2004
Peter Parker walked up to the podium to answer a question, but the school bully stuck out his foot. Peter tripped and fell flat on his face in front of the whole class.
Everyone burst into laughter.
Micol Jay silently watched him as Peter adjusted his glasses and stood back up.
The teacher standing on the podium said, "That's not funny. Quiet down, all of you."
Peter smoothly finished the problem on the blackboard.
The scene shifted.
Dr. Austin said, "Ready. Release."
Dr. Wu pressed a button, and a stream of red gas filled a glass box containing a spider.
When the gas dissipated, Dr. Wu looked in shock — the spider inside had grown noticeably larger.
Dr. Austin whispered, "It's working."
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
Just then, the phone rang. Dr. Austin picked it up.
After finishing the call, he told Dr. Wu, "Keep an eye on this spider. Don't let it escape."
The assistant nodded.
Dr. Austin turned and walked out of the room, while his assistant sat back lazily in his chair.
Inside the glass box, the spider began to twitch restlessly.
Elsewhere, Peter watched as Micol passed by. His eyes followed her the whole way.
Then Max Heimer patted Peter on the shoulder and said, "Come on, what are you staring at?"
They walked out together, arm in arm.
Max said, "I'm taking you to see the bald doctor today."
Peter asked curiously, "Who's the bald doctor?"
Max looked at him and replied, "Dr. Austin, of course. Can't you tell?"
The two laughed.
Dr. Austin was out with his daughter, buying her a balloon. She asked, "When will you come home?"
Austin replied, "You'll stay with your mom for a while. I'll come home when I can. Be good, listen to your mom, okay?"
His daughter nodded. Austin patted her head and said, "Bye-bye. See you next time."
He got into his car and drove away. His daughter watched him go.
Peter and Max looked up at the towering Austin Corporation headquarters.
Max said, "Let's go."
They arrived at the 16th floor and found Dr. Wu frantically searching for something.
Max asked, "Is Dr. Austin here?"
Before Wu could reply, a voice behind them said, "Right behind you."
Dr. Austin walked past them and looked at the glass box — it had a large hole in it.
"Where's the spider?" he asked.
Dr. Wu lowered his head. "It escaped."
Dr. Austin picked up the box and examined the hole. "Such incredible strength," he muttered.
Then he turned toward the two visitors. "You two came to see the hair-growth experiment?"
Max said, "Yes, yes."
He pointed to Peter. "This is Peter Parker."
Dr. Austin extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, Peter Parker."
Peter replied, "Nice to meet you too."
Dr. Austin told Dr. Wu to prepare the lab, and the three of them watched.
As the serum was injected into a white mouse, it began to convulse violently. Suddenly, black hair started growing all over its body.
Dr. Wu said, "This experiment is still unstable."
Dr. Austin replied in disappointment, "You can go now. There's nothing more to see."
Seeing his mood, Peter and Max left.
As Peter stepped out of the Austin building, a spider crawled onto his shoe.
Chatting with Max, Peter suddenly yelped — the spider had bitten his ankle.
Max asked, "You okay?"
Peter replied, "I'm fine, just an ant bite."
Just then, Micol rode by on her bicycle. Peter watched her dreamily as she passed.
Max laughed and said, "If you like her, go tell her. Don't just stand there pining."
Peter chuckled.
Later that day, Peter returned home.
Aunt May asked, "How was school today?"
Peter replied halfheartedly, "Fine."
He went upstairs and closed his door.
May asked, "What's wrong with him today?"
Uncle Ben said, "He's sixteen. It's just teenage stuff."
In his room, Peter was sweating all over. He took off his shirt, removed his glasses, and sat in his chair.
He tried to steady himself, but finally collapsed onto the desk, unconscious.
Cut to Dr. Austin, who suddenly seemed struck by an idea.
He added some of the mutated spider gas into the hair-growth serum, then quickly injected it into a white mouse.
The mouse twitched violently — no hair appeared at first. But just as Austin thought it had failed, hair sprouted again, expanding and retracting rhythmically.
Dr. Austin smiled.
Footsteps echoed. Peter woke up, alert. He could clearly hear Aunt May walking upstairs.
She knocked. "Peter, are you okay?"
Peter replied, "I'm fine, really."
Then he opened the door — and jumped straight down to the ground floor.
Aunt May gasped, "Peter! You scared me half to death!"
Uncle Ben looked at the couch — empty — then turned toward the TV. He was just about to change the channel when he realized the remote was missing.
He turned again — and Peter was suddenly sitting on the couch.
"When did you get here?" Ben asked.
Peter thought for a moment. "Uh… just now," he said with an awkward grin.
Watching a rock band on TV, Peter made a rock-and-roll hand gesture — and web shot out of his wrist.
Ben asked in shock, "What was that?!"
