The next day at the Daily Bugle, Jameson was addressing his employees on the current situation.
"It's all over town," he spoke. "Gossip, rumors, panic in the streets! If we're lucky," he got out of his chair and walked over to a window. "Crazy scientist turns himself into some kind of monster. Four mechanical arms welded right onto his body," he chuckled a little in response. "A guy named 'Otto Octavius' winds up with eight limbs. What are the odds. Leeds, what'd you get from the hospital?"
"The guy wrecked the place," Ned Leeds reported. "Attacked doctors and orderlies, assaulted Norman Osborn, even fought Spider-Man. And beat him too. Then fled the scene calling himself Doctor Octopus."
"Doctor Octopus, huh… wish I thought of it," JJ then turned to Robbie. "Robbie, front page. 'New villain in town: Doc Ock'. And where's Parker? Mad scientist goes berserk and we don't have pictures!"
"You don't need Parker on that," Eddie countered. "I can handle the Doc Ock angle."
"Eddie, you're already running the Spider-Man story," Robbie shot down. "At least, you're supposed to be."
"And I thought I told you to drop it," JJ chimed in.
"You did, but Robbie told me to run with it," Eddie countered. "And I have a new angle I'm looking into."
"Let me stay on the Octavius story then," Ned volunteered.
"I thought you were working the Goblin story?" Robbie questioned.
"I am. But I think this Octopus story is connected somehow."
"How so?"
"The Goblin's been hitting a lot of Oscorp facilities. And the Octavius' experiment was based out of Oscorp. Could be another one of the Goblin's hits."
"Bit of a stretch… but give a look. See where it leads."
"I'm on it," Ned declared, heading out of the office.
"So what's this lead you're so interested in?" Robbie wondered.
"I'll… let you know when it pans out," Eddie replied, deciding to leave the office himself.
"I still don't approve of this story," Jameson commented.
"Just let me worry about it," Robbie insisted.
"Fine," JJ relented, turning to the final reporter, Frederick Fosswell. "In the meantime, Foswell, what do you think of my son, Colonel John Jameson?"
"Uh, he's a modern day American hero," Foswell replied nervously.
"That's why I like you, Foswell," Jameson remarked, walking over to Foswell and shuffling him off. "I want you to head down to JFK and cover the launch. I want every angle covered. Now go! Go!"
…
In an abandoned warehouse, Doctor Octopus sat on a crate reading over the Daily Bugle's article on him.
"Monster?" he questioned. "They have the nerve to call me a monster?!" The two arms holding the paper tore it in half, discarding the pieces as he stood up. "It was Osborn's doing that ruined the experiment. It was working! But now they'll never see that. If only we could show them, Rosie. But with the machine gone-" he suddenly perked up, giving a sly smile. "Of course…"
He used his arms to walk around the room, musing to himself.
"We can rebuild! Enlarge the containment field! Make it bigger and stronger than ever! But how to get the materials…" he stopped, lowering himself for a moment as he pondered a solution. "I suppose dealers of the… black market variety could provide me with what I need, but I'll need money."
He looked down at the remains of the newspaper, coming to a decision in his mind.
"Well… if the city already thinks I'm a criminal… then I might as well be one to finish what we started," he declared, planting two of his arms onto the ground and rising upward. "Rosie, I swear to you. I will once again hold the power of the sun in the palm of my hand! This time, nothing will stand in our way! Nothing!"
…
Later that day, Peter stopped by the hospital, seeing Rosie Octavius was still comatose from the accident.
I almost felt it was for the best Rosie was out at that time. The idea of her seeing what Otto had become… it wasn't a thought I relished. It might not make sense, but I couldn't help but feel that this was all my fault. If I had spent more time working on the neural interface… it might have have prevented this. Still, I had to fix this in the here and now. My only hope seemed to be disabling the neural interface itself. If only life was that simple, right?
…
Meanwhile, the Midtown High Football team was out at Coney Island enjoying themselves. Harry himself swung a hammer down at a strength game, causing the weight to sail straight up to the bell.
"Yes!" he cheered.
"Osborn," Rand let out. "Where do you hide the muscle?"
"Trade secret."
"Harry," Gwen spoke up, walking over to him.
"Oh, hey Gwen," Harry greeted nervously. "Glad you could make it," he then grabbed the shoulders of Rand and Kenny. "Hey, who wants corndogs? My treat."
