Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Peter and Mary Jane go to a fancy restaurant they can’t afford for a special date. At her urging, Pete relates the events of a recent adventure: the account begins in class where Pete was upset by the sight of Gwen Stacy’s empty desk, reminding him of her recent death at the hands of Carnage. To clear his head, he went out swinging as Spider-Man and came upon the Ultimates—Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow and Hawkeye—in battle with the cyborg Deathlok. Spidey swung down and clocked the villain for them, but Hawkeye responded with only some sarcastic comments. Annoyed, Pete headed to the Daily Bugle offices where he was given the opportunity to tag along as Ben Urich interviewed the celebrity wizard Dr. Strange. He recalls the TV bio on Strange: son of the original Sorcerer Supreme whose disappearance has never been explained, young Strange combined magick with media appearances to become known as the "Sorcerer to the Stars." Arriving at Strange’s Greenwich Village mansion, Pete and Urich are turned away by the magician’s manservant Wong. Later, Peter goes back to investigate as Spider-Man and sees through the skylight Wong holding a glowing gem over the comatose Dr. Strange. He burst in and…after this his memory gets hazy. At the restaurant, Pete stands aghast as Mary Jane takes on a darker creepier appearance, when suddenly he is seized from behind by…Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy. Looking back, "Mary Jane" reveals herself as…Nightmare!