Ultimate Spider-Man: Therapy
Issue: #39
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inker: Art Thiebert
Colors: Transparency Digital

General Nicholas Fury is having dinner out when he’s contacted by a SHIELD security operative. There’s a strange energy reading in the area, and they’ve tracked the source. After paying for dinner, Fury walks down the street and into an alley. He presses a button on his watch, releasing a green energy discharge, and waits. A moment later something falls into a nearby dumpster. It’s Peter Parker, dressed in civilian clothes.

Peter has been following Fury since the general left his headquarters an hour ago. Impressed, Fury compliments him, then asks what he wants. Peter begs Fury to take away his spider powers – he doesn’t want them and he doesn’t want to be Spider-Man any more. Fury asks what happened to cause Peter to make this request. Peter tells him about someone losing control of an experiment and turning into a “thing”. Fury asks if this was a black monstrosity in Queens, then reveals that SHIELD agents had been on the scene. Fury contacts them to let them know that the situation has been handled. The agent compliments Peter on the fact that no one got hurt, and signs off.

Fury questions Peter further. Peter thinks the monster is dead, but isn’t sure. Fury tells him that if there’s no body, chances are the monster or the man isn’t dead. Peter continues to ask Fury to take his powers away; he’s convinced that when he turns 18, he’ll become a prisoner of SHIELD because of his illegal abilities. Fury explains that what he really wants is Peter working for SHIELD as a team member, not as a prisoner. He tells Peter that no one can save everyone, and that Peter doesn’t have to be Spider-Man every moment of every day. The two finally shake hands and Fury walks way.

Peter goes to the Empire State University campus to Eddie Brock’s room. Eddie’s roommate is cleaning up and complaining about the fact that Eddie packed up and left without any warning. He tells Peter that Eddie was something of a jerk and that he wouldn’t be missed.

Peter goes to the lab to check on the Venom experiment, but instead finds Dr. Curt Conners sitting at a table, drinking. Conners asks his name, then tells him he saw him on the news in the suit. Conners has figured out that Peter is Ray Parker’s son, and also Spider-Man. Conners, like Peter, has a secret – he turns into a lizard-like creature. Spider-Man has had a run-in with him before (Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #10). Conners has discovered the missing Venom experiment, and asks Peter to fill him in. Peter isn’t quite sure what has happened, but it seems that Eddie is still alive and has the suit.

Conners wonders if all of the failed attempts with the Super Soldier serum and the manipulation of human biology isn’t perhaps a sign from God that man shouldn’t mess with certain things. Finally, Conners drinks himself into a stupor, leaving Peter to break out of the lab and run to the roof. His spider-sense goes off, but he sees nothing. He calls out to Eddie, offering to help, but still hears and sees nothing. In the final panel, we see him standing alone on the lab roof.

Submitted By: Seldes Katne