Fanfic / The Defenders of Remnant

In The Defenders of Remnant, much like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Kingpin is trying to bring an alternate version of his lost family to his universe with the aid of several other villains on his payroll, but the efforts of several street-level heroes, and the Punisher, cause them all to be sucked into a world with a broken moon. Now they must make new alliances and plans in order to survive in this deadly new world, and hopefully find their way home once more.

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Tropes:

• 24-Hour Armor: Unlike the other heroes and villains, Taskmaster keeps his full suit and helmet on at all times, even when he's sleeping. The one time Cinder tries to take it off, Taskmaster wakes up immediately and threatens to kill her if she ever tries that again. However, after they open up to each other, he willingly takes the mask off as a show of trust.
• Actually a Doombot: After Kingpin is revealed to have survived the docks fight, Taskmaster kills the Tinkerer and finds that he had replaced himself with a Life Model Decoy at some point. After Taskmaster is killed because of him, Cinder again kills Tinkerer and finds that it's another LMD, which makes her realize that he had probably been an LMD from the start and thus was never actually on Remnant to begin with.
• Adaptational Name Change: The Gods of Light and Darkness are generally referred to as the Older Brother and Younger Brother respectively.
• Adaptational Personality Change: Outside of the more extreme portrayals of his murderous mission, the Punisher is generally depicted as fairly reasonable without ever whitewashing how bad he is. Here, on the other hand, no one is safe from his wrath; the heroes genuinely believe he'll kill innocent people without caring of the collateral damage (whereas the mainstream Punisher has sworn to retire should that ever happen, and around the time of this fic, did when he almost killed a child), and he even states a willingness to kill Spider-Man if he gets in the way. He also executes Kingpin when given the chance, whereas mainstream Frank generally spares Fisk because of the power vacuum killing him would create.
• Adaptational Origin Connection: The Black Tarantula is Peter Parker's clone rather than a mantle passed down a family line for centuries.
• Adaptational Villainy:
  • The Punisher is fully willing to kill heroes here if they get in his way, while in the comics he's never resorted to lethal force against them out of respect for their efforts.
  • Norman Osborne has killed Harry before, but those moments are generally noted to be away from his usual characterization, it's usually only for pragmatic purposes, and his love for Harry is consistently genuine. Here, his murder of Harry was 100% premeditated and confirmed to be purely out of sadistic hatred for Peter.
• Alas, Poor Villain:
  • Prowler is killed right as he was beginning to realize the enormity of the genocide Cinder planned to enact and tries to give the heroes the information they need to stop it. Spider-Man promises to tell his family that he loved them and mourns him as another loss they've suffered.
  • Sabretooth, having been turned into a villain through no fault of his own, is unceremoniously executed by Taskmaster just to cover up loose ends, all while Raven and Marc were trying to save him. The pointlessness of it all helps bring Raven to tears.
  • After he finally sees the error of his ways, Kingpin is killed for good by Cinder incinerating his body with a flaming arrow. His last words are to tell Vanessa that he's finally coming to see her again.
• All for Nothing:
  • Raven and Marc's attempts to track down Sabretooth end with both Marc and Sabretooth dead, with Raven having once again lost someone she cared about for a mission that turned out to be pointless.
  • All of Kingpin's attempts to test the collider to bring even a variant of Vanessa to Remnant completely failed. Hundreds of tests failing to produce even one positive result finally makes him realize that even if he did find a Vanessa who isn't dead because of him, he wouldn't be saving her at all, and everything he's done in this endeavor has been completely pointless.
• Anti-Hero: As in canon, Ironwood cares for nothing more than the protection of Remnant, but his methods of doing so leave a lot to be desired, including all-but violating international law by bringing in his entire army, recruiting the Punisher into his Specialists to give him both independence and the backing of the government, and going behind Ozpin's back to condemn his methods to the Council and risk his job.
• Back from the Dead: Electro is killed by Fisk early on, but he uploads into the power grid after his death and spends months pulling himself back together before he gets the strength to reconstruct his physical body.
