New York City is a lot more demonic than usual, having become a Limbo Annex. Remember the last time they were on Broadway for Christmas? Ben Reilly aka Chasm asks wistfully. His girlfriend Janine aka Hallow’s Eve retorts with the question if they ever had a Christmas in New York, and he admits he doesn’t know. It might have been a dream.
Time is getting weirder around them, he muses and she suggests they are carrying a little piece of Limbo around with them. He agrees but thinks even then they never had any reason for presents. But this year they are really spoiling themselves, she agrees.
Holding the Scythe of Sorrows he stole from the Goblin Queen, he continues that they got each other New York. Calling him “King Chasm,” she simpers he really shouldn’t have. What’s next?
He knows, this is usually after the war is over, but what the heck – let’s give them a parade. He turns to their cheering demon servants.
In Limbo, Madelyne Pryor, the Goblin Queen, angrily shouts that Chasm stole her Scythe of Sorrows, and with it her throne to Limbo. He is hers! Spider-Man snarks, didn’t she help get them in this mess? Ben wants him and he is going to give him just what he wants.
Watching their argument are among others the X-Men. Is he going to get into this? Jean Grey asks her husband, Cyclops, who wisely chooses to refrain.
Madelyne steps closer to Spider-Man and warns him not to get on her bad side. Aren’t they currently on her bad side? he shouts back, because from where he is standing it looks pretty bad! Madelyne snaps that Limbo is a wilderness of pain and she won’t apologize because their world saw a small fraction of it. But she is trying to help now. His clone is ten times stronger than the last time he beat Spider-Man, so what makes him think he can win now? Spidey retorts. Ben hates him so much, it makes him stupid, or did she think his plan to take Spider-Man to Limbo and feed him fruit was evil genius stuff?
Taken aback, Madelyne admits he has a point. Spider-Man presses his point that he can accept them being on the same side. But they have to let him do this. With him! Rek-Rap, the other Spider guy! Rek-Rap shouts. Spider-Man agrees with a sigh.
And them? J. Jonah Jameson asks fearfully, referring to himself and ‘Robbie’ Roberson. Are going home, Spidey replies. Thank God, Jonah mutters.
Standing with the X-Men, Madelyne announces that Chasm’s demon army is traitorous. She can busy herself showing them her displeasure. She hopes everyone is ready for a fight. A fight he can do, her ex-husband Cyclops promises.
In Manhattan, Chasm and Hallow’s Eve are parading through the streets accompanied, by their demons. Suddenly, an especially destructive demon gets hit by an optic blast. Hi, they are their neighbors, Cyclops, flanked by his team, announces. Can they keep it down?
Chasm orders his Insidious Six to kill the X-Men.
A little distance away, a Mysterio demon recognizes Madelyne. The fallen queen, another demon leers. Hallow’s Eve mocks that she wants her scythe back. Poor baby, Chasm replies before giving the order to kill her.
Seemingly disinterested, Madelyne addresses the red creature behind her. She is glad he accepted her invitation to join her. She made many mistakes during the course of this misadventure, but she has to say he is her favorite. The creature tears apart the Mysterio demon and a smirking Madelyne introduces him as Eddie Brock. Bedlam, he corrects her. She explains she took his memories away, and to her surprise he liked it. Unfortunately for them, it’s not the only thing he likes. She tells him to have fun, as the Spider-villain demons look rather frightened before he tears into them.
Chasm, in the meantime, is busy addressing the Limbo troops, giving orders for them to attack Madelyne. Spider-Man joins them and observes Ben got big and weird. He is not the only one, Hallow’s Eve shoots back, referring to Rep-Rak. Spidey shrugs, musing that he was a good influence on one of the demons.
Hallow’s Eve decides to weird up too. She takes a wolfmask from her costume and puts it on her face, turning into a werewolf. Spidey suggests Rep-Rak take her and the demon agrees enthusiastically
One demon traps Magik’s Soulsword in his tentacles. Forge offers Synch, who is beating up demons a vine gun, but he isn’t interested. Iceman and Firestar work together against two demons, as do Jean and Cyclops. Jean states that this is taking too long. Cyclops calls Magik, who is still busy trying to get back he sword. She can take him, she insists. Finally, she gives in to Cyclops’ urging and teleports all the demons away. Cyclops notices Havok isn’t with them.
Elsewhere, Madelyne is pleased at how Bedlam has beaten all her foes. She trusts his hunger is sated. More, he demands. Havok appears and asks if that guy is bothering her. Bedlam breaks into laughter. Madelyne shushes him, pointing out, he tries. That’s not what he is laughing at, Bedlam replies and points behind Alex, where there seems to be every demon in Limbo ready to attack them. Madelyne figures he has a strange sense of humor.
