The Spectacular Spidey/Muppets Celebration

[muppetwriter]

Here's an example of what the effect of my method of intrigue can do to a reader:

Don't. You. Dare. Leave. Me. Hanging. Here. Come back and tell me more. I'm shaking from that chapter. Tell me more. Please. I mean, all the Muppets are pretty funny- "he had it right the first time!" - but now I'm shaking. What happened to Lori?!? Come on, please tell... someone hurry up and save her!!!

Hahaha! I really had TogetherAgain worried for a moment. But it all turned out good in the end, didn't it?

Thanks again, T.A. Hope you look forward to the third crossover.

 

[muppetwriter]

Kermit: Here's the two-part final chapter of the first story. Enjoy!

Chapter Six (Part One):​

The last thing that I wanted to do was give up hope that Lori might’ve still been alive somewhere, so I decided to go out on a non-stop search for her, with help from Kermit, Fozzie, and Gonzo. We spent the entire morning and afternoon searching every part of the New York area in Fozzie’s Studebaker, but there was no trace of Lori anywhere. Soon it was nightfall, and we were still on our desperate search for my sister, crossing the ever-popular Queensboro Bridge; I was still determined to find out where the Goblin was keeping Lori, but Kermit, Gonzo, and Fozzie were just about to give up.

(Fozzie's Studebaker is mentioned for the first time here, as a replacement for Lori's Porsche and the taxicabs that Gonzo had been jumping on and in front of. As you know, it was first featured in "The Muppet Movie", and it was featured again in the second crossover. The Studebaker will make its final appearance in the "MARVELOUS" universe in the early part of the third story.)

“Uh, Sean,” Kermit said, “I just want you to know that we’re with you all the way on your search for Lori. But…i-it is getting kind of late, and we should really get back home.” I didn’t want to hear Kermit tell me that, because I refused to let anything (including sleep) keep me from finding Lori.

“We’ve been up and down the whole city.” Fozzie indicated.

“And we’ve even checked around the New Jersey area.” Gonzo added. “I still can’t believe the number of KFC’s they’ve got around those parts.” He quivered over the thought. “The insanity!”

“I’m sure the others will be willing to help us on our search tomorrow.” Kermit said.

“By tomorrow, my sister might not even be on this earth anymore!” I exclaimed, and I tried my best to calm myself down, after realizing how frantic I was. “You guys just gotta understand that I will stop at nothing to see that my sister makes it back home safely. I won’t eat or sleep, until I find her!”

“Well, you’re gonna have to eat.” Fozzie told me. “Otherwise, you’ll be nothing but skin and bones.”

“And getting your rest is a perfect way to rejuvenate yourself for the next day.” said Gonzo, and as much as I appreciated their advice, I still was not going to let anything stop me from continuing my search. Meanwhile, Kermit was a little freaked by the “after school special” moment that Gonzo and Fozzie just had.

“That’s the last time I take you guys to Sesame Street.” Kermit told Gonzo & Fozzie.

When we were halfway across the Queensboro Bridge, there was suddenly a tremendous explosion that erupted nearby, forcing every automobile that was crossing the bridge to come to an abrupt halt. Everyone jumped out of their vehicles and moved over to the side of the bridge, seeing how a nearby observation deck had been destroyed and was engulfed in flames. That explosion screwed up the machinery that was controlling a tram car filled with a group of innocent children and their two chaperones, causing the whole thing to fall towards the ground.

(By this point in the story, everything had really seemed different from the version the movie's script went with. Instead of just the Green Goblin, Doc Ock was also involved in the "final battle", meaning Spidey came close to fighting more than one villain in the first movie.)

“Oh, no!” cried Kermit, truly horrified, but that’s until a dark, flying figure appeared and snatched the loose cable that was connected to the tram, before it could’ve crashed. We all looked up at the flying figure, only to see that it was the dreaded Green Goblin, cackling into the night air.

“GOBLIN!!!” I yelled, furiously, and he stopped flying for a moment to look down at me, as I pointed at him viciously. “Where have you taken my sister?!?!”

“I seemed to have run into a bit of a misconception, Mr. Thomas!” said the Goblin, just before he flew over to the top of the Queensboro Bridge, where he grabbed a young woman that he kidnapped by the neck and held her over the edge, making her scream with terror. For a second, I feared that it might’ve been Lori that he was holding up there; but, in fact, it turned out to be Peter Parker’s dearest friend, Mary Jane Watson, which was even worse! “You see, I had mistaken your sister for this fine redheaded specimen that Spider-Man seems to care for more than anybody else.” When he said that, two things raced across my mind: the mentioning of a relationship between Spider-Man and Mary Jane, and the way he referred to her as a “specimen.”

