S01E11 "Halloween Moon"

Characters: Peter Parker/Spider-Man; Miles Morales/Spider-Miles; Gwen Stacy; Anya Corazon; Harry Osborn; Dr. Bruce Banner/Hulk; Raymond Warren; Man-Wolf/John Jameson; 3 Teen-Wolfs; J. Jonah Jameson; Max Modell; Flash Thompson; Russell Fisk

Teaser
Images of the Rhino charging about Horizon; images of the Jackal bounding about Oscorp. They play on TV, and J. JONAH JAMESON appears over them to rant about "scientists playing Frankenstein," thereby endangering children, as happened at Horizon High and at Oscorp. He demands to know why Dr. Bruce Banner, a man with history of engaging in similar research, is being allowed to speak at Midtown High. RAYMOND WARREN, watching the TV in a high school classroom, chuckles that maybe Jameson should get a close-up view of what it means to have "issues" with transformations. (Close on Warren's Jackal-like eyes.)

Act I
Horizon High, where MILES MORALES is fiddling with web-spinners, which he hurriedly hides after MAX MODELL enters and gets sprayed with some. (Miles excuses it as "silly string.") Modell tells him to get to the bus that will take him to Midtown for Banner's presentation, and to not forget his costume for the Halloween party that Midtown will be throwing immediately afterward.

Miles joins PETER PARKER, GWEN STACY, and ANYA CORAZON on the bus. Peter is excited because Harry will be at both the presentation and the party afterward; Anya is less enthused, for though she and Harry are still dating, Harry's dad hasn't exactly been supportive--he seems to think that she's distracting Harry from his studies. Gwen changes the subject to ask Miles what his costume is going to be; Miles only promises a surprise.

At Midtown, Peter is carried (under arm) into the assembly by FLASH THOMPSON, who sets him down with his friends. Peter warmly greets HARRY OSBORN and RUSSELL FISK, who says that this will be an exciting last day for him at Midtown, as he is moving out to the Bilderberg Academy, along with his lab partner, John Jameson. Peter confirms that John Jameson is Jonah Jameson's son.

The assembly begins with DR. BRUCE BANNER coming out on stage. He walks uncertainly, and Gwen wonders if he is ill. Banner only has time to introduce himself before he collapses. The school authorities gather around him, but are interrupted when the MAN-WOLF bursts into the assembly. It leaps about, knocking people out of the way. The assembly is cleared as quickly as possible, but not before the Man-Wolf scratches some. Peter runs off to change into Spider-Man; Miles also sneaks off. The Man-Wolf corners Flash and Harry and Gwen and Anya, but Spider-Man swoops in to save the cornered students. During the subsequent fight SPIDER-MILES appears. Spider-Man tells the imposter he's flattered by the Halloween costume, but— His objection is interrupted as Miles webs the charging Man-Wolf. Flash breaks up the talk by saying they need to get the injured students out. But as they turn to help them, the scratched students start turning into werewolves.

Act II
The other kids start fighting them, but Peter reminds them that they are just infected students, and that they need to confine them someplace where they can't do any damage. Flash suggests the library, but Peter talks them into luring the werewolves into the gym, which is already decorated for the Halloween party, and they seal them in there. That won't hold them for long as the wolves fling themselves at the gym doors, and they can't afford to see them escape the school and infect anyone else, so Flash hits an emergency button that drops steel shutters all over the school. Great: They've sealed the wolves inside, but they've sealed themselves in too and sealed all help outside.

In the assembly hall they find the Man-Wolf gone, but Dr. Banner is reviving. He tells them that he was meeting with Dr. Warren and a student just before the assembly, and he began to feel ill. Gwen is surprised to hear that her uncle is back in town, but the important thing is to find the Man-Wolf, which Banner theorizes is a gamma-powered rage monster, just as The Hulk is. The team splits up to search for the Man-Wolf. With the power off, the atmosphere is dark and threatening—a haunted house.

