"Gang War" is a 2023 storyline published by Marvel Comics. It was created by Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr. The story involves Spider-Man and the local superheroes working to deal with a gang war between the different families after Tombstone was shot and the crime families plan to take over the criminal underworld.
Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 6 #39, Deadly Hands of Kung Fu: Gang War #1, and Luke Cage: Gang War #2 were dedicated in memory of Keith Giffen who died from a stroke on October 9, 2023. Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 6 #40, Luke Cage: Gang War #3, Miles Morales: Spider-Man Vol. 2 #14, and Spider-Woman Vol. 8 #2 saluted the retirement of Alison Gill.
The event overall received mixed to negative reviews, with criticism directed towards Romita's artwork, the large number of tie-ins, pacing, inconsistent character arcs, and the lack of focus on Peter Parker's Spider-Man. However, the ongoing titles for Miles Morales: Spider-Man and Spider-Woman in the event were positively received.
Publication history
Gang War details the various crime families of New York City going to war after Tombstone is shot by Shotgun during the wedding of Janice Lincoln and Randy Robertson. With the crime families blaming each other for calling the hit and planning to take over the criminal underworld, Spider-Man works to keep the gang war from getting worse with help from the local superheroes while also dealing with anti-vigilante laws that cause all the sides to come into conflict with the NYPD.[1][2]
As Spider-Man and Rek-Rap deal with Re-Po, who seeks to return the latter and other demons to Limbo, Hammerhead talks with his branch of the Maggia, and Count Nefaria arrives and agrees to take the blame for the incident.[4] As the gangsters of New York City meet to divide Tombstone's territory, New York City mayor Luke Cage learns of a movement to repeal Wilson Fisk's Anti-Vigilante Act. Amidst this, Randy Robertson is shot by unidentified gunmen and hospitalized.[5][6][7]
At Manhattan City Hall, Cage holds a press conference to address the increased crime rate in the city. He battles Alistair Smythe, who was believed to be dead, and enlists Cloak and Dagger to battle the gangs.[a][8]
In The Bronx, Spider-Woman fights Armadillo and learns that he is working for Helmut Zemo in exchange for being returned to his human form. Meanwhile, Jessica Drew / Spider-Woman searches for her missing son Gerry and learns of the restoration of the Web of Life and Destiny.[b] At Financial District, Manhattan, Spider-Woman infiltrates a nightclub and battles Diamondback, who is working with Hydra. Afterwards, she agrees to work with Spider-Man to battle the gangs.[9]
Main plot
In Central Park, the Ringmaster brainwashes numerous civilians to form an army and battle Crime Master and A.I.M. before Spider-Man and Spider-Woman defeat the latter. Elektra heads off to deal with the trouble in Hell's Kitchen, Spider-Woman goes to Downtown to confront Diamondback, Miles Morales heads to Brooklyn, and Spider-Man asks She-Hulk to deal with Monster Metropolis. Meanwhile, Beetle and the Syndicate battle Black Mariah for control of Spanish Harlem, and Tombstone agrees to work with Spider-Man.[10]
In the Meatpacking District, Manhattan, the Tracksuit Mafia are planning to attack the Inner Demons until Tombstone, Spider-Man, and She-Hulk stop them. Meanwhile, Tombstone plans to stop the gang war by making a deal with Fisk, and Madame Masque assumes leadership of the Maggia.[11]
Spider-Man, She-Hulk, and Tombstone meet with Fisk and learn that his son Rose has been drawn into the gang war and is making a play for territory and revenge. However, Tombstone and Fisk begin fighting before Spider-Man and She-Hulk stop them. Meanwhile, at Sugar Hill, Beetle, Electro, Lady Octopus, Scorpia, and White Rabbit battle Rose and Digger, with the latter ripping off Octopus' tentacles and Beetle's wings.[12]
After the battle, Beetle and White Rabbit take in Digger, who Fisk's men abandoned. Meanwhile, Madame Masque is revealed to have been mind-controlling Shotgun, and obtains special gauntlets from Rabble.[13]
