‘SHRIEK OF THE VULTURE’/’THE FINAL NIGHTMARE’
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‘SHRIEK OF THE VULTURE’ (Part 1)
And now we come to the Season 2 two-part finale of ‘Spider-Man’ which is ‘Shriek of the Vulture’/’The Final Nightmare’. Season 2 has been an eventful season for Spidey with quite a number of multi-parters interlinking with each other. I wonder how it can all end satisfactorily here.
In the first episode of this two-part finale called ‘Shriek of the Vulture’, Spider-Man faces a new villain in the form of the Vulture. He’s acquired the tablet of time and can fly about New York with his new winged technology. He’s an old man who steals other people’s life-force to acquire youth. 😮
Adrian Toomes a.k.a. the Vulture has recently been in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ in the ‘MCU’ movies. He’s also been in the ‘Spider-Man’ PS4 game. It was interesting to see him in this two-parter as an old man who acquires youth from others via the use of the tablet of time. Very mean old man!
Toomes attempts to kill the Osborns – first Norman and then his son Harry to get back at Norman. He’s doing this in order to thwart his competition in business with Norman who wants his company – the Toomes Foundation. He’s crafty when he gets people like Curt Connors in suspended animation.
It was tense when the Vulture kidnapped Debra Whitman and stole her life-force once she’d been chosen to become Dr. Connors’ science lab assistant. There’s a hint of a potential romance between Debra and Flash Thompson when she crushes on him. Peter is pretty surprised when witnessing this.
Peter also gets to meet up with Mary Jane, who’s about to perform a play at an amphitheater. Apparently, Mary Jane wants Peter to be there for her when she’s about to meet her father Philip Watson. Peter is surprised as much as Mary Jane is since she’s had this rough history with her father.
During the theatre play, this is when the Vulture attacks and tries to kill Harry Osborn. Peter as Spidey manages to ward off the Vulture, only for Harry to end up being consoled by Mary Jane. It’s saddening when Peter’s efforts to rekindle with Mary Jane aren’t requited when she is with Harry. 🙁
But there may still be hope left. I liked it when Spidey sort-of teamed up with Flash Thompson to rescue Debra Whitman from the clutches of the Vulture as well as rescuing Curt Connors. The first episode ends with Spidey being drained of his life-force by the Vulture and ending up as an old man…
‘THE FINAL NIGHTMARE’ (Part 2)
In ‘The Final Nightmare’, Spidey/Peter, now an old man, needs help to get back to normal and be young again. It was interesting to hear Spidey/Peter as an old man. We can still hear his thoughts as he’s giving exposition to us as a young man. But when he actually talks, he does sound so old indeed.
I wonder why we didn’t have Spidey/Peter sounding old in his thoughts as well as when he’s speaking out loud. It actually would’ve reflected the years that have passed from being young to old in his thoughts. Maybe this is the young man in the old man’s body instead of the other way around.
Instead of getting young again quickly, Spidey/Peter is stuck as an old man whilst the Vulture’s got his youth. The Vulture has also acquired something from Spidey. Instead of reverting back to his elderly self, Adrian Toones has the Man-Spider disease from Spidey and he soon turns into a monster.
This is why Spidey/Peter can’t change back into his young self and why he’s stuck as an old man. He phones Curt Connors to help him out with this situation. Connors agrees to help him so long as he comes to the lab. But once Spidey gets there, he gets in the clutches of the Vulture and the Scorpion.
Yeah! The Scorpion is back in this story as well as Farley Stillwell who created the Scorpion in ‘The Sting of the Scorpion’. The Scorpion wants Stillwell to turn him back to normal. Taking Stillwell to Connors at ESU, the Scorpion as well as the Vulture force Connors to help them get Spidey to the lab.
Beforehand, Peter tried to leave a note with Mary Jane to say that he won’t be able to make it in joining her to see her father. But when Mary Jane answers the door, he runs away. After nearly being run over, Peter as an old man is looked after by Aunt May, which was rather sweet to watch. 🙂
Eventually, Spidey gets reverted back to normal once the Vulture has touched him. But whilst Peter’s got his youth back, the Vulture still has the Man-Spider disease. Connors also turns into the Lizard in this episode when under stress. Thankfully it’s only for a short while as Spidey saves Connors in time.
With Connors saved and Stillwell leaving to never be seen again, the Vulture is still flying high with the Man-Spider disease in him and the Scorpion hasn’t got what he wants to revert to normal. The story ends with Mary Jane seeming to meet somebody before Peter finds that she’s disappeared. 😮
‘Shriek of the Vulture’/’The Final Nightmare’ rating – 8/10
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