One Week Later.
Empire State University.
A motorcycle roared onto campus, screeching to a halt with a stylish drift.
Charlie yanked off his helmet and rushed into the classroom.
"You're late," Harry said.
Charlie plopped into his seat, giving Harry a sidelong glance. "At least I'm better than you. This is your first class in two months."
Harry spun his pen calmly. "You've barely been to more classes than me."
He sighed suddenly. "This semester's gonna be rough."
Charlie grinned. "Rough for you. Professors Connors and Octavius already promised me credits."
Harry's mouth twitched. "Credits for two classes won't cut it."
"That's why they added my name to their research projects. From now on, I can skip classes whenever I want and get a full scholarship."
Harry snapped his pen in half, grinding his teeth. "You jerk! Why didn't you hook me up with that deal?"
"You didn't ask."
Charlie's smug grin oozed schadenfreude.
Just then, Dr. Octavius entered the classroom.
"Class, I apologize for my absence recently. As you know, my artificial sun experiment was sabotaged.
But no worries, I've handled the fallout, and the experiment will restart soon. Moving forward, I'll teach as scheduled."
The students grew nervous.
What kind of brutal assignment was coming now?
Dr. Octavius scanned the room, his gaze landing on Charlie.
Sensing it, Charlie's stomach dropped.
Tony was busy upgrading his suit and couldn't help him cheat.
Please don't ask about tritium calculations. I'm clueless.
Luckily, it wasn't that bad.
Dr. Octavius smiled. "Stark Industries' artificial webbing has hit the market. Your assignment is to replicate it.
Charlie, I hear you're an expert on artificial webbing. Demonstrate for us."
Charlie exhaled in relief.
This one I can do!
He stepped up, using simple equipment to show the synthesis process, earning Dr. Octavius's approval.
"Well done. No surprise from…"
Spider-Man's liaison.
Through recent dealings with S.H.I.E.L.D., Dr. Octavius had learned Charlie's role.
He had zero fondness for Spider-Man, who'd stolen his tentacle prototype.
But that didn't dim his appreciation for Charlie.
Talent like that was always in demand.
Spider-Man just got to Charlie first, but Dr. Octavius believed he had a shot at poaching him.
Class ended, and Charlie checked the time.
"Harry, I'm out. Gotta meet Professor Connors."
"Yeah, yeah, go, Mr. Busy," Harry muttered, glaring resentfully.
Charlie rode his motorcycle to Carter's villa.
Professor Connors's lizard scales hadn't fully faded, so he was still staying there to avoid trouble.
Half an Hour Later, Connors's Lab.
"Hey, Professor Connors, how's it going?" Charlie waved, spotting Carter and Felicia in the lab.
"Something up?" he asked.
Felicia nodded. "With Captain Carter's help, I've broken Adrian out. He's at my castle now."
"Don't mention castles to me."
"Fine."
Felicia tapped her tablet, showing Adrian in a makeshift lab, repairing his Vulture suit, oblivious to being watched.
"You're letting him fix his suit?" Carter frowned.
Felicia sighed. "He's paranoid. I can't gain his trust quickly.
To learn how he uses the Time Tablet, we need to change plans and let him demonstrate."
Charlie nodded. "Right. We've got the Time Tablet, so we hold the cards."
"But you gave the Time Tablet to S.H.I.E.L.D.," Felicia said, annoyed.
Charlie shrugged. "Who said I gave it to them?"
He walked to a corner, pulled off a black cloth, revealing the Time Tablet.
Felicia gasped. "You gave S.H.I.E.L.D. a fake?"
"Of course."
Carter smirked. "Giving them the real one would've been a waste. They'd never know."
Professor Connors added, "Captain Carter and Spider-Man are friends. S.H.I.EL.D. won't suspect the tablet's fake. All thanks to Carter."
"Yep."
Carter flashed a medal on her chest. "I'm deputy commander now, with more authority. If Fury keeps screwing up, I'm the only choice for commander." Her grin was smug.
"Power-hungry," Charlie muttered.
"What about that other thing?" he asked.
"Which thing?"
"You know, that thing."
"Oh, that thing."
Carter said, "After Kingpin vanished, Hell's Kitchen fell into chaos. With you and Spider-Man's covert help, Ben Parker and May have taken partial control of Kingpin's empire.
But one guy's a problem."
"Who?"
"Kingpin's lawyer, Matt Murdock."
"Matt?"
Charlie's expression shifted. "He's Kingpin's lawyer?"
"Yeah, a top-tier lawyer poached from Stark."
Carter's face grew serious. "With him around, many of Kingpin's men walk free due to lack of evidence. Even though Ben and May are Spider-People, they're not as strong as the real Spider-Man. Soon, Hell's Kitchen could spiral out of control."
She continued, "Plus, Kingpin's got dangerous assassins under his command. They might be waiting for his return or planning to take out Ben and May. They're in a bad spot."
Charlie frowned. "Sounds like Kingpin wasn't straight with me. I'm cutting his formula supply for two days to teach him a lesson." He snorted.
Felicia: "."
"That's your threat?" she said, exasperated.
"Why not?"
Charlie pulled a can of baby formula from his bag. "I'll make Kingpin watch me flush it all down the toilet." His smile was sinister.
Professor Connors gave a thumbs-up. "Genius! Threatening an enemy like that? Brilliant."
