Having just discovered that V-252 is a)alive, and b)dangerous, Peter tries to warn Max Modell to stop experimenting with it, but Modell doesn't listen, instead planning on showing it off at the Stark Expo. Peter follows, both because he's a big fan of Tony Stark and, as Spider-Man, he hopes to convince Iron Man (who will be in attendance showing off the suit) that V-252 is alive. But while Spider-Man investigates, he spots a third party: a mysterious person in a high-tech suit that makes him intangible.
Spider-Man tries to apprehend the person, but it's a bit difficult to catch someone intangible. And to make matters worse, Iron Man spots him and assumes he is the one breaking in (to be fair, the actual robber had vanished by then). They fight for a bit while Spider-Man geeks out over fighting an actual Avenger, but he eventually gives up trying to convince Iron Man about the real culprit and uses a smoke bomb to give himself the opportunity to hide and return to being Peter Parker.
At the expo, Peter is in science nerd heaven- except for the part where Max still refuses to believe him about Venom. Norman Osborn refuses to let Harry show off the glider he's been developing- hmm, wonder if that's going to show up later. And the mysterious intangible person shows up, introduces himself as Ghost, and steals a Stark device that allows him to control every bit of technology in the expo- including the Iron Man suit, so the Avenger is rendered helpless and quickly exposed as Tony Stark himself.
Peter isn't able to defeat Ghost on his own, and anything that could give him an upgrade is under Ghost's control... with one exception. The Venom Symbiote isn't technology, it's a living being, and its powers are inherent to its species. So Peter breaks the glass containing the symbiote and allows it to bond with him again, giving him the edge needed to overcome Ghost. Afterwards, it takes the combined efforts of Max and Tony to pull it off him, but at least Max now acknowledges Peter's warnings about the thing.
This episode contains examples of:
- Cassandra Truth: Max Modell brushes off Peter's concerns about the Venom symbiote until he sees it in action.
- The Knights Who Say "Squee!": Peter is now an established superhero, but he still fanboys considerably upon meeting Iron Man.
- Let's You and Him Fight: Iron Man fights Spider-Man because he thinks Peter is breaking into the expo.
- Logical Weakness: Ghost gets the ability to control technology. Peter can fight him because his Spider powers are a now a natural part of his biology, and Venom can assist because its powers come from being a Klyntar, not technological enhancement.
- Spanner in the Works: Ghost's plan is thwarted because Max Modell inadvertently brought Venom to the expo.
