"Subtext"

[Venom 1988]

Is Molten Man a product of the "Super Rhino" process that Norman "sold" but didn't sell?

No

could any mods fix the title of this thread to match the other episode threads?

Its not THAT big of a deal

 

[whiplash]

just watched it again, it's Miles Warren's version of Sandman

 

[Mistah K88]

It was an enjoyable episode at best, on the same par as Col. Jupiter's episode, but a tad more interesting in this case. I'm glad Pete and Liz are still together, Liz is just getting more likable by the passing of each episode, good change from the likes of your usual heroines who always whine about things. Some nice quips here and there. But for me Green Goblin was the main highlight of the show, and I'm glad he's back. However, I still can't take him seriously with that costume design unless he does something extremely horrifying, he looks funny in that suit . I would rate it 7/10.



That's one of my gripes from most super-hero movies or cartoons. How is that they were able to recognize Mark when they can't even recognize one person they have known for so long now? It just annoys me really. Also, Oddie or whatever that kid's name is, that character is really bugging me now. Either make him talk and don't make him appear at all, it's gotten old and it isn't funny anymore.

Well, as for the voice thing, I could understand Liz recognizing Molten Man's voice as Mark is her brother. Now if MJ didn't recognize his voice it wouldn't be a problem (as she only showed up in school this past October, and Liz didn't care about Peter's existance until September...) Well...atleast Molten Man just looks like a shirtless/golden Mark Allan so they have that to recognize him over a masked Peter...

As for Gobby's suit, he's supposed to look stupid. In his first comic book appearance the cover said "Does the Green Goblin look cute to you? Does he make you want to smile?" Atleast he thinks he looks scary I think.

 

[Jick]

Pretty good episode.
I was surprised when I saw Molten Man right away. I wasn't expecting to see him right in the very beginning. Good new villain. I liked his design, his powers and how he got them. It gave the feeling that Norman is back on the business of creating supervillains.
It was pretty much an action episode, but I don't mind. The action was good, and so were the characters. Blackie's voice remind me of someone. I think it's Wolverine's voiceover, too.
Miles is evil. He really doesn't seem to care about no one.
It's good to have Green Goblin again. The scene where he take care of those thugs was great. He seems more lunatic than ever. About Connors...that pic of Lizard and Spidey fighting shown by Warren made me miss Lizard. I hope he comes back in the next season.
8/10

 

[Duskbyday]

Pretty good episode.
I was surprised when I saw Molten Man right away. I wasn't expecting to see him right in the very beginning. Good new villain. I liked his design, his powers and how he got them. It gave the feeling that Norman is back on the business of creating supervillains.
It was pretty much an action episode, but I don't mind. The action was good, and so were the characters. Blackie's voice remind me of someone. I think it's Wolverine's voiceover, too.
Miles is evil. He really doesn't seem to care about no one.
It's good to have Green Goblin again. The scene where he take care of those thugs was great. He seems more lunatic than ever. About Connors...that pic of Lizard and Spidey fighting shown by Warren made me miss Lizard. I hope he comes back in the next season.
8/10

lizard proberbly will return. I think I agree on everything you said so far, but the reason you have heard of Blackies voice because he is voiced by Steve Blum who not only voices Wolverine in W&TXM but GG in this series.

 

[carnage899]

^and Chameleon.

 

[varsas]

I would be 100% behind this explanation, if it wasn't for Identity Crisis. However I'm still tempted to go with this clarification.

I totally agree with this. Mark reminded me so much of Max in Interactions.

I think you're right that it would be a better explanation if Identity Crisis had not occurred but Peter was cleared of the matter. Can anyone remember the reactions of Liz and MJ to the idea of Peter being Spidey in that episode? Btw I'm guessing that the MJ in this series probably does know Peter is Spidey.

Its not THAT big of a deal

Perhaps not but it's nice to have all the official discussions start off in a uniform manner; it helps to easily identify the main topic everyone is using for an episode.

 

[Ratcrawler]

I really hope Hobie says something by the Season Finale

 

[Rincewind]

He does.

 

[Silver Spider]

I think you're right that it would be a better explanation if Identity Crisis had not occurred but Peter was cleared of the matter.