• Batman Gambit: The night of the Beacon Dance, the villains start a fire in the city, knowing that the only Earth heroes who could respond are either Jessica or Spider-Man (since the other Defenders are posing as Beacon faculty and Marc is outside the Kingdom at the time). They correctly guess that Spider-Man will respond and use the chance to ambush and capture him, all while Electro sneaks into the CCT to plant Watts' virus without resistance.
• Berserk Button: Emerald showing concern for Cinder's well-being after Taskmaster's death makes Cinder so mad that she implicitly threatens to kill Emerald unless she focuses on the plan.
• Betrayal by Inaction: Taskmaster leaves Kingpin behind at the docks heist so that the Punisher will finish them off.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Spider-Man is one of the most noble heroes Earth has ever seen, but even he has his limits and struggles with an inner darkness. As Peter recalls, both at the start of his career and the near-end of it, he damn-near committed murder out of sheer rage for his enemies, particularly the mugger that killed Ben and the Green Goblin. Basically, history shows that when he wants someone dead and can't be stopped, the other person never stands a chance.
  Taskmaster: To put it this way, Cinder, most of my world's heroes don't kill. Period. The Spider especially. But then Osborne took away everything, stripped him down until he had nothing left but rage. After that, Osborne didn't make it a week. Hell, he didn't make it two days.
• Big Bad: Although Fisk kicks the fic off and is largely in control for the first arc, Taskmaster usurps him and becomes the biggest threat Remnant has to face beyond Salem herself for the moment.
• Big Damn Heroes: With Captain America's prompting, the Avengers cross over to Remnant right as the fall of Vale is underway, with their efforts saving the lives of Team RWBY, Qrow, Glynda, and Ironwood.
• Bittersweet Ending: Thanks to the Marvel heroes, the Fall of Vale goes better for the heroes than it did in canon, with Pyrrha and Penny surviving the battle. Ben finds a home with the Rose-Xiao Long family and promises to honor the name Peter gave him, and Teams RWBY and JNPR are given the chance to rest after their battles. However, Marc, his system, and all the Marvel villains are dead, Peter and the Defenders still have to go back to Earth once they are done, with only Frank able to stay behind (though Peter has regained the drive to be Spider-Man and begins to heal from his losses), and Cinder isn't killed, so while Salem's plans are paused, they aren't stopped. Ironwood and Frank begin their own version of the Avengers starting with Cardin and Venom, Roman and Neo are recruited by the Doctor and Isaac Clarke to fight Kang, and Doctor Strange and Doctor Fate align to heal the multiverse from Peter accidentally breaking it when he saved Pyrrha's life.
• Blatant Lies: When Glynda finds Ironwood unable to sleep, he tells her that his arm was acting up. She responds that of course, the logical response to that is to get out of bed, get fully dressed in military garb, and then go outside to stare menacingly out into the distance.
• Both Sides Have a Point: By the time Reed, Tony, and Strange manage to locate Remnant, the fall of Vale is underway, which prompts a disagreement between them; Tony wants to jump through and save the citizens, consequences be damned, while Reed and Strange are willing to let those people die to prevent an incursion caused by timeline interferences. In essence, Tony's option would immediately save the people in danger while risking the multiverse, while Strange and Reed are thinking of the bigger picture. They come to blows until Captain America intervenes and agrees to interfere in the battle.
• Break Them by Talking: When Marc's attempt to physically force Raven to give him the answers he seeks doesn't work, he starts baiting her with words, taunting her about the family she left behind and how if she hadn't abandoned her previous life, Summer Rose may have survived. It eventually rattles her enough that she lets the existence of the Maidens slip.
• Bullying a Dragon: Raven tries to attack Marc after he pushes too many of her buttons and refuses to answer his questions. In response, Marc tricks her into summoning Khonshu, who proceeds to repair Remnant's broken moon and then shatter it again right in front of their eyes. By the end of the demonstration, Raven and the tribe are all kneeling before him. Khonshu later reveals to Raven that it was actually an illusion, but promises that Marc can still back up his threats if she tries to attack him.
• Career-Ending Injury: Kingpin breaks Taskmaster's spine over his knee, ensuring that the latter can never perform his mercenary work ever again.
