Peter had that afternoon decided to go out as Spider-Man after his police scanner picked up a tip about a weapons deal; he didn't want to think what was turning him into that venomous monster and how it happened. He waited in the shadows of the roof of the location watching as the buyers for the weapon wanted to renegotiate the price but Peter looked and saw a figure perched on top of scaffolding; wearing a black full bodysuit and full faced mask along with being armed to the teeth with guns.

Peter went to tackle the figure but the figure had aimed a sniper rifle at the criminals and shot them all too quick for Peter to react; the figure went to leave but Peter managed to catch him in a web but he broke free. The figure managed to wrestle him as they were sent down to the ground; clearly this was no run of the mill thug.

The figure got on his feet but started coughing and ended up unmasking to reveal that it was Kraven; "Kraven; I had wondered where you scampered off to after I heard you escaped from custody... So who hired you out as an assassin?" Peter asked as he went to tackle Kraven but he was able to regain himself and fight back with his brute strength.

"Kraven is no assassin; I have been hunting the vermin that litters these streets. Criminals, menaces but they posed no challenge for me. You see after escaping; I found that the Cancer that I thought that my body had beaten ended up re-emerged as a result of the procedure that gave me my strength... I decided that I needed to have one last great hunt before Cancer claimed me..." Kraven explained and Peter thought about seeing online about criminals being found dead with some thinking that it could be some Punisher copycat, some dubbing it a 'Lethal Protector'.

"Well sorry about your Cancer but you are a KGB hitman turned hunter turned super criminal so I have to turn you in. Maybe if you come quietly; I can ask the cops about giving you special treatment so you can live out the rest of your life comfortably..." Peter said managing to push Kraven off but Kraven took hold of his wrists and pushed him towards.

"Kraven the Hunter shouldn't die in a poultry prison cell; thanks to Cancer... He deserves to die in one final battle against a worthy opponent but you who fancies himself a 'hero' while letting these scum live to be scum another day..." Kraven retorted shaking his head with Peter feeling the pain of Kraven's superior strength.

However Peter felt the ooze overtaken him as it covered him and increased his size and bulk; once again in this monstrous form, he towered over Kraven and using a tendril from his arm he picked up Kraven by the arm and started swinging and banging him about with police arriving and watching this with their guns firing but this new form of Peter took the bullets and spit them back out.

Peter then slammed Kraven down and instead of fear; Kraven's face was filled with awe and excitement. "The power... The look in your eyes... The visage of the hunter you were always meant to be... Finish me off... A worthy oponnent at last and it shall be a glorious death..." Kraven pleaded and Peter managed to get himself to stop as the police officers continued firing.

Peter felt himself being forced to use his tendrills to drive them back and this gave Kraven the opportunity to escape while holding his ribs in pain. Peter managed to get himself to climb up to the outside of the building. He then used a tendrill as like web to go to another building and managed to force the ooze to transform him back. He managed to make it all the way back to his apartment and got changed out of his suit.

He then went to bed.


Peter in his dreams found himself on what looked like an alien planet where there was an army of beings with black ooze armor covering them forcing a race of red skinned aliens with multiple heads to build a statue of a long haired smirking figure. "A conquered planet; the Klyntar using our hosts to enslave the native species and build this monument to our god: the King of Black!" said a dark terrifying voice and Peter looked behind him to see the vision of his monster form. "The Klyntar; we claim our hosts and increase their strength and power. A symbiotic relationship if you will." the figure told Peter and he gulped.

"So you are some sort of alien symbiote that somehow bonded to me? Going on an alien religious crusade? Sorry; I refuse to take evil alien god into my life as my lord and savior." Peter snarked to the figure and tried to tackle it only to go through. Peter then saw the are change to his old elementary school and there was young Carl King relentlessly assault Peter and it changed to several of these times.

"Is this you trying to be the alien Ghost of Christmas Past? Sorry, I am not digging this adaptation..." Peter snarked frustrated.