Yeah, he was cleared but I was referring to when it was actually going on. During that time people were suspicious of the connection and would have been more aware of Spidey sounding like Peter.

Can anyone remember the reactions of Liz and MJ to the idea of Peter being Spidey in that episode? Btw I'm guessing that the MJ in this series probably does know Peter is Spidey.

I don't recall them interviewing Liz or MJ.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Can anyone provide a link please? Thanks.

 

[Webhead2006]

for the episode its on yt.

 

[SpaceWay2009]

Yeah, he was cleared but I was referring to when it was actually going on. During that time people were suspicious of the connection and would have been more aware of Spidey sounding like Peter.

I don't recall them interviewing Liz or MJ.

You're right. Liz and MJ were not interviewed. I wish they were, though. In fact, I hope that would be included in the volume or season set.

 

[SpaceWay2009]

What was that black hand print on Spider-Man's chest? How did it get there?

 

[Silver Spider]

Molten Man like "lava-pushed" him.

 

[The Caped Knight]

Great episode, I love how The Gobby plays on Mark Allen's gambling addiction to manipulate Mark as Molten Man into being his pawn against spidey .

He gave Mark false hope that the power he possesses as Molten Man was in Mark's own control when in reality Gobby got the power .

Wow so Professor Miles Warren blackmails Dr. Curt Connors into not revealing Unethical experience Warren has been doing with evidence of Connors as The Lizard .

 

[Dread]

Not getting as much interest along the forums here as the last two episodes, "SUBTEXT" is still a vital cog in the well oiled machine that is SS-M season two with a new villain who has been quickly developed along with the return of the new "big man" of crime calling the shots.

Spoiler

Probably what I liked this episode for doing is managing to turn my relationship expectations totally on their ear; just when you thought the Peter/Liz couple was done with last episode, you get an episode that actually shows it rather well and stronger than it's been in a while. Rather than being an obstacle to Gwen, this episode really helped sell Liz as more of a character on her own than she already was, and made her a little more sympathetic. There's some tragic home life behind that cheerleader facade.

It isn't as good an episode as the last, and the action is a bit generic on the show's terms, but that's expected; the rackets get picked up for the finales to arcs, but there always is an episode or two of build up which are vital and still good, just less so than the pay off, and that is fine.

The episode also plays around with the order of the scenes, telling much of the story through perspective flashbacks, which does feel a little tacked on to make a formula episode seem more original, but it works at what it tries to do, makes the execution more unique.

At Blackie Gaxton's BIG SKY BILLIARD ROOM, there is a massive fire flooding the whole hall, with Blackie, MJ, and Liz all caught in the middle of a fight between Spider-Man and a flaming new enemy, the Molten Man. Fans of the comic know this naturally has to be Liz's brother, bringing all sorts of drama into the mix as Mark Allen was also becoming Mary Jane's boyfriend (or "non-boyfriend" as she may say).

Flashing back from various perspectives, we learn that Peter is eager to make it up to Liz for spending so much attention on Gwen, who his heart seems to truly pang for, even if he doesn't know it. He tries to woo her with a rose but ends up being there to listen to her current troubles with her brother, Mark Allen. Turns out he has a gambling problem and she has discovered that he has returned to the habit; in the past he often ran up steep debts and committed crimes to settle them, such as stealing a car, which got him imprisoned. Peter begins to win back Liz's trust by being there for her during the venting session. I thought it was a sweet moment and this episode allowed Peter to be genuinely caring to Liz for some moments, rather than just daydreaming about Gwen nearly every time they are together. It helped redeem him a little from those borderline cad moments last episode.

Harry and Gwen overhead the street conversation and it appears Gwen has some faith in Mary Jane's makeover as she is sticking to the new hairstyle and likely contacts; although part of me is wondering if it is to finally coax Peter into making a move towards her, since he was obviously impressed last episode. Harry, meanwhile, comes very close to revealing his own new secret by explaining to Peter that he may want to help Mark, but an addict of any kind can't stop until they are ready and willing, whether for gambling or other substances (like Globulin Green).