• Chronic Hero Syndrome: Even after losing everyone he cared about and retiring for a year, Peter simply couldn't keep himself away from superheroics forever, and he eventually picked up the mask. Part of his assistance with Team RWBY's Character Development is encouraging them to be proactive in heroics like he was when he was their age.
  Peter: It doesn't matter whether you're ready or not. Because the ones facing you down are counting on you not to be. Taskmaster, Torchwick, the White Fang; whatever their goal is, it puts everyone's lives in danger, and that is something that we can't allow. It doesn't matter if you're students, it doesn't matter that you're kids. I wasn't any older than Ruby the first time I put on that mask, because I realized it doesn't matter who you are, how old you are, how ready you are; the responsibility falls to you. You can wait it out, hope it blows over; or you can show them why you're meant to be huntresses. It's your call.
• Cold-Blooded Torture:
  • Taskmaster relieves some of his rage by torturing Spider-Man once he has the chance, though Cinder forbids him from outright killing the hero. He specifically mentions that he might be washing flesh off of his hands alongside the blood, and Peter is in bad enough shape that when he's found later, he can't stand on his own.
  • Frank Castle is given permission to use his violent skillset on Roman Torchwick, with Ironwood specifically noting that Frank will be able to cause the most amount of pain without threatening the victim's life. By the time Neo arrives to free him, he can barely stand on his own, and the experience was so bad that he gets the hell away from the battle as soon as he's played his part.
• Commonality Connection: Penny notes that she feels a strong connection to Black Tarantula when he states his desire to be "real". They end up bonding over their similar philosophical issues regarding their lives.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: The ambush the villains plan for Spider-Man goes completely without a hitch, with the hero unable to get a single hit in before he's defeated and knocked out.
• Curb Stomp Cushion: Moon Knight vs. the Branwen Tribe ultimately ends with the Tribe knocking Marc out, but Marc takes around five of them completely out before he's taken down.
• Death by Adaptation: May Parker, Harry Osborne, and Mary Jane Watson are all dead by Norman Osborne's hand before the story begins. In the original comics and most adaptations, all three usually survive into Peter's adulthood.
• Defiant to the End: Even while he's dying, Marc takes consolation in the fact that he knows Khonshu is about to lose his best asset and dies essentially telling the god to fuck himself.
• Disc-One Final Boss: The Kingpin is the most dangerous threat to the Earth heroes after they initially arrive on Remnant, but that doesn't last long. His brutality turns Cinder and Taskmaster against him, and by the end of the docks heist, the Punisher puts a bullet in Fisk's head to end his threat once and for all, leaving Cinder and Taskmaster in charge of his operation.
• Dwindling Party: The Earth-based villains steadily drop in number over the course of the story. Bullseye goes first at Taskmaster's hand, then Electro at Kingpin's, then Kingpin at the Punisher's. Then, Kingpin and Electro are revealed to have survived, then Prowler dies for real. Electro and Kingpin both die at the collider, then Taskmaster is killed by the Grimm. Shortly after, Tinkerer is revealed to have been an LMD from the start, meaning that by the end of chapter 41, there are no Earth villains left on Remnant.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
  • The Kingpin's entire goal is to see his family once more, even if he risks tearing reality a new one.
  • As always, the Prowler loves his nephew Miles and wants nothing more than to get back to Earth and see him again.
  • What begins as simple stress relief for Cinder and Taskmaster eventually evolves into genuine feelings for each other. Taskmaster's death devastates Cinder, prompting her to dedicate herself to outright destroying Vale and Peter Parker in particular out of vengeance.
• Even Evil Has Standards:
  • Kingpin's brutal murder of Electro shocks everyone present, including Cinder, Torchwick, and Prowler. The only one unaffected is Taskmaster, who saw it coming a mile away.
  • Even while he's willing to kill Peter over a petty grudge, Cardin is horrified to discover that Venom (and thus him) was eating White Fang members while he was out of the "driver seat" and insists that if they absolutely have to eat people, they can only eat "bad people".
