With the Lizard still on the loose, Spider-Man makes
his way through the city, even with his wounded arm. While searching the city,
he happens upon a truck being hijacked and easily takes care of the crooks,
finding that his arm isn’t slowing him down, at least against regular crooks.
Meanwhile, at her husband’s lab, Martha Connors is startled awake by the sound
of something entering through the window. It turns out to be the Lizard
himself, there to find the chemicals and notes he needs. The Lizard finds what
he’s looking for, in order to create an army of lizards to conquer mankind, but
finds he can’t understand the complex science behind them. He then sets out to
find Connors, not realizing that they are one and the same. Martha comforts
their son Billy, who had also been startled awake, as she ponders how to
possibly contact Spider-Man.
The next day, at the Daily Bugle, Frederick Foswell
plans to tail Peter, still suspicious about how Peter always gets such good
Spider-Man photos. J. Jonah Jameson dashes those plans, however, as he sends
Foswell to get a story on the Lizard, all the while annoyed at Betty Brant and
Ned Leeds working on their wedding plans. Back with Peter, he makes his way to
ESU and runs into Flash Thompson and Harry Osborn. After Flash gives Peter
grief about his hurt arm, Peter gives the excuse that he hurt it on his cycle.
After Peter admits to Harry that things have been kind of rough all over,
especially money wise, Harry puts forth the idea of Peter working as an
assistant for his father at his science lab, which Peter gratefully considers.
Meanwhile, while on her vacation, Aunt May sees news of the dangers about New
York but is confident that Peter will be responsible and stay away from such
things.
Immediately proving her wrong, Spidey continues his
search for the Lizard, looking all over before eventually checking in on the
zoo. There, he sees a sign for their reptile exhibit making its way to
Philadelphia. Spidey hurries over to the train yard where he indeed finds the
Lizard. Spidey lays into the Lizard, trying to keep him off balance, while also
finding it difficult to really hurt him, knowing there’s a good man underneath.
The Lizard stuns Spidey and breaks open the train car, letting loose dozens of
reptiles that he commands to attack Spider-Man. Cutting away to simpler things,
Mary Jane Watson and her aunt, Anna Watson, take some soup over to Peter,
finding him obviously not home, before MJ heads out.
Back with Spidey, he does his best to fend off the
reptiles, whipping one of the crocodiles around to hit the others. Spidey then
notices the Lizard jumping back aboard the train as it’s taking off, causing
Spidey to follow. Spidey thinks of a way to stop the Lizard, as he taunts the
Lizard in order to get him to angrily follow Spidey. Spidey lures the Lizard in
to what turns out to be the refrigeration car for the train, locking them both
in. Spidey continues the attack as the Lizard starts to get weaker and slower
until he passes out. Spidey knew that lizards flourish in warm climates,
causing the intense cold of the refrigeration car to negatively affect the
Lizard. Spidey webs up the Lizard and swings him back to Connors’ lab, where he
desperately works to make the Lizard cure once more, as Martha and Billy
frantically wait outside. Finally, Spidey finishes, feeding the cure to the
Lizard and turning him back into Curt Connors once more, reuniting the grateful
Connors with his family. On his way home, Peter runs into Harry and Mary Jane,
declining the lift they offer him, as he thinks of his mountains of issues that
being Spider-Man has brought him. Conversely, the Connors family is quite happy
and grateful, hoping to be able to repay Spider-Man, but assuming that he must
have everything he could want.