At the Harlem Hospital Center, Spider-Man visits Randy Robertson before meeting with Elektra, Miles, Spider-Woman, She-Hulk, and Tombstone on the rooftop. In Central Park, Beetle and her fellow gang members battle Madame Masque and her army for territory. Amidst this, Shotgun is freed from Masque's control and is revealed to have been sent by the U.S. government to assassinate the gang lords of New York until Masque got him.[14]
Ultimately, Masque's army is defeated, the Anti-Vigilante Act is officially repealed, Beetle leaves New York City, and Tombstone takes over the criminal underworld without other gangsters to challenge him.[15]
Subplots
Daredevil: Gang War
In Hell's Kitchen, Elektra battles the Heat, which are led by Rafael Scarfe and have battled her and Daredevil before.[c] An unidentified assassin interrupts the battle, enabling Scarfe to escape. After returning to her apartment, Elektra assumes that the assassin is working for the Hand, despite Matt Murdock previously sacrificing himself to destroy the Beast of the Hand.[d] Elektra is then visited by Owl, who proposes a truce.[16]
Later, Elektra fights the Hand again and learns that the assassin is X-23's clone Bellona. However, Bellona escapes after using a smoke bomb. Afterwards, Spider-Man contacts Elektra and enlists her to fight Madame Masque.[17][18]
Luke Cage: Gang War
At City Hall, Cage contacts Danny Rand to put a team together. Meanwhile, Alistair Smythe's Spider-Slayers break into Ryker's Island, with Cage enlisting Rand, Jessica Jones, and Cloak and Dagger to fight them. They attack Smythe's laboratory before he escapes and sets his laboratory to self-destruct.[19][20] Cage later obtains a powered armor dubbed the "Cagebuster" and uses it to battle the Spider-Slayers. Afterwards, the police consider arresting Cage for violating the Anti-Vigilante Act, but decide against it after he saves their lives.[21]
Miles Morales: Spider-Man
At Misty Knight's safe house, Miles talks with Doc Samson's protege Keisha Kwan about Spider-Man and how he was missing for several months. Meanwhile, Knight and Colleen Wing battle the Cape-Killers, and Hobgoblin approaches the Prowler to propose an alliance.[22]
Later, in Brooklyn, the Prowler approaches the Enforcers to give them weaponry in exchange for killing Spider-Man. Meanwhile, Miles, Misty, and Colleen get into an altercation with the Cape-Killers, while Starling enlists Miles' clone Shift to help Miles. Miles and the Cape-Killers form a temporary truce to investigate Hobgoblin's activities in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, where they get into an altercation with the Enforcers and the Prowler. After the Enforcers are defeated and Starling arrives with Shift and Ms. Marvel, the Prowler reveals himself as a double agent working for Hobie Brown to stop the Hobgoblin. The combined group confronts Hobgoblin at his hideout, where it is revealed that Rabble is supplying him with her tech. Although Hobgoblin is defeated, Rabble manages to flee. Miles learns that Madame Masque has assembled an army with Rabble in Central Park and leaves to help Peter end the gang wars once and for all.[23][24][25]
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu: Gang War
Wanting to the deter the rival gangs from threatening Chinatown but also keeping his battle-hungry soldiers satisfied, Shang-Chi has the Five Weapons Society minimally involved in the gang wars. Spider-Man confronts Shang-Chi for his involvement with the other crime families, but Shang-Chi reassures him otherwise. Believing that his actions are weakening the Society, Shang-Chi's lieutenant Captain Feng stages a coup and attempts to steal the Ten Rings. Having anticipated this, Shang-Chi thwarts the coup but Feng has his sorcerers seal the Rings before fleeing, leaving Shang-Chi without his weapons.[26]
Shang-Chi sends written messages to Mister Negative, Lady Yulan, and Diamondback, challenging each of them to single combat for control of Chinatown. Just as Shang-Chi planned, this ends up pitting the three crime lords against each other, which keeps Chinatown further safe from the gang violence.[27]
