She's referring, in her own unhelpful way, to Norman Osborn and the Green Goblin. "They" have repaired and upgraded the Time Dilation Accelerator, and the Goblin is urging the increasingly-strained Norman to lash out against anyone who could possibly threaten his family. With Hobgoblin out of the way, his targets include Kingpin, Spider-Man, and the woman he sees as having broken his son's heart — Mary Jane.
When the T.D.I lets him see who's under Spider-Man's mask, Norman completely snaps. Convinced Peter and MJ were attacking him through Harry, he lets his "only friend" take total control.
What follows is as close to "The Night Gwen-Stacy Died" as the censors would allow — after a kidnapping and a struggle atop the George Washington bridge, Mary Jane disappears into a portal with no way of finding her. Enraged, Spider-Man seriously considers letting the same thing happen to Osborn, only deciding to Save the Villain at the last second. Osborn tries to backstab him with his Glider, only to hit himself with it and literally lose his grip on reality.
As Spider-Man begs for mercy from Madame Web, she appears to him once more. When he asks her to put everything back the way it was, she refuses — there's no turning back now. Enraged, Spidey calls her out and yells at her to get out of his life, which she does... for now. She warns him that he still cannot escape destiny and she will call for him again.
Back at the bridge, Peter laments on his loss for Mary Jane. Unbeknownst to him, Mary Jane is falling to an unknown dimension.
Tropes used in this episode:
- Backstab Backfire: Much like in the comics, Osborn does himself in with his own glider.
- Berserk Button: The Green Goblin intentionally presses this one in an attempt to make Peter suffer. He first threatens Aunt May, but decides Mary Jane is a more acceptable target. When it looked like MJ died from the bridge (She didn't, but Spidey didn't know at the time.) He did suffer greatly. Then when the Goblin sarcastically notes that Spider-man isn't using his trademark snarking, Spidey snaps and goes after him with murder on the brain.Spider-Man: MARY JANE!!!!
- The Chosen One: How MW describes Peter near the end.
- Compressed Adaptation: The episode merges the two big classic Green Goblin stories.
- Deadpan Snarker: While robbing an armoured truck to get Spidey's attention, the Goblin despairs at the lack of fight the guards put up and gets irritated when Spidey takes more than a few seconds to show. "He's certainly taking his sweet time..."
- Downer Ending: Spider-Man loses Mary Jane, unaware that she was sent to another dimension, unable to take revenge on, or save, Osborne/Green Goblin, and is told by Madame Web that destiny will call for him soon, whether he wants it or not.
- Gollum Made Me Do It: The Goblin lashes out at anyone Norman perceives as a threat, and genuinely believes Norman "needs" him.
- I Shall Return: Before she obligates to Spider-Man's wish to leave him alone, Madame Web tells him that she will return when the time comes for him to fight in a great battle.Madame Web: That you can not escape. It is your destiny.
- Internal Reveal: Thanks to the Time Dilation Device, Goblin finds a good hiding spot to watch Spider-Man change clothes, giving him the knowledge that he and Peter Parker are the same person.
- Ms. Fanservice: Mary Jane is made for this trope throughout the episode, especially when she is being captured by the Green Goblin.
- Mythology Gag:
- In the old comic, Gwen Stacy falls off the George Washington Bridge. Here, it's Mary Jane. Unlike the former, MJ survives the Spider-Man's rescue. The thing that makes both crises similar is that Spider-Man loses them during his fight with Goblin, but at least MJ is alive but elsewhere.
- The episode recreates the cover image of an unmasked Peter being dragged through the air behind the Goblin-Glider.
- Papa Wolf: After learning that Spider-Man is Peter Parker, who Norman recognizes as the best friend of his son Harry, his Goblin persona convinces him that Peter was only pretending to be friends with Harry to get to him. When at Norman's mansion the Goblin confronts Peter on being Spider-Man and Norman takes control for a brief moment to accuse Peter of hurting his son Harry.
- Pet the Dog: Despite his desire to torture Spider-Man, the Green Goblin can't bring himself to hurt Aunt May.
- Rage Against the Mentor: In a blind rage over the fact that Madame Web can't/won't bring back Mary Jane, Spider-Man explodes on her and screams at her to get out of his life. She obliges... for now.Madame Web: This is the path you chose for yourself. To do things on your own. Once that decision is made there is no turning back. It is yet another thing that you have to learn.
Spider-Man: Learn?! I am tired of you... and your riddles. And your lessons! And your SUPREME ARROGANCE! Don't you ever, EVER enter my life again! Do you hear me? DO YOU HEAR ME?! - Resignations Not Accepted: As displayed above, Peter is fed up with Madame Web and tells her to leave him alone. She decides to do that... for now. She makes it clear that Peter can't escape whatever destiny has planned for him.
- So Happy Together / Too Happy to Live: The amount of things going right in Peter's life are a warning sign to anyone familiar with Spidey's luck. Or any superhero's luck, but Spidey in particular.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Gwen's broken neck (with the hero's own webline partly responsible) and Osborn's impalement are both replaced with "thrown/pushed into a dimensional rift".
- Take My Hand!: Spider-Man to Osborn / the Goblin. They don't.
- That Man Is Dead: The Green Goblin claims Norman Osborn no longer exists.
- [Verb] This!: "Believe THIS!"
- Wham Episode: Mary Jane's life is on the line. After a hard fought battle, however, she is sent to a dimensional rift along with Green Goblin. Peter is left to lament his loss and his future as a hero.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Green Goblin talks about getting Kingpin in the beginning of the episode, but it's never shown.