Spider-Man and Spider-Miles search together, with Peter saying he won't ask Miles's secret identity if Miles doesn't ask his, but Miles proudly volunteers his name. Spider-Man asks him how he made web-spinners, and Miles says that he reverse-engineered the webs that Spider-Man's been leaving all over the place.

In another corridor, Harry talks with Anya, wistfully admitting that Halloween is his favorite holiday because it is then that he can be someone other than "Norman Osborn's son," which is what everyone else sees. Anya says that she sees him for who he is; Harry cautions her that sometimes people have masks under masks.

Banner and Gwen discuss possible reasons for the transformation and how to reverse it, involving the crystal that it is wearing about its neck; Flash, who is with them, suggests hitting it really hard. Gwen reprimands Flash, but Banner says he knows someone who has similar ideas, and that they often work.

The groups meet in front of the library, out of which the Man-Wolf bursts. Banner directs someone to get the crystal pendant off the Man-Wolf. Spider-Man tackles the beast from behind, getting it in a headlock, while Miles webs it off from the front. The Man-Wolf reverts to a figure that Banner recognizes: JOHN JAMESON, the student he was meeting with when he became ill. The crystal—he theorizes—must have absorbed his gamma radiation, triggering some kind of reaction in Jameson. Harry notes that Banner got scratched in a fight; Banner only has time to say "Uh oh" before he begins to transform, first into the Hulk and then into a Wolf-Hulk. Distantly, the kids hear a rending of doors and the howl of additional wolves.

Act III
The kids split into new pairs, running off in different directions. When cornered in a chemistry lab, Flash beats a wolf off with chairs and desks as Anya ransacks the lab for improvise weaponry. In a corridor, Miles webs along the ceiling with Gwen hanging onto his neck as another wolf leaps and snaps at them. Harry and Spider-Man compare ideas while dodging and weaving a third wolf. They theorize that the transformation is sparked by gamma dosing a bite victim, and that Banner gamma-dosed himself and the three students. If they can get the crystal close to the victims, it might drain them. But who's got the crystal? And—pounding of fists on metal sounds in the distance—can they get the crystal onto Wolf-Hulk before he breaks out of the school?

Miles comes to the end of the corridor and falls. He thrusts Gwen behind him and cringes as the wolf leaps at him. But he's clutching the crystal near his throat, and as the jaws snap at him, the student transforms back to normal. Spider-Man and Harry rush up, snatch the crystal from Miles, and use to re-transform their pursuer. The quartet find Flash in the chemistry lab, glowering over an unconscious wolf that he and Anya (brandishing an improvised weapon) have subdued; after applying the crystal, they rush off to find Wolf-Hulk.

It is in the act of tearing off an exit door when they appear. Together the six kids charge it, Spider-Man and Miles using webbing, Flash and Harry tackling it directly, Gwen and Anya wielding improvised weapons. They are hurled and knocked about, but the crystal is pressed onto him, and he reverts first to The Hulk and then back into Banner.

Afterward, in the care of paramedics, John Jameson says that he doesn't even remember meeting Banner, he remembers nothing after being called in by Dr. Warren to discuss a problem on his last test. Russell Fisk and Flash come in to say that Warren's classroom is locked up tight and there's no sign of him. Gwen, worried, says that he's been acting strange ever since the night the Rhino-man broke up the dance at Horizon. Peter tries to reassure her, but she pulls away and walks off. Anya runs off after her.

Flash says that the afternoon was exciting, but there's still Halloween parties to hit and he's got his costume: he pulls on a Spider-Man mask and asks Miles if he wants to go too; Miles excitedly accepts, and they walk off.

Peter observes that it's just him and Harry, and Harry says he's glad. Peter cautiously says that he heard that Harry spent a lot of the adventure with Spider-Man: has it changed Harry's mind about the webslinger? Harry only grunts, then looks at Peter and says he'd rather have spent the adventure with him.

The above is based on the episode "Halloween Moon" by Kevin Burke & Chris "Doc" Wyatt.

Commentary: ""Halloween Moon"" 

Next: "S01E12 "School of Hard Knocks""