[You've been eliminated. No revival slot earned. Reward: Strength +1 ton.]
[44 restart opportunities remaining. Restart?]
Restart!
Third Revival Race.
Atop the Empire State Building, under the spire.
As the countdown ended, Charlie immediately contacted Carter.
"Carter, it's me."
"Charlie, I was just about to tell you—"
"I know everything," Charlie cut her off.
He continued, "Preserve the dragon bone fossils' energy. I need them."
On the other end, Carter frowned.
"Without the fossils' energy, Steve and I can't get to Bleecker Street fast enough to save your friends."
"That's not important."
Carter: "…"
Nearby, elderly Steve overheard, thoughtful.
"The little spider must want to fight the Revival Race with his loved ones."
He spoke into the communicator, "But seniors get priority. Don't forget me later."
Charlie facepalmed. "Just listen to me. Meet in Hell's Kitchen, and bring Harry."
"Got it."
Carter and the others headed to Hell's Kitchen.
Charlie leaped from the skyscraper, gliding toward Hell's Kitchen.
Wade's teleportation device was unreliable, so he'd have to rely on Professor X.
Passing a TV station, a green flash caught his eye.
"Norman?"
Charlie adjusted his trajectory with webbing, diving down.
He had enough time in this plan.
At the TV station, Green Goblin wreaked havoc, prompting screams from staff.
"No, impossible!!"
"It's Green Goblin! He's supposed to be dead!"
"A demon crawled out of hell!"
Green flames trailed through the halls as Norman, on his glider, laughed maniacally.
"Hahaha, this is my world! I'm back—the terrifying demon is back!!"
He cheered, crashing through the studio doors.
"Oh, sh*t!"
J. Jonah Jameson, preparing a speech, saw Green Goblin burst in, a bad feeling rising.
Bang!
The glider smashed into a wall, and Norman leaped before the director, grabbing his collar.
"Spider-Man is Charlie Parker, an Empire State University student, a Queens kid."
"W-what?"
The terrified director's legs buckled, barely hearing him.
Norman grinned wickedly. "I'll say it once. Tell everyone, or I kill everyone here!!"
"What?"
The director caught that, pale-faced, shouting to staff, "Do what he says!"
"No way!"
Betty, bold, protested, "Exposing Spider-Man's identity will cause him trouble."
"Yo, a Spider-Man superfan!" Norman tossed the director aside, laughing at pale-faced Betty.
"Hahaha, great! Standing up to a demon for Spider-Man? You'll be the first to die."
His wrist flicked, a blade gleaming.
"Wait!"
As Norman moved to strike, Jameson stepped calmly in front of Betty.
"Mr. Demon, I'm the Daily Bugle's editor. You've heard of me. I hate Spider-Man too. I'll help."
Jameson shook Norman's hand warmly, offering a cigar.
"Leave it to me."
His reassurance left Norman dazed.
Taking the cigar, Norman tucked it into his mask's mouth slit.
"You're my fan, huh?" he laughed.
"Of course! Spider-Man's enemy is my idol."
Jameson lit the cigar.
Then he turned, scolding Betty, "What are you standing there for? Get a chair! How can Mr. Demon stand all day?"
Betty: "???"
Seeing her frozen, and others cowering, Jameson fetched the chair himself.
Passing Betty, he whispered, "Relax, your brother-in-law can handle this."
He placed the chair for Norman, then signaled for a live broadcast.
"Viewers, I'm J. Jonah Jameson, editor of the Daily Bugle. I'm about to reveal a huge secret…"
The broadcast ended, exposing Spider-Man's identity, shaking the city.
"Hahaha, so fun, Charlie Parker, your doomsday's here!!"
Norman laughed, then grabbed Jameson's head.
"Mr. Demon, we're friends, Spider-Man's enemies. What's this?" Jameson's smile stiffened.
Norman tilted his head, his golden demon eyes radiating malice.
"Editor, I told you to announce Charlie Parker is Spider-Man, not to warn him to protect his loved ones. You betrayed my feelings."
"What?"
The staff, initially scornful of Jameson, shifted their gazes.
Betty felt guilty. "Brother-in-law, I'm sorry, I misjudged you…"
"Sh*t, don't let them know!"
Jameson's eyes widened, but Norman's blade swung.
"No!!"
BOOM!!
Before the blade struck, a red-and-blue figure shot through, slamming Green Goblin into the wall.
Bang~
Debris buried Norman.
Charlie landed, patting Jameson's shoulder. "Hey, turns out you're my fan. I forgive you."
"Spider-Man!"
The staff cheered at his timely arrival.
Jameson, startled, scoffed, "I'm an adult, the Daily Bugle's editor. Me, a fan of a Queens kid? Don't flatter yourself."
Charlie clutched his face, his triangular eyes widening.
"Is that so? Your admiration's so deep you can't even tell. I'm touched. Next time, I'll give you an exclusive interview."
"Really?"
Jameson's eyes lit up, then he coughed, feigning disdain.
"For saving everyone, I'll reluctantly agree to interview you. Don't be late."
"No problem."
Charlie's electric arc spider climbed his chest, and he turned into an arc, dragging Norman out of the studio.
Watching the arc vanish, Jameson relit his cigar, smirking.
