"What If...?" #135
"What If Spider-Man Killed Venom": Part 3 of 3


"The Funeral"
By Bryant Kotyk

Hanging from Venom's fist like a rag-doll, Spider-Man is desperately trying to force whatever strength he can gather to fight his way out of Brock's grasp. But all that Spider-Man can manage is a squirm.

"Trying to escape, are we? Uh-uh-uh! How can you pay for your sins if you get away?" Venom throws Spider-Man into one of the remaining walls of the Employee's Lounge at the Thrill World amusement park.

Venom slowly walks over to where Spider-Man lies. His massive frame towers over Spider-Man's battered body. Venom grabs the front of Spidey's costume and holds his head close to his own. The symbiote that surrounded Brock's face vanishes.

"I was innocent before you ruined me, worm. I had a great life. I was a star reporter. I had a wife. I was happy! But you--you exposed the Sin-Eater... You made my front-page story a laughingstock! You destroyed Eddie Brock!" Eddie exclaims as he swings Spider-Man into the wall.

"You destroyed us...so now we will destroy you." Venom says calmly. The wretched stench from Venom's lips makes Spider-Man nauseous. The room begins to spin around Spider-Man as he falls to the ground.

Outside of the Employee's Lounge, Johnny Storm holds his head and slowly stands up. The last thing he remembers is being knocked outside with a piece of wall. Rubbing his head, Johnny turns around to see the old Pontiac behind him, ablaze. The flames are spreading, and they reach the engine.

"Oh..."

KA-BOOOOOAAAAMMMMM!!!
The flames from the explosion burn down the front wall of the Employee's Lounge like it was made of paper. Venom leaps aside, with Spider-Man hanging from his fist.

Venom tosses Spider-Man's motionless body onto the floor and leaps outside. As far as he knows, the flames were another attack from the Human Torch.

Venom lands in front of the blazing shell of the Pontiac and looks around. He spots Johnny Storm's motionless body metres away. He takes a mighty leap into the air and lands hunched over Johnny. Cradling Johnny in his arms, Venom leaps on top of the restroom building and sets him down.

All is silent for two moments, as Venom is perched on the roof of the restroom building watching Johnny. But suddenly, the silence is broken.

"Get away from him!" cries Spider-Man as he swings into Venom, sending him sprawling. Venom stands up tall for a moment, watching Spider-Man. And suddenly, he hunches over and charges into him.

Spider-Man grunts as Venom forces his bruised body through the only remaining side wall of the Employee's Lounge.

'He's gone completely savage!' Thinks Spider-Man as he looks up at Venom.

Venom growls, drooling on the hardwood floor. There is only one thought on his mind: "Kill the Spider!"

Venom lunges forward at Spider-Man, knocking him sideways. Standing over Spidey, Venom kicks him. Then kicks him again. And again. And again. For Spider-Man, everything goes black.

Spider-Man's eyes open quickly. Has it been an hour? Less? More? He has no idea. All he knows is that he's trapped in Venom's webs. He looks around. The webbing is attached to a corner of the Employee's lounge, the only remaining corner, in his back right side. Spider-Man looks to his left. There he can see an old gas furnace, which is surprisingly still running. He sees the broken couch. He sees the whole in the wall where he rescued his parents. He sees Venom.

"Ah, finally awake." Sighs Venom. "We couldn't kill you until we told you what we were planning to do after you cease to exist..."

Venom slashes at the webbing holding Spider-Man. It breaks, and Spider-Man falls to the ground.

"We've reached a hard decision. After you are dead at our hands, we will show the ones you care for the price of being close to you." Venom smiles.

"Your Aunt May, your dear parents, your lovely wife. They will all join you in the afterlife, worm! We will destroy them, and you won't be able to stop us. And after that deed is complete, Eddie Brock will be revenged!"

Spider-Man's eyes are open wide with fear. He knows that there is nothing preventing Venom from killing him...and nothing preventing him from killing his family.

Spider-Man stands up.

"Brock. You can kill me. You can break me a million times over. But you'll never harm my family." Spider-Man says in the grimmest of voices.