Despite his successes, Shang-Chi's girlfriend Delilah Wang chastises him for his recklessness while Cage gathers Spider-Man, Danny Rand, She-Hulk, and Tombstone to confront Shang-Chi. The heroes arrive at the Society's headquarters just as the Inner Demons, Clan Yulan, and Hydra attack it; Shang-Chi escapes in the ensuing confusion. At the Ten Rings' seal, Shang-Chi encounters Captain Feng and his turncoat sorcerers and defeats them after tricking them into releasing the Rings. After Chinatown is secured, Shang-Chi reconciles with Delilah before leaving to join Spider-Man and the other heroes.[28]
Spider-Woman
Spider-Woman works to take down Diamondback, and meets with Tilda Johnson, who is no longer known as Nightshade.[e] She infiltrates Hydra's Typhon Group location in Battery Park before being attacked by Green Mamba. However, Madame Web rescues her and tells her that her connection to the Web of Life and Destiny weakened after it was restored, with her thoughts being white noise.[29][f] Spider-Woman tells Web about her son Gerry, who nobody remembers the existence of. The two eventually discover that Gerry was kidnapped by Hydra, rapidly aged into an adult to serve them as Green Mamba, and wiped from public knowledge via mass brainwashing.[30] After stopping the Hydra agents, Spider-Woman vows to rescue Gerry.[31]
Spider-Man Unlimited
During the gang wars, Spider-Boy works to reclaim the F.E.A.S.T. building from the Inner Demons. However, he is attacked by rats, and learns that they are a larger threat than the Demons. The rats corner him and his friend Christina Xu, but flee as Vermin appears outside.[32][33][34][35]
Jackpot
As Jackpot, Mary Jane Watson works to get people out of the crossfire of the gang war. She battles Menagerie members Armadillo and Man-Bull with Spider-Man and She-Hulk before being attacked by Electro. However, Jackpot's powered gauntlet malfunctions during the battle, leading Spider-Man to suggest that she should repair it soon.[36]
Aftermath
In Hell's Kitchen, Elektra battles A.I.M. agents who evaded capture before encountering Bellona. They fight before Bellona falls off a building and is presumed dead. However, Elektra believes that Bellona survived after being unable to find her body.[37]
Rabble infiltrates a Roxxon tech depot and accesses one of their computers, planning to attack Miles Morales soon. Meanwhile, in Brooklyn, Miles goes to therapy and Julia Gao meets with Cage to inform him that Fisk's law is being repealed and that the Cape-Killers are disbanding. Later at Misty Knight's warehouse, Miles informs her, Miss Marvel, Shift, and Starling of Rabble's weapon supplying to criminals, planning to reason with her.[g] Meanwhile, Gao meets with Rabble to propose an alliance.[38]
Gang War territories
In the beginning of every issue, a map detailing the different territories ruled by each crime lord in New York City is displayed and constantly updated each issue whenever ownership changes during the story. Territories liberated by Spider-Man and his allies are marked with spider-symbols.[6]
Financial District, Manhattan, Greenwich Village, and Tribeca were formerly run by Madame Masque and contested until claimed by Diamondback with backing from Hydra. Madame Masque regained these territories after Diamondback and his Hydra allies faced separate defeats to Spider-Woman and Shang-Chi.
Midtown Manhattan, NoHo, Manhattan and Bowery were run by Mister Negative. Mister Negative first lost control of Midtown to Madame Masque offscreen and eventually his remaining territories to her after the Inner Demons were defeated by Shang-Chi.
The Upper West Side was run by Owl until Madame Masque captured him and added his territories to her own.
Ridgewood, Queens was run by the Enforcers until Hobgoblin got them to side with him. Hobgoblin claimed the territory after the Enforcers were defeated by the Cape-Killers but lost them after his defeat by Spider-Man (Miles) and his allies.
According to ComicbookRoundup, the entire event received an average rating of 6.8 out of 10 based on 104 reviews.[39] Tim Rooney from Comicsbeat wrote "If this were Marvel Universe: Gang War, I could imagine giving this a recommendation. But for a story in Amazing Spider-Man, it is disappointing, and another example of how this title is held back by editorial and publishing demands to keep Peter Parker frozen in amber."[40]
