THE NEOGENIC NIGHTMARE
Chapter V
The fragile trust that was built in the first half of the crossover is taken in this one and shattered. Wolverine believes Spider-Man has led Beast into captivity, and the two heroes clash with feral intensity. It isn’t just a fight — it’s a collision of suspicion and pride, two men defined by their instincts, each convinced the other is guilty. The episode thrives on mistrust, showing how even allies can become enemies when fear clouds judgement.
Herbert Landon’s fall into monstrosity is the episode’s dark heart. His serum, meant to eradicate mutants, consumes him instead, transforming ideology into flesh. The grotesque, slug-like creature he becomes is more than a mutation — it is prejudice made visible, hatred given form. Landon doesn’t just lose his humanity; he reveals what hatred does when it metastasises unchecked. His body becomes the metaphor: fear of difference devouring itself until nothing remains but rage.
Genevieve’s revelation as a mutant reframes the conflict. She believed Landon’s promise of a cure, only to discover she was complicit in her own destruction. Her telekinesis saves the X-Men, but her story underscores the episode’s theme: betrayal isn’t only external. It can come from within, from trusting the wrong ideology, from believing salvation lies in erasure. Her arc mirrors Spider-Man’s own desperation for a cure, forcing him — and us — to confront the danger of mistaking acceptance for annihilation.
The climax isn’t about defeating Landon. It’s about recognising that prejudice, once unleashed, consumes everything. Spider-Man’s alliance with the X-Men is uneasy, forged in mistrust, but necessary. The episode closes not with triumph, but with scar tissue — Landon scarred, Genevieve exposed, Spider-Man reminded that his own mutation may carry him down the same path. Mutants’ Revenge is less a victory than a warning: hatred mutates, and once it does, it cannot be contained.
As Spider-Man and Wolverine clash over Beast’s disappearance, Hobgoblin seizes the distraction to infiltrate Landon’s building. Security identifies Wolverine as a mutant and launches a missile strike, but Spider-Man saves him and explains Hobgoblin’s claim that Landon intends to destroy all mutants. Reluctantly, the two agree to work together.
Inside, Landon’s assistant Genevieve tells Beast that she believes Landon’s plan to eradicate mutants is a mercy. Spider-Man and Wolverine fight their way through Landon’s guards, while Hobgoblin hacks into the system and steals his research. They interrupt the experiment, but Wolverine is nearly subjected to the serum himself. Kingpin’s informant Lewald departs, realising Landon never intended to create a mutant army. Hobgoblin escapes with Landon’s data, and Landon falls into his own serum.
Spider-Man rescues Beast and Wolverine, but Landon mutates into a grotesque, slug-like creature. He abducts Genevieve and drains the city’s electrical grid, growing ever larger. The X-Men arrive in the Blackbird to assist, but Landon’s weight drags the ship down until Genevieve reveals her telekinesis, saving them and exposing herself as a mutant. Landon’s mutation is partially reversed, leaving him scarred, and he is taken away in an ambulance.
The X-Men offer Genevieve guidance under Xavier, and thank Spider-Man for his aid. As the dust settles, Spider-Man learns that Dr. Mariah Crawford has returned to New York — a glimmer of hope for his own worsening mutation.
Thwip Quip: To Wolverine: “Subtlety’s not your strong point is it?” Also: “Yup, claws are definitely more fun then doors.”
A newspaper report can be seen on Kraven’s last appearance in Kraven the Hunter, which presumably Peter took a photograph for.
This is the only time in the animated universe we see Beast in his human form. No such flashback to this event happens in the X-Men series. The flashback is adapted from Amazing Adventures, which featured Hank become more ape-like.
X-Cess Minutiae 
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