He then led the group off, leaving Gwen to sigh in defeat.
"He's avoiding you too, huh?"
Gwen turned to see Liz walking up to her, a down look on her face.
"Yeah," Gwen admitted. "Whatever's going on with him, he seems hellbent on us not figuring it out."
"Well, I'm not gonna be deterred that easily," Liz declared, looking around and only seeing the two of them. "I see Peter isn't here."
"He… had a previous engagement."
"Figures," Liz remarked, rolling her eyes.
"Hey, come on! He'said he was helping his aunt. He may come across as a flake, but he only wants to help his family. Can you really hate him for that?"
Liz paused for a moment, before letting out a sigh in response. "No… it's just… I just hated what happened. First my brother, then my dad…"
"Wait, your brother?" Gwen questioned. "I thought Mark was transferred to some art school for the semester?"
"No… that's just what my mom told everyone," Liz looked around to make sure they were alone before leaning in and whispering. "My brother's serving a six month sentence in Juvie."
"What?" Gwen let out, trying to keep her voice down. "How? Why?"
"He… had a problem with gambling. But then he got into a losing streak. A bad one. So bad that he had to steal a car to pay off his debt."
"Which is what got him arrested," Gwen deduced.
"Right. So when my dad turned out to be the Vulture… it just reopened those old wounds…" she turned away in shame. "And I took it out on Peter. Harry's been the best thing to happen to me on a while, if he-"
"Hey," Gwen concoled, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Whatever trouble Harry's in, we'll help him get out of it."
"You sure?"
Gwen gave her a reassuring smile. "Positive."
Liz smiled a little, nodding before they went off to find Harry.
…
Meanwhile, Peter and May arrived at the bank, speaking to a financial advisor. He was looking over some documentation May had provided.
"That should be the social security," she told him.
"And my Uncle Ben's life insurance," Peter added.
"Yes, I can see that," the advisor replied, setting the paper aside. "But I'm afraid these assets aren't enough."
"Isn't there anything you can do?" May pleaded. "It's been… difficult finding work."
"I understand Mrs. Parker. And we appreciate you've opened a new 'super savers' account with us today, but the face is you just don't have the assets to justify this loan."
The two Parkers looked defeated at the prospect.
"I'm sorry, Aunt May," Peter told her.
"It's alright, Peter," May replied, holding up a flier. "At least we get the free toaster."
"Actually, that only comes with a deposit of about three hundred or more," the advisor told him.
May looked at the flier again, seeing the fine print. "Oh, I see."
"I'm sorry," the advisor replied, getting up and walking away.
"Guess it's back to snapping pics for the Bugle," Peter remarked.
"You already do so much," May told him. "You're still young. You deserve to enjoy that while you can."
If only she knew.
While the two talked, a figure in a trenchcoat and hat moved past the crowds, heading toward a safe behind the main counter. He made his way behind the counter, much to the teller's surprise..
"Sir, no one is allowed behind the counter," the teller insisted.
"I want the money in that safe," the figure insisted.
"What? Sir you can't just-"
The figure then opened his trenchcoat, revealing the four metallic arms of Doctor Octopus. He was dressed in his usual green suit from the demonstration and lab goggles under his coat. He quickly grabbed the teller and tossed him through the air, crashing into the desk May and Peter were sitting in front of. This surprised both of them as Peter looked back to see Doc Ock turning back toward the safe.
"Doctor Octavius…" Peter let out.
Doc Ock's arms grabbed hold of the safe door and began to pry it off its hinges. Peter grabbed hold of May and ushered her away just as Ock pried the door off and tossed it inside. Peter found a nearby closet and opened it for May.
"Stay here, Aunt May," he insisted. "I'm going to get help."
"But Peter-"
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," he insisted, rushing off. "I hope…"
May watched Peter run off, more then concerned for him as the advisor from earlier poked his head out.
"Oh, that boy of yours is a real hero," he remarked sarcastically.
This prompted May to slam her foot down on his.
"Ow," he let out.
Meanwhile, Doc Ock discarded his hat and made his way into the safe, grabbing countless stacks of cash and shoving them into bags. Once they full, he grabbed them and started to make his way out.
"Hold it Ock!" a new voice challenged, causing Doc Ock to look up and see Spider-Man swinging toward them. "You didn't fill out a withdrawal slip."
He swung right into Octavius, kicking him into a wall and back flipping onto a counter.
"Spider-Man!" Ock let out.