  • Taskmaster is audibly shocked to learn that Cinder had a shock collar placed on her as a child.
  • Prowler is a thief who is willing to work with the Kingpin, but he stops short of helping with the Breach and gives the heroes all the information he has so they can stop it. He specifically says that the thought of any children dying in the blasts is enough to resist the plan.
  • Weiss notes that the Breach made the entire criminal underworld slow down all of their activity because a Grimm attack disturbs everyone.
• Everyone Has Standards:
  • The Punisher, of all people, objects to the way Ironwood treats Penny, comparing her to an animal trapped in a cage and all-but threatening Ironwood to release the restrictions on her movements. As a father, he knows the better way to treat her and get her used to the world and accepts Ironwood's deal to become an Atlas Specialist with only the condition that he becomes Penny's primary security.
  • Jessica Jones is audibly horrified by the story of Mountain Glenn.
• For the Evulz: After getting a boost from lightning Dust, Electro goes on a power trip and rampages through Vale just because he feels like it, only being stopped by Spider-Man, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ruby. His recklessness prompts Kingpin to kill him before he can cause any further havoc to his plans.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: Even after he stops being a potential threat, no one wants to interact with Frank Castle in any meaningful capacity. The only reason they do is because he's Penny's head of security, so they can't just ignore his existence.
• Green-Eyed Monster: Emerald starts getting jealous as Cinder and Taskmaster get closer with each of their successes.
• Heel–Face Turn: Peter saving Cardin/Venom's life from the Lizard despite Cardin trying to kill him moments before makes him realize that he was wrong about Peter, which gives Peter the opening he needs to relate to Cardin regarding his own experience with the symbiote. With that opening, Cardin finally lets go of his grudge and decides to use his powers for good.
• He Who Fights Monsters: Throughout the story, Peter struggles with knowing that when he's pushed far enough, he's fully willing to commit cold-blooded murder, just like he did to Norman Osborne a year ago. Most frighteningly for him, when Taskmaster dies, Peter feels absolutely nothing, making him fear that he's slipping back into the mindset he thought he left behind.
• Hidden Depths:
  • Despite not being a laboratory scientist, The Tinkerer has studied Curt Connors' research to the point that he's able to replicate it from memory on Remnant.
  • Taskmaster, usually the unscrupulous mercenary, doesn't accept cash payment for working for Fisk; instead, he asks the Tinkerer to make him a neural chip that allows him to store more memories than he was able to before. As he puts it, thanks to his copying powers occupying most of his memory, the life he was living before wasn't much of a life, and he took the chance to actually live one the first chance he got.
• High-Altitude Interrogation: Moon Knight holds one of Fisk's goons over the edge of a being to intimidate them, even dropping them before Spider-Man catches them with their webbing to get him to talk.
• Hypocrite: When discussing whether or not the Avengers should interfere in the battle of Vale, Strange argues that he knows the most about the multiverse and that Tony's arrogant to think his opinion holds weight. Tony immediately fires back that that's rich coming from the guy who interfered with the multiverse twice for his own ends, which only had no consequences because the Avengers helped him out.
• I Choose to Stay: Frank is ultimately the only Earth hero who decides to stay on Remnant once the Avengers track them down through dimensions.
• In Spite of a Nail: The Fall of Vale still occurs, and though the casualty count is lower and some individual moments go different thanks to the added characters, all of the key events go the same; a Nevermore attacks Amity, Ironwood's bullhead gets brought down, the airship gets destroyed, Ren, Nora, and CFVY fight the Paladin in the courtyard and Velvet ultimately brings it down, Blake and Adam have their confrontation and both walk away alive, Cinder kills Amber and Ozpin, Jaune gets rocketed back into Vale, Pyrrha and Cinder fight on top of the tower, and Ruby arrives just a moment too late to save her friend from an injury and activates her silver eyes.
• It's Personal: Suffering a second attack on his bar, this time from Taskmaster and company, gets Junior personally invested in the battle. Jessica, someone he considers a friend, getting severely wounded in the crossfire is just extra icing.