“Just let her and the children go, Goblin!” I demanded. “It’s Spider-Man that you want, remember?”

“How true, Mr. Thomas! How true!” The Goblin remarked. “But, in order to bring Spider-Man to me, there has to be at least a couple of sacrifices!” The Goblin cackled even crazier than before, just as something soared high across the sky and swung in and out of the bridge’s structure and finally, after an amazing leap through midair, landed near the spot that the Green Goblin was located, with Mary Jane and the tram car’s cable still in his grasps.

“It’s Spider-Man!” indicated a citizen, and it was indeed the Amazing Spider-Man, who had arrived just in time. The Goblin told Spidey how much life was filled with choices and how choices always lead to consequences, whether they were good or bad; no one had any idea where he was going with this, until he told Spider-Man that he had the choice to save Mary Jane or rescue the tram full of children, before either one of them fell to their death.

Everything broke out into complete chaos, when the Goblin suddenly dropped both of them at the exact same time, forcing Spider-Man to make one immediate rescue. He dived off the bridge and caught Mary Jane in the air; and as she was clutching onto him, he continued falling a few more feet before firing a web at the underbelly of the Queensboro Bridge and swinging under it to snatch the loose cable of the tram car with his free hand. Spider-Man literally had his hands full, with the tram cable in one hand and his web strand (which was beginning to snap away from the bridge’s underbelly, due to the massive weight capacity) in the other.

“He won’t make it!” Gonzo exclaimed.

“He will make it! Because he’s Spider-Man!” contradicted Fozzie, but I was beginning to believe that Gonzo was right and that Spider-Man wouldn’t be able to hold on for very long.

“Ahoy there!” shouted a voice, and we all looked across the river that ran under the bridge to see a barge moving towards it. The barge was the perfect place for Spider-Man to set the heavy tram car on top of the load of recycled trash that it was carrying. One of the men on the barge was speaking to Spider-Man through a megaphone. “Hang on! We’re coming to assist you!”

While the barge was approaching the bridge, Spider-Man had instructed Mary Jane to climb down to the tram car; after some hesitation, she started climbing off of Spider-Man’s body and down the cable, heading straight for the dangling tram car. But things began to take a turn for the worse, as the Green Goblin had gotten on his glider and rocketed over to Spider-Man, attempting to make Spidey lose his grip on the cable by repeatedly punching him hard in the face. At one point, Spidey did lose control of the situation; but he was able to quickly get back on track, just in time for Mary Jane to finally reach the tram car.

“That Goblin punk is trying to kill Spider-Man, just for trying to save a bunch of kids!” One male citizen exclaimed. “That ain’t right!”

“It’s about time we showed his green butt that New York doesn’t take his kind here!” suggested a female citizen, and everyone else on the bridge shouted in agreement.

“Then what’re we waitin’ for?” Kermit asked them. “Let’s help Spider-Man!”

“YEAH!!!” Everyone said in unison, and I watched the New York citizens as they were all led by Kermit, Fozzie, and Gonzo, gathering some food, tools, trash, and other materials. I had no idea what they were planning on doing, but while they were gathering those materials, I kept my eye on the Green Goblin, who suddenly had four long, dangerously sharp blades sprouting from the front of his glider.

(Another reason for having Kermit be the one who was leading the mob to help Spider-Man was that I wanted to have a reason for the "Bein' Green" reference in this scene. It would've been used earlier in the World Unity Festival scene, but I figured that it should've come at a time when Kermit would know who the Green Goblin was and gain a great deal of hatred and frustration against him for kidnapping Lori.)

“He’s gonna stab him!” I shouted, and the others joined me at the side of the bridge, also noticing how the Goblin was attempting to impale the glider’s blades into Spider-Man.

“Not if I can help it!” said Kermit, just before lunging an empty soda can at the Goblin and nailing him right on the head; that ruined the Goblin’s plans for stabbing Spider-Man. We all cheered for Kermit, while the Goblin flew past Spidey and halted his glider for a moment to turn around and look up at the heroic frog. “Yeah, I did it! And you wanna know something else? It’s guys like you that make it so hard to be green!!” That’s when everyone threw their materials at the Green Goblin, overwhelming him to the point where he was forced to make a hasty retreat.