Peter stammered, "Uh… one of my new experimental gadgets."
He pulled the web back and said, "I'm heading out for a bit. Be right back."
"Where's he going so late?" May asked.
Ben said, "When I was his age, I had endless energy too. Don't worry."
Peter arrived in a dark alley. He tried the same hand gesture — and shot another strand of web.
Touching the web, he whispered, "So… maybe I can climb walls like a spider."
He gave it a try — and it worked. He climbed up effortlessly, exhilarated.
Back home, Aunt May said, "It's getting late. You should drive out and look for him."
Ben nodded. "All right. I've got nothing better to do anyway."
Peter reached the top of a skyscraper. Looking down at the city below, he shot a web and swung off — soaring through the air.
At first, he was thrilled. Then, he lost his grip and fell hard to the ground.
As he got up, Micol stood before him.
"Peter? What are you doing here?" she asked.
Peter got to his feet. "Uh… hi. Just out for a walk."
Micol looked at him. "You look better without your glasses."
Peter scratched his head shyly. "Thanks."
"I've got to go," she said. "Bye."
Peter waved, watching her walk away, completely entranced.
So entranced, in fact, that he stepped right into the street.
A car horn blared — "Watch where you're going!"
Peter watched the car pass, then noticed a metal spike on the ground.
He shot a web, pulled it toward him, and threw it into the car's path.
A moment later — bang! Two cars collided.
When Peter ran forward, he froze — Uncle Ben was in one of the cars.
Peter rushed to pull him out. "Uncle Ben! Wake up! Somebody call an ambulance! Please!"
Ben looked at him, touched his cheek weakly, and whispered, "Peter…"
The scene cut to Uncle Ben's funeral.
Micol and Max came to comfort Peter.
Aunt May held him tightly in her arms.
That night, Peter dreamed of Uncle Ben and his younger self.
In the dream, Ben asked the young Peter,
"If you had superpowers, what would you do?"
The boy answered, "I'd save the world."
Ben said, "Just remember, with great power comes great responsibility.
Even if you never have superpowers — if you have financial power someday, use it to help those in need."
Peter woke up, breathing hard, tears rolling down his cheeks.
The next day, Peter and Max arrived at Austin Corporation, along with a group of reporters.
Dr. Austin announced,
"I've developed a new serum that lets us freely control the length and thickness of human hair."
A reporter asked, "Are there any side effects?"
Dr. Austin replied,
"Previously, there were some unpredictable factors, but after our improvements, there are no longer any side effects.
Today, I will demonstrate personally."
Dr. Wu injected the serum into Dr. Austin's arm.
Peter, Max, Dr. Wu, and everyone else watched nervously.
Austin's face twisted in pain — then, slowly, he stood up.
He aimed at an empty soda can beside him.
With a single thrust, his hair shot out, piercing the can.
He even grew a full head of hair.
Everyone applauded.
Peter whispered to Max, "Dr. Austin looks pretty cool with hair."
After the event, Dr. Austin sat down in pain.
Dr. Wu asked, "Are you all right?"
Austin's face began sprouting uncontrollable hair.
Meanwhile, Peter asked Max,
"If the Doctor were to become a superhero, how would he prepare?"
Max said, "He'd need a costume — and definitely a mask."
Peter rushed home and started designing his suit and mask.
He worked all day, then hung up the finished outfit — red and blue, with a large spider on the chest and back.
He put it on, climbed to the rooftop, and tugged at it.
"A bit tight," he muttered.
Just as he relaxed, the sound of police sirens filled the air.
He put on the mask and leaped off the building, swinging swiftly between skyscrapers.
Spotting the target car below, he shot a web, grabbed it, and pulled hard.
The car flipped backward, landing upside down.
By the time the police turned around, Peter was gone.
Cut to Dr. Wu, speaking in Chinese:
"识时务者为俊杰 (A wise man adapts to circumstances)."
Then he said, "We should stop now. Drink this antidote, and it'll all be over. You don't want to live as a hairy monster forever, do you?"
Dr. Austin roared in anger.
"Do you know what my wife used to call me during our fights? A crazy, balding freak!
And now, when I finally thought my experiment succeeded—it failed again!
But that's not the worst part.
You just called me a hairy monster.
Die!"
He controlled his hair, stabbing Dr. Wu through the chest. Wu collapsed instantly.
Dr. Austin whispered coldly,
"No one can stop me."
He smirked.
Days later, every newspaper headline read:
"SPIDER-MAN: HERO OR MENACE?"
Peter stared at the news and asked,
"Aunt May, do you think he's good or evil?"
May replied,
"The answer depends on one's motives.
If the heart is corrupt, even good deeds lose their light.
But if the heart is kind, even mistakes may be forgiven."
Peter's eyes lit up at her words.