"We see our host's memories and I have seen that before the spider found you, you were a loser. That makes us kindred spirits as I have been bullied by race; not strong and having difficulty with controlling stronger hosts. We are both losers who have found eachother; but you have made yourself stronger and I made you stronger!" the figure told Peter and the area changed to show Jupiter and Colonel Jupiter finding the Promethium-X.

"The Promethium-X... Colonel Jameson brought you to Earth as well..." Peter realised as the figure grinned at him.

"My kind left me alone on this barren planet; to rot as a total failure and I was hiding inside the rock... I made it here trying to find a perfect host and I found you... A new chance and we can become one! Think of how I helped you stand up against King; don't lie to me by saying that it didn't feel satisfying..." the figure told Peter and he stopped trying to make himself say otherwise.

"Yes... He had it coming... But, that isn't who I am... I am not going to let you make me act like that again... You are playing with my emotions and you should just leave! I am not a monster!" Peter shouted and now the image changed to show the inside of a building where littered the floor were the corpses of criminals and the Sinister Six.

There was Peter in a black colored Spider-Man suit holding up a pathetically pleading Fisk; "You are the feared Kingpin? I don't buy the hype..." the vision of Peter said as he then snapped Fisk's neck.

Peter was then met with a Daily Bugle TV news headline saying that thanks to Spider-Man; the crime rate in the entire city was now down to a big fat 0. There was a story about a city wide holiday and a parade all for Spider-Man, the US President coming over to declare New York the safest place in the whole country as Mayor Jameson resigns in disgrace.

"This could be possible; let us be one..." the figure told Peter.


"NNNNOOOOOO!" Peter shouted in his sleep and suddenly Peter was awakened by the sound of the door being slammed open and there was May coming in urgently. "Sorry Aunt May... Just a bad dream..." Peter said apologetically as May went and checked his forehead and left to come back with a glass of water as Peter calmed down. Peter looked to his smiling Aunt and was scared of what would happen to her if he let this alien symbiote take him over. "Aunt May... Something happened to me and I can't tell you how but... I am changing..." Peter said softly as May sighed.

"If only Ben was alive to have this conversation with you..." May sighed as Peter was open mouthed and brushed it off.

"Not like that..." Peter said as he sighed sadly feeling fear as May went and embraced him lovingly feeling his fear. "Aunt May... I think something could happen to me to change me into a monster... A worse version of myself..." Peter said softly as May looked him in the eye.

"Peter; I will respect your privacy and not ask for details but I assure you that you could never be a monster... I will be here if you need me or if you need to talk about it some more but remember all that I and Ben have taught you... I have seen you all these years and I have been more than proud of the boy who is pretty much my son... I can never see you as a monster and if you feel like you have lost your way; think back to the people that love and care about you." May told him and Peter felt at peace and smiled as she then carefully tucked him in making Peter feel embarrassed as she slowly closed the door.

"Uh... I am going to puke... She brings you weakness..." the symbiote's voice told Peter in his head and he glared.

"She is part of the reason why I can never be what you want me to be." Peter retorted ready to go back to sleep and hopefully keep the symbiote away from his dreams.

"The night is still young; I can still show you what I have to offer..." the symbiote suggested as Peter shook his head.

"No thanks; I refuse to buy what you are saying. You might as well get off and find some other loser to bond to because I am going to bed and think about how I am getting you off if you are still there when I wake up..." Peter said closing his eyes and going to bed.

"Hilarious but my fault really... I should have worded it so that it was clear that I wasn't giving him a choice." the symbiote said as it then covered Peter's body and puppeted him to climb out of bed and through his window. It was now transforming Peter into the monster form and looked to his stomach. It then had a white spider symbol form on it. "Have to keep on brand and to make it look less like a generic monster you would find in an Aliens rip off." the symbiote said as it had Peter's monster form use tendrils to web sling off.

I don't blame the reviewers who jumped to the conclusion about who the Lethal Protector in the title referred to.