"Hey Doc," Spider-Man responded. "Love the new look."
"You will not stand in my way!"
Ock then shot out an arm, prompting Spider-Man to leap out of the way and swing toward a nearby pillar.
"I'm just pointing out proper banking etiquette," Spider-Man told him, leaping out of the way of another arm attack and winging through the air. "Honestly, you're lucky to find any cash here. People don't really use banks anymore!"
Ock rose himself on two arms as he shot the other two out to try and grab Spider-Man, who leaped over them and clung to the side of a light fixture.
"You really wanna get rich? Try Crypto," he then leaped onto another pillar, facing him. "It's all the rage," he tried shooting a web at him, but nothing was coming out, much to his surprise. "What? Oh come on-"
Just then, one of the arms smacked him, knocking him to the ground. He crashed onto a table that had held sacks of gold coins brought into the bank. As the table collapsed, one of the coins rolled over to the advisors foot, who tried to snatch it for himself. Before he could, May smacked it out of his hand, much to his annoyance.
"Ow," he let out.
Spider-Man picked himself up, rolling up his glove and turned the wristband of the web shooter.
"Were supposed to turn automatically," he lamented. "Need to work on that."
Just then, two of Ock's arms shot out, grabbing him by the wrists and pulling him in close as he lowered himself to the ground.
"You know, you're really starting to get on my nerves," Ock commented.
"I have a knack for that," Spidey remarked.
"Not anymore."
Doc Ock's other two arms quickly grabbed his head, starting to crush it. Spider-Man grunted in pain, trying to think of a way out of this. Reacting fast, Spider-Man fired webs at tables on opposite ends of the bank, using all his strength to pull them toward him and Ock. Seeing them coming, Doctor Octopus turned to grab one with his arms, tearing it apart. Just as he turned to get the other one though, it smashed right into him, knocking him through the front window of the bank and into a cab that was parked on the street.
Ock shook his head as he got up, noting Spider-Man running toward him. Reacting in kind, he grabbed hold of the door of the cab and chucked it at him. Spider-Man's advanced reflexes allowed him to leap over the door with easy, but didn't account for the hood being lobbed at him afterward. The impact knocked Spider-Man back into the bank, colliding with a pillar so he'd collapse onto the ground. Doc Ock made his way back inside, prepared to finish him off. To both of their surprise however, May had appeared, putting herself between them.
"I admire your courage ma'am," Ock told her, readying his arms. "But you would be wise to step aside."
"So you can attack that young man?" May challenged. "I think not!"
"May…" Peter whispered.
Knowing he couldn't risk May getting hurt, Spider-Man shot a web at the bags of cash Ock had taken, yanking them out of his grip and grabbing them himself as he backflipped onto the pillar.
"Thank for the assist, ma'am, now go!" he insisted. "Get as far away as you can!"
May didn't hesitate, taking off as Doc Ock raised himself to Spider-Man's level.
"I will only ask once," Ock insisted. "Hand over the money."
"Let me think… no."
"Then you invite your own demise!"
Ock raised two of the arms, straightening the pinchers out so they could spin like saw blades. He then shot them forward, prompting Spider-Man to leap onto one arm to avoid the other. He then leaped over Ock himself, flipping through the air before landing on the ground and running outside.
"You will not deny me again, Spider-Man!"
Outside, Spider-Man landed on the side of a building as he saw Doc Ock pursue him.
"Well, at least I got his attention," Spider-Man remarked, webbing the bags together and creating a strap so he could carry them over his shoulder before swinging away. "Now I just need a plan."
I think I initially underestimated how far Otto had fallen. I knew he was more intense, but threatening Aunt May… I honestly didn't know if he could come back from this. Either way, I had a plan. Keep him preoccupied chasing after me with the money so I could strike and disable the interface. No sweat.
As Spider-Man landed on a building, his spider sense went off. Before he could react however, Doc Ock rose up from the ledge behind him, knocking him off the roof and onto the one across from them.
… okay maybe a little sweat.
…
Back at Coney Island, Flash had invited Mary Jane out for the festivities, At the moment, Flash was trying his luck at the bowling pin game, managing to knock them all down in one throw.
"And the Flash completes another pass," he proclaimed as he claimed his prize.
"Nice shot," MJ commended. "Seems you got the skills even off the field."
"You'd be surprised of what all I can do. Though then again," he puts an arm around her. "Maybe you'd like to find out."
