Description
Spider-Man #51 (1990 McFarlane Series)
POWER AND RESPONSIBILITY PART 3 – A HEART BEAT AWAY!
The Peter Parker clone stands over the unconscious body of May Parker, wishing she could hear him. He tells her that he is not really her nephew, but a clone calling himself Ben Reilly after his memory of Uncle Ben and May’s maiden name. That he had met the real Peter Parker, and it didn’t go over very well. Moments earlier, he was visited by the astral form of a woman named Chakra. She told Ben that Spider-Man is at Ravencroft and gave him a choice: Come and save Spider-Man’s life or do nothing and he will die. The death of the real Peter Parker would give Ben the opportunity to take over Peter Parker’s life, something that he has been yearning for years. However, even though he is a clone, his memories are the same of Peter Parker. As such, he believes that May raised them both, convincing him what he needs to do. Pulling a Spider-Man mask and gloves out of his backpack, Ben decides to go to Ravencroft. Not long after Ben Reilly has left, the nursing station gets an alert that May Parker is flatlining. Her doctor, Julia Caputo, rushes into the hospital room and discovers that May is still alive, that a cable from her heart monitor came loose. As they reconnect it, they notice that Peter Parker is not in the room and none of the nurses saw him leave. At that moment, the Spider-Clone swings across the city, realizing he couldn’t resist playing hero. He wonders if he’ll die this time around and finally put his suffering to an end. While at Ravencroft, Judas Traveller watches Spider-Man from his cell and is unimpressed with what he has seen. He is joined by his assistant Mister Nacht who informs him that Chakra contacted the Spider-Clone and he may be on his way. He tells Nacht to send out Boone and Medea to go outside and provide a suitable greeting for their guest. As short time later, the Spider-Clone arrives outside Ravencroft and sees the barrier around the institution. Although the barrier is keeping the authorities and the press away, Ben is surprised when he is able to pass through it unmolested. On the other side, his spider-sense warns him just in time to leap out of the way from a shot fired at him by Medea. Back inside, Spider-Man struggles to get free so he can stop Traveller from killing or setting free the other inmates. However, Judas is still flooding his mind with images. In his mind, Spider-Man is caught in a massive web surrounded by his various foes and loved ones. He tells them to all go away and leave him alone. That’s when he is joined by a vision of his clone who offers to help Spider-Man fight everyone off. Watching Spider-Man struggles with all of this in his mind, Judas Traveller begins to wonder what kind of man Spider-Man is. Meanwhile, Ben Reilly manages to slip past Medea and Boone and gets into the facility. However, his ability to escape doesn’t last long as the pair come back inside and find him. As Ben continues to fight the duo, Spider-Man struggles with Traveller’s invasive thoughts. No matter what is thrown at him, Spider-Man continues to remind himself that with great power comes great responsibility. As Ben manages to defeat his attackers and continues his hunt for Spider-Man. At that moment, Spider-Man orders Traveller to get out of his mind and finally breaks free of his shackles. As Spider-Man breaks out of his cell, he is quickly overpowered by Judas Traveller. However, that’s when the Spider-Clone comes crashing into the room. The pair vow to work together to defeat Traveller once and for all.
THE DOUBLE PART 3 – WHO AM I?