True to Liz's suspicions, Mark Allen has rung up a debt with Blackie, who is apparently his bookie (who he met with last episode - got to love good continuity). He tries coaxing Blackie into extending his debt to cover yet another "sure bet" on a horse, but this time Gaxton isn't buying. Fortunately, for Mark (or perhaps unfortunately), Green Goblin shows up at the billiard hall to weed out any thugs still loyal to Tombstone, Master Planner, or Silvermane. Since that is most of them, he ends out laying out many of the goons there in his usual manic flair; Steven Jay Blum voices both Gaxton and Goblin and is terrific at both. Very quickly a deal is established; Mark can settle his debt with Blackie if he agrees to be the test subject for another of Osborn's super-goon experiments, this time working alongside Miles Warren rather than Dr. Octavious.

There was a bit of unintentional humor with Mark being told to remove his shirt in a strange room with a bunch of older men without anything being mentioned, but we'll leave that alone. Cautious but eager to settle his debt, Mark agrees to the procedure and is quickly injected with nanobots that form an armor around him, making him super-strong and tough but also super-heated. At first in a panic, it seems that he can control the suit by willpower, and he quickly disengages it. Handed a $100 bill by Blackie for his troubles, Mark feels top of the world, but can't resist spending the freebie on his "sure thing" horse. Yeah, Mark took his shirt off for some old men in a room and got paid in cash for it. No jokes, please!

Spider-Man ends up at the racetrack to try to see what Mark is up to and to perhaps protect him from the consequences of his actions, but when Goblin (in an obnoxious disguise) triggers Allen's transformation, the Molten Man goes on a rampage and Spidey is forced to save a few of the jockies. During the battle, Spider-Man finds himself unable to get close to the searing-hot menace, but soon begins to recognize the voice as Mark Allen.

Meanwhile, MJ winds up at Liz's apartment and the two have a pretty neat sequence confronting each other about the situation. Liz proves she is no fool by being irritated with MJ for her attempts to get Peter to "notice" Gwen more, and doubts her feelings for her brother are genuine. MJ convinces Liz that they are, and they both decide to confront him at the billiard hall. That is where everyone's story converges, and while I am aware it was a gimmick with the flashbacks, it at least was executed well. It's no "POV" from B:TAS, but it does what it needs to.

At the billiard hall, of course, everything goes to hell. Molten Man winds up there enraged at his inability to control his power and probably seeking some revenge on Blackie. The Green Goblin is there and he reveals that Mark's transformation was never under his control, but under the control of a remote. He cuts Mark a deal; kill Spider-Man, and the remote is his. Genuinely grateful to Spider-Man for saving Liz's life a few times this season and last, Mark refuses, but soon relents as he sees no other option. Spider-Man quickly swings into the hall offering to get Mark some aid from Dr. Conners, but Mark isn't listening, and soon they all are caught in his flaming rampage, with Spider-Man trying to reason with Mark while trying to save Liz, MJ, and Blackie (in that order).

Molten Man is what you call a "rampage" villain, like Electro was when he started out; an unfortunately victim of some science experiment whose powers and mind is unstable from the situation. At first tragic, Mark reveals via the almost overused in this episode gambling line of being "all in" with the idea of appeasing Green Goblin to get his life back. Refusing to listen to even his sister, Mark continues the fight and by now is generating molten lava in his hands to throw. Now dealing with a full on enemy, Spider-Man begins to fight back, using webbing strategy and a convenient fire hydrant to cool Mark off and take him down. The Spider-Banter, as usual, it kept at a high pace and is usually very funny, just not as good as some other episodes.

The highlight of the episode comes with Mark being led off and Liz in tears, and Peter appearing on scene not to score snapshots, but to support her. It was the first time I really "bought" this relationship beyond being an obligatory distraction for the Peter/Gwen inevitable pairing, and also felt it was the first time I felt Peter really returned Liz's feelings beyond just going along with her. Peter may be unable to make up his mind with women but deep down he is compassionate and responsible, and it was good to see him be that way with Liz, at least once. The show has accomplished the difficult task of making Liz a rival for Gwen and a different sort of girl from her without making her a complete b****, like she was at the start of the show, and like Sally Avril still is.

