Spider-Men #2
Mysterio wakes up on the floor of his hideout and discovers that Spider-Man is gone. Fearing the worst, he checks the security footage and is horrified to learn that Spider-Man was sucked into his dimensional portal. Quickly, he puts on a headset that activates a robotic avatar and sends it through the portal. However, when the avatar arrives on the other side, Mysterio is in a full-blown panic. He refuses to let Spider-Man screw this up for him and tries to get himself together.
Meanwhile, Spider-Man has just crossed paths with the Spider-Man from this universe. Neither knows what they are looking at. While the older Spider-Man thinks this might be a clone thing,[1] the younger thinks this is some kind of SHIELD test.[2] Spider-Man gets freaked out when the younger Spider-Man calls him Peter Parker. Peter fires a web-line at the other Spider-Man, but the youth easily dodges it. They soon start sparing, much to the confusion of the younger Spider-Man who is both impressed and confused by his older counterpart. The younger Spider-Man manages to stun Peter with a venom sting. However, Parker quickly recovers and tosses the boy away when he tries taking off his mask.
The young Spider-Man disappears out of view thanks to his camouflage ability. When Peter goes looking for him, he fears that the youth may have fallen to the ground. However, the novice Spider-Man ambushes Peter from above. However, Peter quickly spins a massive spider-web to catch both of them and then quickly unmasks the younger spider. The youth quickly covers his face with his hands to hide his secret identity and Peter is relieved when he discovers that this Spider-Man is black and not a younger version of himself. The younger Spider-Man then uses his stinger on the webbing knocking Peter Parker out. They both start following to the street below. Luckily, the younger Spider-Man manages to swing them up to a roof top. He pulls off the older Spider-Man’s mask and confirms that it is Peter Parker, but he doesn’t know what to do next.
When Peter Parker wakes up he is in a holding cell. He is greeted by a man who identifies himself as Nick Fury, the director of SHIELD. However, this man looks nothing like the Nick Fury he knows. When Fury asks Peter what he thinks is going on, Parker poses three possible theories: a) that he’s completely lost his mind b) that he’s trapped in one of Mysterio’s illusions, or c) he somehow found himself in another dimension. Fury thinks the last one is the most plausible and turns off the force field and invites Peter to follow him.[3] Outside the cell, Peter is formally introduced to Miles Morales, the Spider-Man of this world. Nick Fury then charges Miles with showing Peter what happened to his counterpart on this world.[4] This will give Fury time to figure out how this Peter Parker ended up here and how to send him back.
The two Spider-Men are being taken back to the mainland from the Triskelion in a SHIELD helicopter. Along the way, Peter asks Miles if his counterpart on this world is dead. Before he can answer, a rocket strikes the chopper. Quick thinking, Peter is able to pull Miles and the pilot to safety. The rocket was fired by Mysterio who is standing on the pier. He is pleased that the universe has given him two Spider-Men to kill for the price of one.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man (Parker), Spider-Man (Morales), Mysterio, SHIELD (Nick Fury)
Continuity Notes
The Peter Parker of Earth-616 has a long history with clones. He first fought a clone of himself in Amazing Spider-Man #149.
Miles can’t believe that he’s seeing Peter Parker in the flesh. The Peter Parker of Earth-1610 died fighting the Green Goblin in Ultimate Spider-Man #160. Miles will not meet his world’s Peter Parker until his miraculous resurrection in Ultimate Spider-Man: Miles Morales #7.
When hearing Peter’s alternate universe theory, Fury responds with “oh that old nugget.” This is because Fury is no stranger to interdimensional travel. He ended up getting stranded on an alternate reality himself for a time. See Ultimate Power #1-9, Squadron Supreme (vol. 3) #1-12, Ultimatum #4.
When Miles calls Peter old, Parker is about to tell Miles how old he really is when he is cut off by Nick Fury. Per Civil War #2, Peter was 15 when he first became Spider-Man in Amazing Fantasy #15. As such, per the Sliding Timescale, Peter would be about 28 at the time of this story.
