However, there are some aspects of Peter's life that are regressing to the way they were before. His friend, Flash Thompson, has awoken from a coma and reverted to the bully he used to be in high school, completely forgetting that he and Peter were best friends for many years.

And J. Jonah Jameson, whose hate for Spider-Man was assuaged after Peter Parker convinced him that his own son, John Jameson, was actually the famous web-slinger, has now realized that Peter intentionally misled him. To get even, he has agreed to fund a charity wrestling match between Spider-Man and an enigmatic wrestler known as El Muerto.

El Muerto's past is a mystery to most, but it is said that a mystical wrestling god known as El Dorado murdered his father and promised to take his life next if he did not best a champion fighter and claim his mask.

During the match, El Muerto's strength and determination were almost enough to unmask Spider-Man, but at the crucial moment, a poisonous stinger reflexively sprung from the wall-crawler's wrist and injured the wrestler.

This is where this issue picks up.

ACT 1: J. Jonah Jameson and Robbie Robertson are visiting El Muerto at the hospital. His usual self, Jonah accuses Spider-Man of cheating, while Robbie argues that Spidey was as surprised as anybody when his stingers came out of his wrists. Suddenly, it gets darker in the hospital room.

ACT 2: Miles away, Spider-Man and Iron Man are enjoying flying together and are discussing Spidey's recent death and subsequent rebirth and arguing over whether he received his powers through science or magic.

ACT 3: Back at the hospital, El Muerto awakens to find J. Jonah Jameson and Robbie Robertson staring at him. But they are not alone. Standing silent behind them is a man cloaked in a golden suit and mask. The man's presence in the room finally comes to Jonah's attention.

ACT 4: Aunt May and Jarvis, the Avengers butler are going out on a date together. Unbeknownst to either of them, they are being watched by a man in a dark alley.

ACT 5: Back at the hospital, the man introduces himself, he is El Dorado and he tells Jonah and Robbie to step aside or die. El Muerto is frightened because he knows El Dorado has come to kill him. Feeling courageous, Jonah confronts El Dorado and tells him that, as the publisher of the Daily Bugle, he can demolish his wrestling reputation with a single editorial. He adds that the pen is mightier than the sword. On those words, El Dorado takes out these two huge swords from underneath his cape and prepares to kill both Robbie and Jonah. On cue, Spider-Man crashes through the window to come to their help. El Dorado and him immediately engage into battle, which spreads out into the halls of the hospital. Once again, Spidey's stingers spring out at an opportune moment, basically preventing his head from being cut off at the shoulders. Spidey tries to web up his adversary but the latter tears through his webbing like butter. Spidey continues his attack when one of his stingers suddenly and unwillingly springs out of his wrist and proceeds to stab El Dorado in the chest. The stinger causes no damage to El Dorado however, because his mystical gold armor deflects it. El Dorado then proceeds to grab hold of Spidey and throw him into the ceiling.

ACT 6: Meanwhile at Avengers Tower, Tony Stark, checks up on Mary Jane's arm, which was broken several weeks ago. Tony tries to gain MJ's trust but MJ is still suspicious about Tony's motives and explains that she is used to the world looking at her husband, Peter, with suspicion, which causes her to look back at the world the same way. She tells Tony that he is a good friend but worries things could change. Tony wonders what could possibly change it.

ACT 7: Back at the hospital, Spidey has fled into a lab, where he hides behind a counter and mixes some kind of chemicals together. El Dorado finds him and prepares to finish what he started. Suddenly, El Muerto shows up and tries to stop El Dorado from killing Spidey. El Dorado attacks El Muerto, who defends himself admirably against his attack. El Muerto sends El Dorado crashing through the ground but El Dorado is quickly back on his feet and sends El Muerto crashing into shards of glass lying on the floor. El Dorado is walking towards El Muerto and readying himself to kill him, deeming his attack on him "futile heroics". Just then, Spidey reappears from his hiding place and proceeds to throw a vial of "aqua regia", which is Latin for "royal water", at El Dorado's chest. As El Dorado's gold armor begins to dissolve, Spidey explains that he used his knowledge of science and proceeded to mix nitric acid and concentrated hydrochloric acid in a one-to-three ratio to form "aqua regia", a reagents that can dissolve noble metals, such as platinum and gold. El Dorado's skin exposed, Spidey proceeds to take his opponent out with three solid punches, sending him crashing into a hall closet, where he somehow disappears.

ACT 8: Miles away, Aunt May and Jarvis are enjoying supper together when May suddenly sees her long-time deceased husband, Uncle Ben, in the flesh, staring at her through one of the restaurant's main windows.

To be continued.