Spider-Man’s Gang War event finally gets rid of one of Marvel’s most arbitrary rulesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Spider-Man’s Gang War event finally gets rid of one of Marvel’s most arbitrary rulesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Marvel Comics)
Marvel’s Gang War event has finally reached its conclusion with Amazing Spider-Man #44, and a new big boss of New York City has taken the crown. But don’t call this classic Spider-Man villain a ‘kingpin’ just yet.
Along with a new top crime lord, the landscape of the Marvel Universe undergoes at least one other huge shift in the final pages of the issue, and both developments promise big changes for Spider-Man coming down the road.
Spoilers ahead for Amazing Spider-Man #44
Though the battle begins with the Sinister Syndicate fighting alongside Spider-Man and his allies, they turn on him at Tombstone’s signal, leading to a tense final showdown in which Spidey barely escapes with his life.
Through his henchman Shotgun, Tombstone is able to plant magical sigils of control Silvermane and Count Nefaria, leaving Madame Masque without allies. This allows Spider-Man to gain the upper-hand long enough to bring her down, ending the fight once and for all.
(Image credit: Marvel Comics)
This also leaves Tombstone as the last boss standing, giving him territorial control over all of New York City, effectively making him a new kingpin (butnot technically THE Kingpin).
But things aren’t quite over. After the dust settles, Peter Parker visits his pal Randy Robertson in the hospital, who was critically wounded in the events of Gang War. As Robbie awakens, Peter tells him that the war is over, and that the law preventing superheroes from operating in New York City has been repealed due to public demand after the war between the super-powered gangsters decimated the city.
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(Image credit: Marvel Comics)
The repeal of the law marks a huge change for Marvel’s New York City, which was under the effects of a law which made all costumed vigilante activity illegal within the city limits. This didn’t stop heroes like Spider-Man and Daredevil from operating in NYC, but it did tie mayor Luke Cage’s hands, forcing him to treat even superheroes as criminals.
With the law repealed, Spider-Man and other heroes are once again free to operate within NYC without fear of being arrested on sight. But this increased superhero presence doesn’t stop Tombstone from vowing to beat Spider-Man to a pulp to once again prove his dominance as a villain.
(Image credit: Marvel Comics)
The one last loose end from Gang War is the whereabouts of Tombstone’s daughter Janice, AKA the Beetle, who he ran out of the city and out of the war after she tried to become the crime boss of Harlem. It remains a mystery where exactly she went, but it seems more than likely we’ll see her again sometime soon.
Amazing Spider-Man #45 goes on sale March 13.
Stay up to date on all thenew Spider-Man comicsMarvel has planned for release.
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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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5
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”