SPIDER-MAN - Episode 18 - "The Rise of Doc Ock Pt.4"
The final chapter of the Dr. Octopus origin story begins with Spider-Man and Miles Morales trying to actually break IN to the NY Penitentiary to see if Raymond Warren AKA The Jackal is actually in his jail cell. After breaking in they do find someone in the jail cell but UH OH! it's actually a Bomb-Bot. The Warren clone explodes sending green goo all over Spidey. That's the least of his problems as alarms start going off like crazy. The duo make it outside but get themselves surrounded by prison guards. Miles instantly goes stealth mode invisible. Yikes!
Miles runs off and webs up the searchlight. This distraction allows Spidey to slip away and the two get away using Spidey's slingshot maneuver. The two stop on top of a building to discuss Norman Osborn and the Jackal. Spidey is worried about his best friend Harry Osborn so he decides he must warn him as soon as possible. Miles agrees and flies away with his own set of web wings that he's crafted for himself.
Peter talks to Harry in his lab at Oscorp and tells him Spider-Man told him that the Jackal is still alive and not destroyed like Norman Osborn claims. Harry freaks out and yells at Peter for yet again trusting Spider-Man, even after he attempted to kill Warren in jail. Peter defends Spidey of course, telling Harry the clones of the Jackal are meant to distract from something bigger. Harry doesn't care and kicks Peter out...but after Peter leaves Harry picks up his phone and calls his father.
Back at Horizon High Gwen walks up to Peter asking if he's heard about Spider-Man and her uncle Raymond? Peter confidently tells her that her real uncle is still alive. He wonders if there might be a clue at his home so the two decide to head over there. Funny moment here when Gwen tells Peter to hop on her bike with her. One because we know he's not used to such slow travel and Two because maybe there's something there with Gwen, foreshadowing their possible romance? But the plans change when Harry shows up in his limo. He tells them he believes Peter that his father may be in danger and its up to him to save him because his father still believes he defeated the Jackal. The two take him up on his offer to drive them and they all head to the Warren home.
After a brief search of the Warren home Gwen breaks down. The boys tell her not to get down and that they will always help her. Peter finds an invoice for a storage place and the crew is off. The storage facility is basically a large empty wherehouse with one computer set up right in the middle of the room. Nothing odd about that at all. The three approach and suddenly a laser DNA scanner activates. It detects Harry and mistakes him for his father. A pre-recorded message for Norman Osborn plays and the Jackal appears and talks about Harry's spider experiment. Harry sees the truth for himself just as laser cannons pop up from the ground. Peter, Gwen, and Harry run away but Peter gets stuck behind by a large sliding door.
A great scene follows in which regular old Peter Parker gets to have fun taking out an assortment of laser cannons. He channels Captain America and uses a garbage can lid to take out a blaster. He cutely mispronounces Thor's hammer Mjolnir using a cannon like a hammer to smash down on offending blasters. The door opens and somehow Gwen and Harry buy Peter's bogus excuse as to why the cannons are all demolished. Gwen hacks the computer and discovers a Midtown High IP address so away we go again.
Inside the Midtown High records room the gang is working together looking for clues when Peter notices some scratch marks on the floor. The desk moves to reveal a giant lab hidden under the school! The crew looks around down below and Harry finds his spider experiment and immediately calls his father. Harry played Peter! Norman told Harry he does want to destroy Spider-Man because he's part of the Jackal's spider army. Peter knows this is not true and tells Harry but he won't listen.
In another part of the lab Gwen finds dozens of Jackal/Spider clones growing inside giant tubes. Harry tries to stop the experiment and alarms go off. The clones emerge from their tubes, threatening the three kids. BOOM!
The Oscommandos show up! Rhino, Vulture, Ollie, SpiderSlayer, Doc Ock, and Norman Osborn all appear to save the day. Harry jumps into action and puts on a battle mask and picks up his fire sword. Norman tells Harry to fall back and get to safety, Harry doesn't want to but eventually listens. In a neat scene Harry and Pete discuss the science of the flame sword and how Harry improved it as they are running for their lives. Conveniently a crash separates the group so Peter can change clothes and Spider-Man joins the fray. Immediately he saves Ollie from a Jackal clone, causing it to explode in goo. Otto explains they are not fully formed yet.
We get some great comic book/action animation here as the team works well together in defeating the Jackal clone army. The Vulture scream blasts a few clones apart as Norman goes to destroy all the tech. Otto tries to stop him as he wants to save some of the research for himself but Norman won't have it. Suddenly the Jackal himself appears. He punches Norman and Norman commands the Oscorp Security Force to attack the Jackal. But they don't! Instead Otto laughs. He has placed mind control devices on all the kids and they only listen to him now. Octavius has allied with the Jackal and switched sides. He picks up Norman using his mechanical arms and throws him across the room. Otto declares that he is now Doctor Octopus! And his Sinister 5 with him. He makes a joke that 6 sounded better but Harry got away.
Spidey swings in and it is on! Doc Ock and the Jackal attack Spider-Man in a great scene of thrilling action. Spidey keeps them both, and the Sinister 5 busy as Norman wakes up and goes to destroy the spider experiment. As he does so a giant cloud of green gas blasts into him and starts causing the machine to explode. Otto throws Spider-Man and commands the Sinister 5 to evacuate which they, he, and the Jackal do. An explosion goes off sending a wall falling down toward Norman. Spidey jumps in and manages to catch the wall just in time. Gwen and Harry come running in. Norman tells Spider-Man to save his son instead of him. Spidey grabs Harry and Gwen and retreats. They make it out just in time as Midtown High explodes!
Spidey goes to say he's sorry but Harry ignites his flame sword and takes a swing at him, demanding to know why he didn't save his father. Spidey tells him couldn't save everyone and that his father told him to save his son. Harry won't hear it and tells him to leave.
The episode ends with some questions answered and many others left unanswered, just as a good show should. It also ends with a hand emerging up from the rubble. Perhaps with the end of the rise of Doc Ock its time to see the rise of the Green Goblin? One can only hope.
