FN Spider-man #10 (Spoilers)

[ultimatespyder20]

I got this one early from Marvel Subs.


The issue starts out with Spidey watching a projected image of the history making scene of Gwen Stacy falling off of the George Washington Bridge. Hobgoblin 2211 shows Spidey this image again and tell Spidey that she could teach Spidey how to Jump Tracks and make his life better. Then Uncle Ben is trying to talk to Aunt May, May slaps him becuase she thinks this is someone acting as an imposter Ben. Then Jarvis comes in to try to protect May, he begins to fight Ben, and Ben kicks Jarvis's ass. Back to Spidey, he rejects HobGoblin 2211's offer and they begin to fight. Then suddenly Spider-man 2211 pops out of no where and begins to fight Hobgoblin 2211. The two of them both go under water, Spidey dives in after them to break it up. Then we see Ben, he is in an ally and is wondering weather to go back to May and try to talk to her, and explain everything. Then a stranger tells him he could solve his problems with a gun. Underwater, Spider-man 2211 ties up Hobgoblin 2211 with sum sort of electrical chain. Hobgoblin 2211's glider hits Spider-man as he dives down to break up the fight. Spider-man gets out of the way of the gilder and the glider hits Hobgoblin 2211, and she breaks free of the electrical chain. She gets on her glider and flies up to the surface. Spider-man 2211 goes after her and he gets himself caught in a force field, Hobgoblin 2211 gets ready to throw a retcon bomb at him, but Spidey jumps out of the water and shoots web at the bomb and throws it back at Hobgoblin 2211. She dissapears, Spidey is confused at what happened, he thought she would just get a shock out of it, but then Spider-man 2211 tells him that the bomb took her out of exsitance. Spider-man 2211 tells himself that he must forget her and he flies away to go get Uncle Ben. Then we find Ben in a grave yard looking at a grave stone. Spider-man 2211 appears behind him and tells him that he is going to take him back to his own dimension so that he can fufill his own destiny in his "homeworld". He hugs Ben, and then suddenly Ben shoots Spider-man 2211 with the gun the stranger in the ally gave him. Then we see that Ben has shot the stranger from the ally also. Then Ben says that he thinks he will stay for a little while.

Not to bad of an issue. I really like the ending with Ben, maybe this Ben will become some sort of criminal. I give this issue 7/10.

Alec

[BeastieRunner]

I don't think you're supposed to post this till everyone gets a chance to buy it on Wednesdays.

[guy2]

wait so does that mean Ben is going to stay :eek:

[ultimatespyder20]

I don't think you're supposed to post this till everyone gets a chance to buy it on Wednesdays.

Sorry, I didn't know. I thought as long as you labled it spoilers it was ok.

Alec

[ultimatespyder20]

wait so does that mean Ben is going to stay :eek:

Guess so.

Alec

[guy2]

i guess its true nobody stays dead anymore

[Kevinroc]

i guess its true nobody stays dead anymore

It's an alternate reality Ben. So it's definitely not the same guy.

I was nervous when I saw this until I remembered this story is being handled by Peter David, a writer that loves long-running subplots.

[Peter David]

I would suggest that no one assume the description of the issue is accurate.

PAD

[guy2]

Yea but he shot Spider-man 2211 and he says he thinks he is going to stay
i wonder how this is going to be played out

[ultimatespyder20]

I would suggest that no one assume the description of the issue is accurate.

PAD

What?

Alec

[Sean Whitmore]

What?

Alec


Rather than tempt fate here, I think we might just put off discussion for another day and a half and it'll be available to everyone. :)


SEAN

[Dr Manolis Dooplove]

that plot synopsis is misleading! spyder, i'd read the issue again if I were you... ;) more on that on wednesday

[Peter David]

What?

Alec

What part of the statement was unclear? I wrote:

"I would suggest that no one assume the description of the issue is accurate."

I can rephrase it if you like. "Just because the poster described that such-and-such happened doesn't necessarily mean that's what DID happen. I suggest you judge for yourselves and give it a closer read than he obviously did."

