Warning! This article contains spoilers for Devil's Reign #5
In the wake of the Kingpin’s assault on Marvel Comics superheroes, Spider-Man proves to his peers exactly why they shouldn’t trust him. The Kingpin has been successful in his schemes thus far by utilizing the mind control powers of the Purple Man leading to him ruling New York City with impunity. However, now that the Avengers know what he’s up to, they’re making significant moves against him, during which time Spider-Man shows his true colors.
In Devil’s Reign #5 by Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto, the Kingpin is losing his mind over the fact that he re Daredevil’s secret identity. Knowing the Daredevil is actually Matt Murdock has completely thrown Fisk off his game, and his obsession with killing the vigilante has made him violent and reckless. Instead of using the Purple Man to win votes for his presidential run, of which he dropped out, he sends the homicidal mind-controller after the Avengers and tells him to kill them all without a moment’s hesitation. Little does he know, the Avengers have devices that would neutralize the Purple Man’s powers, though because of who they got it from, Spider-Man has his doubts that it will work.
The devices the Avengers are gearing up to use against the Purple Man are called Neural Disruptors, pieces of tech that will keep them safe from the villain’s terrifying abilities. Spider-Man, however, doesn’t fully trust the Neural Disruptors, saying, “You saying these Purple Man 'Neural Disruptors' came from Emma Frost? Do we trust them to work? I mean, the X-Men are a little–” at which point he is cut off by Luke Cage reassuring him that they will work. Spider-Man’s lack of faith in the X-Men shows the other heroes that he isn’t a trustworthy Avenger. The X-Men have proven themselves as trustworthy allies throughout the many years of Marvel Comics continuity and don’t deserve Spider-Man’s doubt. If the X-Men haven’t earned Spider-Man’s trust, then all of the other heroes are at risk of Spider-Man’s skepticism, proving that he shouldn’t be trusted.
While the X-Men have built up their fair share of goodwill over the years making Spider-Man’s doubt in them a bit insulting, Spidey’s thought process in this situation isn’t unfounded. The X-Men have all but abandoned the rest of Marvel’s heroes during their greatest time of need. However, the X-Men have dedicated themselves to their own kind after they have been victimized time and again by the human race, during which time the other heroes were barely seen. In other words, the X-Men have their own problems and their own loyalties beyond humanity’s saviors.
The X-Men’s hands are tied in this situation as well as they represent an entire nation and aren’t just a militant group of heroes anymore. When they were based in New York, the X-Men were always ready and willing to help earth’s heroes including Spider-Man, and though this version Spider-Man is in fact Ben Reilly, the same still rang true. Now that the X-Men aren’t legally able to help their fellow heroes, Spider-Man immediately assumes they would actively hinder the Avengers’ operation. Because jumps to such a negatively unfounded conclusion about his fellow heroes just because of the current state of affairs, he shows exactly why other heroes shouldn’t trust him.
