Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Issue Number: 274
Release Date: March 1986
Highlights
- First appearance of Century Club
- Reference is made to Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man 111
- Puma returns to his uncle's reservation in New Mexico, telling him about Beyonder, and that he's too powerful for Puma
- His uncle informs him that since the champion of death failed, that it is up to the champion of life, but doesn't know who said champion is
- Beyonder stands in a distant galaxy, pondering if he should destroy everything, or continue his quest to find peace in the realm of existence
- An alien race soars towards Beyonder, and opens fire from their ships - Annoyed with this, he wipes them out of existence, then their home world, and then every other planet that ever came into contact with them
- Not content with this, he appears before Mephisto, stating he's there for him and his entire realm
- Mephisto makes a deal with Beyonder that the existence of his realm and the multiverse be extended should a human past the test that mortals are worthy of life - Mephisto is given Spider-Man as his pawn piece in the game
- Beyonder chooses Zarathos as his, and sends the demon to Earth
- The game is simple, as Beyonder explains it; "Spider-Man is an individual who is motivated by a deep sense of responsibility. All Zarathos has to do is get him to renounce that" - If he does, Beyonder wins - If he doesn't Mephisto wins, and the multiverse and his realm will get twenty-four more hours
- Nathan is still in the hospital, but apparently getting out soon
- Though he's invited to join his Aunt, Mary Jane, and her Aunt for lunch and a show, Peter tells them he has an assignment for the Bugle that he needs to get to
- During his assignment, Spider-Man learns that the thugs he's photographing from the rafters also plan to assassinate Kingpin later that evening
- After taking his photos of the cops raiding the place, Spider-Man heads off, pondering that even though Kingpin is a major criminal, he can't leave him to be murdered
- Zarathos appears in the sky, urging Spider-Man to let him die before covering him in a hallucinating mist
- With his mind messed with, Spider-Man begins to fight hallucinations, including and attacking Green Goblin, his parents who tell him they're disappointed in him, nasty boils on his face, Captain Stacy who blames him for his death, Gwen Stacy falling from the same heights Peter is, and visions of Uncle Ben
- Beyonder is actually sad for all the suffering Peter is going through, and Mephisto takes full advantage of it
- As Mephisto prepares to transfer power to Spider-Man, which would also kill him upon his victory, his own demon's stop him, stating they would rather be destroyed from existence than stay in his real continuously being tortured
- Spider-Man defeats the demon, and also saves Kingpin, winning the game for Mephisto
- Beyonder gives Mephisto's realm, and the multiverse another twenty-four hours while he goes away to ponder the events of the day
- None
Oddities
- Editor's Day Off: Mephisto says, "The battle has has barely started..."
Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)
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