“Just remember, Goblin, if you mess with Spider-Man, you mess with New York!” Someone shouted.

“If mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!” Fozzie shouted.

“Go back to Jersey with all the other weirdoes!!” said Gonzo, and while they were all screaming obscene things at the retreating Goblin, I turned my attention back to the situation underneath the Queensboro Bridge just in time to see how Spider-Man was successful in setting the tram car down safely on the deck of the barge, saving Mary Jane and all of the children.

(Gonzo's "Go back to Jersey" line was improvised. I didn't exactly plan on using it for this scene.)

“Hey! He did it! He saved them!” I shouted, and everyone roared with applause for the Amazing Spider-Man, as he let go of the cable and took a moment to relax.

“Let’s hear it for the wall-crawler! YAY!!” cheered Kermit, but amid the cheering crowds of New Yorkers, I noticed how the Green Goblin had reappeared at the scene, whirling a long wire over his head. It didn’t take me long to realize that he was once again coming after Spider-Man.

“Spidey! LOOK OUT!!” I yelled, and he looked up at me, unaware that the Goblin was coming towards him again. Before he could’ve taken notice, the long wire was lassoed around Spider-Man’s waist, and he was hauled away from the underbelly of the Queensboro Bridge by the Green Goblin and his vicious glider. We all kept a close eye on the Spider-Man, as the Goblin flew him over to Roosevelt Island and threw his body right through the brick wall of an abandoned building. When the wall-crawler was out of our sights, we all got a bit concerned.

“Where did he go?” asked Gonzo, and it was then that I suspected that the only reason the Goblin would put Spider-Man at Roosevelt Island was to probably keep him prisoner there, until he decided to execute him. That, of course, led to my suspicion that he might’ve taken Lori there as well for the exact same reason (that, and the fact that we hadn't checked Roosevelt Island yet). Without a second thought, I dashed over to Fozzie’s Studebaker; but when I saw how it was blocked by several other cars, I knew I would never get to Roosevelt Island in time.

“Does anyone have a car or something that I can use to get to Roosevelt Island?!” I queried, with panicky tone in my voice, and a rugged-looking guy tossed me his keys considerately.

“There ya go, bub.” He said, and he pointed at a nearby motorcycle. “It’ll get you there faster than anything else on this bridge.”

“Thank you, sir.” I remarked, running over to the motorcycle and climbing aboard it, while the rugged man added one more thing.

“Just be sure to leave it somewhere on R.I. where I’ll be able to find it, alright?” He stated, and I nodded in affirmation, as I placed the keys in the ignition and started up the motorcycle.

(The man who had loaned Sean the motorcycle was Wolverine of the X-Men. His cameo in this story came at a time when I had known "The MARVELOUS Muppets" was going to be an ongoing series, and the next story that I'd write after this one would be an X-Men/Muppets crossover.)

The people watched me as I rode down the crowded bridge, passing by several of their vehicles; once I reached the end of it, I journeyed down the road that led straight to the abandoned building where Spider-Man (and possibly Lori) was. When I got there, I parked the motorcycle outside and wandered into the ruins; as I searched for Spider-Man and Lori, I got a real good look at the inside.

The place was like something out of Evil Dead; it was dark, gloomy, and nothing in it had been repaired for sixteen years. There were cobwebs everywhere, dead grass and vines all over the ground and the old brick walls, and birds roaming in and out of the ruins. However, the one thing that caught my eye was Spider-Man crouching over the body of my sister, Lori Thomas.

(The "Evil Dead" reference is a nod to Spider-Man's director, Sam Raimi, who directed "Evil Dead" as well.)

“Lori!” I shouted, and with my voice echoing throughout the ruins, Spider-Man noticed my sudden appearance and stood up straight. I ran up to him and noticed how certain parts of his outfit were tattered and showing more of the human skin underneath it and the upper left portion of his mask had been torn off, revealing a blue human eye and brown hair. At first I didn’t think much about it, since I’d always known there was a human under all of that spandex; but the blue eye and the brown hair looked very familiar to me.

“She’s still alive.” He said, referring to the battered and bruised Lori, who was lying down on the ground, totally unconscious. I knelt down over her body and placed my left hand over her throat to check for a pulse, and she definitely had one.