Spider-Man fires a strand of webbing at the flaming Pontiac outside. "Do you understand me?"

With a mighty pull, the flaming Pontiac soars inside and crashes into Venom. "NEVER!"

Venom and the flaming Pontiac continue to soar toward the back of the room. The Pontiac crashes into the gas furnace.

Johnny Storm rises from the roof of the bathroom and gazes at the Employee's Lounge, trying to figure out what has happened since he was knocked unconscious by the blast.

Johnny Storm watches helplessly as Spider-Man webs the blazing car outside the Lounge. His eyes shoot wide open as Spider-Man pulls the car into Venom...into the furnace.

The Employee's Lounge becomes a terrible explosion. From the gas furnace, flames shoot out in all directions. Spider-Man and Venom disappear behind the blazing inferno. Johnny Storm's frantic screams are deafened by the sound of the explosion.

The Human Torch collapses on his knees. His fiery face begins to extinguish. But this time, it's not because he willed it to...it's the tears.

Four days later.

In front of The Reservoir, a newly made statue of Spider-Man is planted in the ground. There is a large round base with the "spider-symbol" imprinted in the front of it. Under the symbol are the words "In Memoriam to Peter Parker, the Amazing Spider-Man". The statue is massive: it stands at 15 feet tall, showing Spider-Man standing tall and proud.

Inside the building, Venom is crouched on the floor watching the Parker's. There is a knock at the door. Venom lifts the couch and places it in front of the Parker's, blocking them from view. The alien changes shape so it looks like regular street clothes.

There is a stage set in front of the statue, and a podium in the centre of it. Thousands of people have gathered to pay respects to the Web-Slinger.

The mayor of New York finishes his speech, and steps aside. The publisher of the Daily Bugle J. Jonah Jameson steps forward. The people attending the funeral are expecting Jameson's usual bad-mouthing of Spidey.

"Peter Parker was a great man." Jonah begins. "He was always responsible, working for the Bugle to pay his Aunt's medical bills. But he was more than that. He was a hero. A hero who saved all of our lives again and again, without thinking of himself for a minute! And even though my paper nearly ruined his reputation, he kept fighting for the ones who could not fight themselves. Spider-Man was a hero." Jameson stand silent and turns around, facing the statue.

"I'm sorry." Jameson speaks quietly at the statue.
And without another word, J. Jonah Jameson breaks into tears.

The funeral goes on. Many more people walk up to the podium to speak. Captain America, Reed Richards, Johnny Storm, Iron Man, the Sandman, Daredevil, Liz Allen-Osborn, Mark Raxton, and even the Asgardian Thunder God Thor. They all speak highly of Spider-Man, remembering times when their paths crossed. Dressed in black from head to toe, Mary Jane Watson-Parker watches silently from the stage.

Hours later, a lone figure stands in front of the statue. He is dressed in worn jeans and a brown jacket, with a red scarf around his neck. He looks up at the statue with admiration.

High above, the Human Torch watches the figure. Suspicious, he gently floats down toward the park. The sets down behind the man and extinguishes the flames that surround him.

The figure turns around and eyes Johnny. His face is frozen in shock. Johnny Storm finds himself staring into the face of...Peter Parker!

Johnny opens his mouth to say something, but the man interrupts him.

"I'm not Peter Parker." Says the man, looking up at the statue. "I couldn't hope to be half of what he is."

The man turns around and walks toward Johnny, stopping in front of him. "My name is Ben Reilly." He explains. "I'm a clone of Spider-Man."

Too shocked to speak, Johnny Storm flames on and flies away, leaving Ben Reilly alone.

Reilly bends over and opens the duffel bag that rests beside him. He pulls out a Spider-Man mask, a pair of webbed bloves, and a pair of mechanical web-shooters. Spider-Man is reborn.


The End...

Since there isn't a letters page where I can respond to your questions and comments on the story, you can e-mail me at bkotyk@yahoo.com, and I'll reply to your messages.

-Bryant Kotyk