Invasion of the Spider-Slayers
Occurs simultaneously to Trial of Venom just before Venom escapes from the Vault after seeing a photo of Peter Parker and his parents in the paper
An ongoing subplot within this arc is Peter’s experience with his parents is Peter’s experiences with his parents who have been alive all this time, detained by the Russian Gulag and now back in America reunited with him
Spiderman is attacked by two small robots and wonders who the mastermind is. The man behind the curtain is Alistair Smythe
Jameson attempts to capitalize on Peter’s parents return which makes Peter angry
Spiderman gets into a skirmish with Electro while being attacked by a 3rd robot. He bests both of them and thinks the Tinkerer must be behind all of it
Felicia Hardy (Black Cat) receives enhancements from Tinkerer including jumping ability, retractable claws, and night vision
They battle Scorpion who retreats after the intervention of another robot
Black Cat and Spiderman investigate Tinkerer’s lab and find nothing leading Spiderman to suspect Mendel Stromm (Norman Osborn’s former partner) who has been dead for some years
Aunt May vents at Uncle Ben’s grave about how she resented Richard and Mary Parker for ‘dumping’ Peter on them when they died and is now resentful that they are back in Peter’s life after May had grown so attached to Peter
Through deduction, Peter and Felicia visit an asylum where Mendel Stromm’s assistant Max Young was admitted and who would have knowledge on the Amoeboid, the most recent robot that attacked Spiderman. They find out he is not there after the warden tells them that he escaped
A Spider-Slayer suddenly attacks, controlled by Max Young who the warden reveals was forced to by Alistair Smythe and recruited along other asylum patients
Alistair dubs himself the Ultimate Spider-Slayer
Spiderman and Black Cat save Peter’s parents from being killed by an agent of Red Skull’s who dealt with the Parkers during their tenure in S.H.I.E.L.D.
Through F.B.I. investigation, Peter deduces where a small spider-bot originated from and finds a building where Smythe is waiting for him with mental patients he broke out of the same facility as Max Young who is now dead
Smythe has given himself a carapace which still isn’t enough to take on Spiderman after Smythe makes him angry by killing another mental patient after which Spiderman beats him into unconsciousness