“We have to get her to a hospital.” I said, as I picked up Lori’s inert body and turned back to Spider-Man, whose head had suddenly faced another direction as if he heard something that my ordinary ears didn’t. “What’s the matter?” My question was soon answered when one of the Goblin’s pumpkin bombs dropped out of nowhere and bounced towards us.

“Run, Sean!!!” cried Spidey, and I did not think once about stopping to ask how he knew my name. I just ran away from him as fast as I could. Once I was about eleven feet away from him, the pumpkin bomb had violently exploded; I knew that it did, without even looking, because I felt the heat of the flames on my neck. I stopped my running when I heard Spider-Man letting out a frightening scream, which was followed by the sounds of several windows shattering and several brick walls crumbling.

I looked down at the unconscious Lori and decided whether I should go see if Spider-Man was alright or just leave that area and get Lori to a hospital immediately. As I was making my decision, I heard the approaching sound of a familiar rocketing noise, and soon the Goblin had flown over my location, obviously going to kick Spidey’s butt some more. Knowing that it would be even more thoughtless to let our city’s only hero get killed by the green menace, I set Lori down in a safe place and went to the exact spot that the Green Goblin had found a horribly ravaged Spider-Man, whose mask had been further torn away to reveal the face of…Peter Parker?!

(The reason I wanted my character to be the one to find out the identity of Spider-Man was based on a decision I was going through while writing this part of the story on whether or not Lori and Sean should be in other "MARVELOUS" stories. Seeing as how this was like the "pilot episode", and most ideas from the pilot don't show up in other episodes, I saw no reason for having them continue on with the adventures, especially since its supposed to be centered on the Muppets. And with Sean finding out Spider-Man's true identity, he only put Peter Parker's personal life in jeopardy with that knowledge, thus the reason for him leaving New York by the end.)

TO BE CONTINUED...​

Kermit: It was a very sad moment when Sean and Lori Thomas left. But now that they're coming back, it gives good reason to celebrate. And this celebration will continue with the rest of the final chapter of "The Amazing!" (the first Spidey/Muppets crossover) momentarily. Stay tuned.

 

[muppetwriter]

Kermit: Here's the conclusion to the first story.

Chapter Six (Part Two):​

Yes, it was true. It turned out that the young amateur photographer from the Daily Bugle was indeed the wall-crawling superhero. I wanted to think that it was some kind of hoax and that Peter was just imitating his idol; but, no…he was the real Spider-Man, and I could not believe it. I also couldn’t believe that he was still standing after having a pumpkin bomb explode right in his face, putting him in horrible shape.

From a safe distance, I watched Peter stand up and face the hellish demon that was the Green Goblin, with a dazed look on his face. After a few things were stated from the Goblin, regarding Peter’s refusal to join forces with him, the punishment ensued. The Goblin laid his first punch, which Peter was successful in blocking, but the Goblin caught him with one to his gut. A hard punch from the Goblin was about to come in contact with Peter’s face, until the youth ducked in time to leave the Goblin hitting nothing but a stone pillar, taking a huge chunk out of it.

The Goblin kneed Peter hard in the face, and then he laid one of the most devastating punches across Peter’s face, which swung the kid’s head to the left and made a string of saliva fly out of his mouth. After that, the Goblin unleashed one powerful uppercut, sending Peter falling backwards across the air and landing hard on the ground, a few feet from where the Goblin was standing. This whole fight was like something out of a kickboxing match!

(The reason I kept the Muppets out of this final battle was to separate the light from the dark. Most consider this fight to be darkest one in the film and the most cinematic, and including Muppets into it all would only contradict those dark elements.)

As the battered Peter got back to his feet, the Goblin somersaulted over the air and landed in front of him, bringing another hard punch across Peter’s face. I knew that one punch was even nastier than the other one, because when Peter’s head swung to the left again, his jaw swung even further and almost seemed to disconnect from his head! It was such a gruesome display! A kick to the face sent him falling back down again.

But the Green Goblin wasn’t finished with him yet; he let out a fierce scream, as he attempted to kick Peter’s butt some more. That’s when Peter shook the cobwebs out of his head and fired a glob of webbing from his wrist at the Goblin, who knew that it was coming for his eyes again and caught it with his right arm. While the Goblin was shaking the webbing off his arm, Peter fired a web strand and tried to swing over his adversary; but he found himself knocked back to the ground again, when the Goblin leaped high into the air and kicked him down. There were more devastating kicks and punches from the Goblin to Peter, while certain parts of the area were demolished in result of their battle.