• Kick the Dog:
  • When Fisk learns Peter's identity the night of the docks heist, Kingpin sadistically reminds Peter of all the people he's lost, especially Mary Jane, and reminds him of his brutal nature by bringing up his murder of Norman Osborne. It makes Peter so mad that he almost kills Fisk himself, and even Fisk later apologizes for what he said after realizing the similarities he and Peter have.
  • After almost fatally stabbing Jessica, Taskmaster metaphorically twists the knife even further by saying she'll be with her parents soon and wondering what that'll mean for poor Trish.
• A Lighter Shade of Black: As brutal as he is, Kingpin is fairly reasonable as long as you don't compromise his plans and doesn't go out of his way to be cruel. Taskmaster, on the other hand, is a sadistic monster willing to do anything to get what he wants and loves to taunt his enemies once he knows he's won. Notably, by the time the two of them come to blows, Fisk winning is easily the preferable outcome.
• Like a Son to Me: For all he tries to deny it, Frank clearly comes to view Penny as his second chance at fatherhood after he lost his daughter in the gang war. It's not until Penny basically threatens him that he finally admits it to her face.
• The Lost Lenore: Over a year after it happened, Peter is still mourning Mary Jane's death like it was yesterday.
• Mad Scientist: The Tinkerer, despite not specializing in genetics, is able to replicate Curt Connors' research in Remnant, resulting in the creations of the Lizard and Sabretooth alongside around a dozen White Fang members horrifically dying during experiments.
• My God, What Have I Done?: The sheer futility of his mission to find another Vanessa makes Kingpin realize how unnecessarily cruel he was to Peter the night at the docks, prompting him to apologize when they see each other again.
• Mythology Gag:
  • The idea of the Kingpin trying to reach into another world to reunite with alternative versions of his family is basically what happens in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, with the main difference that the characters from the universe with the portal machine are the ones that get sent to another reality instead of beings from other worlds being dragged to the one with the machine. Later on, Doctor Fate refers to the idea of a fixed point in time that cannot be changed without risking the multiverse as a "canon event".
  • Peter has a nightmare where the Green Goblin cackles "Can the Spider-Man come out to play?" and shudders when he hears the phrase "No good deed goes unpunished".
• No Honor Among Thieves: All of the villains, despite ostensibly having the same goal, are perfectly ready to betray and kill one another the second it suits their needs. Taskmaster, being the most proactive, kills Bullseye the second he gets the chance, and works with Cinder to ensure that the Punisher will kill Fisk at the docks.
• "Not So Different" Remark: Cinder and Taskmaster's "dinner date" gives them the chance to both reveal their tragic pasts, prompting both of them to realize that they may not be as different from each other as they once thought.
• Odd Friendship: Faunus supremacist Adam Taurus and misanthropic mercenary Taskmaster end up forming something of a camaraderie during the one mission they take together, to the point that Adam helps cover up Taskmaster betraying and killing Bullseye.
• Offing the Offspring: At the peak of his rampage, Norman Osborne murdered his own son Harry just to hurt Peter that much more.
• Omnidisciplinary Scientist: Downplayed; the Tinkerer is basically a god among men with mechanics and machinery, but he is not a geneticist or scientist, which limits some of his potential. However, he has studied Dr. Connors' research and is able to replicate it, and once he has assistance from Dr. Watts, he's eventually able to convert more Faunus into animalistic soldiers regardless of their Faunus trait.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
  • Peter notes that Fisk's actions after the docks heist make no sense. Most notably, the supposed posthumous messages from Fisk that Taskmaster and Prowler received don't fit his behavior at all; the one for Taskmaster was far too kind for the spiteful Kingpin, and as street-smart as he is, he never would have told Prowler where to meet up to go back to Earth a week in advance. It tips Peter off that something weird is happening.
  • Penny referring to Frank by his given name instead of "Specialist Castle" is enough to make him stop dead in his tracks and signal that she's going to force the issue of his dead family no matter how much he tries to run. Later on in the conversation, she gets so tired of his secret-keeping that she demands he open up to her or she'll have him removed from her security detail.
