Appearing in "Bug Hunt"
Featured Characters:
- Initiative
- Staff
- Consultants/X-Men
- Dani Moonstar (Joins)
- ⏴ Beast (Dr. Hank McCoy) ⏵ (Joins)
- Trainees
- Cloud 9 (Abby)
- Hardball (Roger) (First name first revealed)
- Komodo (Melati) (First appearance in human form; First name first revealed)
- Trauma (Terry Ward) (Assumed the forms of Beast (Hank McCoy) and Demon Bear)
Supporting Characters:
- Initiative
- Staff
- Thing (Ben Grimm) (Joins Team as Guest consultant)
- Hellcat (Patsy Walker) (Joins from trainees to staff)
- Stingray (Walter Newell) (Joins from trainees to staff)
- Trainees
- Mighty Avengers
- Red Team (First appearance)
- Scarlet Spider (First appearance)
- Scarlet Spider (First appearance)
- Scarlet Spider (First appearance)
- Tony Stark (Mentioned)
- Staff
- ⏴ Spider-Man (Peter Parker) ⏵
- Dr. Curt Connors (Also mentioned as the Lizard)
- Senator Woodman (Unnamed)
Antagonists:
- Sinister Syndicate
- Hydra (Mentioned)
Other Characters:
- She-Hulk (Jen Walters) (Appears on screen)
- Gauntlet's "two-year-old" (Mentioned)
- Abomination (Mentioned)
- Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation (Mentioned)
- Beetle (Mentioned)
- Rhino (Mentioned)
- Speed Demon (Mentioned)
- Speedball (Mentioned)
- The President (Mentioned)
- Doc Ock (Mentioned)
- Sandman (Mentioned)
- Venom (Mentioned)
Locations:
- Washington, D.C.
- Connecticut
- Stamford
- Camp Hammond
- Sub-basement 9
- Briefing Room One
- Pub Master ...wordsman Pub (First appearance)
- Camp Hammond
- Stamford
- New York State
- New York City, Manhattan
- Rooftop of Bailey's Auction House (First appearance)
- New York City, Manhattan
- Negative Zone (Mentioned)
- Prison 42 (Mentioned)
Items:
- Iron Spider Armor
- Gauntlet's gauntlet
- Jim Hammond (Statue)
- Super-Power Inhibiting Nanobots (S.P.I.N.)
- War Machine Armor Model 3
- Connors Formula (Mentioned)
Vehicles:
- S.H.I.E.L.D. Plane
- S.H.I.E.L.D. flying cycle (Init 002)
Synopsis for "Bug Hunt"
As the Initiative heroes head home, Hardball, speaking to Komodo in a plane, notices that Justice is eyeing Cloud 9. But when he turns his head, he sees Komodo's human form. She wakes up and panics, changing back to her powered form and demanded what did he see. Hardball defends himself with an energy shield, denying doing so. Gauntlet and Yellowjacket rush in and stop her.
At Camp Hammond, Danielle Moonstar introduces herself to Trauma, offering to help him control his fear-based powers. However, Trauma prefers to have his powers removed. Beast tries to explain that he has a gift. Trauma reacts by transforming into his human form, scaring Beast with the thought that he'll never be human again. Moonstar attempts to intervene, so he transforms into the Demon Bear. However, Moonstar demonstrates that she conquered her fear a long time ago and subdues him. Trauma returns to human form and reluctantly accepts her help.
Some time later, the Gauntlet has the Initiative recruits consisting of Cloud 9, Komodo, Hardball, Rage, and Slapstick line up for training. Komodo is taught by Hellcat on CPR; Black Widow shows Cloud 9 sniping; Stingray demonstrates to Hardball how to keep a person alive while adrift at sea. Eventually, the recruits get to spar against Thing. Watching this is Dr. Curt Connors and Yellowjacket. Apparently, as explained by Connors, Komodo is a student of his who stole his Lizard formula and perfected it for herself. Yellowjacket calls her aside for a special briefing. He and War Machine explain to her that the Initiative has created a miniature version of the inhibitor collar that prevents the use of superpowers in certain individuals called Super-Power-Inhibiting Nanobots, S.P.I.N. for short. They have managed to use it against She-Hulk for insubordination. Now, they plan to use it on someone else.
In New York, Spider-Man is battling Shocker, Boomerang and Hydro-Man of the Sinister Syndicate. Unknown to all the combatants, a cloaked being is viewing this from afar and reporting to War Machine. The latter orders the cloaked being not to engage, not without setting off Spidey's spider-sense. Already, he and Komodo are on their way, armed with S.P.I.N. Tech darts that are meant only for Spider-Man.
Hardball walks into a bar in Stamford. However, he is met with hostility from the patrons before a man who was tailing him calmed things down. He reveals to Roger that he knows everything about him. He subtly asks Hardball what does he know about S.P.I.N. Tech.
Back in Manhattan, the group attacks Spidey, scaring off the villains, who turn tail and run. Spider-Man tries to remind them that he's one of the good guys; Komodo corrects him; he's an unlicensed vigilante who they are taking down. However, Spidey snags her hover vehicle and knocks it against War Machine, pointing out that he was the poster boy for licensed heroes and that turned into a disaster. He also cites that the Syndicate members are getting away. War Machine assures him that they have the situation under control; already, three individuals wearing his Iron Spider Armor have captured them. But now they will use the darts to take away his powers permanently. Komodo pins him down, but with a bit of dumb luck, his webbing blocks War Machine's cannons, just as he was about to fire, causing him to shut down with the countless nanites sent into his systems. Komodo brings out her own dart, ready to prick his skin. Spidey claims that she already lost, simply because he's him, who took on Doc Ock, Venom, and Sandman many times. Already, he could tell that she's a "dollar-store" version of the Lizard. Once he gets away, the Initiative will undoubtedly depower her, too. This causes Komodo to hesitate, giving Spidey the opening to fire webbing at her face, enabling him to escape. Komodo starts crying, begging War Machine not to turn her back to normal because her human self is a nobody.
Notes
- Part of the Initiative.
- Komodo's human form is first revealed.