"Hahaha, you all saw it—Spider-Man begged me for an interview, and I reluctantly agreed."
Betty's lips twitched. "Brother-in-law, you…"
"Sh*t, stop calling me that!!"
Stark Tower.
Zzzzt~
The arc shot into the top-floor lab.
Bang~
Norman, stripped of his armor, was tossed to the floor, cursing Charlie.
"Charlie Parker, you jerk, give me back my underwear!!" He knelt, covering himself, face red.
Charlie shrugged. "Wind was too strong. It blew away."
"Need a sheet?"
Pepper poked her head in. "Don't worry, I'm not into old men," she reassured Norman.
Norman's face darkened, turning away.
Pepper shrugged.
Norman Osborn—she'd met him, Harry's father.
Wasn't he dead?
Shocked but composed, she told Charlie, "Tony's not back yet. You might need to wait."
"No need. I'm leaving soon."
Charlie scanned the lab, spotting a green syringe in a glass case.
The gene serum antidote he'd asked Tony to make.
He webbed it into his hand and jabbed it into Norman's neck.
"No!!"
The syringe emptied, the antidote rapidly breaking down Norman's mutated cells.
In seconds, his muscles shrank, the madness in his eyes fading to confusion.
"I… what happened?"
Turning, he saw "Spider-Man," memories flooding back.
"No!!"
His eyes widened. "What have I done?!"
"No… I killed people, made too many mistakes. My Harry, my company… Little Charlie, tell me this isn't real!!"
He sobbed on his knees, leaving Pepper puzzled.
"What'd he do?" she asked Charlie.
Charlie shrugged. "He cursed me out. Now he's guilty."
Pepper: "…"
Charlie didn't explain further, pulling Norman along as he turned into an arc and vanished.
The gene serum worked, making things easier.
Though this Green Goblin was outdated, one less Revival Race enemy was a win.
Zzzzt~
On a rooftop, Charlie checked the time.
"This should be it."
He eyed the chaotic street, then swung toward a nearby apartment building.
Soon, he found Logan and Professor X in a long-vacant room.
As the arc flashed, Logan spun around.
"Who's there?"
"Spider-guy."
The arc faded, and Charlie shrugged. "You joining Spider-Man's team?"
Seeing Spider-Man, Logan relaxed.
"Of course, but the Professor's in bad shape."
He glanced at Professor X, asleep on a bed, frowning. "He might cause trouble."
"No worries. We've dealt with trouble before."
An hour later, Hell's Kitchen.
Kingpin's villa.
As Logan wheeled in Professor X, the bald man was briefly lucid.
"While I still remember you, tell me how I can help," he said, hunched, barely lifting his head to look at Charlie.
Charlie signaled Carter to retrieve the dragon bone fossils.
"These can temporarily reverse aging. I need you, when young, to use your powers to find Madame Gao."
He added, "If you can solve the artificial sun crisis, even better."
Professor X frowned.
Carter and the others were surprised.
"He can solve a world crisis alone?" Carter doubted.
Lizard Parker shook his head. "Unless he's a god."
Elderly Steve mused, "He's not an Asgardian god. Those guys get stronger with age—youth weakens them."
Charlie didn't explain, locking eyes with Professor X, seeking an answer.
As expected, Professor X sighed, his smile bitter.
"Spider-Man, have you considered what happens if a mutant—no, a superhero's power could directly affect a world war?"
Charlie understood.
"It'd make them a global enemy. A war between humans and superhumans would ignite. Humans wouldn't allow such a powerful superhuman to exist."
The group nodded.
Elderly Steve frowned. "Exactly. Superheroes are uncontrollable. Laws barely work, and morality's too vague. After the Avengers' civil war, Wanda's meltdown made humans fear superheroes. I don't know what happened next, but I bet the rift between humans and superheroes will grow until war breaks out."
"In my world, that war started long ago," Logan said flatly.
Professor X nodded. "I tried to create a world where mutants and humans coexist, but you see my failure."
He looked at Charlie. "So, sorry, I can't help with the artificial suns. It'd spark irreconcilable conflict between humans and superhumans. I can only help find someone."
Charlie wasn't surprised.
"That's more than enough. Thank you."
Professor X smiled. "Even without me, you'd save the world again."
"Of course, I just wanted you to feel involved, to show we don't discriminate against seniors," Charlie said.
Professor X: "…"
Elderly Steve: "…"
Carter said, "I'll grab some people to rejuvenate them."
"No need. We've got one right here."
Charlie fired a web.
Swish~
"Wow, so smooth—I mean the web."
The web yanked Wade in from outside.
"Let's use this guy," Charlie grinned.
Feeling the malice, Wade scanned the room.
"Uh, I feel like I've seen you all before."
"How'd you get here?" Logan asked flatly.
Wade pointed to his waist device. "I was bored, so I tried it. This teleport worked great."
He raised his right hand. "Only lost a middle finger."
Charlie: "…"
He recalled the last disastrous team-up.
"Alright, let's start."
Charlie had Carter distribute the dragon bone fossils to Logan, Professor X, and elderly Steve.
"Ten minutes of youth," Charlie reminded.
Elderly Steve pondered. "What can I do when young?"
Charlie smirked. "Buy me pizza and juice."
"You can order delivery," elderly Steve grumbled.
"Delivery's not as fast as you."