• Outside-Context Problem: Several street-level Marvel heroes, the Kingpin and his allied villains, and the Punisher all get dragged to Remnant by the malfunctioning portal.
• Pet the Dog: After the deaths from Norman Osborne's rampage, the entire superhero community did their part to support Peter - Tony Stark funded the funerals, Matt read the eulogies, Thor took the time to show up, and Johnny Storm led a cookout for everyone.
• Pragmatic Hero: Unlike the other Earth heroes, Moon Knight is unwilling to take Ozpin at his word and fully realizes that he's hiding major secrets from them, prompting him to seek out Raven Branwen to get some answers.
• Pragmatic Villainy: Unlike the other villains, Taskmaster doesn't want to go back to Earth; he's finally found a world where the Avengers, X-Men, and such aren't around to constantly kick his ass and throw him in prison, and he fully intends to make the most of it. He kills Bullseye and ensures Fisk's death so that his plans to bring everyone back to Earth are halted.
• Redemption Equals Death: Prowler betrays Taskmaster and Cinder and works to get his scroll to Beacon Academy, but dies along the way. Spider-Man mourns him as yet another loss and promises before he dies that he'll tell Miles and Jefferson that Aaron loved them.
• The Reveal:
  • The Venom symbiote's presence on Remnant isn't because it was brought from Earth, it was the result of Kingpin and the Tinkerer testing their collider and bringing him in from an unknown dimension.
  • Salem reveals that she was the one to give Tinkerer the Grimm essence he infected Taskmaster with, making her directly responsible for Anthony's death.
• Sacrificial Lion: Bullseye is killed by Taskmaster early on to both demonstrate how far he's willing to go to stay on Remnant and to make it clear that being a major Earth character does not mean you're safe.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: As soon as Roman does his part in the fall of Vale by turning Atlas's machines against the humans, he and Neo immediately flee the battle. By the time Ben brings down the airship, neither of them are on it.
• Sequel Hook: The last two chapters reveal several hooks for the upcoming works in the series:
  • Peter is back on Earth being Spider-Man, having finally regained his drive for heroism after the losses he endured before. When going back to confront Doctor Octopus, he runs into none other than Miles Morales.
  • Doctor Fate contacts Doctor Strange and reveals that Peter broke the multiverse when he saved Pyrrha's life, as a death on top of the tower is a "canon event". They have no idea how to fix the damage, so they begin plotting ideas to help each universe survive.
  • Ironwood visits Cardin and Venom in a diner and reveals that he's beginning his world's version of the Avengers Initiative, beginning with the two of them.
  • Roman and Neo escape Vale and are rescued by the Doctor and Isaac Clarke. Though they originally want to leave, the Doctor reveals that he's picked them to help defeat a villain known as Kang, saying that the duo have the potential to become Legends.
• Ship Sinking: Peter and Blake have a lot of romantically charged moments and become far closer than he is with any other Remnant native, but he has to go back to Earth before their relationship can go anywhere. They part on good terms with Blake kissing his cheek, but that's as far as they get to go.
• Shout-Out:
  • A brief segment where Dr. Strange looks through the multiverse has him hear quotes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jurassic Park, Five Nights at Freddy's, Halo, Star Wars, Dead Space, Doctor Who, Bendy and the Ink Machine, Red vs. Blue, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Undertale, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Fate/stay night.
  • A later segment throws The Legend of Zelda, Transformers, Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Steven Universe, Assassin's Creed, and Doom into the mix.
• Small Role, Big Impact: Thor only appears near the end of the story when he confronts Cinder on the tower, but his involvement in the fight helps everyone walk away alive, which breaks the canon event of someone dying at the tower and endangers the multiverse.
• Spanner in the Works: The Punisher's presence is a major factor in what leads to the portal sending the heroes and villains to Remnant.
• Spared by the Adaptation:
  • Tuksen is kidnapped rather than killed, leading to his conversion into Sabretooth.
  • Frank interferes in the battle between Penny and Pyrrha before Pyrrha can accidentally kill her, sparing Penny's life.
  • Roman decides to get the hell out of dodge as soon as the Battle of Beacon commences, meaning he doesn't encounter the Griffin that eats him in canon.