See, this is the danger of rushing to be the very first guy out there trying to ruin the story for everybody else. Sometimes you're gonna get tagged.

PAD

[ultimatespyder20]

that plot synopsis is misleading! spyder, i'd read the issue again if I were you... ;) more on that on wednesday

Alright I'll read it again. Sorry to everyone.

Alec

[stillanerd]

I got this one early from Marvel Subs.

SPOILERS
Back to Ben, he is in a grave yard looking at his tomb stone, Spider-man 2211 appears behind him to take him back to is own dimension.
END OF SPOILERS

Are you sure it's Uncle Ben's gravestone and not...say, someone else's?

[Sean Whitmore]

Less than 24 hours now before everyone has a copy of their own. So let's assume my suggestion above wasn't just a suggestion. :)


SEAN

[Sophisticated_Gamer]

how do you get all this comic books before everyone else???

can we also see te cover for it...cuase i never hheard of this series...

[ultimatespyder20]

how do you get all this comic books before everyone else???

can we also see te cover for it...cuase i never hheard of this series...

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/4559/fnsm10cg0.th.jpg (http://img225.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fnsm10cg0.jpg)

Alec

[Sophisticated_Gamer]

oo ok thx....is it pretty good???

[Nosgoth Phantom]

Alright I'll read it again. Sorry to everyone.

Alec

It's highly recommended that you should. No offense intended at all, but y'know.... Peter David DID write it. I'm pretty sure the author would know a little more of what's going on rather than just one reader ;)

*Envisions poor PAD like Rodney Dangerfield going "tough crowd, tough crowd"*


Seriously though... I'm sure it's a great story and the wait will be worth it for me to read it myself. My two favorite writers have got to be Peter David and Warren Ellis. PAD does great stories. Ellis does cynical stories. Neither of them do windows.

[Rich L]

Well that was interesting.

So it looks like the alternate Ben has been killed - or, more likely, killed himself after that little conversation in the alley, and now someone else who looks like Ben has killed Spider-Man 2211 (Agent of T.O.T.E.M. -missed that last ish, very nice!).

So the question is - did the guy look like Ben before, or after alt-Ben died? Is this the Chameleon? Someone else? The real Ben? Who knows...

This is the best Spider-book out at the moment for my money. Great stuff - and can't wait for PAD and Todd Nauck to be reunited for a few issues, either.


Oh, anyone else catch the names at the gravesite? DeWolf (Jean, presumably), Cassidy (Sean aka Banshee) and Barnes (Bucky)?

[Dr Manolis Dooplove]

Well that was interesting.

So it looks like the alternate Ben has been killed - or, more likely, killed himself after that little conversation in the alley, and now someone else who looks like Ben has killed Spider-Man 2211 (Agent of T.O.T.E.M. -missed that last ish, very nice!).

So the question is - did the guy look like Ben before, or after alt-Ben died? Is this the Chameleon? Someone else? The real Ben? Who knows...

This is the best Spider-book out at the moment for my money. Great stuff - and can't wait for PAD and Todd Nauck to be reunited for a few issues, either.


Oh, anyone else catch the names at the gravesite? DeWolf (Jean, presumably), Cassidy (Sean aka Banshee) and Barnes (Bucky)?

spoilers:











keep in mind that the hat on the last page is a mistake. it's supposed to be the same hat the tramp was wearing. That meansthat Ben has killed the tramp first to getthe weapon. but the tramp was in reality another alternate reality ben?

[ultimatespyder20]

Well that was interesting.

So it looks like the alternate Ben has been killed - or, more likely, killed himself after that little conversation in the alley, and now someone else who looks like Ben has killed Spider-Man 2211 (Agent of T.O.T.E.M. -missed that last ish, very nice!).

So the question is - did the guy look like Ben before, or after alt-Ben died? Is this the Chameleon? Someone else? The real Ben? Who knows...

This is the best Spider-book out at the moment for my money. Great stuff - and can't wait for PAD and Todd Nauck to be reunited for a few issues, either.