There may be some who kind of grumble and go, "of course they have to give Mark Allen a criminal background now that he is Latino", but that isn't intentional. In the comics, Mark Raxton (not Mark Allen) isn't a gambler but becomes a technician working alongside Spencer Smythe to help create more Spider-Slayers, and while that isn't gambling, it still is a bit of a criminal background. Whether you think Spidey is a menace or not, building or helping to build giant death-robots to apprehend him isn't all on the level. This version makes Mark's tainted past more realistic to the audience; I mean often when a character is addicted in a cartoon, it is usually to a substance, often a steroid. I don't recall too many anti-gambling episodes in cartoons. In a way it is timely because ever since poker has become a big name sport, gamblers are becoming younger and younger, and it is almost an epidemic in some areas. Fortunately, "SUBTEXT" covers this without making it a Very Special Episode, like too many did for Spyke in X-MEN EVOLUTION.

Considering Molten Man has usually been considered a C-List villain of Spider-Man's (despite technically debuting in the Lee/Ditko era in 1965), I thought this show really made him dynamic and exciting, considering nearly every superhero faces a "fire themed villain" at some point (Pyro in the X-MEN, Firely/Phosperus in THE BATMAN, etc). They introduced Mark Allen for a few episodes beforehand to build him up, and even made him dynamic and protective of his sister before revealing his darker side. At first a tragic villain, Mark soon succumbs to his own faults despite the new power he has been given, which is usually the difference between heroes and villains. Still, if Flint Marko could redeem himself, there is some hope for Mark Allen. He wasn't as sympathetic as Col. Jupiter, though. Nor did he become as deranged as Max Dillion/Electro. It might be curious to see the two battle it out.

In the comics, the Harry Osborn Goblin eventually married Liz Allen and had a son with her, Normon Osborn Jr. (or "Normie") and Molten Man often was caught in the middle of some of his crusades against Spider-Man. This episode helped capture the feel of some of those issues, which usually took place in...wait for it...SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN in the 90's (formerly PETER PARKER: THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN).

This episode gave Alanna Ubach a bit to do with her character, as well as Vanessa Marshall's MJ, who hadn't had a bit to do in a while. At first struggling with some play rehearsals, the two find emotional inspiration in their shared experience.

This likely won't be anyone's favorite episode, but I liked it because it held together and managed to be good by being strong on the fundamentals. Good writing, animation, acting and above all capturing the heart of Spider-Man's universe, that it is basically a teen soap opera with a range of interesting characters, just there are costumes and powers in the mix, too. Neither is complete without the other. I never cared for Molten Man in the comics but this episode really nailed him down well and made his creation natural and organic. Now that Norman Osborn is looking a bit internally for "super-goons" again, how long will it be until his technician Morris Bench becomes Hydro-Man?

Solid, meat-and-potatoes episode of SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN. Can't wait to see how this arc and the season climaxes.

 

[Webhead2006]

another solid review dread.

 

[Venomfan]

did molten man have fire powers in the comics? the only issue that really featured him that i ever read was his first appearance and i only remember him having like hard gold skin, all the other issues i've read just showed him and liz talking together or something, so never using his powers.

 

[Webhead2006]

it wasnt fire power per say its more lava power.

 

[Syncos]

Not getting as much interest along the forums here as the last two episodes, "SUBTEXT" is still a vital cog in the well oiled machine that is SS-M season two with a new villain who has been quickly developed along with the return of the new "big man" of crime calling the shots.

Spoiler

Probably what I liked this episode for doing is managing to turn my relationship expectations totally on their ear; just when you thought the Peter/Liz couple was done with last episode, you get an episode that actually shows it rather well and stronger than it's been in a while. Rather than being an obstacle to Gwen, this episode really helped sell Liz as more of a character on her own than she already was, and made her a little more sympathetic. There's some tragic home life behind that cheerleader facade.

It isn't as good an episode as the last, and the action is a bit generic on the show's terms, but that's expected; the rackets get picked up for the finales to arcs, but there always is an episode or two of build up which are vital and still good, just less so than the pay off, and that is fine.

The episode also plays around with the order of the scenes, telling much of the story through perspective flashbacks, which does feel a little tacked on to make a formula episode seem more original, but it works at what it tries to do, makes the execution more unique.