Carter rolled her eyes. "It's ridiculous."
She shook her head. "I'm heading out. S.H.I.E.L.D. business awaits. Fury's onto our plan and won't let go of Aleksei. I can't lose my first Thunderbolt."
"If that's the case, we need a special op to make Fury back off," Charlie said with a sly grin. "Hell's Kitchen's gonna be wild tonight. Get Fury to move, and Aleksei will surprise him."
Carter paused, then matched his grin. "I'm looking forward to tonight's surprise."
Seeing their scheming smiles, Felicia instinctively stepped back.
These two are more like villains.
Bleecker Street.
"Baby, look what I got you."
Back home, Charlie showed infant Kingpin the new formula.
Kingpin, busy changing his diaper, lit up at the sight.
"Yay~"
But then—
"YAY!!"
Kingpin wailed as his formula was poured down the toilet by the cruel devil.
Tears streamed down his face, his heart shattered, his will to live gone.
"Mr. Kingpin, this is what happens when you lie."
Charlie's face was cold as he attached a chip to his earpiece, using a brainwave sensor to communicate.
"I told the truth," Kingpin sobbed.
Charlie crossed his arms. "But not the whole truth."
"You didn't ask, so I forgot."
"My fault, huh?"
"Isn't it?"
"You sure?"
Charlie pulled out a second can of formula.
"Not your fault! Mine!" Kingpin gritted his non-existent teeth.
"Tell me about Matt Murdock." Charlie handed over the formula.
Kingpin clutched it tightly. "He's an undercover operative by my side. I always knew his target was me."
"But he's protecting your empire now."
"I figured, but he's not protecting me—he's protecting Elektra, his ex-girlfriend and my ace assassin."
Charlie mused, "He's a lawyer. That's not right."
Kingpin shot him a look. "Matt became a lawyer for revenge, not justice."
"Oh, I get it. He's not a hero yet. He needs a guide to show him what a hero is."
Charlie flicked his bangs confidently. "That can only be Spider-Man."
"With great power comes great responsibility. That should work on him too."
Kingpin: "."
"How many people have you conned with that line?" he asked, unimpressed.
Charlie wagged a finger. "It's not a con. It's Spider-Man's golden rule. Never fails."
"Only idiots believe that guy," Kingpin scoffed.
Charlie shrugged. "True. Probably only one guy still believes it."
"Alright, done chatting. Time to take down your empire."
He removed the brainwave sensor and headed out.
Kingpin wailed behind him.
Don't go yet!
You forgot to mix my formula!
Mix the formula!!
Jerk!
The door slammed shut.
In the dark, cold house, Kingpin's heart grew colder.
Hmph. When I grow up, I'll…
Mix my own formula!!
Hell's Kitchen.
The neon-lit streets buzzed as a lone teen wandered through.
"Hey, handsome, wanna have some fun?"
A woman from the red-light district waved at Charlie. He patted his empty pockets and scoffed.
"What's your rate?"
"Three hundred."
"Too cheap. Pass."
Charlie hurried off, faintly hearing "cheapskate."
Passersby ignored the seemingly easy target, focusing on richer prey.
A broke kid wasn't worth robbing.
Soon, Charlie reached Kingpin's villa.
It was now Ben Parker and May's second home.
A suited guard spotted Charlie and waved him off.
"Kid, get lost. This ain't your place."
Charlie tilted his nose up. "Today you ignore me; tomorrow you'll beg to know me."
He turned and left.
Guard: "."
If not for the new boss's orders, they'd have taught this cocky kid a lesson.
Charlie headed to a nearby underground bar.
In a hidden basement, a sharply dressed blind lawyer sat at a table, surrounded by tattooed, menacing thugs.
"Matt, those two are too much. Just say the word, and we'll tear them apart."
"Yeah, Spider-Man or not, this is Hell's Kitchen, not a spider's web."
"Exactly. Half our guys are locked up for life. We're not going down like that."
The group argued loudly, but Matt stayed calm, ignoring them.
As they quieted, he pulled out his earplugs.
Blindness had sharpened his other senses too much.
To avoid sensory overload, he wore earplugs in chaotic settings.
His sightless eyes scanned the room, missing a familiar heartbeat.
"Where's Bullseye?" he asked.
Someone stood. "That jerk bailed the second the boss vanished. Probably chasing another payday. Total scumbag."
Matt frowned.
With Bullseye gone, who'd help him find Kingpin?
As he pondered, someone suggested, "The boss left a Gene Disruptor. We could use it to kill those two Spider-People."
"No way. That's for the real Spider-Man. Using it on fakes is a waste."
"Then what? These two are tougher than other impostors. Without the Disruptor, we can't take them."
"So you knew that, yet you were yelling about storming in to kill them. How?"
"I—I just said that for morale!"
"Moron."
The group bickered again. Matt tilted his head, then stood and walked outside.
On the rooftop, a web hammock swayed gently.
Matt, holding his cane, stopped beside it.
"Spider-Man?" he asked.
Charlie whistled, standing. "That's me. You're Matt Murdock?"
"Yes. I knew you'd come."
Matt said, "Don't worry, I know your goal. I won't interfere. I just want to find Kingpin."
"I can tell you where Kingpin is, but first, you handle the guys inside," Charlie said.
Matt frowned. "You could take them easily. Why me?"
"I'm… indisposed today."
Matt: "."