Disclaimer: I am not and never will be a greedy little rat so willing to destroy the lives of employees just to save a few bucks from the infinite fortune so I don't own Spiderman but I do own a few different bottles of booze.
Webhead volume 15
'well here we are Thanksgiving! Still not really much to be thankful for this year… can't stop Marco, can't stop kingpin, can't stop this green guy, can't help george get out of prison…. But hey helens doing much better so that's something I guess' our hero narrates to himself as he swings towards home, the watsons and the stacy's are having dinner over at the parkers tonight and Pete had to go pick up some stuff, when he sees many different petty crimes going on at once by some recurring pests like jason macendale, roderick kingsley, and even Alex systevich.
Over at the parker House everyone is starting to get a little impatient especially gwen despite her best efforts to not lose her shit. "Look girl (a voice called out to her from behind belonging to none other than mary jane watson) I know pete seems like a real flake and all but there's one thing that's obvious the dude loves you so try to go easy on him huh?" Before she walked over to give may and her aunt a hand putting the vegetables into the pot with the already precooking turkey.
'man what a busy day between stopping macendale from stealing that car truck, dealing with kingsley and his one man bank robbery, and even Arron STILL trying a little B and E on the side. I still have to pick up the pumpkin pie for tonight!' as Spidey swings in the direction of the market before something catches his eye: a very familiar pickpocket. "Blackie gaxton. Isn't this the time for being thankful around family and friends… I don't recall theft being a part of it, what are you doing gaxton?" The wall crawler began descending on a web in front of the lowlife. The sketchy weasel though has a strange grin on his face "ieh if it isn't the big hero… listen here webhead I've got the scoop on this here new boss…. That is if you let me go huh?" "Which one? Kingpin or green?" "Kingpin. So you got a deal then?(reluctant nod) word is he's a very wealthy and powerful guy AND apparently he's big and bald, not a lot of people in town like that eh?" But immediately after that Spider-Man just webs him up In the air attached to a lamppost. "Sorry blackie but you're still a criminal even on Thanksgiving, but thanks for the info bro." 'now to go pick up that pie and head home before gwen and the others lose all their patience for me…'
Meanwhile a very traditional and wholesale Thanksgiving is happening in the connors home, besides of course the challenges Curt is having with only one arm. Most of the time he makes due with his physical limitations but around holidays and other important times he can't help but feel cheated, if only his research was ready yet….
Over at the police precinct formally run by george stacy but currently under the control of jean dewolff, the newly appointed captain is sitting in her office just contemplating the nature of the city, the heroes and just her life when suddenly the chief walks in unaware of dewolffs presence but while carrying what is clearly a bottle of liquor. "Oh sorry captain I didn't know you were still here, shouldn't you be at home by now… I mean it's Thanksgiving" yuri had asked the clearly conflicted captain. "I always spend Thanksgiving at the station contemplating everything, although this is the first time I have been a captain…." "Let me tell you dewolff stacy may have been a pain in my ass but there's no way he would do something like that it just doesn't add up. I'm not stupid I know something has been brewing in the city and now I'm starting to get pressure about treating Spiderman as an Ally instead of an enemy. (Jean gave her a look that the chief interpreted as disbelief as if the idea is crazy) I know right like we'd ever work with such a menace as a masked vigilante… what was once urban legend is quickly becoming heroic and now we're the bad guys." Sensing Yuri's distress and perhaps the possibility to lesson her hatred for the red and blue hero dewolff invited her boss and the bottle she was carrying inside her office for a while.
When Peter swung his way to the market he was just about to change out of his suit when he saw a strange man in a buttoned up lab coat, crazy wild white hair right out of back to the future movies,but his most distinguished quality was his greenish skin. This man was running around the market setting off strange chemical bombs when Spidey arrived in the thick of it "quick everyone get clear and find the paramedics!" He yelled out to the crowd as he webbed a hold of one of the bombs and got it out of there. "All you happy thankful people running around year after year! You all disgust me! Finally I can get back at you on this day!" The manic whales but as much as Spidey needed to stop this guy he could recognize something deeper in him, he wasn't after money, he wasn't hired by anyone to do this, no this man is lost broken he needs help.