At Blackie Gaxton's BIG SKY BILLIARD ROOM, there is a massive fire flooding the whole hall, with Blackie, MJ, and Liz all caught in the middle of a fight between Spider-Man and a flaming new enemy, the Molten Man. Fans of the comic know this naturally has to be Liz's brother, bringing all sorts of drama into the mix as Mark Allen was also becoming Mary Jane's boyfriend (or "non-boyfriend" as she may say).

Flashing back from various perspectives, we learn that Peter is eager to make it up to Liz for spending so much attention on Gwen, who his heart seems to truly pang for, even if he doesn't know it. He tries to woo her with a rose but ends up being there to listen to her current troubles with her brother, Mark Allen. Turns out he has a gambling problem and she has discovered that he has returned to the habit; in the past he often ran up steep debts and committed crimes to settle them, such as stealing a car, which got him imprisoned. Peter begins to win back Liz's trust by being there for her during the venting session. I thought it was a sweet moment and this episode allowed Peter to be genuinely caring to Liz for some moments, rather than just daydreaming about Gwen nearly every time they are together. It helped redeem him a little from those borderline cad moments last episode.

Harry and Gwen overhead the street conversation and it appears Gwen has some faith in Mary Jane's makeover as she is sticking to the new hairstyle and likely contacts; although part of me is wondering if it is to finally coax Peter into making a move towards her, since he was obviously impressed last episode. Harry, meanwhile, comes very close to revealing his own new secret by explaining to Peter that he may want to help Mark, but an addict of any kind can't stop until they are ready and willing, whether for gambling or other substances (like Globulin Green).

True to Liz's suspicions, Mark Allen has rung up a debt with Blackie, who is apparently his bookie (who he met with last episode - got to love good continuity). He tries coaxing Blackie into extending his debt to cover yet another "sure bet" on a horse, but this time Gaxton isn't buying. Fortunately, for Mark (or perhaps unfortunately), Green Goblin shows up at the billiard hall to weed out any thugs still loyal to Tombstone, Master Planner, or Silvermane. Since that is most of them, he ends out laying out many of the goons there in his usual manic flair; Steven Jay Blum voices both Gaxton and Goblin and is terrific at both. Very quickly a deal is established; Mark can settle his debt with Blackie if he agrees to be the test subject for another of Osborn's super-goon experiments, this time working alongside Miles Warren rather than Dr. Octavious.

There was a bit of unintentional humor with Mark being told to remove his shirt in a strange room with a bunch of older men without anything being mentioned, but we'll leave that alone. Cautious but eager to settle his debt, Mark agrees to the procedure and is quickly injected with nanobots that form an armor around him, making him super-strong and tough but also super-heated. At first in a panic, it seems that he can control the suit by willpower, and he quickly disengages it. Handed a $100 bill by Blackie for his troubles, Mark feels top of the world, but can't resist spending the freebie on his "sure thing" horse. Yeah, Mark took his shirt off for some old men in a room and got paid in cash for it. No jokes, please!

Spider-Man ends up at the racetrack to try to see what Mark is up to and to perhaps protect him from the consequences of his actions, but when Goblin (in an obnoxious disguise) triggers Allen's transformation, the Molten Man goes on a rampage and Spidey is forced to save a few of the jockies. During the battle, Spider-Man finds himself unable to get close to the searing-hot menace, but soon begins to recognize the voice as Mark Allen.

Meanwhile, MJ winds up at Liz's apartment and the two have a pretty neat sequence confronting each other about the situation. Liz proves she is no fool by being irritated with MJ for her attempts to get Peter to "notice" Gwen more, and doubts her feelings for her brother are genuine. MJ convinces Liz that they are, and they both decide to confront him at the billiard hall. That is where everyone's story converges, and while I am aware it was a gimmick with the flashbacks, it at least was executed well. It's no "POV" from B:TAS, but it does what it needs to.

At the billiard hall, of course, everything goes to hell. Molten Man winds up there enraged at his inability to control his power and probably seeking some revenge on Blackie. The Green Goblin is there and he reveals that Mark's transformation was never under his control, but under the control of a remote. He cuts Mark a deal; kill Spider-Man, and the remote is his. Genuinely grateful to Spider-Man for saving Liz's life a few times this season and last, Mark refuses, but soon relents as he sees no other option. Spider-Man quickly swings into the hall offering to get Mark some aid from Dr. Conners, but Mark isn't listening, and soon they all are caught in his flaming rampage, with Spider-Man trying to reason with Mark while trying to save Liz, MJ, and Blackie (in that order).

