Spectacular Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #227

Story 'If Death Be My Destiny'

MJ gets a bunch of spider tracers and uses them to try and attract Peter. He is in mid-swing with the Gwen clone when the signal hits him and Gwen says he must go to MJ.

At The Jackal's lair, the survivor from Pennsylvania is chained up. Jackal isn't happy and says that if one person survives out of a town then that translates to hundreds of thousands across the country when he wants to wipe everyone out with the Carrion virus. He christens the survivor Helix because his body changes according to circumstances.

The spider-clones all begin to disintegrate as Ben and Kaine try not to get twatted by them. Ben is upset at all the death. Elsewhere, Peter drops in on MJ with Gwen. Gwen and MJ embrace and Gwen tells of the good memories she has of MJ.

Ben and Kaine drop back in on Jackal, who runs for it, while the New Warriors (goddammit!) realize that the survivor (Helix) has disappeared. Jackal finds Spidercide on his computer sending information to Scrier. He's not pleased and tries to degenerate him. Spidercide reveals that Scrier removed his degeneration factor and whacks Jackal. Kaine arrives and stops Spidercide from killing Jackal.

Kaine has another vision of MJ dead and sees the face of the killer: "No. Oh God. Not him. Why did it have to be him?". (Didn't he see the killer's face in the Trial arc?).

In the distraction, Spidercide drives a massive piece of metal through Kaine, killing him. Scarlet jumps in and starts beating on Spidercide. Scarlet whacks Spidercide so hard, he careers off into some machinery, 'cide KO'd and Ben trapped. In the ensuing mess some of the leftover clone 'goo' engulfs Ben.

General Comments

At least some of this is beginning to get cleared up. That's one spider clone down and just three (?) more to go. More inconsistencies. Kaine has seen who kills MJ already but then conveniently forgets it here. More crap with the New Warriors. Basically, just more of the same.

Overall Rating

Just one more part to go.....