[Sir Ram] Oh, I agree wholeheartedly, my lord.
However, I do find his activity somewhat disquieting.
As do I.
Still, we cannot act in haste.
Oh, no, your lordship.
However, whether he be bestial or some sort of enhanced human,
the fact remains that his popularity among the humans grows daily.
In time, a very short time,
he could become a rallying figure for the human rebellion,
and if we wait until then to curtail his activities,
we risk creating a martyr.
You make an excellent case, Sir Ram.
Very well.
You will see to it that Spider-Man is no longer a threat.
Oh, yes, sire.
I shall, indeed.
Now, boys, you should know smuggling this stuff
-is bad for the economy. -[grunting]
OK, you made your point.
Let's see, we got smuggling, selling stolen goods,
destruction of public property... Hey!
You'll put an eye out with those things.
The building security cameras recorded this incident.
It is an excellent record of Spider-Man's skills.
He seemed to sense the weapons,
as if he knew just when they were about to fire,
and his agility and sense of balance
are indeed remarkable.
He is a formidable opponent, I assure you.
Of course he is, Knight,
or else you wouldn't be here.
It's obvious you lack the skill
to bring him down yourself.
Of all the impudent--
Watch your tongue, Knight,
or you might lose it.
My apologies, Hunter.
I-I meant no offense.
None taken.
Glued to a porcupine, while an octopus and a monkey try to use me for a wishbone.
Boy, if I had a nickel for every time that's happened.
Of course, the charging rhino's a new twist.
[monkey screams]
Oh, that's got to hurt.
Aah!
Let's see. How do you stop a rhino from charging?
[rhino grunts]
On second thought, maybe it would have been kinder
to take away your credit cards.
Very well, Knight. This Spider-Man seems like a fitting challenge.
You can tell your master that his arachnid troubles are over,
And you can tell Spider-Man that his days are numbered.
[theme song playing]
[people clamoring]
One vegetable yaki soba, as usual, Doc.
What about your boyfriend?
Peter's not my boyfriend. He's my tenant.
Our relationship's purely business.
Hai, hai, whateveryou say, Doc,
but a beautiful evening, a cute couple, what's a guy to think?
Speaking of business, I'll have, uh, tonkatsu-don, soba noodles, and tea.
Coming up.
So, you said there was something
we needed to talk about without Shane around.
Yes. It's about Shane's father.
He's heard you're living in our extra room, and...
-And... -And he's a jealous man, Peter.
Possessive. He's started calling.
-Is he threatening you? -No, no, it's not like that. It's just, uh,
I don't know, Peter. I just thought I should be straight with you.
[woman] We were so happy at first, young and in love.
Hector was an engineer with one of the few human-owned companies left.
Then the company folded,
and everything changed.
Hector spent most of his days locked in his workshop.
He wouldn't let anybody see what he was working on.
Eventually, he fell in with the human revolution.
The more time he spent with them,
the more withdrawn he seemed.
Then, one morning, he was gone.
He wouldn't say where he was going or why,
only that he was doing it for us.
I haven't seen Hector in months.
I don't think he'd ever really harm you,
but he sounded so jealous over the phone
and so strange.
Maybe he's not the man I once knew.
Hey, don't worry about me.
I've been threatened by experts.
Annoying people is part of being a news photographer.
So is knowing how to take care of myself.
That might mean finding somewhere else to live.
So, when do I get the eviction notice?
No, that's not what I meant.
Shane worships you,
and I'm really quite fond of your rent checks.
Naoko, you say the nicest things.
I'll stay put for now, but if there's any risk
of you or Shane coming to harm because of it,
I'm gone like yesterday's udon.
[woman] We want our rights like everybody else!
[man] Bestials, out of here!
-We should leave. This could turn ugly. -No. I'm a doctor, remember?
I might be needed. Of course, there's no reason for you to stay.
Sure there is. Once I get my camera, this might turn into saleable news.
Are you always so mercenary?
Got to keep those rent checks coming.
[beeping]
-[man 1] Get out of here! -[man 2] Get 'em outta here!
