Peter, Max, and Micol Jay were sitting in front of the TV. Aunt May said, "Wait a bit more, dinner is almost ready."
Peter turned on the TV. The news was playing a video — it was Joker's message.
Joker said, "Hello, Spider-Man. I heard you're back. I'm very happy."
Then he turned the camera to the side and said, "Look, who's this? Right, just a hostage."
Peter stared angrily at the man in the video. MJ asked, "Do you know that hostage?"
Peter replied, "An old lady I helped before."
Joker pointed the camera at the old lady, ripped off the tape on her mouth, and asked, "Anything you want to say to Spider-Man?"
The old lady shouted excitedly, "Spider-Man is definitely a good person! Definitely!"
Joker turned the camera back to himself and muttered,
"Do you think Spider-Man will come save you?
I don't think so.
What does everyone watching think? Hahahahahahahaha!"
He let out a creepy laugh, and the video ended.
Max turned to Peter, but Peter had already disappeared. The door was still open.
Peter quickly arrived at the scene.
He entered the abandoned factory. Joker stood with the old lady on the second floor, looking down at him.
Joker smiled and said, "You know… one more minute and I would have killed her?"
Spider-Man said, "Let her go."
Joker said, "Then you and I need to make a deal."
Spider-Man asked, "What deal?"
Joker said, "Remove your mask, and I'll release her."
Spider-Man pulled off his mask. Joker froze.
One of Joker's men asked, "Boss… we're just letting her go?"
Joker nodded.
The old lady ran down to Spider-Man and hugged him.
Peter gave the old lady a reassuring smile, then glared furiously at Joker.
At that moment, Max arrived and said, "Hey, Peter, how's it going?"
Peter asked, "Why are you here?"
On the other side, one of Joker's men whispered, "If you were going to let her go, why capture her in the first place?"
Joker roared, "Shut up! This can't be happening!"
He raised a gun and aimed at Peter.
Max shouted, "Peter, watch out!"
Max jumped in front of Peter. Bang!
The bullet pierced Max's shoulder, blood splattering onto Peter's face.
Peter told the old lady, "Go! Run outside!"
The old lady ran out.
Peter held Max, helping him sit down. "Are you okay?"
Max said, "I'm fine… it just hit the shoulder."
Hearing that, Peter charged toward Joker.
Joker boarded a helicopter and waved at Peter. "Bye-bye."
Peter could only watch as the helicopter flew away.
He returned to Max. Max looked pale and scared.
"Peter… I don't want to die."
Peter said, "You won't. You won't die."
Max collapsed. Peter held him tightly.
"Stay with me, stay with me! The ambulance is almost here!"
A tear rolled out of Max's eye.
"Peter… take my place… in my father's company…"
He gave a faint smile.
Peter watched Max's hand fall lifelessly.
Peter screamed, "No! No, Max!! No!!!"
He broke down crying.
One week later
Peter was drinking coffee and chatting at the café MJ worked at.
Suddenly, someone walked in.
Peter looked at him and whispered to MJ, "Is that…?"
MJ said, "That's Crew."
Peter nodded. "Right, right."
Peter sat across from him and greeted, "Hi. Do you still remember me?"
Crew said, "Oh, hello… Spider-Man."
Peter froze. "What did you say?"
Crew smiled. "You'll know soon."
He stood up and left the café.
Peter turned to MJ — but MJ was gone.
He rushed outside. He saw a car speeding away. A paper fluttered to the ground.
Peter picked it up. It was an address.
He followed the address and arrived at the place.
Inside, graffiti covered the walls, arrows pointing him forward.
Through the glass, he suddenly saw Aunt May and MJ tied to chairs in two separate rooms. Above them hung two guns, each connected to a trigger button outside.
The screen lit up. It was Crew.
Crew said, "Hi, Spider-Man. Let's play a game."
Peter said, "I don't want to play any games, Joker."
