"Miles?" The Prowler stared at his nephew, disbelief clear in his eyes. His own nephew was Spider-Man? And worse, he was the person his boss had given a death order to eliminate!
"What are you waiting for? Take him out!" Kingpin's voice crackled in The Prowler's earpiece.
Aaron's face contorted with visible hesitation. This was his favorite nephew! He had no children of his own, not even a steady girlfriend. He had always viewed Miles as his own son. In fact, one reason he chose to become The Prowler was his desire to be perceived as a "superhero" in the eyes of children. Unfortunately, forced by circumstance, he became a super-villain, unable to walk the path he'd dreamed of...
A thousand thoughts flashed through Aaron's mind in an instant. Finally, he reached out and pulled Miles's simple fabric mask back down over his face.
"Protect yourself..."
BANG!BANG! Two sounds rang out almost simultaneously.
The Prowler, unable to even finish his warning, was instantly kicked away by an aerial attack. Peter Parker (Earth-616) appeared next to Miles. Without a word of explanation, he grabbed the boy and performed a textbook defensive roll on the ground.
That first "BANG" was Peter's kick. However, it wasn't aimed at attacking The Prowler. In fact, when he saw Miles remove his mask and reveal himself to The Prowler from a distance, Peter knew Miles was likely safe. But then, he saw a giant, wall-like figure appear below—Kingpin! Kingpin pulled out what looked like a high-tech handgun and aimed it at both The Prowler and Miles. Peter didn't know which one Kingpin intended to shoot.
But he was abruptly reminded of that strange, terrible "curse"—the notion that every Spider-Man's journey begins with the loss of an uncle... So, almost unconsciously, the moment he saw Kingpin raise the gun, Peter lunged forward with his maximum burst of speed, executed an aerial kick that knocked The Prowler away, and for good measure, executed the "divine technique" of the clumsy tumble with Miles for extra safety. It wasn't pretty, but it was highly effective.
The second BANG was the sound of Kingpin's gun firing. It missed, obviously. Angered, Kingpin raised his gun again.
Just then, Spider-Man Noir, who had been delayed fighting Madam Octopus, finally arrived. He quickly moved forward, interrupting Kingpin's action. Kingpin, unwilling to back down, engaged in a brawl with Noir. Kingpin's combat style was fierce—the man was 90% muscle. A single punch from him could shatter a concrete barrier on the roadside! And his fighting skill was surprisingly high. Spider-Man Noir was an expert martial artist, yet he felt subtly pressured by Kingpin. Of course, this was partly because Noir had never fought such an agile giant before and hadn't yet adapted.
"Uncle!" Miles broke free from Peter's embrace and ran toward The Prowler. But The Prowler had already stood up. He reached out a hand, seemingly wanting to stroke Miles's head, but hesitated, pulling it back. He then looked at Peter (Earth-616), said nothing, but gave him a complicated look before turning to leave.
"Hey!" Peter called out to him.
The Prowler's steps hesitated slightly, but he did not turn around. Peter pointed toward the fight between Spider-Man Noir and Kingpin in the distance, shouting: "If you go back like this, Kingpin will kill you! You know what kind of man he is!"
The Prowler's body completely froze. He knew Peter was right.
"But I have no choice," The Prowler said. "If I leave on my own, it will affect others." The "others" he referred to be his brother and sister-in-law—Miles's father and mother—and Miles himself.
"No, you have a choice!" Peter declared.
The Prowler suddenly spun around. His face was still covered by the mask, making his true thoughts unreadable. Peter clenched his fist and spoke resolutely: "Join us, and we can take down Kingpin. Then he will never threaten you or your family again!"
The Prowler was clearly swayed. Peter was secretly delighted and decided to deploy his "talking power" to continue persuading him: "We now have seven Spider-People from different universes; this is the best time to take down Kingpin! Miss this chance, and you'll be stuck working for him forever! And Miles, and your brother... they will all live under Kingpin's shadow for the rest of their lives!"
The Prowler remained silent, deep in thought. Peter sensed he needed a little more push. He quickly changed tack, adding a final piece of fuel: "You work for Kingpin, so you must have seen the immense damage his Collider has already caused to Brooklyn! And he plans to activate it again, and again. If this continues, sooner or later, Brooklyn will be destroyed! Millions of people living here will lose their lives! Is that what you want to see?" "Is that why you put on that suit, to become a man who facilitates mass murder?!"
After speaking, Peter felt a nervous tension. He had studied the background of The Prowler, a classic Spider-Man villain. Aaron Davis was the youngest of nine children, and his father left when he was an infant. He grew up with an alcoholic mother. Given his background, formal education was impossible. Yet, despite lacking schooling, he achieved many successful designs and inventions. However, due to his status, education, and social standing, no one would listen to his ideas, and he never found a chance to demonstrate his genius. He ended up working as a window washer to survive. By chance, he was drawn into a fight between a hero and a villain and witnessed the prowess of a man who was an ordinary person but used high-tech gear to become a super-villain. Aaron quit his job and designed a versatile battlesuit for himself, complete with wrist and ankle bracelets carrying special fluid, sharp steel claws, and specialized climbing boots. He then created his new identity—The Prowler.
Note: The narrative implies that while this is Aaron Davis, his path to villainy might mirror the classic Prowler's origin story.
Peter had decided to take a gamble on the similarity of personality between the comic-book character and this world's Aaron Davis.
Under Peter's anxious gaze, The Prowler finally nodded. "You are right. I'm in." Hearing this, Peter smiled. He had won the gamble.