-[man 3] Go home! -[man 4] Go home, bestials!
All right, folks. Let's break it up.
Tell them, not us.
Who asked you to interfere, wannabe man?
What, haven't you heard? Interfering is what I do best.
You will attack Spider-Man.
Then, what do you care about?
What do you stand for, spider-punk?
Listen to me, maybe this society does need to change,
but this isn't the way to do it.
Violence doesn't solve anything.
-[grunts] -Incoming.
Oh, really? Well, why don't we just find out?
[roars]
[groans]
-[growling] -[grunting]
Something's not right here. These guys are totally berserk.
[all groaning]
[people shouting]
-[man 1] Come on! -[man 2] Oh, yeah!
[man 3] Come on, faster!
[man 4] Move! Move!
[yelling]
[all groaning]
[trumpeting]
[grunts]
Doc, incoming!
[all groaning]
[all] Aah!
What the...
is this a private fight or can anyone mix in?
Hey, it's your city, too.
Surprised to see you in the open like this, though.
A nice summer night, big harvest moon,
a girl just can't help feeling romantic.
If this is you romantic, I'd hate to see you mad.
Yeah, well, humans getting beat up on,
that tends to annoy me.
I hate to see anyone get beat up on, especially me.
[men grunting]
I...
I doubt this was strictly a social call.
Otherwise, you wouldn't be taking the chance
of your tag chip attracting
every machine man in town.
I'm testing a new nullifier.
Seems like it works, for the moment.
Anyway, word on the street is that someone's put a price on your head.
We need to talk.
All right. The usual place, then.
Hey, what's up, Doc? You OK?
I'm fine, but I could use some more bandages and antiseptic.
You got it. I'll make a run to the clinic.
Very interesting, indeed.
Spider-Man is rather chummy with the good doctor.
But, more to the point, he has a comrade,
someone he'll fight with instead of just for,
and the good guys never leave a comrade in danger.
[sinister laughter]
[Spider-Man] Oh, yeah. That guy should be easy to spot in a crowd.
Trust me, this is the best image there is.
This guy is about as photogenic as bigfoot.
He's called the Hunter.
Don't know where he's from, don't know his real name.
What we do know is that he's bad news, and he's gunning for you.
[Spider-Man] Whoa, some bachelor pad.
He's one of the few humans who's allowed to live topside.
Works for whoever can afford him,
even the high evolutionary once or twice.
He's inhumanly strong, and so fast it's amazing.
Nothing wrong with being amazing.
There's a lot wrong with this guy.
He doesn't do it for the money.
He hunts people because he enjoys it.
He's one sick puppy, all right.
So why is he after me all of a sudden?
You've been pretty high profile lately.
Lot of pictures in the papers.
Either somebody topside
wants you out of the way permanently, or...
Or what?
Or he just wants to hunt you
for the fun of it.
Look, just be careful out there.
The man's a menace.
Oh, I'll keep my eyes open. Promise.
All peace and quiet.
For the moment.
This is crazy. I can't just cruise around town waiting to get shot at.
Uhh! Then again, maybe I can.
FlÃ©chette. [sniffing] Drugged...
Or poisoned.
Aah!
Uhh!
Ohh!
Web swinging is my trademark.
I should sue!
A wise hunter turns his prey's tricks
to his own advantage.
Oh, a wise guy, huh?
-Uhh! Aah! -Looks like I've caught a spider in my web.
An adhesive derived from the horn of the mountain ibex.
My own formula. Very effective.
Wow, you're a regular Martha Stewart of the jungle.
Spider-Man, I must say, you disappoint me.
I'd expected a much more rewarding hunt.
Apparently, you're not all you're cracked up to be.
I almost want to let you go, but that wouldn't be good for business.
Aren't you even going to tell me who your client is?
You insult me, Spider-Man.
I am a professional. I would never violate assassin-client privilege.
Yeah? Well, here's a professional tip.
A trap is only as strong...
uhh, as the structure it's built on!
Point taken.
Not bad, Hunter.
You're almost a match for me.
Almost a match, indeed.
