THE SINS OF THE FATHER
Chapter VIII

The Ultimate Slayer marks the culmination of Alistair Smythe’s descent — from embittered scientist to cybernetic monster. Once the son who sought vengeance for his father’s death, Smythe is now remade by the Kingpin into a living weapon, stripped of humanity and bound to a hoverchair. His intellect remains, but his body is fused with machinery, his mind fractured between loyalty, obsession, and rage.

The theme is manipulation. Kingpin exploits Smythe’s genius and grief, turning him into the “Ultimate Spider-Slayer.” Yet beneath the circuits lies tragedy: a man consumed by vengeance, betrayed by the crime lord he serves, and haunted by the shadow of his father.

The conflict is inevitable. Spider-Man must face not only Smythe’s new power but the sorrow of a son who has sacrificed everything for revenge. Their battle is more than hero versus villain — it is a clash of humanity against obsession, of resilience against corruption.

Smythe’s transformation is not triumph but loss, a reminder that even brilliance can be twisted into monstrosity. In the end, The Ultimate Slayer is a story of vengeance, betrayal, and the fragile line between man and machine.

At the Daily Bugle, Peter learns of Mary Jane and Harry’s engagement. Soon after, Alistair Smythe calls, claiming to have evidence against the Kingpin. But Smythe is captured, rebuked for his failures, and transformed into something monstrous under Herbert Landon’s control.

Spider-Man arrives to meet him, only to be attacked by a robotic, reprogrammed Smythe. Madame Web intervenes, urging Spider-Man to consider why he must fight, not merely how. Smythe, driven by fractured memories, targets Norman Osborn and crashes Harry and Mary Jane’s engagement celebration, kidnapping Norman. Kingpin’s retrieval unit seizes Norman, Harry, and Mary Jane as well.

At Crime Central, Kingpin reveals Spencer Smythe is alive in cryogenic suspension. Spider-Man spies on the exchange but is discovered, and Landon unleashes Smythe once more. Spider-Man convinces him his father still lives, breaking the programming and turning Smythe against Kingpin.

As the building explodes, Kingpin and Landon escape. Smythe rescues his father’s suspension unit, while Spider-Man saves Norman, Harry, and Mary Jane.

In the aftermath, Mary Jane returns her ring to Harry. She asks Spider-Man to take her web-slinging, confessing she no longer loves Harry — and that her heart belongs elsewhere.

ROGUE’S GALLERY

ALISTAIR SMYTHE

Alistair Smythe is the son of Spencer Smythe, the scientist who built the original Spider-Slayers. When his father died from prolonged exposure to radioactive materials, Alistair inherited both his genius and his hatred for Spider-Man. Determined to continue his father’s legacy, he created new generations of Spider-Slayers, unleashing them against the wallcrawler in a relentless vendetta. His obsession with vengeance quickly consumed him, driving him deeper into crime and aligning him with powerful figures in New York’s underworld.

Over time, Smythe’s battles with Spider-Man left him paralysed from the waist down. Refusing to be broken, he encased himself in a bio-organic carapace that restored his mobility and granted him superhuman strength, speed, and durability. This transformation earned him the title of the “Ultimate Spider-Slayer,” a living weapon who could crawl walls, project artificial webbing, and wield razor-sharp talons. His new form made him more dangerous than ever, but also marked his descent into monstrosity — a man consumed by vengeance and stripped of humanity.

Smythe’s vendetta against Spider-Man continued across decades, resurfacing in arcs such as No Escape and Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy. He repeatedly rebuilt armies of Spider-Slayers, sought revenge against J. Jonah Jameson, and even orchestrated mass breakouts to lure Spider-Man into battle. Yet his story remains one of tragedy: a brilliant mind warped by obsession, a son defined by his father’s legacy, and a villain whose humanity was sacrificed to circuits and rage.

There are many flashbacks to Alistair’s first appearance in The Spider Slayer and it’s sequel Return of the Spider Slayers. This therefore counts as part three.

Landon uses the same chemical he used to alter mutants in Mutants’ Revenge to mutate Smythe into the Spider Slayer.

Thwip Quip: Smooth talk, straight at Mary Jane: “A winning combination. Scarlet O’Hara’s eyes and Bruce Lee’s moves. I think you’re ready for the big time.” Mary Jane’s response is worth a mention: “Gee, thanks Spider-Man. You could probably handle a leading role yourself.”

The Man Without Fear | Tombstone