PREVIOUSLY: Peter Parker's life over the past few months has been hit with constant waves of turmoil and torment, and events that have transpired during that time have directly and indirectly led to the demise of his beloved Aunt May, his clone Ben Reilly, and his newborn daughter. The pinnacle of all these events has undoubtedly been the return of Norman Osborn, the original Green Goblin, who had been thought dead since the fateful night where he was impaled by his own goblin glider during a deadly battle with Spider-Man. Not only was Norman revealed to be the mastermind behind the whole clone saga, he was also responsible for the murder of Ben Reilly during the fateful all-out battle that took place in Peter Parker: Spider-Man Volume 1 #75, the conclusion to the long-lasting ill-received clone saga.

Now, weeks later, Peter tries to re-adjust to a semblance of a normal life. However, he is well aware that it is only a matter of time before Norman Osborn strikes again, despite his apparent demise in the above-noted issue of Peter Parker: Spider-Man. Meanwhile, he can only continue to do what he does best and that's fighting crime and saving lives.

In Spectacular Spider-Man #242, there is a brief confrontation between the Kangaroo and Spider-Man, resulting into another humiliating defeat for the super-villain. In another part of town, the Chameleon betrays Dr. Ashley Kafka and turns against her, despite the fact that she was responsible for his escape from Ravencroft Institute. Soon after, while impersonating Dr. Kafka, the Chameleon lures John Jameson into a trap and shoots him. Later, the Chameleon uses a fake holographic projection of Dr. Octopus attacking Peter Parker to lure Spider-Man into an even bigger trap. When Spider-Man awakens a short time later, Dr. Kafka confronts him and, as she removes his mask, explains that his name his Herbert Filmore Smith, a science-fiction author who recently suffered a trauma, which has caused him to retreat into a delusion that he is the superhero known as Spider-Man.

In Spectacular Spider-Man #243, it is revealed that John Jameson was not killed after all, as he was wearing a bulletproof vest at the time of the shooting. Deducing that it was the Chameleon in disguise that shot him, he prepares to head back to Ravencroft to check up on the real Dr. Kafka but is stopped in his tracks by the nefarious Jack O'Lantern, who seems to have taken, as of late, a particular liking to the Jamesons, both son and father. John is attacked, right there and then, only to be find safe and sound, with no apparent memory of the attack, a short time later by the real Dr. Kafka. The two head out in search of the Chameleon, unaware that Jack O'Lantern is watching them from afar.

While all this takes place, the Chameleon – impersonating Dr. Kafka – continues on with his evil plan to make Peter Parker/Spider-Man believe that he is in fact a science fiction writer by the name of Herbert Filmore Smith who had a breakdown and who now believes that he is the superhero known as Spider-Man. Despite being fed these lies by the Chameleon, and almost coming close to believing them, Peter breaks through the spell cast by the Chameleon and sends him running for his life. At issue's end, while on the run, the Chameleon runs into Kraven the Hunter?

At the Parker residence in Forest Hills, Queens, Mary Jane Parker paces around the living room, thinking about all the super villains that know that Peter and Spider-Man are one and the same. As she stares out the window, she comes face-to-face with the Jack O'Lantern. She freaks out but seconds later, after composing herself, she realizes it must have been a hallucination because there is no one there. She heads off to bed, unaware that the Jack O'Lantern is hovering above the rooftop.

Seeing Dr. Kafka and John Jameson trapped in the Chameleon's steel cage, Spider-Man tries to get them out but comes to the horrifying conclusion that it is electrified. The Chameleon reveals to him that anyone attempting to tamper with the cage will automatically cause the voltage to increase. So it is in Spider-Man's best interest to listen to him or else. Infuriated, Spider-Man smacks the Chameleon, telling him to let them go or he will take him apart piece by piece. Using a small remote control attached to his belt, the Chameleon sends a voltage discharge through the cage, causing Dr. Kafka and John Jameson to scream in agony, and tells Spider-Man that they will die before he can finish him off. Releasing the Chameleon, Spider-Man asks what he wants from him. The Chameleon replies that he first wants him to address him by his proper name: Kravinov. Spider-Man asks the Chameleon why he is using Kraven the Hunter's name. Walking towards a hanged picture of Kraven the Hunter, the Chameleon reveals that he and Kraven are half-brothers and that Kraven tormented him, made him feel worthless all those years. Ripping the hanged picture, the Chameleon tells Spider-Man that he does not feel worthless anymore. Indifferent to this revelation, Spider-Man webs the Chameleon's hand to a wall, grabs the remote control from the Chameleon's belt and smashes it to itty-bitty pieces. Just then, Spider-Man's spider-sense kicks in warning him of danger. Before being able to react, a small poisoned-tip dart hits him in the neck. Pulling the dart out, Spider-Man ponders where the dart came from and who shot it. Spider-Man loses consciousness before getting any answers.

