We find Peter Parker depressed after his decision to
submit photo evidence to the Daily Bugle last issue proving that Captain
George Stacy was stealing police secrets, despite being the correct thing to do. The
Captain’s daughter, Gwen Stacy, sees the proof in the paper and tearfully asks
her father about it. His mind is hazy and all he knows is that there are orders
he must follow. Captain Stacy plans to go into hiding and Gwen decides to go on
the run with him, not wanting to leave him alone. Just as they leave, Peter
frantically tries to call, realizing that the Kingpin may now try to silence
Captain Stacy, before rushing over there as Spider-Man. Spidey finds three of
the Kingpin’s men at the Stacy residence and takes care of the mooks with both
style and more aggression than usual, even slamming two of the guys into the
wall hard enough to leave cracks! Spidey tries interrogating the final guy but
finds that the Kingpin has brainwashed his men too and he’s no use as an
informant.
Meanwhile, Mary Jane Watson runs into Harry Osborn,
who tells her about the recent predicaments of Peter and Gwen both seemingly
being missing and in trouble. Harry drives MJ over to the Gloom Room A-Go-Go so
she can pick up her paycheck but they find the place completely closed down and
cleared out. Harry says he needs to go see his father, Norman Osborn, who we
then see in a stressed state. Norman sees an article about the Green Goblin,
which makes him feel unexplainably uneasy, before he gets a call about an
unauthorized shipment in his company. Norman confronts Dr. Winkler, the
employee who made the shipment, who also turns out to be the man who built the
brainwashing machine for the Kingpin. Winkler assures Osborn that this kind of
thing won’t happen again and Osborn leaves, leaving Winkler to reconvene with
his real boss, the Kingpin, who is hiding out there now with the brainwashing
machine. Kingpin orders his men to hunt down both Captain Stacy and Peter
Parker for what they know, and Dr. Winkler whips up a device that will track
anyone who’s been brainwashed, allowing them to find Captain Stacy.
Harry arrives at his father’s company and finds his
dad in a panicked state. Norman admits that he can’t get the Green Goblin out
of his mind and that he can’t remember a thing of how he supposedly helped
Spider-Man to defeat him. Meanwhile, Peter constructs a gas mask to wear under
his Spider-Man mask, having learned from his last battle with the Kingpin.
Still without any leads, Spidey swings over to the Daily Bugle to see if
J. Jonah Jameson has any info on Captain Stacy’s possible whereabouts, though he
only receives insults for his trouble. Over at the airport, the Kingpin’s men
catch up with Gwen and Captain Stacy, taking the two of them prisoner. Spidey
then swings over to the Gloom Room A-Go-Go, finding the place completely
deserted, just as MJ and Harry did. Spidey then finds a label for an electronic
device on the ceiling pointing him in the direction of Norman Osborn’s company,
hoping that it doesn’t mean that Osborn’s up to his old ways.
We then cut to Osborn’s company, where the captured
Captain Stacy and Gwen are brought before the Kingpin and tied up. They are
about to subject Captain Stacy to another round of brainwashing when Spider-Man
comes crashing through the window! Spidey engages the Kingpin, kicking away his
cane and proving his gas mask was a good idea as the Kingpin tries gassing
Spidey, as he did before. Spidey removes the kid gloves, giving the Kingpin a
royal beatdown before he turns to discover that Dr. Winkler has the Stacys at
gunpoint! Norman Osborn discovers the commotion and instinctively tackles Dr.
Winkler, causing him to fire into the brainwashing machine, making it explode!
Osborn finds that the explosion killed Winkler and Spidey narrowly saves Gwen
and Captain Stacy from being crushed by a falling vat. Spidey then races up to
the roof but not before the Kingpin manages to escape in Osborn’s helicopter.
The police arrive and Osborn’s testimony exonerates Captain Stacy. Spidey ends
the issue down in the dumps, as Gwen now thinks Spider-Man is a hero but things
as Peter Parker are all washed up with her.