The Ultimate Slayer
First Aired: October 5th, 1996
Synopsis: Peter discovers in the Daily Bugle that Mary Jane and Harry Osborn are engaged, right before getting a call from Alistair Smythe, who wants Spider-Man's help. He suspects that Kingpin is going to betray him, and wants to be saved. Peter changes to Spider-Man and goes to the meeting spot, but Alistair arrives, heavily mutated, and attacks him. Spider-Man only survives when Madam Web teleports him away, and tells him to focus on why Alistair is attacking him rather than how to stop him. Alistair returns to the Kingpin, and it's revealed that he's got programming so that he can't hurt Kingpin or the scientist who transformed him - Herbert Landon. Alistair flashes back to being transformed by Landon, and then to his father's death. He decides that Norman Osborn is responsible for his father's death, and flies off in his hover-chair to confront Osborn. Norman's at Oscorp Towers for a press conference, as are Peter, Mary Jane, and Harry. Peter talks to Mary Jane about her engagement, and she implies that that she doesn't actually love Harry.
Alistair bursts in, all the while Kingpin and Landon try and overwrite his programming and bring him back, since they don't have any beef with Norman. They send a retrieval crew to get Alistair, and said crew inadvertently bring back Alistair, Norman, Harry, and Mary Jane, followed by Spider-Man. Kingpin talks to Norman about Alistair, and reveals that Spencer Smythe is still alive, and in cryogenic preservation. Spider-Man overhears this, and when Alistair is then sent after him, he reveals the truth to Alistair, who then turns on the Kingpin, and is able to overcome his programming that stops him from hurting Kingpin. Spider-Man saves Norman, Harry, and Mary Jane as the building starts coming down, and in the aftermath Mary Jane breaks off her engagement with Harry, disappointed with how cowardly he was when they were captured. Kingpin and Landon also escape the building's collapse, and unbeknownst to everyone, Alistair does too, with his father's cryogenics chamber. He swears revenge on all those who wronged him once his father awakens.
Miscellaneous Notes:
- Alistair also became the Ultimate Slayer in the comics, in Amazing Spider-Man #373. It was pretty unimpressive then, too.
- So...what the heck is Alistair? He's physically mutated by Landon's chemicals, but he's also got programming, apparently?
Review: Between how rushed it was and the Madam Web ex machina, I wasn't impressed with the opening fight, and thought that we were in for a pretty forgettable episode, but it managed to recover from there and ended up being surprisingly good. Mary Jane and Harry's engagement felt abrupt, but it makes sense that it is, since Mary Jane more or less says that she doesn't actually love him, and while we don't get Harry's perspective, I can absolutely buy him proposing to Mary Jane because Norman pressures him to. It's kind of ridiculous, but it's the sort of stupid mistake some young adults trying to work out who they are would make.
The reveal that Spencer Smythe still lives isn't exactly the most game-changing twist in existence, but it did take me by surprise, and while it probably wasn't originally planned by the writers, it makes enough sense to work. It also sets up for a good solution with Spider-Man simply giving Alistair what he wants - I always love a villain where fighting the hero is a means to the ends, not the ends in and of itself. (Although when Spider-Man leaves Alistair to fight Kingpin...how does he think it's going to end? That's a bit irresponsible of him, yes?)
Ultimately the real highlight of this episode is what's going on between Peter and Mary Jane and what it looks to be leading up to, but shifting the villains' status quo slightly is also a neat change. I wouldn't be surprised if this episode doesn't end up in my top ten favourites, but it's still good enough and managed to pull its own weight.
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