Across town even during thanksgiving martian lee and even his son ganke are hard at work making those that are truly in need have a reason to be thankful in their feast soup kitchen.
"Hold on their doc brown you look a little sick. I told you 88 miles an hour was too fast you look like you're gonna make like mount saint helens buddy" Peter joked under his mask despite knowing full well that saying such would probably make things worse but he just couldn't help himself. "I am called the radiation specialist you insolent brat! It's because of all of you I'm like this! Green, miserable and alone year after year! What about Denise! What about me! Where's the justice there! You're supposed to be a hero right but you don't really care do you Spiderman?!" "Who is Denise?" But he just got even madder "don't act like you don't know! She was my wife! 4 years ago today she's killed by the same people who did this to me! Nobody ever did anything about it! You all just keep going with your lives all happy with no concern for me or anyone else! You can't even begin to understand me boy!" Spiderman slowly comes out from his hiding spot on the corner of the ceiling with his hands up in surrender "actually I understand. Someone closed to me was killed not to long ago, no one was going to do anything about it but it made me who I am. I found the guy and I could have killed him, I wanted to but I didn't. With great power comes great responsibility. Let me get you out of here, let me get you help." The green skinned man had broken down sobbing on his knees, for once Spiderman had done more than just punch the bad guy, he had truly reached someone, to actually have helped someone it felt good, this is what Spiderman should be this is what it's really about…. Spider Sense! The radiation specialist takes one of his chemical bombs and blows it up right in his face completely engulfing him, turning him into nothing more than a burned beyond recognition corpse. 'Nooooo! This wasn't supposed to happen. I was gonna help him, he was going to be ok….' Peter told himself over and over again unable to accept the truth of what happened until he remembered he needed to get home for Thanksgiving dinner with his dear aunt, gwen and her mother and of course his new neighbors Anna and mary jane watson.
When he got back it turns out not only did he forget the pie but he was so late everyone had already eaten. Gwen's mother was already in the car with gwen walking towards it when Peter ran up completely drained. "Where have you been? We ate dinner over an hour ago Peter. You're aunt was really worried and she wasn't alone, but make no mistake I'm also upset my mother just got out of the hospital after brain surgery not to mention my dad is in jail. It's been a pretty rough year for me pete and I really needed this, I really needed you but once again you weren't here. I don't know what's been going on with you but figure it out, You know where to find me when you do." As gwen got in the car in much more internal conflict than what was visible on the outside, turns out MJ was watching everything from the doorway as Peter trots inside past her. "Yikes that didn't sound good. (After she didn't get a response she still kept on going) look you'll figure it out I know you can. You act like a scared little kitty but deep down you're a tiger, tigard. I believe you'll do what's right in the end. Goodnight." She calls out as she goes nextdoor to her house where her aunt already is.
He walks over to the fridge to check for leftovers but then puts some in a bag before suiting up and heading out with it. He arrives outside a window lined with bars and quietly calls out. "Hey captain? I brought you some thanksgiving turkey." Generally confused but genuinely touched at the gesture accepts. "wow thanks kid, whoa that's good! (As he takes a bit) wait this tastes familiar…. Anyway how's everything going out there in the real world huh?" At this point pete is practically sobbing under the mask as his voice cracked "it's a lot. Next thanksgiving you will be home with your family I swear no matter what I have to do or what happens I will get you home to them." The rest of the night was spent there outside that cell as the two enjoyed their meal and each other's company.
A/N what better time in the story to establish what really makes spider man great his empathy how he's not just trying to stop the villains but he's trying to save them, the thanksgiving setting really helps reinforce just that and I choose to use a villain created for the 1967 cartoon that no one really knows to better emphasis that no matter if you're some green guy nobody recognizes, a laughing green and purple guy or someone you pasted on the street it's important to have empathy and compassion for them because you never know what's going on with them. Until next time true believers.