Oh, anyone else catch the names at the gravesite? DeWolf (Jean, presumably), Cassidy (Sean aka Banshee) and Barnes (Bucky)?


I'm such an idiot!!!! Man, I can't believe I didn't catch this, ahhhhh!!! God, I'm so sorry about my big mistake. Though the true ending is way better than the ending I thought happened,:D.

Alec

[Rich L]

keep in mind that the hat on the last page is a mistake. it's supposed to be the same hat the tramp was wearing.

Cite your sources, man!

The 'Ringo makes no mistakes!! :p

[Dr Manolis Dooplove]

Cite your sources, man!

The 'Ringo makes no mistakes!! :p


I asked The PAD :)

[Rich L]

I asked The PAD :)

Dagnamit!

PAD trumps 'Ringo...interesting, though...I'm still not sure the Ben we see at the end is the Ben we see at the beginning - shooting Spider-Man 2211 is one thing; shooting the other Ben is another, as it wouldn't be needed to stay in this world.

Looking forward to seeing where this is going!

[Dr Manolis Dooplove]

well, do we know he actually stayed in this world?

i reread the last scene today when i got my actual copy. Ben is in a graveyard with the graves of Banshee, Jeanne DeWolfe and Bucky Barnes (empty?). Since I doubt these would be in the same gravesite, could Ben have been whisked away from the proper timeline after Hobby was retconned?

[Rich L]

well, do we know he actually stayed in this world?

i reread the last scene today when i got my actual copy. Ben is in a graveyard with the graves of Banshee, Jeanne DeWolfe and Bucky Barnes (empty?). Since I doubt these would be in the same gravesite, could Ben have been whisked away from the proper timeline after Hobby was retconned?

Interesting thought. I just assumed the Banshee/Bucky stones were nods at recent deaths/resurrections in comics, when we've just got Ben back (kinda), and DeWolfe was a nod to PAD's old Sin-Eater storyline waaay back in Spec vol 1 (circa #107-110, IIRC).

[jsg2295]

It is somehow fitting that FNS had the word "spoil" in its title because I can honestly say that this present storyline spoiled FNM for me.
I really hate time travel stories and this story was just so bad. Of course I am going on with the assumption that what we saw is actually what happened.
The SM of 2211 had on armor that somehow let bullets from this century penetrate (of course maybe this is a special gun from the 23rd century...who knows).
How come the 2211 SM didnt know about the dead Ben in the alley at the end of the comic? I mean this supposedly happened in the past. Dont they have records of something like this happening? Expecially with someone who is obviously a focal point for the generations to come (Peter or Ben Reilly or whoever is SM right now). Man supposedly dead for (nine?) years found in alley shot to death. Man captured trying to kill Jarvis after same man found dead two weeks ago (this hasnt happened yet and am just using conjecture to what has happened this issue). Wouldnt this be a big beacon to time people?
Since the next issue involves Mysterio I am hoping that this issue was caused by Mysterio slipping a Magic mushroom to Peter David to cause him to have temporary insanity.

[Linguini]

Pretty horrible issue. Maybe its just me but I hate time travel.

[Nosgoth Phantom]

How come the 2211 SM didnt know about the dead Ben in the alley at the end of the comic? I mean this supposedly happened in the past. Dont they have records of something like this happening? Expecially with someone who is obviously a focal point for the generations to come

Since such a thing would cause a paradox, I am pretty certain that this Ben was from an alternate reality's time line. The real Ben in 616 universe died at the hands of the burglar. In this story's reality he came from a world where Aunt May died instead of him and where Peter Parker was a dick. Those are two major clues to let you know it's an alternate or parallel reality's time-stream. Hobby messed around with not only time, but with different realitys.

[Gildarco]

Hmm...

With Hobby being recon-bombed out of existence, could this story and the Spider-man 2099/Spider-man book have happened? Alterna-Ben jumped the tracks thanks to Hobby, but without Hobby existing anymore none of this story happened (at least in the form it was presented). Right?

