-Venom fighting. Venom wins the fight and delivers Anti-Venom to Mister Fantastic. At Project Rebirth, the scientists there are able to use Anti-Venom's blood as part of a cure which is to be tested on the mutated Captain America. Betty Brant gives Flash Thompson a letter that was written by his late father as Flash is called back into action. He attacks the Queen and is backed up by Captain America later in the battle. They take down the Queen, but she transforms into a bigger, stronger spider form and is taken down by Venom, Captain America, Spider-Man, Kaine, and the assistance of the Avengers.
List of issues
- Spider-Island: Daily Bugle (free preview)
- The Amazing Spider-ManThe Amazing Spider-ManThe Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
#666–673 - Spider Island: Cloak and DaggerCloak and Dagger (comics)Cloak and Dagger are a fictional comic book superhero duo in the . They were created by writer William "Bill" Mantlo and designed by artist Edward Hannigan.-Publication history:...
#1–3 - VenomVenom (comics)Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...
vol. 2 #6–8 - Herc #7–8
- Spider-Island: Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #1–3
- Spider-Island: Spider-GirlAnya CorazonAnya Sofia Corazon is a fictional half Mexican and half Puerto Rican superheroine in the . She formerly went by the codename Araña, but is currently known as Spider-Girl.-Publication history:...
#1–3 - Black PantherBlack Panther (comics)The Black Panther is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and penciller-co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #52...
#524 - Spider-Island: Deadly Foes
- Spider-Island: AvengersAvengers (comics)The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
- Spider-Island: Spider-WomanSpider-Woman (Jessica Drew)Spider-Woman is a fictional character, a superheroine in the Marvel Comics Universe. The character first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #32 , and 50 issues of an ongoing series titled Spider-Woman followed...
- Spider-Island: I Love New York
- Spider-Island: Heroes for HireHeroes For HireHeroes for Hire is a fictional superhero team published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in Power Man and Iron Fist #54 , and was created by Ed Hannigan and Lee Elias.-Publication history and original concept:...
Collected editions
The event is being collected into two volumes:- Spider-Man: Spider-Island (January 25, 2012, collecting The Amazing Spider-Man #666-673, Venom #6-8, Spider-Island: Deadly Foes #1, and Amazing Spider-Man #659-660; 662-665 (Infested stories))
- Spider-Man: Spider-Island Companion (February 29, 2012, collecting Spider-Island: The Amazing Spider-Girl #1-3, Spider-Island: Cloak & Dagger #1-3, Spider-Island: Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #1-3, Herc #7-8, Spider-Island: Avengers #1, Spider-Island: Spider-Woman #1, Black Panther #524, Spider-Island: Heroes for Hire #1, and Spider-Island Spotlight #1)
Reception
USA TodayUSA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
said the "Spider-Island" story was Dan Slott's "most ambitious and sprawling" story yet.
- The Amazing Spider-Man #667 received a rating of 6.5 out of 10 from IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, and a rating of 4.0 out of 5 from Comic Book ResourcesComic Book ResourcesComic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
. - The Amazing Spider-Man #668 received a rating of 7.5 out of 10 from IGN, and a rating of 3.5 out of 5 from Comic Book Resources.
- The Amazing Spider-Man #669 received a rating of 7.5 out of 10 from IGN.
- Spider-Island: The Amazing Spider-Girl #1 received a rating of 7.0 out of 10 from IGN, and a rating of 3.0 out of 5 from Comic Book Resources.
- Spider-Island: The Amazing Spider-Girl #2 received a rating of 7.0 out of 10 from IGN.
- Spider-Island: Cloak & Dagger #1 received a rating of 8.5 out of 10 from IGN, and a rating of 4.5 out of 5 from Comic Book Resources.
- Spider-Island: Cloak & Dagger #2 received a rating of 7.5 out of 10 from IGN.
- Spider-Island: Deadly Foes received a rating of 6.5 out of 10 from IGN.
- Spider-Island: Spider-Woman received a rating of 5.5 out of 10 from IGN.
- Venom vol. 2 #6 received a rating of 7.5 out of 10 from IGN, and a rating of 3.5 out of 5 from Comic Book Resources.