"Whoa," MJ let out, spinning out of his grip. "Ease up, big boy. I like you, but I'm not gonna be a rebound girl. I heard about you and Liz."
"Liz?" he scoffed. "I'm over her. Totally."
"Maybe so, but I'm nobody's replacement," MJ remarked, turning away. "This red head's a free agent. Plans to keep it that way."
Flash narrowed his eyes in response, feeling defeated.
…
Back with Spider-Man, he swung above the streets and over the rooftops, with Doc Ock chasing after him. Spider-Man made sure to keep the chase to the rooftops to avoid civilians getting hurt during the chase.
"You can't avoid me forever, Arachnid!" Doc Ock declared.
"Considering the alternative, you'll have to forgive me for trying," Spider-Man countered.
As Spider-Man landed on a rooftop, he narrowly avoided one of the tentacles slamming down on the ground next to him. He then leaped forward as another tentacle struck down, causing him to spin midair so he could come face to face with Doctor Octopus. He tried leaping at Doc Ock, but he slammed a tentacle into him, pinning him to the side of a building. Another tentacle tried to grab the money bags, but Spider-Man was able to grab it, doing his best to hold it back. The arm pressed harder and harder as Spider-Man's strength began to give out. Thinking fast, Spider-Man webbed Doc Ock in the face, making him cry out in surprise and throw him off balance. He swung Spider-Man around before finally tossing him into the air. He would've swung away bit a stray arm smacked him aside, sending him flying through the air… toward Coney Island.
…
Back in the amusement park, Harry had just gotten off a ride and was about to head too another ride.
"Harry," Liz called out.
He turned to see her and Gwen walking toward them, concerned looks on their faces.
"Oh, hey Liz," he replied. "Gwen. What's-"
"Harry, we need to talk," Gwen interrupted.
"Why? Nothing to talk about."
"Except you passed out on the ground the other night."
"I told you, I was tired. It's not big deal."
"Yes, it is," Liz insisted. "Harry, if you're in some sort of trouble…"
"I'm fine!" Harry insisted, trying to walk off. "You don't have anything to worry about."
"Don't be like that," Gwen insisted, getting in front of him. "We only want to help you. We care about you."
"Sometimes I wonder," Harry remarked, giving Gwen a side eye.
"Harry…" Liz let out.
Before the conversation could continue, something came crashing down into the booth next to them. They all turned to see Spider-Man laying in the wreckage, much to their shock.
"Spider-Man?!" Gwen let out, rushing over to help.
She helped him up as he groaned in pain.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah…" Spidey let out before snapping back. "You have to get out of here!"
"Why?" Harry wondered as Gwen went wide eyed.
"That," she replied, pointing forward.
The others turned, seeing Doctor Octopus smashing through the entrance sign for Coney Island, causing everyone to flee in terror. Doc Ock looked up, spying Spider-Man and smirking in response. He grabbed hold of a nearby cart and tossed it into the air, heading right toward the four of them. Harry ran for cover as Spider-Man slung a web and swung into the air, he quickly grabbed Gwen and snatched up Liz before the cart crashed down, swinging around a drop tower with the two of them holding onto him tight.
A guy could get used to this.
He quickly touched down on the ground next to Harry, much to his relief.
"Thanks for the company," he responded, setting them down. "Love to stay, but I got a doctor's appointment."
He then fired another webline and swung off, allowing the three to run. Spider-Man sailed toward Doc Ock, only for one of his arms to smack him mid air, making him collide with the bell of a strength game before landing on the ground.
"Gotta say Doc, your bedside manner stinks," Spidey remarked, backflipping out of the way of a tentacle attack.
As he flipped through the air, Spider-Man fired twin weblines that went tight before he hit the ground, launching him past Doc Ock toward a nearby ferris wheel. Doc Ock followed after Spider-Man, climbing up the ferris wheel after him. Spider-Man leaped down toward him, grabbing one of the metal beams and swinging off it, nailing Ock in the face. He didn't fall far through as his arms shot, grabbing hold of the structure and stopping his fall. One of the arms' claws turned into a saw, trying to slice at Spider-Man. Fortunately, Spider-Man fell back to avoid the attack, dropping toward the ground. He quickly fired a web snagging part of the ferris wheel, swinging through one of the gaps in the metal and flying outward. As Spider-Man swung away, Doc Ock dropped down from the ferris wheel and used his arms to land on the ground safely.