[Michael P]

It is somehow fitting that FNS had the word "spoil" in its title because I can honestly say that this present storyline spoiled FNM for me.
I really hate time travel stories and this story was just so bad. Of course I am going on with the assumption that what we saw is actually what happened.
The SM of 2211 had on armor that somehow let bullets from this century penetrate (of course maybe this is a special gun from the 23rd century...who knows).
How come the 2211 SM didnt know about the dead Ben in the alley at the end of the comic? I mean this supposedly happened in the past. Dont they have records of something like this happening? Expecially with someone who is obviously a focal point for the generations to come (Peter or Ben Reilly or whoever is SM right now). Man supposedly dead for (nine?) years found in alley shot to death. Man captured trying to kill Jarvis after same man found dead two weeks ago (this hasnt happened yet and am just using conjecture to what has happened this issue). Wouldnt this be a big beacon to time people?
Since the next issue involves Mysterio I am hoping that this issue was caused by Mysterio slipping a Magic mushroom to Peter David to cause him to have temporary insanity.
The same reason Marty McFly's parents never told him about that cool Calvin Klein kid who helped them get together in high school: It hadn't been inserted into their histories yet.

[TJ Shoun]

I really, really don't like the idea behind this.

Regardless of whether it's the real Ben or not -- just leave characters like this alone.

Another thing that bothered me: Jarvis was a golden gloves boxer. Read Avengers 201 -- Jarvis kicks ass. There's no way Ben punks him like that.

I wasn't happy with this issue.

[Crimson]

I wonder what was up with Homeless Ben. When they first saw him showing the paper to Ben, I thought the white sideburns and stuble made it look like him and in the end it turned out I was right.

I can't wait to see how this turns out.

[Venom]

Great end to a great storyline. Such mysteries came out of this conclusion. Will Hobgoblin 2211 ever be un-retconned? Is this truely the end of Spider-Man 2211? (Well I guess seeing as he was shot through the chest three times.) What's going to happen to Ben now? Is the Ben from another reality dead or is it hobo Ben? Where the hell did hobo Ben come from? I fully disagree with you TJ Shoun; Jarvis had what was coming to him. He's a snobby, pompus jerk who's up himself and is always being rude or snapping at Peter. Peter should be the one being snappy at Jarvis because he's trying to weasel in on his Aunt May. He should always be whispering to Jarvis, "If you do anything to hurt my Aunt then you'll wish you were never born." And how the hell would a skinny guy like Jarvis take on a big guy like Ben. Ben won fair and square. For all we know Ben probably boxed in his youth.

[TJ Shoun]

I fully disagree with you TJ Shoun; Jarvis had what was coming to him. He's a snobby, pompus jerk who's up himself and is always being rude or snapping at Peter. And how the hell would a skinny guy like Jarvis take on a big guy like Ben. Ben won fair and square. For all we know Ben probably boxed in his youth.

Read Avengers #201.

Jarvis easily puts the smack-down on a street bully because he was a golden gloves boxer in the military.

No way Ben Parker takes him, regardless of who deserved what.

[Rich L]

Read Avengers #201.

Jarvis easily puts the smack-down on a street bully because he was a golden gloves boxer in the military.

No way Ben Parker takes him, regardless of who deserved what.

True.

But you could always argue that he's no longer in peak condition following his beating at the hands of Mr Hyde...Inferno not withstanding.

[Peter David]

Read Avengers #201.

Jarvis easily puts the smack-down on a street bully because he was a golden gloves boxer in the military.

No way Ben Parker takes him, regardless of who deserved what.

Y'know, when I say something like, "Writers have to deal with fans so continuity obsessed that they shout, 'No! No! This can't be! Because it violates continuity in a story that happened in one issue of another title twenty six years ago!'", I'm always told that I'm being unfair and that fans aren't REALLY like that.

And the pub date on Avengers #201 would be...?

PAD

[Jack]

Alterna-Ben obviously learned to fight after his wife died. Obviously.

There's no thread for it yet, I guess, but #11 was amazing, and sensational, and spectacular... though not particularly friendly.

