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Quote1 Well, wobble my webs and call me shaky! It's Goldilocks -- the hippest hammer in the west! Quote2
Spider-Man

Appearing in "...To Become an Avenger!"

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Synopsis for "...To Become an Avenger!"

The Avengers have assembled and are trying to determine whether or not to invite Spider-Man into their esteemed ranks. After much debate and confusion, they decide to invite Daredevil to get more information. He shows up and gives strong praise in Spider-Man having seen him fight against The Ringmaster. After his endorsement, the Avengers unanimously vote to test Spider-Man, and if he passes, to accept him. Each Avenger takes off to find Spider-Man. Thor is the first to find him, and gives him 24 hours to show to the Avengers headquarters. Pete wrestles with the idea of being on a team in the public eye versus being self-employed and calling the shots himself.

Finally, he decides to take a chance and meet the Avengers. As he arrives, the Avengers are bogged down as to what test they should give Spider-Man. Iron Man tells him to get out of the way as they figure out what they want to do. Spider-Man takes great offense and figures that riling him up is the test so Spider-Man begins to fight the Avengers. Instead, they decide to have Spider-Man bring Hulk to them but Spider-Man leaves before they can explain why. As he stops at The Daily Bugle for refreshment, Frederick Foswell tells J. Jonah Jameson that the Hulk has been spotted at a gamma ray research center. While fighting the Hulk, he punches and a gamma ray explodes temporarily turning him back into Bruce Banner.

Spider-Man tries to explain his purpose there, but ends up wondering why the Avengers want a sick man, not an evil villain. He lets Hulk go and tells the Avengers he couldn’t be found. The Avengers didn’t tell Spider-Man that they wanted to help him, but Spider-Man feared he would lead Hulk to his doom. Pete, conflicted by the result, tries to tell himself it’s for the best.

Appearing in "Turning Point"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Amazing Spider-Man #11

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Synopsis for "Turning Point"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Amazing Spider-Man #11

When Peter hears that Doctor Octopus is about to be released from prison, he goes to the warden to petition against his release. The warden tells Spider-Man that Octopus served his time and tells him to get out before he has him arrested. Knowing that Octopus will probably go back to a life of crime, Peter develops a Spider-Tracer device which will allow him to track Octopus wherever he goes. When he tags the car coming to pick up Octopus, Spider-Man is shocked to find Betty Brant driving. He also finds that she dropped a map to Philadelphia from the car when she picked up Octopus.

As it turns out, Betty's trouble involves her brother Bennett, who is the lawyer for crime boss Blackie Gaxton. He also owes Gaxton a large gambling debt. In order to clear this debt, Betty has agreed to help Bennett follow through with Gaxton's plan: Use Dr. Octopus to free him from prison.

When Peter travels to Philadelphia, he tracks down Betty and tells her how he feels. Meanwhile, Dr. Octopus frees Gaxton, and they take Betty and Bennett as hostages as they escape by boat. Spider-Man arrives to capture both, but during the altercation Spider-Man sprains his ankle and Bennett is shot by a bullet fired by Blackie that was meant for his sister.

Betty blames Spider-Man for her brother's death, and Spider-Man battles Dr. Octopus around the ship, but Octopus escapes. The police arrive and arrest Blackie and his gang. Later, having changed back to Peter Parker, he learns from Betty that she hopes to never see Spider-Man again, because she couldn't bear being reminded of her brother's death. This hampers Peter's plans of revealing his secret identity to her.

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Appearing in "Unmasked By Doctor Octopus!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Amazing Spider-Man #12

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Synopsis for "Unmasked By Doctor Octopus!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Amazing Spider-Man #12

Betty Brant has returned to New York and taken back her secretary job at the Daily Bugle. Dr. Octopus has also returned to New York, plotting to get revenge on Spider-Man, and decides to use Betty as bait. Kidnapping Betty from the Bugle building, he tells Jameson to put a call out to Spider-Man to meet him at a nearby amusement park.

With his spider-powers seemingly gone because he's come down with a cold, Peter decides that he has no choice but to save Betty as he is, and so he accepts the challenge. When he tells Jameson (pretending that he just heard it, so his identity isn't compromised), Jameson reports the story himself.

When Spider-Man arrives to battle Dr. Octopus, all his powers have completely faded. Naturally, the powerless Spider-Man proves to be no match for Dr. Octopus. Dr. Octopus publicly unmasks Spider-Man. Octopus theorizes that Parker was simply posing as Spider-Man to save his girlfriend, because Spider-Man would put up a better fight. He flees the scene to find some other way to get the "real" Spider-Man's attention.

Everyone gives Peter grief for the danger he put himself in; however, Liz Allan finds the whole episode romantic, and her opinion of Peter changes and she realizes that she's attracted to him. The next day, Peter finds that the cold has passed and as a result, his powers are back. When Dr. Octopus releases animals from the zoo, Peter goes into action as Spider-Man. He rounds up all the animals, and gets into a fight with Dr. Octopus across the city.

Their fight takes them to an artist's loft, where they inadvertently start a fire; when the flames grow too big, Spider-Man flees and Dr. Octopus is knocked out by inhaling too much smoke. The fire is put out, and Octopus is turned over to the police. Later, Liz Allan asks Peter out on a date. Peter rejects her date, telling her that he's going on a better one with Betty Brant. He tells Liz to go out with Flash Thompson, because they deserve each other.

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Continuity Notes[]

  • It is mentioned that the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are in Europe at the time of this story. This happened in Avengers #31. At the time they believed that their powers were fading and they could be restored by reconnecting with their homeland.
  • Daredevil vouches for Spider-Man, recounting their previous encounters in Amazing Spider-Man #16, as well as Daredevil #1617.
  • Spider-Man notes that the Hulk doesn't remember him from their last encounter. The narration states that was Amazing Spider-Man #14. However, Spider-Man also clashed with the Hulk again shortly thereafter, as seen in a flashback in Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America #4. The omission is obviously because Fallen Son was printed decades later.
  • Although Spider-Man doesn't get membership in the Avengers, he finally gets membership in Avengers #329 as a reserve member.

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