Ultimate Spider-Man Episode Fifty-Four: The Avenging Spider-Man, Part Two

The Avenging Spider-Man, Part Two

First Aired: August 31st, 2014

Synopsis: With the Avengers thinking he's Loki, Spider-Man runs away from them, and is somehow able to swim through a sewer to get to Midtown High, where he knows that his former team will be able to tell that it's him. After a brief fight with them they're convinced, but the Avengers and Loki show up and attack them, convinced that "Loki" has brainwashed the heroes. As the fight goes on a train is derailed which Spider-Man saves, convincing the Avengers that he's the real Spider-Man. Loki leaves, and the heroes go off to free Thor and the Hulk, encased in ice by a symbiote-powered dragon. Afterwards Spider-Man gets a call from Nick Fury, saying that Doctor Octopus' old base has an energy signature coming from him. Spider-Man volunteers to go and check it out with his old team, but once they get there Ock starts flooding it and escapes. The team are able to escape using a giant ball of webbing made by Spider-Man.

As the team go after Doctor Octopus they find the Avengers fighting more Asgardian monsters powered by symbiotes, and join in. As they're defeated they get thrown into a Bifrost portal opened by Thor, and so Loki orders Octopus to attack them using the Asgardian armour Loki's given him. Spider-Man taunts Ock about how he's a lackey to Loki, just like he was to Norman, which infuriates Ock. Loki goes to attack the heroes and orders Ock to help him, confirming Spider-Man's comments and causing Ock to turn on Loki. Loki removes Ock's Asgardian armour, all but defeating him, and it also somehow weakens Loki enough that the Hulk can defeat him. Loki runs into the Bifrost portal to escape the heroes, but is attacked by the creatures he powered with symbiotes, who are eager to get revenge on him. In the aftermath Loki is taken back to SHIELD, and Spider-Man admits that he misses his old team. He leaves the Avengers to rejoin them, then shows up on the helicarrier to see them all.

Sam Alexander is Actually the Worst

• When Spider-Man saves the team from drowning in Ock's lair, Nova comments that he "Almost forgot about how webs always pulls us into his crazy schemes!" Or, you know, you could thank him for saving everyone.

Clint Barton is Actually the Best

• Hawkeye isn't in the episode much, to its detriment, but I counted and he manages to fire off four arrows in the space of three seconds at one point. If that's not awesome then I don't know what is.

Review: Hey, remember how last episode ended on the implicit promise that Spider-Man would be fighting the Avengers, possibly with Loki on their side? Isn't it awesome how this episode has Spider-Man recruit his old team, brings the Avengers to them, and then almost immediately reveals that Spider-Man and Loki switched back and everyone's on the same side again? It's an insane waste of a cool premise, especially given that Spider-Man's in the middle of telling his teammates which Avengers they'd be best suited to take on when the truth is revealed, so we don't even get a few minutes of obligatory fighting. Way to waste your story, show.

It's even more disappointing because the rest of the episode is a pretty big snorefest. Ock's Asgardian armour (which is so, so ugly you guys - it's like the designers are trying to make each outfit of Ock's uglier than the last) is hyped up as this badass upgrade, but it's really no different to what he normally does. There's scenes of the Avengers fighting symbiote monsters while trying to free Thor and Hulk, which are boring, followed by more scenes of the Avengers fighting symbiote monsters when Spider-Man and the team return from Ock's underwater lair, which are just as boring. Both this episode and last, there's no real feeling that the symbiote monsters are a threat - yeah, we see some people running from them, and they smash some stuff up, but there's no real sense that they can actually do anything the heroes will have difficulty with. Hell, I'm not even sure why they need the symbiotes in the first place - they seem pretty powerful without them.

After all that, where does this bring us to? The exact same place we've always been: Spider-Man hanging out with his team. Is it because he doesn't want to live in Avengers Tower, and leave Aunt May on her own? Is it because he's being pressured to reveal his identity to his teammates and doesn't feel comfortable? Is it because his style of fighting clashes with Captain America's orders? No, it's none of those things which were set up last episode, it's...well, the episode says that he misses his team, but it does a pretty good job of not really explaining why or showing it. Which, honestly, I can't say I'm a fan of, but I also can't say I'm that surprised by, so if nothing else, you can call this show consistent.