[Sophisticated_Gamer]

i just read this issue, and i totally love it, i love the ending it is so friken cool...idk, it caught me offgard

[LabRat]

I'm totally clueless, so I'll need someone to spell things out for me... Who was the Ben that shot Spidey 2211?? Was it the homeless-"alternaBen"? Or the recently displaced-"alternaBen"? The homeless guy really didn't look like Ben to me...

[Cody H]

Yeah, very creepy ending. It looks like the 'track jumping' Uncle Ben isn't the Uncle Ben we're used to. Hell of a timeline when you've got a grade-a asshole Peter and an Uncle Ben capable of cold blooded murder. The fallout from this one could turn into a really good slow-building storyline.

I gotta admit, I'm usually not a fan of time travel related storylines but this one turned out quite good.

[Sophisticated_Gamer]

Yes I think this will be continued in the near future...it will have to do with something like Spider Man saving the World that the 2211 Spider Told be would die withought him :D

[Cody H]

Plus I'd imagine Uncle Ben will be popping up again considering he decided to "stick around for awhile." Probably doesn't bode well for May considering that this Ben doesn't seem to have many qualms against killing.

[Destroyer 13]

I may be the densest reader here; I reread issue twice and all of the above posts but I am still confused as to who killed who and whether the "other Uncle Ben" is the Chameleon or another alternate reality version. Maybe it was written to be intentionally vague and leave an out but I am just left confused.....can anyone shed some light? Thought he was the Chameleon after comment in alley about "blending in anywhere" but the vague ending and inconsistency with art in last scene (different hats in different scenes) just left me bewildered.....

[Sophisticated_Gamer]

I may be the densest reader here; I reread issue twice and all of the above posts but I am still confused as to who killed who and whether the "other Uncle Ben" is the Chameleon or another alternate reality version. Maybe it was written to be intentionally vague and leave an out but I am just left confused.....can anyone shed some light? Thought he was the Chameleon after comment in alley about "blending in anywhere" but the vague ending and inconsistency with art in last scene (different hats in different scenes) just left me bewildered.....

Ok the bum was the actual uncle Ben, that told it's future self to do what he wants...and blah blah, so he ends up killing the other spider man, and well he is left on earth, which means he became that unle Ben, because after he killed spider man couldn't be there so he died, as you can see in the picture of him with blood coming out of his mouth. So it kindoff can run in a loop like that...

BUT what i found most interesting, was when i read the what happend previously page in the FN Spider Man #10, it tells you that there will be a huge story behind this...go ahead read it and Wow:eek:

[Cody H]

I may be the densest reader here; I reread issue twice and all of the above posts but I am still confused as to who killed who and whether the "other Uncle Ben" is the Chameleon or another alternate reality version. Maybe it was written to be intentionally vague and leave an out but I am just left confused.....can anyone shed some light? Thought he was the Chameleon after comment in alley about "blending in anywhere" but the vague ending and inconsistency with art in last scene (different hats in different scenes) just left me bewildered.....Yeah, it does seem quite ambiguous with the homeless guy looking almost exactly like Uncle Ben, and the possible Chameleon reference ("blending in anywhere"). I think it was probably intentionally ambiguous so as to leave an 'out' for future storylines, but who knows? For now, I'm working under the assumption that the homeless guy just looked like Uncle Ben (and was not actually another alternate reality version), and that the track jumping Uncle Ben murdered both him and Spider-Man 2211.

[Sophisticated_Gamer]

Yeah, it does seem quite ambiguous with the homeless guy looking almost exactly like Uncle Ben, and the possible Chameleon reference ("blending in anywhere"). I think it was probably intentionally ambiguous so as to leave an 'out' for future storylines, but who knows? For now, I'm working under the assumption that the homeless guy just looked like Uncle Ben (and was not actually another alternate reality version), and that the track jumping Uncle Ben murdered both him and Spider-Man 2211.

Nah...this is comics, that seems to easy of an explanation

[Cody H]

Maybe, but it's the story I'm sticking to until they flesh out a few more details in upcoming storylines. Either way, I'm confident that Peter David will be able to make an interesting storyline out of it.