Crew said, "You didn't recognize me with makeup, fine.
But now without makeup you still don't know me?"
Peter said, "That other one was Crew. You're Joker."
Crew said, "Enough nonsense. Let me tell you the rules—"
Peter roared, "I DON'T want to play any games! Come fight me face-to-face! Stop using my family as threats!"
Crew smirked, holding up a remote.
"This remote is in my hand.
If you don't play, they both die right now."
Peter fell silent.
Crew continued,
"Good. Now here are the rules:
In front of you are two buttons — one kills your girlfriend MJ, the other kills your dear Aunt May.
Five-minute countdown.
Starts now."
Peter panicked. "Wait—what!? Don't go!"
The screen went black.
Peter cursed loudly, "F**k!"
The timer appeared: 5:00
Peter stared at the two people he loved most, trembling.
MJ said, "Peter… choose me. It's okay. Just choose me."
Tears streamed down Peter's face.
"No… no… don't say that. Let me think…"
Time passed. 1:23 left.
Aunt May finally spoke.
"Peter, look at me.
I've lived long enough.
Choose me. Then this ends. I'll be with Uncle Ben again."
Peter shook his head frantically.
"Don't talk like that…"
Aunt May cried,
"Peter… let me make the choice this time.
From the next time on, you decide everything.
Kill me. End this, Peter."
The countdown echoed:
10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4…
At 3 seconds, Peter screamed and slammed the button in front of MJ.
BANG!
Aunt May's head was blown open.
Peter and MJ froze in horror.
Peter screamed,
"Aunt May… no… NO…!!!"
He collapsed, sobbing in despair.
The screen lit up. Crew laughed wildly:
"I never said which button was which!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Peter's rage swelled uncontrollably.
Joker's face replayed in his mind —
Then he remembered: "The abandoned factory."
Crew was alone, talking to himself.
"Time to paint my beautiful makeup…"
Peter burst in, furious.
Crew immediately hid in the shadows.
Peter sensed his position.
Crew said from the dark,
"I only finished half my makeup and you already came."
Peter growled,
"What's so hard about clown makeup anyway?"
Crew lunged out and punched Peter to the floor.
He rained punches down on Peter's face again and again.
He stood up, looked at the web-shooters,
and stomped both of them to pieces.
Crew crouched beside Peter and whispered:
"You're just trash.
Hahahahahaha!"
Peter kicked him away. Crew slammed onto the ground.
Peter approached him. Crew backed up in fear.
Peter tried to fire webs —
the shooters were broken.
He tore them off,
then shot web directly from his wrist, binding Crew completely.
Crew said, shocked,
"So you can shoot webs without the gadgets…?"
Peter growled,
"I wasn't supposed to.
You pushed me."
Crew laughed,
"Then you have to thank me — HAHAHAHAHA!"
Peter punched him hard in the face.
Sirens echoed.
Peter turned toward the sound —
turned back —
Crew was gone.
Police rushed in.
"DOWN! ON THE GROUND! DON'T MOVE!"
The lights on the second floor turned on.
Crew stood there, holding a gun.
Police shouted,
"DROP THE GUN! I REPEAT, DROP THE GUN!"
Crew spoke to Peter from above:
"Peter… do you know why I became like this?
People are all the same —
evil, cruel.
But you showed me…
not everyone is like that.
I'm sorry… about Aunt May… and Max.
I chose this path myself.
I went too far.
I can't turn back.
So Peter… let's get to know each other again.
I'm Crew.
Crew Mark."
He raised the gun to his head—
BANG.
Crew collapsed.
Peter was forced onto the ground by police, unable to move.
A tear slid from his left eye, down the bridge of his nose into his right eye, then dropped onto the floor.
One year later
On a busy street, Peter and MJ brushed past each other—
Neither looked back.
Peter sat in front of Aunt May and Uncle Ben's graves.
From morning until night.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, police sirens echoed far away.
Peter fired a web—
and swung away.