The issue starts with Miles paired up on a school science project with an exchange student named Valentina, who’s come to Brooklyn from Ukraine. He’s been working hard on the project to impress her.
She said her family has ties to Chernobyl, the site of the 1986 nuclear explosion. It matters to her because she had relatives there. They died before she was born.
Miles clearly likes her but he hasn’t told her. When she asks what secrets he’s keeping from her, he replies that he’s hungry.
A Quick Detour: Spider-Man Saves the Day
Before we get back to Miles and Valentina, the story jumps back six hours to show Spider-Man rescuing workers and civilians from a crane accident. It’s a small scene that Valentina brings up later.
Valentina is Smarter Than Miles Thinks
When we return to Miles and Valentina, she calls him out again, this time for staring at her eyes without asking about them. Why does she have such unusual eyes? Turns out she has Waardenburg Syndrome, a genetic condition that gives them a pretty color. She’s quick to point out she doesn’t have superpowers, she’s just a regular girl. That’s what draws Miles to her. After the wild multiversal adventures he’s been through, someone “normal” is refreshing.
She asks if Miles heard about Spider-Man saving people at that crane accident earlier. Then she jokes that her eyes make her Halloween vampire costume easy to pull off. Miles responds he has an “icky” thing around vampires.
Then Valentina flat out asks if he wants to ask her out. Miles hedges, saying he “just got out of a thing,” but she’s not taking no for an answer. She tells him she’s got a thing for tea and puts the ball in his court to find a place. Miles calls his friend Ganke for recommendations.
The Spider-Family Meet-up
Right after that, Miles gets an invite from the Spider-Man family. They’re meeting on top of the Statue of Liberty. They want his help with a mission. He tells them that unless they really need him, he wants to stay local and keep doing “regular” Spider-Man work in Brooklyn. They understand and are supportive of his decision.
A New Villain Shows Up
Meanwhile, a new villain makes his debut. A fight with police breaks out inside a church. In an unusual move, the villain does not want to hurt innocent people caught in the middle of his mission. This villain, Revenant, can create weapons and constructs out of pure kinetic energy, meaning he can turn motion itself into a weapon.
Miles and Ganke
Back at their dorm room, Miles and Ganke are hanging out. Miles admits he’s been to so many different universes that he genuinely forgot which one was his. Ganke, being the good friend he is, comes through with a tea spot recommendation for the Valentina date.
The Real Target: Miles’s Dad
Miles’s father, Jeff Morales, is talking with a police officer when Revenant shows up. It turns out Jeff is his target. Revenant asks him directly if he remembers him. Jeff lies and says he doesn’t. That lie is the first sign there’s history here Miles doesn’t know about yet.
Revenant tries to keep things civil at first, telling Spider-Man he’s not a threat to him and that this isn’t Spider-Man’s concern. When Miles makes it clear he’s not backing off (because, obviously, people are in danger), Revenant escalates things fast. He encases a female civilian in kinetic energy, meaning she’ll explode if she stops moving. That forces Miles into an impossible choice: protect his father or save the woman.
So what does he do? He uses his webs to scale a building high up in the air. While she’s falling (she’s moving), he deals with Revenant long enough to pull him away from his dad, then catches the woman safely before she hits the ground. It’s a great action sequence, but it also shows why Miles struggles to separate his personal life from being a hero. He can’t save everyone at once, but he finds a way to save both people who matter here.
Why Does Revenant Want Revenge?
We learn Jeff Morales used to work undercover, getting close to a gangster named Turk Garrett, who was working under Wilson Fisk (better known as Kingpin). Jeff eventually got arrested during that operation, which led to Nick Fury offering him a job as a SHIELD agent.
At the time, Turk was running a black market operation selling mutant growth hormone. To get inside that operation, Jeff used a bookkeeper named Martin Moore for access. When Nick Fury’s team carried out their raid, something went wrong for Moore, he became collateral damage. Jeff never found out what happened to him.
Now we know. Moore survived, and he’s become Revenant. He’s coming back for revenge and he blames Jeff for what happened to him.
A Father-Son Moment
The issue ends with a conversation between Miles and his dad. It’s not easy for Jeff to fully accept that his son is Spider-Man, but he’s proud of him. Jeff warns Miles that Moore is going to come back for him and to be careful. Miles’s response? Being careful just isn’t his thing.
My Thoughts
I’m confused. They made it clear that Miles remembered the events in the past, for example his reaction when Valentina brought up vampires. Or him saying he’s been through so many universes he forgets which one is his.
But when it comes to Valentina, he freezes up like this is his first relationship. It’s not. The learning experiences and his confidence disappearing, when he clearly has it as Spider-Man, feels out of character to me.
He has the maturity to hold back and tell her he just finished a relationship. He’s holding back, through wisdom, that he needs to slow things down.
She doesn’t take the hint. And she’s acting like she knows he’s Spider-Man.
- She has no superpowers but she has ties to a nuclear explosion
- Mentions vampires
- Asks what he’s hiding from her
- Asks if he saw what Spider-Man did
It’s rubbing me the wrong way. She’s rubbing me the wrong way. She’s forcing the relationship instead of letting it evolve naturally. I’m never a fan of that.
Revenant is interesting. He got my attention when he didn’t want to hurt innocent people. And he says “please”. That’s a switch! I’m curious what happened to him, how he got his powers, and what he really wants with Jeff. Does he want to kill him or does he have another agenda? Like making him suffer.
Revenant is what’s keeping me interested in the next issue. I understand wanting to take a more chill stance as far as Miles is concerned. Bringing him back to his roots.
I think his character progression should be consistent. If it were, Valentina would be a warning sign instead of an attraction.