They are joined by the X-Men, who situate themselves between Madelyne and the demon army. They’ve got her, Jean calls out. Madelyne stutters a thank you and Jean tells her she is family. Madelyne smiles half-heartedly, still trying to get used to that thought.
Elsewhere, Rek-Rap is still fighting Hallow’s Eve, who figures she needs more brute strength and takes out a Frankenstein’s monster mask.
Spider-Man evades Chasm’s blows, while trying to reach him. He attempts to web up the scythe and gets whirled around with it as Chasm shouts that he is not calling the shots anymore!
As Rek-Rap watches helplessly, Chasm beats Spider-Man up, shouting Peter wouldn’t share his life with him, but now he has the Scythe and his life has no use to him anymore!
He grabs him by the throat, when suddenly a new voice shouts that there are some things he cannot steal from a man - like his friends! It’s the Golden Goblin and Ms. Marvel.
Thank God! Chasm mocks. He heard the dramatic entrance and was positive it was going to be the Avengers, but instead it’s two losers he has already beaten!
Elsewhere, Madelyne is overwhelmed by rebellious demons and Havok gets ready to help, but Madelyne commands him back.
A moment and an explosion later, she stands free, clad in her original Goblin Queen outfit. No more of that! she commands and all the demons are suitably impressed. Anyone who believes it is the scythe that makes her dangerous, step forward! she orders. So she can eat their face. Smartly, the demons bow. And Madelyne smiles.
In the meantime, the Golden Goblin keeps Chasm busy while Ms Marvell attacks Hallow’s Eve (who is now a vampire).
Chasm scoffs that all the demons of Limbo are at his command. Were! comes Cyclops’s voice. All the demons of Limbo were at his command.
Forge fires his vine gun at Chasm to bind him and Cyclops, Jean and Synch attack Chasm together. A horrified Hallow’s Eve runs to his side, this time no longer looking like a monster but just like Janine. They threw everything at him, he mutters weakly. Then they throw it back! she decides and orders him to get up. He tells her he was supposed to protect her… they are not gonna win this… Janine doesn’t care. She’ll never leave him. He knows and apologizes, then uses the Scythe to teleport her to safety. He then attacks the demon army while shouting wildly, do they think he doesn’t know pain?
Madelyne stops the fight and grabs the Scythe of Sorrows. She sees him, she tells Ben. She sees his pain and she sees he has to be stopped.
She is joined by Magik, who takes him out with her soulsword. The scythe is back in Madelyne’s hands and, with it, rulership of Limbo. Spider-Man tells Chasm he is sorry. Cyclops wants to take Chasm into custody. Madelyne forbids it. She explains the man carries a wound in his soul. The wound of being forgotten, replaced. It marks him as one of hers. He is a citizen of Limbo. Cyclops protests he has to pay for what he has done She replies that he will, in a manner of her choosing. She asks him to respect her wishes. She asks him to see her as she sees herself: Queen of Limbo… not a nothing person ruling a nowhere place. Spider-Man chimes in that he wants Ben where he can keep an eye on him. Anything can be solved with a little diplomacy, Madelyne replies and Cyclops asks what she has in mind. Madelyne smiles. She thought he‘d never ask…
Months later in springtime:
Chasm sits in what appears to be peaceful jungle on the branch of a tree, refusing to look at an agitated Spider-Man, who complains he’s spent ages trying to clean up Ben’s mess. He still hasn’t found Janine or his demonic superfan, but he still wants to know Ben’s okay. And he had to come so far to do it, Ben mocks, finally looking at him. Bravo, real Spider-Man, bravo!
Spidey insists he wants to help Ben, but he has to give him something. Let him know there is still some Ben Reilly in there. In silent reply, Ben puts on his Chasm mask.
A demonic guard shouts time’s up and orders Spider-Man out of what is a magical cell. Outside, Madelyne is expecting Spider-Man, who is surprised at her kindness towards Chasm. She explains that Ben fully confessed to leading the attack on New York City. His repentance should be rewarded. She is through holding grudges, Madelyne smiles.
Addressing her as Maddie, Havok announces Jean and Scott are here. She gently reprimands him to call her Madelyne when she is working and ushers Spider-Man out.
Madelyne and Alex join Jean and Cyclops, who is surprised that, even though the Krakoan delegate helped to smooth things over, the US government went for it. Madelyne points out she made it clear if they didn’t develop normal relations, things might become even more abnormal next time.
Jean hesitatingly asks if she knows what she is doing. Madelyne explains that, for too long, Limbo held the spirits no one wanted to face, the parts of themselves people meant to condemn to darkness. Nothing heals in darkness. She will open her arms to the rejected ones, the ones who have fallen so far, they’ve been starved of light.
On her order, Alex opens the curtains. She will offer them a home, she announces and looks outside her Limbo Embassy to the streets of Manhattan. No more hiding…
Anyone got any mail? a demonic mailbox asks.