"Surrender, Arachnid!" he demanded, marching through the park. "I've come too far to lose everything because of a pathetic four limbed excuse for a spider!"
Suddenly, a carmel apple collided with his head.
"Oh you sweet talker, you," Spidey remarked.
Doc Ock looked up to see Spider-Man slinging a tray of caramel apples into a web slingshot, launching them at him. He used his arms to shield him from the attack before shooting his arm out, trying to grab him. Spider-Man leaped out of the way of the arm, landing on a nearby ice cream card and using his webbing to pull himself forward.
"Hey, Doc! You ever see Empire Strikes Back?!"
As Spider-Man approached him. He snagged a web on one of Ock's arms, circling around him so the arms would be wrapped up. Once he landed on the ground, he pulled on the web, tightening its grip around Doc Ock's arms and causing him to fall to the ground. Once he was down, Spider-Man did his best to web down the arms to make sure they were restrained.
"That should do it," Spidey noted. "Now for the interface."
He quickly rushed over to Ock's back, placing a knee on it as he reached toward the neural interface. Just as he placed a hand on it however, several volts of electricity suddenly surged through his body, causing him to cry out in pain. Otto smirked, flexing his metal arms until they finally broke free of the webbing. Once loose, one grabbed Spider-Man by the head and pulled him back, slamming him into a prize booth. Spider-Man groaned in pain as he looked up seeing Doctor Octopus looming over him.
"Now then," he let out. "I believe you have something that belongs to me."
An arm shot out, grabbing the bag's of money. Thinking fast, Spider-Man grabbed the arm, doing his best to hold it in place so he couldn't retract it. While all this was going on, Flash and the others had come across the fight. Spotting a softball on a nearby booth, Flash grabbed it and lobbed it at Doc Ock's face. He recoiled in pain, turning toward Flash in irritation. With Ock distracted, Spider-Man got to his feet and pilled on the arm hard, swinging it into a nearby booth, wrecking it.
"Spidey, you good?" Flash asked.
"Yeah, thanks," Spider-Man remarked, flipping up onto a nearby game booth. "Thanks for the assist, but keep clear. You're not pretty enough to save twice."
"Right. Smack him one for me!"
As the group took off, Spider-Man's spider sense warned him of Doc Ock's oncoming attack. Before he could get away, an arm knocked him aside while another shot out toward the fleeing crowd and grabbed hold of MJ, causing her to scream in terror.
"MJ!" Flash cried out.
Spider-Man shook his head as he picked himself up, going wide eyed at the sight of MJ in one of Ock's tentacles.
"Mary Jane…" he let out.
"You've stuck your webs in my business for the last time!" Doc ock declared. "Now, return to me what is mine or you'll have this girl's death on your conscience!"
"Doctor Octavius, don't!" Spider-Man pleaded. "Please, you're not a murderer!"
Doc Ock smirked in response to the pleading. "I should've noticed it sooner. The old woman at the bank. Your insistence of staying above the streets. You can't bear to see anyone hurt. And your meager thought process is so transparent. Did you not think I would take precautions to safeguard the interface against attacks? It's as much a part of me as my arms. Just imagine all I can do with this kind of power," he turned to MJ, who was squirming in his grip. "Starting with her."
Doc Ock suddenly turned around and made his way toward a rollercoaster. He proceeded to climb up it as Spider-Man followed from a safe distance.
"What will it be, Spider-Man?!" Doc Ock challenged. "The money?! Or the girl?!"
He then smashed a hole in the track, dropping MJ into it. She instinctively grabbed hold of the nearby board, holding on for dear life as the coaster cart came on the track. Spider-Man narrowed his eyes, pulling the money bags off his shoulder.
"You want it!" he declared, spinning them by the web before launching them into the air. "Then fetch!"
Doc Ock quickly took off after the money, leaving Spider-Man to move in to rescue MJ.
"Help!" she cried out as her grip started to give. "Somebody!"
Just as her grip gave out, Spider-Man swung forward and grabbed her. He quickly fired a new webline and swung them both down to the ground.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Yeah…" MJ replied, looking up to Spider-Man and suddenly hugging him. "Thanks."
"Uh… no problem," Spider-Man replied, slowly pulling her off.
Spider-Man slung a web and swung away, MJ smiling as he did.
…
Meanwhile, Doc Ock managed to catch up with the money bags, grabbing them before they hit the water.
