2×11: Tablet of Time

THE NEOGENIC NIGHTMARE
Chapter XI

This episode is about the lure of immortality, and the chaos that follows when men of power believe they can bend time itself to their will. The tablet becomes a mirror, reflecting the obsessions of those who covet it: Silvermane’s desperation to reclaim youth, Kingpin’s hunger for control, and Spider-Man’s fragile hope that it might cure his mutation. Each faction sees salvation in its surface, but what it offers is corruption.

The theme is legacy versus decay. Silvermane, a crime lord whose empire is crumbling, clings to the tablet as a way to cheat death. Kingpin, already master of the city’s underworld, seeks it as leverage to tighten his grip. Spider-Man, caught between them, wonders if it might restore his humanity. The artefact is not treasure. It is a test — of how far each will go to deny the inevitable.

The episode thrives on collision. Smythe’s Mega-Slayer storms through E.S.U., tearing Connors’ lab apart to seize the tablet. Tombstone enters the fray, ruthless and unyielding, his presence a reminder that violence is the only currency in this war. Even Connors himself is pulled into the struggle, his scientific curiosity shadowed by the danger of mutation. Every player is drawn into the orbit of the tablet, each convinced it will rewrite their fate.

Tablet of Time is about the futility of trying to master mortality. The artefact does not promise peace, only obsession. For Spider-Man, it is another reminder that shortcuts to salvation come at a cost. For Silvermane, it is the last grasp of a dying man. For Kingpin, it is power disguised as eternity. The episode ends not with triumph, but with the question that haunts every hand that touches the tablet: if time could be conquered, would it heal — or destroy?

Deep in a jungle pyramid, archaeologists uncover the Tablet of Time — an artefact whispered to hold the secret of eternal life. Its arrival at Empire State University under Dr. Curt Connors draws the gaze of New York’s criminal elite. Kingpin and Silvermane both covet its power, each moving their pawns into place. Silvermane dispatches Hammerhead to intercept the shipment, but Spider-Man intervenes. The battle is brutal, ending with Peter hurled into a fish-processing machine, narrowly escaping dismemberment. The tablet survives, but the war for it has only begun.

At Silvermane’s empire, Hammerhead’s failure earns him scorn. Seeking new allegiance, he approaches Kingpin, who agrees to test his loyalty. Kingpin summons Alistair Smythe, demanding completion of his latest creation — the Mega-Slayer, a towering machine built to retrieve the tablet. The stage is set for escalation: science weaponised, loyalty fractured, and the tablet’s promise of immortality hanging over them all.

Meanwhile, Dr. Connors studies the artefact at E.S.U., believing it may cure Spider-Man’s mutation. Peter’s hope flickers, but before the experiment can begin, Smythe’s Mega-Slayer smashes through the lab, seizing the tablet. Spider-Man fights desperately, but Kingpin’s pressure forces Smythe to withdraw. Realising Connors is essential to unlocking the tablet’s secrets, Smythe turns his hunt toward the scientist. As Peter returns to the university to check on Connors, he encounters Alisa Silvermane, who unexpectedly asks him out — a moment of human vulnerability amid the chaos.

The Mega-Slayer crashes into Connors’s home, triggering his transformation into the Lizard. Confused, Smythe kidnaps Margaret instead, demanding Spider-Man deliver Connors to the Empire State Building within six hours. At the same time, Silvermane recruits Tombstone, who kidnaps Vanessa Fisk to leverage the tablet from Kingpin. Tombstone then targets Connors at E.S.U., just as Spider-Man restores him to human form. The encounter culminates in a clash between Spider-Man and Tombstone, the tablet’s promise of immortality driving every faction into conflict.

ROGUE’S GALLERY

TOMBSTONE

Tombstone first appeared in Web of Spider-Man #36, created by Gerry Conway and Alex Saviuk. Known as Lonnie Thompson Lincoln, he is one of Spider-Man’s most formidable crime lords — an albino enforcer with sharpened teeth, impenetrable skin, and superhuman strength. His rise from Harlem street thug to feared mob boss makes him one of the darker, more grounded figures in Spider-Man’s rogues’ gallery.

Tombstone’s stories often intertwine with Peter Parker’s personal life. He has deep ties to Robbie Robertson, the Daily Bugle editor, who once witnessed Lincoln commit murder as a teenager and carried the guilt of silence for years. This personal connection elevates Tombstone beyond a typical gangster: he is a reminder of the moral compromises ordinary people make when faced with fear. Over time, Tombstone became a recurring adversary not only for Spider-Man but also for Daredevil, clashing with other crime lords like Kingpin and Hammerhead while carving out his own empire. His durability and ruthlessness make him nearly unstoppable in street-level combat, but his true menace lies in his ability to manipulate and intimidate.

Tombstone endures because he represents the collision of crime and corruption with the superhero world. Unlike villains driven by science experiments or cosmic power, Tombstone is a man who chose brutality and built himself into a legend of fear. His chalk-white skin and filed teeth make him monstrous, but his true horror lies in his humanity — a criminal who thrives not on genius or mutation, but on intimidation, loyalty, and the willingness to do whatever it takes to survive.