Warning: contains spoilers for Giant-Size Spider-Man: King's Ransom #1 and Amazing Spider-Man #66!
The hits keep coming for resurrection of the Kingpin's son, Richard Fisk, aka the Rose. But unbeknownst to Spider-Man and his allies, these actions have also resulted in the release of two other villains from Ravencroft, as well as funding Boomerang's return to a life of crime.
In Giant-Size Spider-Man: King's Ransom #1, Spider-Man and Boomerang are successful in obtaining all of the pieces of the fabled Lifeline Tablet as Spider-Man's superhero allies fight to keep the city from becoming a warzone between warring criminals and supervillains. In a surprise twist, Fred betrays Spider-Man, revealing in a letter that almost their entire partnership was a long-term plan to gain Spider-Man's help in obtaining the tablet, successfully ending his feud with the Kingpin and allowing him to return to his life as a supervillain. Kingpin uses the tablet to resurrect his son Richard, the chaotic ganglord known as the Rose. What's especially frustrating for Spidey is that he vouched for Boomerang despite the protestations of his superhero allies, facilitating the return of a vicious killer.
In Amazing Spider-Man #66 - from Nick Spencer, Mark Bagley, John Dell, Brian Reber, and VC's Joe Caramagna - Spider-Man tries to distract himself from the guilt he feels for trusting Boomerang and how that led to the Rose's return, but unbeknownst to him, things are getting worse. Having resurrected his son through other means, Kingpin has no need for the incarcerated villain Kindred, sending sorcerer Baron Mordo to kill him. However, Kindred's father Norman Osborn anticipates this and counters with a plan of his own that hinges on the supervillain known as Spot. Spot - a killer in his own right - is released from Osborn's custody as part of their deal, at which point Kindred badly beats his father, now free to target Spider-Man's loved ones once again.
Spider-Man is well-respected by his allies, but one of the flaws that other Marvel heroes are most vocal about is his inability to work well with others. Had Spider-Man listened to the other heroes about trusting Boomerang, the villain would still be at odds with the Kingpin, Spot and Kindred would still be incarcerated in Ravencroft, and the Rose would still be dead. For a hero whose tragic first loss began with allowing a criminal to go free, this is a misstep that will truly sting once Peter understands the full consequences of his actions.
Spider-Man is so irable because his desire to do good outweighs whatever consequences might befall his professional or personal life. But in this case, it's a little harder to sympathize, since the consequences won't just affect Peter Parker, but all of New York. Each of these villains has been willing to kill in the past, making all four a danger not just to Spider-Man, but also other heroes and even the innocents Peter Parker has sworn - and on this occasion failed - to protect.