[Mjolnir]

i read this today and while i get that the homeless guy was AN Uncle Ben, i dont understand where he came from.

I get that there is an Uncle Ben from a universe where Aunt May died who was brought into the 616 universe where the Uncle Ben of 616 was shot by the burglar. So technically there's a Ben in a coffin 10ish years old, and then there's this misplaced Ben, both in 616.

But where did the third one, the homeless man, come from? Is he another disenfranchised Ben Parker from another timeline that Hobgoblin dropped into 616? And why exactly did DeadMayUncleBen kill him? Didn't HomelessManUncleBen freely give him the gun?

I enjoyed this arc PAD, looking forward to the new up-and-coming villain: The Uncle!

[Sophisticated_Gamer]

Yes it is all very confuzing....>.<

[LabRat]

Hopefully it's a mystery that gets resolved soon, I'm really curious as to what's going to happen...

[berkovw]

I didn't understand what happened at the end of the 3rd part of the Hobgoblin 2211 story. I reread it this weekend. Tell me if I'm reading this right.

After the confrontation with May and Jarvis, the Uncle Ben from the alternate universe runs off and confronts a man in an alley. This man shoots and kills Uncle Ben and takes his place. This man is either a shapeshifter (like the Chameleon) or another alternate Uncle Ben. This is the Uncle Ben that shoots Spider-Man 2211. The original alternate Uncle Ben dies.

Did I read it right?

[Sophisticated_Gamer]

NO the guy in the allie never layed a hand on the 2211 uncle Ben, but the 2211 uncle ben killed the 2211 spidey, which showed us that the guy in the alley was that uncle ben that killed the 2211 spidey....clear?

[Mjolnir]

NO the guy in the allie never layed a hand on the 2211 uncle Ben, but the 2211 uncle ben killed the 2211 spidey, which showed us that the guy in the alley was that uncle ben that killed the 2211 spidey....clear?

...not really? lol

there's three Uncle Bens.
Uncle Ben #1. is the 616 original: ie. buried in the ground.

Uncle Ben #2. is 2211 who was brought over by Hobby.

Uncle Ben #3. is the man in the alley.

I dont understand where number 3 came from. anyone?
Is he another disenfranchised Ben Parker from another timeline that Hobgoblin dropped into 616?

And why exactly did Uncle Ben #2 kill him? Didn't Uncle Ben #3 freely give him the gun?

PAD's series' are always this much fun!

[Rich L]

...not really? lol

there's three Uncle Bens.
Uncle Ben #1. is the 616 original: ie. buried in the ground.

Uncle Ben #2. is 2211 who was brought over by Hobby.

Uncle Ben #3. is the man in the alley.

I dont understand where number 3 came from. anyone?
Is he another disenfranchised Ben Parker from another timeline that Hobgoblin dropped into 616?

And why exactly did Uncle Ben #2 kill him? Didn't Uncle Ben #3 freely give him the gun?

PAD's series' are always this much fun!

More to the point, did #2 kill #3 or did #3 kill #2?

[Mjolnir]

More to the point, did #2 kill #3 or did #3 kill #2?

Also a good question - but if you think about it, #3 gave #2 the gun. Slid it across the ground, or something. So it's probably more likely that #2 killed #3, and also because #2 had a reason to kill Spidey2211, whereas #3 would've been "uh...i dont know what you're talking about, but could you spare some change?" when Spider2211 approached him.

As for why #2 killed #3 (or the possible opposite), and where the heck #3 came from, i'm glad i'm not the only one who doesnt know!

[Rich L]

Also a good question - but if you think about it, #3 gave #2 the gun. Slid it across the ground, or something. So it's probably more likely that #2 killed #3, and also because #2 had a reason to kill Spidey2211, whereas #3 would've been "uh...i dont know what you're talking about, but could you spare some change?" when Spider2211 approached him.

As for why #2 killed #3 (or the possible opposite), and where the heck #3 came from, i'm glad i'm not the only one who doesnt know!