  • Peter intervenes in the fight between Cinder and Pyrrha, preventing the latter's death. In fact, because someone dying on the tower was a "canon event", doing so outright breaks the multiverse, forcing Doctors Fate and Strange to team up to begin fixing it.
• Stations of the Canon: Downplayed; the story does largely follow RWBY's major story beats with minimal diversions from the overall plot, but there's a greater focus on character development and additional plot-lines added along the way. Additionally, the main plot ends up being key to the original plot, as it's revealed that Kingpin and Tinkerer took advantage of the major events from canon (like the highway fight and the Breach) to test their collider without being detected.
• Sympathy for the Devil: Even after everything he's done, Peter still feels bad for Anthony and notes that most of his villainy can be traced back to his awful father.
• Taking You with Me: Non-lethal variation; to finish his fight with Emerald, Junior fires his rocket launcher right at their feet, knocking himself out but breaking her Aura at the same time.
• Tragic Villain: Tuksen is captured and converted into Sabretooth with a chip in his brain preventing him from questioning orders or rebelling, meaning nothing he does is of his own volition. In the end, Taskmaster kills him with basically no fanfare or care.
• Undying Loyalty: Tinkerer stays loyal to Kingpin even after Taskmaster and Cinder betray him, leaving behind an LMD while fleeing with Fisk to get the collider back up and running.
• Villainous Legacy: Though he's long-dead by the time the story starts, Norman Osborne's impact on Peter's life still rings fresh due to the deaths of everyone Peter loved and the fact that Peter actually killed him himself. Notably, Peter still refers to Norman as his nemesis even though he's been dead for years.
• Wham Episode:
  • Chapter 15. Castle kills Kingpin at the docks, but Cinder and company still get away with the dust they need and Taskmaster is introduced to Salem's inner circle. The fight at the docks results in Team RWBY learning that Peter is Spider-Man. Elsewhere, Qrow gets in a bar fight and gets help from a stranger that the audience recognizes as Wolverine.
  • Chapter 26: The Breach is put down, but Ozpin's relationship with the Defenders is broken when Marc reveals the truth of the Relics to them, making them effectively denounce him and work independently. Cardin reveals himself and Venom to Team CFVY, improving their relationship. Cinder and Taskmaster become physically involved, while Tinkerer creates a clone of Peter Parker in his base.
  • Chapter 27: Fisk reveals that he survived the docks battle, and Taskmaster realizes that Tinkerer fled around the same time, replaced himself with an LMD, and has likely finished constructing the way back to Earth. In response, Taskmaster begins to track down Prowler to Junior's and orders no witnesses.
  • Chapter 36: The battle at the collider is a Pyrrhic victory for everyone involved. Fisk and Electro are killed, but Fisk cripples Taskmaster before he dies. The collider is completely destroyed, stranding the Earth heroes on Remnant, and Cinder gets away with Taskmaster and the Tinkerer.
  • Chapter 41: Taskmaster is finally killed by the Grimm thanks to the Tinkerer injecting him with the Grimm fluid, meaning Black Tarantula is finally free; Peter celebrates by granting him the name Ben Reilly. Cinder learns that Tinkerer is another LMD and that he was probably never on Remnant to begin with, meaning that all of the Earth villains are gone forever, all while Salem insists that their plans continue as they were before.
• Who Wants to Live Forever?: When trying to relate to Frank and the loss of his family, Penny points out the biggest problem with her robotic status; unless she dies from an injury, she'll live forever, but her friends will grow old and die in front of her eyes.
• Wild Card: Frank Castle is firmly opposed to the villains, but his lethal measures also put him at odds with Earth's heroes, meaning he's effectively on his own team. Notably, the heroes are just as quick to avoid him as the villains are because they know he'll try to kill them if he deems them to be interfering in his mission. It's not until he becomes an Atlas Specialist that he stops being a threat to the heroes.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Electro deciding to go on a rampage for no reason whatsoever while he's supposed to be lying low makes Kingpin declare him a liability and kill him on the spot.

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