When Spider-Man regains consciousness, he is trapped in the electrified steel cage along with Dr. Kafka and John Jameson. At ground level, the Chameleon tells Spider-Man, as he transforms into Mary Jane, that he is going out on the town to pay a special visit to an old friend (meaning MJ of course). Spider-Man tries to break out of the cage, but to no avail, while the Chameleon disappears into the darkness.

At the Grizzly's apartment, the Grizzly tries to cheer up the recently twice-defeated Kangaroo at Spider-Man's hands. The Kangaroo – perusing through the Grizzly's fridge – is rather in a bad mood and is skeptic that the Grizzly, a has-been wrestler who had his head handed to him by Spider-Man, can cheer him up. The Grizzly, kicking the Kangaroo in the butt, explains that he killed Spider-Man years ago by breaking his back and tossing him in the East River. Unfortunately, Spider-Man somehow got better. Having heard enough lies from the Grizzly, the Kangaroo prepares to leave only to be stopped by the Grizzly asking him to form a team with him. The Kangaroo replies by asking rhetorically who would want to be on a team with a loser like him. Just then, Martin Blank, a.k.a. the Gibbon, enters the apartment and tells the Kangaroo that the Grizzly is no loser. Speaking to himself, the Kangaroo considers that it could be worse and that the Grizzly could have recruited the Spot. Just as he says that, the Spot appears via one of his inter-dimensional hole, causing the Kangaroo to pass out.

At the Parker residence, Mary Jane is sound asleep on the couch when she gets woken up by Peter, who has returned home. When asked how things went down with the Chameleon, Peter explains that he is now locked up in a padded cell in Ravencroft and that nobody will ever believe the rantings of a straitjacketed loser like him (in reference to the Chameleon knowing his secret identity). Ecstatic to have him back home and that everything worked out, Mary Jane pulls Peter upstairs to "snuggle". On her way up the stairs, she tells Peter that they have to be quiet so as to not wake up Aunt Anna. Peter heads into the bathroom to wash up and when he enters the bedroom, Mary Jane is waiting for him, baseball bat in hands. Mary Jane tells Peter that Aunt Anna is out of town, something that Peter would have known, and she calls him out as being the Chameleon. Peter tries to reason with her but soon realizes that she is on to him and he transforms indeed into the Chameleon. The Chameleon tries to convince her that she would be better off with him, as he can take whatever appearance she so desires. Mary Jane's replies says it all: "Stay the blazes away!". The Chameleon explains that he wants to hurt Peter and humiliate him the same way he has humiliated him – over and over – down through the years.

Back at the Chameleon's hideout, Spider-Man blames Dr. Kafka for their current predicament and hopes that nothing happens to his wife because it is going to be on her head. John Jameson comes to her defense but Dr. Kafka admits that Spider-Man is right and that everything that has happened is her fault. Spider-Man could continue making her feel guilty but he knows that he does not have much time to get out of there and stop the Chameleon from hurting Mary Jane. Fashioning himself some gloves made out of webbing, he grabs onto the cage bars and he starts pulling, despite heavy doses of electricity coursing through the cage and into his body. Finally, after exerting tremendous amounts of energy, Spider-Man rips through the steel cage bars, to the utter amazement of both Dr. Kafka and John Jameson.

Spider-Man races to his house, only to find the Chameleon lying unconscious on the ground, Mary Jane towering over him, swinging her baseball bat and screaming "get away, get away", despite the fact that the Chameleon is no longer a threat to her. Spider-Man manages to calm her down and then they both start laughing when they realize that Mary Jane defeated the Chameleon, one of Spider-Man's oldest and most nefarious foes. As they hug each other, Spider-Man's spider-sense suddenly kicks in, warning him of danger. When he turns around to see what is going on, he discovers that the Chameleon has fled the scene. Mary Jane remarks that the Chameleon probably will not be coming back anytime soon.

While running away from the Parker house, the Chameleon cannot believe that he was beaten by a woman and wonders whether Kraven was right when he called him a worthless maggot, a ridiculous little bug with no right to live. His running away comes to a stop when he comes face-to-face with what he thinks is a hallucination of Kraven. "Kraven" replies that he is no hallucination, as he was the one that threw the dart that felled Spider-Man earlier. Perplexed, the Chameleon tries to make sense of what "Kraven" is saying, only to be shot dead (seemingly) by "Kraven", who proclaims that there is only room for one Kravinov in the world and he’s it.

To be continued.