I am only slightly superior.
But I've still got you beat on looks and good grooming.
Surprised?
I've analyzed your webbing and created a chemical block.
This guy is not going to be easy to beat,
if I can beat him at all.
[grunting]
Aah!
You can't leave now. I'm just getting warmed up.
Time to back off, do a little strategizing.
[Hunter] Running a little hot after our exertion, are we?
Great! He must be using infrared.
Basement level-- household linens, kitchenware,
superheroes in need of breathing space.
There are too many people.
My pheromone tracer will keep tabs on you, Spider-Man.
Until tonight, my prey.
[sinister laughter]
Base, I don't see a blessed thing out here.
Are you sure this is the drop point?
-[man] Affirmative. That's the place. -Well...
This is ridiculous. I can't cruise around all night with some maniac on my tail.
Maybe Karen's found out who put the price on my head.
And I hope it's a decent price. I'd hate to be a bargain.
-Karen's missing. -What? How?
We got a solid tip on a prisoner transfer.
She went to make the exchange, and we lost contact.
We sent out a recon team, but this is all they found.
Watch your step, Hunter,
'cause this prey just became the predator.
Didn't it occur to this guy that an international man of mystery
shouldn't have such a high-profile pad?
Unless, of course, said swinging pad
is chock-full of booby traps.
Come on in, Spider-Man.
Take off your mask and relax.
Peter Parker?
What's he got to do with this?
Oh, I don't know what your real name is, Spider-Man,
and I don't much care,
but I do like to see a man's face
before I destroy him.
Oh, and here's another face you might recognize.
Now wherever can she be?
Let's see if you can find her
before I find you.
[sinister laughter]
Great. Give a guy one holographic projector
and he thinks he's Mysterio.
Nifty home improvements-- I bet he watches "this old slaughterhouse."
Tricks and traps. I'm disappointed, Hunter.
I thought you were the mano a mano type.
[Hunter] All in good time, arachnid.
This is just an appetizer.
I think I'll skip the main course
and go straight for dessert.
-Spider-Man? -Ah, the recognition I crave from my public.
Get me out of here.
We're safe here for a few minutes.
Something tells me the hunter's not exactly
cooking up Irish stew in here.
What's with all the flowers and stuff?
Plant extracts. That's the hunter's secret. Let's see...
Bingo. Merithisone.
-Meri-who? -Merithisone.
It's an endocrine adaptogenic.
It can be used to mimic various feral, steroidal, and hormonal responses.
Like the speed and strength of animals.
Exactly. It also screws up your liver,
poisons your bone marrow, and cuts your life span in half.
[Hunter] A small price to pay to be the best, don't you think?
Come on, Spider-Man, let's finish this.
Hunter, are you insane? This stuff is poison.
Some choose to live life like a slowly burning candle.
Not me.
My life is a skyrocket,
brief but blindingly brilliant.
Of course, my life won't be nearly so brief as yours.
[grunting]
[scoffs] Don't be bashful, wall crawler.
Come on, Hunter. I thought you wanted to finish this.
-You? -Uh, say cheese.
But you're... What are you doing here?
I-I just wanted to get some photos,
you know, for the paper?
Hey, big man,
What, you can't catch me,
so you got to beat up punk photographers now?
[roars]
Oh, they thought I was crazy,
building a remote-controlled spidey suit,
but who's laughing now, huh?
That takes care of Peter Parker's problem.
Now for Spider-Man's.
[grunts]
What are you?
I'll just keep that my little secret, thank you,
but as far as you're concerned...
No.
...I'm your worst nightmare.
Now you listen to me and you listen good.
I know who you are, I know what you are,
and I know where you live.
If you ever lay a hand
on me or my friends again...
[Spider-Man grunts]
...I'll come down on you like a ton of bricks.
[Karen] Spider-man! We better get going.
Where the heck did that speech come from?
I saw it in a movie once. You think it worked?
[Karen] For a little while, anyway.
Good, 'cause I think I broke my hand.
[Spider-Man winces]
[Karen chuckles]
[theme music playing]