Molten Man is what you call a "rampage" villain, like Electro was when he started out; an unfortunately victim of some science experiment whose powers and mind is unstable from the situation. At first tragic, Mark reveals via the almost overused in this episode gambling line of being "all in" with the idea of appeasing Green Goblin to get his life back. Refusing to listen to even his sister, Mark continues the fight and by now is generating molten lava in his hands to throw. Now dealing with a full on enemy, Spider-Man begins to fight back, using webbing strategy and a convenient fire hydrant to cool Mark off and take him down. The Spider-Banter, as usual, it kept at a high pace and is usually very funny, just not as good as some other episodes.

The highlight of the episode comes with Mark being led off and Liz in tears, and Peter appearing on scene not to score snapshots, but to support her. It was the first time I really "bought" this relationship beyond being an obligatory distraction for the Peter/Gwen inevitable pairing, and also felt it was the first time I felt Peter really returned Liz's feelings beyond just going along with her. Peter may be unable to make up his mind with women but deep down he is compassionate and responsible, and it was good to see him be that way with Liz, at least once. The show has accomplished the difficult task of making Liz a rival for Gwen and a different sort of girl from her without making her a complete b****, like she was at the start of the show, and like Sally Avril still is.

There may be some who kind of grumble and go, "of course they have to give Mark Allen a criminal background now that he is Latino", but that isn't intentional. In the comics, Mark Raxton (not Mark Allen) isn't a gambler but becomes a technician working alongside Spencer Smythe to help create more Spider-Slayers, and while that isn't gambling, it still is a bit of a criminal background. Whether you think Spidey is a menace or not, building or helping to build giant death-robots to apprehend him isn't all on the level. This version makes Mark's tainted past more realistic to the audience; I mean often when a character is addicted in a cartoon, it is usually to a substance, often a steroid. I don't recall too many anti-gambling episodes in cartoons. In a way it is timely because ever since poker has become a big name sport, gamblers are becoming younger and younger, and it is almost an epidemic in some areas. Fortunately, "SUBTEXT" covers this without making it a Very Special Episode, like too many did for Spyke in X-MEN EVOLUTION.

Considering Molten Man has usually been considered a C-List villain of Spider-Man's (despite technically debuting in the Lee/Ditko era in 1965), I thought this show really made him dynamic and exciting, considering nearly every superhero faces a "fire themed villain" at some point (Pyro in the X-MEN, Firely/Phosperus in THE BATMAN, etc). They introduced Mark Allen for a few episodes beforehand to build him up, and even made him dynamic and protective of his sister before revealing his darker side. At first a tragic villain, Mark soon succumbs to his own faults despite the new power he has been given, which is usually the difference between heroes and villains. Still, if Flint Marko could redeem himself, there is some hope for Mark Allen. He wasn't as sympathetic as Col. Jupiter, though. Nor did he become as deranged as Max Dillion/Electro. It might be curious to see the two battle it out.

In the comics, the Harry Osborn Goblin eventually married Liz Allen and had a son with her, Normon Osborn Jr. (or "Normie") and Molten Man often was caught in the middle of some of his crusades against Spider-Man. This episode helped capture the feel of some of those issues, which usually took place in...wait for it...SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN in the 90's (formerly PETER PARKER: THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN).

This episode gave Alanna Ubach a bit to do with her character, as well as Vanessa Marshall's MJ, who hadn't had a bit to do in a while. At first struggling with some play rehearsals, the two find emotional inspiration in their shared experience.

This likely won't be anyone's favorite episode, but I liked it because it held together and managed to be good by being strong on the fundamentals. Good writing, animation, acting and above all capturing the heart of Spider-Man's universe, that it is basically a teen soap opera with a range of interesting characters, just there are costumes and powers in the mix, too. Neither is complete without the other. I never cared for Molten Man in the comics but this episode really nailed him down well and made his creation natural and organic. Now that Norman Osborn is looking a bit internally for "super-goons" again, how long will it be until his technician Morris Bench becomes Hydro-Man?