“STOP!!!” I shouted, unable to watch anymore of the inhuman brutality that the Goblin was unleashing on Peter. For a moment, the Goblin stopped beating Peter and turned to where I had been watching him; he must’ve not seen me as much of a threat, because he simply ignored me and went right back to killing Peter. But as the Goblin faced Peter, he found himself walking right into a giant spider web, courtesy of Peter Parker.

With the Green Goblin’s attention focused on tearing down the spider web, Peter got to his feet and attempted to take him down. Unfortunately, the Goblin had succeeded in tearing down the spider web before Peter had the opportunity to annihilate him, and he kicked the boy in the chest, sending him falling back again. Then the Goblin, out of nowhere, jumped high into the air and used all of his body weight to send Peter’s body flying towards a brick wall and smacking against it hard!

“My god…he’s really destroying him.” I muttered, as I watched Peter fall on his stomach and his face dug deep into the ground; never in my life had I seen a human being undergo such brutal punishment like he had. The Goblin moved over to Peter and pinned his weak right arm to the ground, just as he tried to fire a web strand from it, and then he crouched down to put his ugly mug closer to Peter’s face.

“Had you not been so selfish, your little girlfriend’s death would have been quick and painless,” Goblin told Peter, “But now that you’ve really ticked me off, I’m gonna finish her nice and slow.” He then grabbed Peter by his neck and slammed his body against the brick wall again, while pulling out some kind of trident from his back. “M.J. and I…we’re gonna have one heck of a time!” And that’s when the Goblin attempted to impale the trident into the head of Peter Parker, until Peter’s hands shot up and grabbed the trident, desperately trying to keep it from going any further.

(Much of the choreography of this battle was copied through stills from the movie that I had borrowed online. If you watch the movie and read the story at the same time, you'll notice the similarity between the two. The only part that was added exclusively for this tale was the Goblin grabbing Spidey by the neck and slamming him against the wall, long enough to try and impale him.)

But I believe that it was all of the things that the Goblin said he was going to do to his friend (Mary Jane Watson) that gave Peter Parker enough rage and strength to hurl both the trident and the Goblin away from him. The Green Goblin didn’t need a glider to fly as high as he did across the air, after Peter threw him; his body smacked against a weaker brick wall that was right across from the one Peter was near.

Peter fired two web strands from his wrists that connected to the Goblin’s legs and, with a simple yank, brought him down on his back; then he fired two more web strands at the brick wall itself and used all of his super strength to pull it down. While the Goblin was trying to get to his feet, he looked up in time to notice the brick wall that was coming down on him; as soon as it had made contact with his body and the ground, there was nothing left but a huge pile of bricks and a bulge where the Goblin’s fallen body should be.

Just when I thought I had heard the last of the Green Goblin, he suddenly emerged from the pile of bricks, with his entire helmet and suit hideously damaged from the tons of bricks that fell on him. If it wasn’t for the way his body was wobbling as he stood and the blood was pouring out of his helmet, I’d think he really was some kind of powerful demon; but it turned out that he was more human than I believed him to be.

A wild scream had echoed throughout the ruins, just as Peter swung by and snatched the Goblin’s body from the pile of bricks, hurling him across the air and into a higher spot. The Goblin was again smacked against a brick wall, while Peter landed in front of him and unleashed some of his own powerful kicks and punches on his enemy. Some of the punches to the Goblin’s helmet put some serious dents in it and even shattered the yellow lenses on it, revealing his own human eyes.

“Peter! Wait! Stop! Please!” cried a voice, from underneath the demolished helmet, and it was totally different from the Goblin’s usual wicked voice. Peter, hearing how familiar the voice sounded to him, stopped his fighting and watched the Green Goblin as he took off his helmet to reveal his true identity: Norman Osborn! At that point, I had just about seen everything!

(Another reason for the absence of the Muppets in this final battle was to help build on the mystery for them on the reason behind Norman Osborn's death, as well as the secret identity of Spider-Man. That was originally going to be the primary task for the characters throughout the series, but it ended up being to where they each found out the truth through the plot of their own individual tales. For example, Gonzo finding out Spidey's identity in the third X-Men/Muppets crossover--after he helped him survive an attack on the Foster's mansion--and Kermit--as well as the entire Sesame Street neighborhood--finding out during the train battle from the second Spidey/Muppets crossover.)

