Dark Reign: Mister Negative #2

Jul 18

Jul 18 Dark Reign: Mister Negative #2

Battle for Chinatown

Spider-Man has just had his dark side awoken by Mister Negative and is now attacking members of the Hood’s Gang that have invaded Mister Negative’s compound. In his warped mind, Peter Parker thinks that his parents abandoned him, leaving him with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben, two weaklings. His thinks that when the burglar killed his Uncle it was a mercy.[1] Still, in mindset he considered his uncle a possession and that crime took his Uncle without asking first and so he has devoted himself to crushing crime. As he thinks this, Spider-Man takes down the members of the Hoods gang with a previously unseen savagery.

As the Answer tries to rally the troops, Spider-Man webs his mouth shut since he has the ability to figure out solutions to every problem and easily knocks out the rest. Meanwhile, Mister Negative finds Hammerhead and sends him on a mission to deliver a cylinder to a specific person. Hammerhead can’t believe Mister Negative is allowing himself to be left defenseless, but his master insists that this is what needs to be done. Hammerhead rushes off to make the delivery, plowing through the HAMMER agents that have closed off Chinatown to the general public.

In a nearby apartment, Betty Brant has tracked down Yana Li, the wife of FEAST director, Martin Li who — unknown to everyone else — is actually is Mister Negative.[2] She has come to interview Yana because her employer at the DB!, Dexter Bennett, had asked her to dig up dirt on Martin Li.[3] Betty uses the fact that she’s a widow to try and get Yana to talk about her own husband. Yana explains that in China, Martin was a zipper manufacturer in Fuzhou City but couldn’t get access to overseas markets because he didn’t have the sufficient income to bribe government officials who controlled the Chinese market. Learning about how life in America was better, Yana went to Empire State University on a student visa and stayed after it ran out, taking a job as a book keeper.

Her experience in America was actually quite terrible as she had a hard time adapting to the culture and was subject to a great deal of racism. She contacted Martin and told him not to come and that she would be home soon, but Martin took this to mean that she found a new lover in America. Wanting to reach America, Martin paid Snakeheads — Chinese human traffickers — to smuggle him into America. This led to Martin travelling to America aboard a cargo ship, which — according to the story that’s already known — Martin was the sole survivor. That’s what Betty wants to talk about. She has already been to Fuhzou and has learned that all the Snakeheads that were involved in smuggling Martin to America have been murdered and that both Chinese and American officials believe that conduit that smuggles people from Fuhzou to New York is now controlled by Mister Negative. When Betty asks what the connection between Martin Li and Mister Negative. Yana responds by blowing out the candle that has lit the room, hits Betty over the head and tries to flee.

Meanwhile, at United Nations Plaza, Norman Osborn — Director of HAMMER —- is doing a charity spot for a literacy program by reading to some children. That’s when Hammerhead comes crashing in looking for Osborn. Thinking this is an attack, Norman summons his Iron Patriot armor. The Iron Patriot then carries Hammerhead outside and threatens to drop him.[4] Hammerhead asks for Osborn to interfere with the gang war between Mister Negative and the Hood, saying that Mister Negative is offering something Norman wants.

Back in Chinatown, Mister Negative hides some evidence in a shrine that hides as a push of a button. By this point, Spider-Man has defeated the members of the Hood’s gang when suddenly, Yana Li comes running out of her apartment asking for help. She is followed by Betty Brant who is still trying to get answers out of her. Seeing this, Mister Negative decides that it is time to finally deal with Brant.[5] He orders Spider-Man to deal with her. In his distorted mind, Spider-Man thinks about how Betty Brant left him for Ned Leeds and decides to eliminate her.[6] That’s when the Hood arrives to destroy Mister Negative. However, Negative refuses to go down without a fight since he has worked hard to build his criminal empire and he won’t let someone like the Hood ruin it for him.

Recurring Characters

Mister Negative, Spider-Man, Hood’s Gang (The Hood, Answer, Bloodshed, Lightmaster, Scorcher, Speed Demon, the Spot, the Squid, White Rabbit), HAMMER (Iron Patriot), Yana Li

Continuity Notes

1. Peter Parker’s parents were actually government agents who died on a mission while Peter was still a child as explained in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #5. His Uncle Ben was murdered by the pesky burglar in Amazing Fantasy #15.

2. Betty Brand was once married to Ned Leeds in Amazing Spider-Man #156, however he was murdered in Spider-Man Versus Wolverine #1.

3. Dexter Bennett asked Betty to dig up dirt on Martin Li in Amazing Spider-Man #558 because Li had decided to support Bill Hollister’s bid for mayor of New York City.

4. Iron Patriot mentions how Hammerhead was recently had his powers upgraded by Mister Negative. That happened in Amazing Spider-Man Extra! #2.

5. Negative recalls how Betty Brant recently went around the FEST Center asking questions. This was during the New Ways to Die story arc in Amazing Spider-Man #568-573.

6. Peter references his relationship with Betty Brant which lasted from Amazing Spider-Man #7 to 18 when she started seeing Ned Leeds. The real reason was because Peter’s double life was pushing them apart (long story.)