Ultimate Spider-Man Episode Eighty-Nine: The New Sinister Six, Part Two

The New Sinister Six, Part Two

First Aired: June 19th, 2016

Synopsis: Scarlet Spider holds Spider-Man while Doctor Octopus taunts him, before Ock reveals that he wants the key to the anti-HYDRA weapon. Scarlet knows that it's at May's so heads off to get it, leaving Spidey with Ock. Scarlet finds the key and lies to May about why he's there, but Flash reveals that Peter told him to stop anyone who arrived to retrieve the key. His wheelchair turns out to have lasers in it, and he fights Scarlet. Back at the Triskelion Spider-Man gives Ock a speech about not losing anyone and heads outside, where Hydro-Man is preparing to destroy the Triskelion. Spider-Man talks to Sandman, merged with the beach at the Triskelion, and convinces him to stand up and fight Hydro-Man, allowing Spider-Man to escape. Spider-Man manages to make it to May's house but is followed by Doctor Octopus, who manages to retrieve the key to the anti-HYDRA weapon with Scarlet's help.

 

Doctor Octopus shoots a laser into the sky from a gun that he puts the key into, and reveals that the weapon allows him to control the nanobots that make up HYDRA Island. He reshapes it into Octopus Island and adds tentacles to it, before going up to it so that he can use it to start controlling the world. May tells Peter to go there, which he does, but shortly after Spider-Man starts fighting Ock the villain reveals that May is there, somehow, and takes advantage of that fact to start beating up Spidey. The entire time Spider-Man's been trying to get through to Scarlet, who's adamant that he's loyal to Ock, but when Ock mocks Spidey's compassion Spider-Man tricks him into admitting that he sees Scarlet as nothing more than a tool. Scarlet frees May and attacks Ock, who escapes, leaving Octopus Island to fall. Since it'll destroy a large chunk of the city if that happens Scarlet pushes Peter and May into an escape pod and hangs back to control the island's descent. Spider-Man returns to the island with the help of Amadeus and the Spider-Jet, but it's too late for Scarlet as he crashes the island into the water, telling Spidey that his compassion is a strength, not a weakness. Spider-Man and his allies try finding Ben in the water but Amadeus tells him that he's gone, so Spider-Man vows to be a hero like he was.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• Scarlet Spider reveals that Ock took him in from the street and experimented on him, implying that he was a runaway and/or homeless. It's a neat explanation that justifies his loyalty and avoids the hot mess that is being a clone, but it also makes it a bit awkward that everyone keeps referring to him as Ben when that's probably not his real name.

Review: I predicted in my review of the previous episode that Scarlet Spider would probably end up going back to the side of good, and what do you know, I'm completely correct. It hits all the beats pretty predictably - Scarlet insists that he's loyal but nevertheless has a soft spot for May, he discovers that Ock never really cared about him, and then he sacrifices himself, thus both justifying characters treating him as a good guy while not having him hang around to potentially betray them in the future. Although it's predictable, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't adequate enough.

So, the bulk of the episode's story is adequate if predictable - how about the rest of it? I like seeing Flash Thompson kick ass in a wheelchair, even if it is kind of odd that Scarlet can't defeat him. I guess that I like the way Spidey tricks Ock into admitting what he thinks about Scarlet, with Ock not even considering the possibility of what the consequences could be. But when I go over the episode in my mind, there's not a lot there that stands out - Sandman joining in the fight against Hydro-Man should be a "Fuck yeah!" moment but it's just two giant monsters punching each other, which doesn't really make sense when you consider the properties of sand and water.

Ock turning HYDRA Island into Octopus Island is pretty damn silly, especially given that the logo remains almost identical to the HYDRA one. The anti-HYDRA weapon being a gun is kind of silly, and it's pretty nonsensical that it can just be fired into the air and reach HYDRA Island, all the way in space. Between these, and Aunt May just sort of teleporting onto Octopus Island once Ock needs her as a hostage, it's overall a bit of a weak episode. Mostly adequate, but with enough flaws that it's hard to recommend.