Appearing in "I Scorn the Body Electric!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Spider-Man (Peter Parker)
- Mary Jane Watson-Parker
- Benjy Parker
- Avengers (A-Next)
- Brenda Drago
- Davida Kirby
- Courtney Duran
- Phil Urich
- Jarvis
- Electro (Maxwell Dillon) (First appearance)
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Marilyn (Aftershock's mother) (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "I Scorn the Body Electric!"
Spider-Girl is on her way home when she encounters Aftershock, up to no good, and insults her by calling her 'Electra'. Aftershock has tried to rob an empty, off-duty armored truck. Spider-Girl mocks her accordingly. Spider-Girl aggravates her stab wound from a couple of issues ago doing an aerial dodge, and has to crash into some garbage cans. Aftershock escapes an attempt by the truck driver to seize her, electroctues him, and flees, leaving Spider-Girl to call an ambulance for him.
Raptor calls Spider-Girl to let her know that she and Normie are engaged to be married. At home later, Peter Parker has no kind words for Normie even with this news, while Mary Jane counters that Normie has turned his life around. May looks pensive over the news. She defends Normie and Brenda to Peter. Peter pivots to another sore spot for him: May being late getting home when she was supposed to look after her brother. May frustratedly points out she was stopping Aftershock and saved a life, but her father will not accept that as an excuse for abandoning her responsibility to her brother. When May storms off to her bedroom, Mary Jane tries to come up and reassure her that her father is only trying to prevent May making the mistakes he did when he was a young crime fighter.
The next day at school, Courtney Duran explains that Moose's dad is not being very forthcoming with his son about his medical condition, which leaves Moose in an uncertain place. May and Davida offer to help how they can. When Mainframe and Stinger call May on her Spider-Girl phone, May coyly tells her friends that she has to excuse herself to take a call from the Avengers, which is met with amusement by Courtney and Davida.
The Avengers do need Spider-Girl's help: her dad's old enemy, Electro, has turned up at the Avengers Compound, wanting to speak with Spider-Man. Spider-Girl tries to interview Electro first, but Electro condescends to her and insists the real Spider-Man will give him a fair listen. Spider-Girl finds that ironic, given how her father was on her case the night before.
Peter Parker takes May's call at work, and agrees to the meet. He excuses himself to Phil, heads home for his costume, and goes to Avengers Compound. People in the compound, including Edwin Jarvis, are exceedingly pleased to see Spider-Man on the job again.
Electro requests that Spider-Man help him with his daughter. Aftershock inherited his electrical powers, but their auras prevent them from being able to touch without experiencing physical pain. No one has been able to cure them of that. He found out Aftershock's mother, Marilyn, died, and Electro's daughter has been shuffled around through the foster care system. He is afraid his daughter is going to repeat his mistakes, and hopes Spider-Man will help stop her before it's too late.
Spider-Man and Spider-Girl analyze a set of files Electro provided. It is distressing to them both that Electro and his daughter cannot touch. Spider-Man promises to help, but they are interrupted when the current Avengers come into the laboratory, just wanting to meet the original Spider-Man. May is impressed at the attention and accolades the Avengers give her dad.
Later, as the Avengers spread out through the city to enact Spider-Man's plan, Spider-Girl ruminates over the difference between how she sees her dad in typical dad ways, versus how people like the Avengers see him as a living legend. She resolves to try to meet him halfway.
Spider-Girl locates Aftershock as she robs a jewellry store, and engages her in combat. Aftershock refuses to let herself be sent to jail or another foster home. She manages to blast Spider-Girl, warning Spider-Girl that her touch is death. Spider-Girl summons the Quintjet with the Avengers, Spider-Man, and Electro to her location. Electro expresses his doubts over Spider-Man's plan.
As Spider-Girl's battle with Aftershock continues, Spider-Girl mentions Spider-Man, and that sets Aftershock into a rage. She sees Spider-Man as the person who took her father away and ruined her life. That is why Aftershock intends to kill Spider-Girl as revenge. A timely intervention from J2 helps Spider-Girl avoid a death blow.
The Avengers surround Aftershock on a rooftop. Electro says his daughter's true name - Allison - and she is enraged to find her father working with the heroes. As Electro reaches out to her, Aftershock warns him that to touch her is death. Electro persists, putting a hand on her arm, and bringing them both extreme pain. But Electro endures, as does she, as he draws her into an embrace. Their energetic aura calms, and they are left in their embrace, pledging to stay together from now on.
That evening at the Parker house, Peter says Allison will have to answer for her crimes, but she is a minor - she will get a light sentence, and probably be remanded to her father's custody. Mary Jane wonders if Electro is ready to be a parent, but Peter figures no one is, they just grow into the job. Mary Jane heads to bed, leaving Peter and May to talk.
Later in the night, waking to find herself still alone in bed, Mary Jane gets up. She finds Peter and May have nodded off on the living room couch together, and puts a blanket over them.
Notes
- This is Aftershock's second appearance in Spider-Girl after appearing in Spider-Girl #51. This issue presents her backstory for the first time.