In London, Peter "Spider-Man" Parker talks with his assistant Anna Maria Marconi about an upcoming interview. Parker's company Parker Industries had recently helped invade Symkaria to free it from Norman "Green Goblin" Osborn's control, and he's being criticized in the press as well as sued for overthrowing a sovereign nation, so Marconi warns him to be on his best behavior. Parker goes to the press conference and the interviewer is hostile, accusing him of privately funding a war, but Parker just says that his company funded an operation to defeat terrorists and stop a plague. All that proves, he says, is that he values people's lives over money. The two argue before the interviewer goes live to Symkaria and puts Silver Sable, who helped Parker overthrow Osborn, on the screen. Sable says that everything is going well and Parker Industries is providing sufficient humanitarian aid to the country. Parker's Aunt May is also there and she praises Parker, saying that his prioritizing human lives over profits is what the country wants. Parker is smug at this praise, but the interviewer abruptly says she has breaking news that Earth is being attacked by a Chitauri horde.
The interviewer broadcasts footage of Alpha Flight and other heroes fighting off the Chitauri. Parker starts to get up, but Marconi holds up her hand and stops him. The interviewer then talks about a large group of supervillains attacking New York City while Earth's most powerful heroes are in space. An assistant tells Parker that, given everything else that's going on, they'll have to reschedule. He agrees and leaves with Marconi, who chides him for trying to run off when Carol "Captain Marvel" Danvers clearly had things under control. She points out that a lot of people depend on Parker Industries, and he needs to look out for their well-being instead of abandoning his corporate responsibilities every time a supervillain attacks. Parker agrees and wonders how Tony Stark managed to balance all his responsibilities, and Marconi reassures Parker that he can do it too.
Marconi gets a message from her ex-boyfriend Aiden Blain asking to meet her urgently at a cafe very close to the Parker Industries building. She decides to go while Parker returns to Parker Industries to obtain transport to either Earth's orbit or New York City so he can help the other superheroers. Parker reaches his building alone but his spider-sense warns him of danger, so he changes into his Spider-Man costume before going in. He doesn't recognize any of the employees he sees and tries to remember their names, but the 'employees' reveal they're all HYDRA agents and attack him, forcing him to fight them off. In the middle of the fight, though, someone gets on the building's intercom and calls them off, saying that Spider-Man is his alone.
Parker goes to his office as the mysterious figure orders the building cleared of everyone else. When Parker reaches his office, he sees Otto "Doc Ock" Octavius in his new Superior Spider-Man form. Parker mocks Octavius for working with HYDRA, but Octavius says HYDRA will soon be ascendant. Parker says that he thinks there is still good in Octavius and if Octavius helps him stop the attack in New York then Parker will help him. Octavis, though, says that he's the one making the offers. He claims to feel a kinship to Parker and his friends and so offers him the chance to simply turn Parker Industries over to him, Ocavius, without a fight. Parker asks why he would do that, and Octavius explains that Parker Industries was established by him (Octavius) when he was in Parker's body, gained its wealth through insider trading Octavius performed under the radar, and is largely based on his own inventions. Parker protests that their signature product is webware, but Octavius is able to prove that technology was stolen from others. This means Parker's entire company is built on fraud and plagiarized work. Octavius demands that Parker turn over the company but Parker still refuses, so Octavius plays his next card and shows Parker a video of the Darkforce Dome surrounding New York City. He also plays a news report in which the New York branch of Parker Industries is blamed for accidentally establishing the Dome.
Enraged, Parker fights Octavius and asks how Octavius could hurt his friends when he claimed he felt kinship to them; Octavius just sighs that he might have held back if Parker himself were there, but Parker wasn't, so he didn't. The two battle for a short while until Parker gets a message from the Tony Stark AI calling all available heroes to Washington DC to fight off a HYDRA invasion. Octavius mocks Parker, noting that Parker will definitely abandon Octavius and his chance at revenge for his friends to go help defend Washington. Parker is still angry but ultimately retreats to one of his jets and leaves to help the Stark AI and Washington's other defenders.
As Parker flies away, Blain sets off a bomb and destroys the Parker Industries building in London. Marconi is at the cafe and gripes that she's been stood up, but is flees when the nearby Parker Industries collapses. Brand pays her tab, and apologies to the bartender for her, noting to himself that all will be clear soon and all has gone according to plan.
Tropes:
- Fake Ultimate Hero: As it turns out, Peter's entire persona as a fantastic businessman and inventor is basically a sham (albeit one he himself was unaware of). All his work with "Webware" was based on research by others and it was Octopus manipulating markets that made Parker Industries so successful.
- Smug Snake: Blain is extremely smug in his short monologue at the end of the issue.
- Villain Has a Point: Octavius is dead right when he states the only reason Peter has a company was Ock beginning it while in Peter's body. Also, that without his secret meddling, Parker Industries would have gone belly-up long ago.