"Finally…" he mused.
As he turned to leave, seeing Spider-Man swinging toward him. He narrowed his eyes, shooting out an arm at Spider-Man. He swerved midwair, narrowly dodging the arm before getting grabbed by another. It slammed him hard into the ground, with Spider-Man desperately trying to hold back the arm as Ock moved in close. Using enough of his strength, Spider-Man moved the claw aside so he could get back to his feet. Ock shot out several arms to attack him, but Spider-Man dodged and evaded them all. As he tried to swing away, another arm suddenly grabbed him by the leg and slammed him against the ground, before raising him up and slamming him hard on the ground again. Spider-Man grunted in pain, trying to fire webs at Octavius, but one of his arms blocked the web attack before grabbing him by the chest and raising him up. Two of the other arms smacked him repeatedly upside the head before one turned into a saw, ready to slice at him. Reacting fast, Spider-Man tore himself free from the arms grip, tearing off some of the costume as a result to avoid the saw blade. He tried swinging away, but the saw managed to slice him in the back, causing him to cry out in pain as he fell to the ground. Before he could get up, an arm grabbed him by the back and threw him into the side of a building. Another one grabbed him by the head as well before slamming him into the ground one last time.
Seeing Spider-Man was thoroughly beaten, one of the arms retreated as the other lifted him up by the neck. Spider-Man said nothing, he just groaned in pain as Otto starred him down.
"What I wouldn't give to finish you now," he told him. "But, seeing as I'm pressed for time. Consider this your first and final warning… stay out of my way."
With that, Ock chucked Spider-Man into the water, letting him sink beneath the pier. With the hero disposed of, Doc Ock reclaimed his ill gotten goods and made a hasty retreat, hoping to get away before the police arrived.
…
On the shoreline, Spider-Man managed to swim himself to shore a distance away. He pulled himself up onto shore, dragging himself beneath a pier before finally collapsing. He tore off his mask so he could breathe easier before turning over onto his back, breathing heavily.
That had to be one of the most brutal beatings I had taken at that point. Wouldn't hit me too hard, but that was the biggest blow I was dealt that day. Seeing Doctor Octavius go to those places, putting people in danger, including Aunt May and Mary Jane… it was telling. I wanted to blame it on the neural interface, but… I knew about his resentments toward Norman and his desires for notoriety. The interface may have brought those feelings to the surface… but they were genuine. He was stronger than me, but also smarter than me. He saw right through my plan and tore it apart before I even thought of it. He felt like the first villain to ever truly beat me… and I didn't know how to come back from this.
…
Back with the others, Gwen and Liz managed to catch up with the others on the team, who had gathered up to check on each other. Among them was MJ, who was still reeling from the ordeal.
"Is everyone alright?" Liz asked.
"Yeah," Sally confirmed, coming over to her. "What was that thing?"
"A scientist named Otto Octavius," Gwen answered. "He's… something's happened to him. Something dangerous."
"Dangerous is an understatement," Sally retorted. "That freak could've killed us!"
"Lucky us, Spider-Man was here," MJ commented. "Think he took that guy out?"
"You kidding?" Flash remarked. "Nothing can stop Spider-Man."
"I hope so…" Gwen muttered, turning to Liz. "Liz, we should get back to Harry."
"Right," Liz agreed, turning and not seeing him. "Hey, where is he?"
…
By this point, Harry had made it back home, having downed another vial of the substance before passing out on his bed. Meanwhile, down in Norman's office, he was having another heated meeting with Hammerhead.
"We got a situation," Hammerhead commented.
"If you're worried about Octavius, don't be," Norman reassured. "I have people looking for him and they assure me-"
"I'm not talkin about this octopus. I'm talkin about the Green Goblin."
Norman cocked an eyebrow in response to that. "Why come to me about the Goblin?"
"The wacko's going after the Kingpin' turf. And as far as we can tell, using a lot of Oscorp tech to do it."
"Tech which has been stolen from me!" Norman pressed. "Repeatedly. My top scientists have been killed, my labs have been attacked, and my projects are at risk. Why would I be behind that?"
"And what about that board of yours? Then kicking the bucket seems to have done wonders for you."
"And put me under public scrutiny."
"Ok, ok," Hammerhead relented. "But the Goblin-"
"Is a common enemy," Norman interrupted, walking toward an interesting looking mask on a counter. "And our common goal should be to unmask him… before it's too late…"