Ah but, what if the gun was empty when #3 gave it to #2, and when #2 tried to kill #3 he brained him with a brick, then reloaded the gun to kill Spidey 2211?

And maybe he knew Spidey 2211 because he knows stuff...

:eek:
Uncle Ben is Layla Miller! PAD's been setting up this crossover all along!



Okay, perhaps not. But I do think #3 is the 'surviving' Ben - otherwise, why even introudce him and then kill him straight away?

Trust in PAD. He'll sort it all out - hey maybe this has something to do with the cocoon in The Other that PAD will shortly be returning to? Hmmm...

[Pyro]

God, I'm so confused. The story was ok, but it really upsets me when I'm left off confused like this. I have no idea who killed whom, but referring to Uncle Ben #2 as 2211 isn't correct because he has nothing to do with 2211 other than that year's Hobgoblin bringing him over. He was just 2006 Uncle Ben from a parallel universe.

[Mjolnir]

God, I'm so confused. The story was ok, but it really upsets me when I'm left off confused like this. I have no idea who killed whom, but referring to Uncle Ben #2 as 2211 isn't correct because he has nothing to do with 2211 other than that year's Hobgoblin bringing him over. He was just 2006 Uncle Ben from a parallel universe.
ah yeah of course my bad.

[Sophisticated_Gamer]

Just remember i'm right!

[Sonicjuce]

More to the point, did #2 kill #3 or did #3 kill #2?
You know it didnt even occur to me the first time i read it that the dead person in the alley was ben. I caught it the second time, but I do think it is possible that maybe the person in the alley wasnt Ben and just happened to look a lot like him.

[Mjolnir]

All in all it was a pretty great ending - PAD really brought over an X-Factor feel to it, that's for sure, which is always enjoyable.

As for the Unca Ben Identity Crisis...I guess we'll be waitin' and seein'.

[Harold of the Rocks]

I didn't understand what happened at the end of the 3rd part of the Hobgoblin 2211 story. I reread it this weekend. Tell me if I'm reading this right.

After the confrontation with May and Jarvis, the Uncle Ben from the alternate universe runs off and confronts a man in an alley. This man shoots and kills Uncle Ben and takes his place. This man is either a shapeshifter (like the Chameleon) or another alternate Uncle Ben. This is the Uncle Ben that shoots Spider-Man 2211. The original alternate Uncle Ben dies.

Did I read it right?I say this is the "correct" interpretation. There was no reason for AlternateTrackUncleBen (ATUB) to turn violent and kill Spidey2211 and/or AlleyAlternateUncleBen (AAUB). Unless he completely bought the line about for every time you zig, another you zags. Even so, what we had previously seen of AlternateTrackUncleBen demonstrated that he did have morals and was a generally good person. I say ATUB is the dead one in the alley, so that mystery character AAUB could setup and kill Spidey2211, or stay 'here', or to mess with the alternate reality that Ben was plucked from... or all of the above. For all we know, this mystery character is from 616, or another reality or timeline... and not neccessarily any 'Uncle Ben' at all! I like the fact that we have a lot of loose ends to this mystery; the only 'conclusions' that I am going with is that AlternateTrackUncleBen is likely dead, someone is posing as him now, and Spidey2211 is also dead, and his daughter (Hobby) never existed anymore (never will exist, actually). That and that Spidey, May, and Jarvis (616) are in for some serious chaos and intrigue; and the illustrious Mr. David has more tricks up his sleeve! I'm also personally throwing out the Space Phantom, Skrulls, or The Chameleon only on the grounds that Jarvis already speculated on these possibilities. Even though Chameleon kind of makes good sense, him being a Spidey-Foe and all.

-- There's also no guarantee that the graveyard scene at the end of the book takes place in the '616' (though I suspect it does), and nowhere does Spidey 2211 refer to the character as 'Ben'. So, perhaps he knows who it really is and is planning on returning this character back to his reality. Until this 'Uncle Ben' resolves that issue.

[Mjolnir]

damn PAD and his definite wonderfulness! :D