Solid, meat-and-potatoes episode of SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN. Can't wait to see how this arc and the season climaxes.

As someone else pointed out dread, the flashback style was likely also used as a tie to the first goblin episode of the previous season which was also done in a different yet still flashback style. It seems like they wanted to bridge the first episodes of the goblin saga's this way.

I thought it worked out pretty well.

 

[Sarcastic Fan]

Well, what can I say about this one? Heeee's baaaack... with a vengeance.

"Subtext"

There's a new Big Man in New York City. His name? The Green Goblin. With Tombstone now under surveillance and cut off from his empire, and Silvermane and Doc Ock in prison... all thanks to his machinations, the Green Goblin is setting up to the plate and painting the town green.

In the comics, the Green Goblin was this character who always, in spite of his bizarre costume, would have me on edge whenever he showed up. You never knew what he was going to do next, except you know it would be evil and painful. Well, considering how this episode is I am going to be on the edge of my seat for the next two.

Liz's brother, Mark Allan, is in trouble. Big trouble. I've often said that one of the worst things you can be is a gambler. It's maybe only slightly better than being a drug addict. It's stupid and the consequences are dour. The only sure thing about gambling is the price is not worth the risk... and not worth the minute victory.

I gambled only once in my life, at the 2005 Gathering of the Gargoyles in Las Vegas. I spent, maybe an hour playing Black Jack, and when I was up $100, I stopped. I never went back. Yes, I won. But I felt it. I felt how easy it was to sink into it, and walked away.

Mark, well... he ended up owing money to a bookie and hood named Blackie Gaxton, who as we saw in the last episode worked for Tombstone. And now, he's working for the Green Goblin. And what does Gobby want? A guinea pig for a new supervillain. You all know where this is going...

Mark gets his powers, courtesy of Norman Osborn's new scientist, Miles Warren (whom I expected). The poor boy thinks he's done, is even given $100 and sent on his way. Well, here comes the tragedy. He can't control his new powers at all. The Green Goblin is in control of him. And now, he's become the Molten Man, and he's at the Goblin's beck and call.

The Goblin has one simple demand, kill Spider-Man. Not distract him, like Tombstone was attempting to do. Kill him. As we can see, the Goblin is looking to be a more dangerous Big Man than his predecessor. Helps when you're psychotic.

Meanwhile, Mary Jane and Liz are concerned, and like Spidey, track Mark down. Poor Mary Jane, she got more attached to Mark than she expected. Things do not end well.

So, Molten Man is defeated, and taken away. Mary Jane and Liz have been emotionally wrecked, and the Goblin is just cackling his green head off and plotting his next move.

Peter tried to salvage his relationship with Liz, but, the writing is on the wall... there's not much there to salvage. But, watching this, I can't help but wish them luck.

Gwen Stacy has kept her new look, and damn she looks fine. Harry is a lucky guy... um... too bad the writing on the wall here spells doomed as well.

Of course, I would fail at life if I didn't bother mentioning Miles Warren here. Even with my knowledge of the character in the comics, it's still shocking to see this jackal slowly getting worse and worse before our eyes. When we first met him, he seemed, well, normal. Next episode he is profiting off of Kraven, and carrying guns on school property. Then, he seized administrative control of the lab from the Connors, but he was right, security under them has been lacking. But here... supervillain in the making. This jackal is probably the most vile character in the series.

As for the story. Greg Weisman combined the characters of Mark Raxton (he was Liz's step-brother in the comics) and Bennett Brant (Betty Brant's brother) into one. Bennett was a gambler who fell into debt with Blackie Gaxton and was killed over it. In a way, I think this is more tragic and I cannot help but be reminded of the "Gargoyles" episodes, "Metamorphosis" where Elisa Maza's brother, Derek is transformed by David Xanatos into a bat-winged, feline mutate named Talon.

Two episodes left to go, and, honestly, and this is saying how well done this show is, but... I'm actually scared for the cast. It just feels like nobody is safe. usually on TV, especially in cartoons, the cast is safe. You don't have that feeling of dread because tragedies are usually not allowed to befall them. But, here? We're approaching the season finale, and that usually means a shake-up is coming, and here I think it will be a tragic one.

The Green Goblin is back... and I have no idea what he's going to do next. God help them.