“Osborn?!” I exclaimed, from below on the spot that I was still standing in. “Why have you been masquerading as the Green Goblin?”

“I only wanted to prove to AeroQuest that the experiment could work!” He said. “It was the only way to avoid losing my job, my life, and everything that’s so dear to me, including my son, Harry!”

“What experiment?” I asked.

“An experiment of an enhanced chemical that increases human strength and intelligence; but something went horribly wrong, and I gained some new malevolent personality!” shouted Norman, seemingly frightened over the whole thing. “You have to understand…it was the Goblin that killed those board directors…it wasn’t me!” He then gazed over at Parker. “But…Thank God for you, Peter!”

“You tried to kill Aunt May.” Peter said. “You tried to kill Mary Jane.” I realized that they were the “family” and “love” that the Goblin mentioned, when he spoke to me over the phone; Lori had to be one of the “supporters” that he was referring to.

“But not you. You saved me.” said Norman, calmly, as he stood up straight and acted sincere towards Peter. “Peter, please…I never meant to harm you or your Aunt May. I’ve shown nothing but kindness for you. Please…I’ve been like a father to you…be a son to me now.” Peter thought about what Norman had just said and made a careful decision.

“I have a father…his name was Ben Parker.” Peter stated. “And he taught one of the most vital lessons of life: ‘With great power comes great responsibility’.” After he said that, a very wicked look appeared on the face of Norman Osborn, signifying that he had gone into “Goblin Mode.”

“Godspeed, Spider-Man!” He said, and that’s when I heard that familiar rocketing noise once again and turned to see the Goblin’s glider coming towards Peter, with its sharp blades protruding again.

“Peter…” And before I could’ve said “Look out,” he flipped backwards across the air, barely avoiding the glider; he landed on a large mound of bricks nearby, while the glider was coming towards Norman instead. A very shocked expression was registered on Osborn’s face, as the glider tackled him and impaled the sharp blades right through his body and the brick wall behind him, pinning him against it. Peter and I watched in horror, as Norman Osborn spent his last seconds of life in pain and agony.

“Peter, don’t tell Harry.” said Norman, and those were the last words to come out of his mouth, just before he died right in front of us. Norman Osborn and the Green Goblin were no more.

Epilogue​

(Not very many stories include an epilogue. Most depend solely on the final chapter to conclude the events in the story. In every "MARVELOUS Muppets" tale I've written, there is always an epilogue.)

A few weeks after the final battle that occurred between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin on both the Queensboro Bridge and Roosevelt Island, I attended the funeral of Norman Osborn, because I felt that his respects deserved to be paid. Though his Green Goblin persona made him do a lot of horrible things, he never really had any control over it, which pretty much made him innocent to the whole thing.

Unfortunately, Osborn’s death made it on the front page of the Daily Bugle and told readers that Spider-Man was responsible for it, hurting his reputation even more. That bold move was what forced me to tell J. Jonah Jameson that I was quitting the Daily Bugle; I guess that meant two Thomases weren’t working in journalism ever again.

The day before I had attended Norman Osborn’s funeral, I visited my sister (who, thanks to the doctors, was recovering from her injuries) at the Manhattan Clinic and told her all about my resigning from the Bugle. That really surprised her, knowing how much I loved being involved in journalism, but I simply told her that I could not go on writing lies about great men like Spider-Man. Lori was even more surprised when I told her that we were moving out of the Happiness Hotel and New York altogether, because we were going to start a new life elsewhere once she was released from the clinic. She happily agreed with my idea but was afraid what Kermit and the others would think of it; I assured her that they would understand.

I was joined at Norman’s funeral by Kermit, Gonzo, and Fozzie, and I told them all about my plans to move out of New York. Like Lori, they were surprised by the concept at first, but when I told them that Lori and I would write back to them whenever we could, they felt a little better about it all.

(The Thomas siblings are the real essential human characters in the "MARVELOUS" series. Their presence within the stories help the plot run more smoothly and keep the darkest moments in them distracted from the Muppets, who bring a lighter side to the story. The same goes for human characters from the Muppet films that were brought into the second story, such as Jenny from "The Muppets Take Manhattan", who functioned as a substitute for Sean and Lori.)

“This has nothing to do with Mr. Osborn’s death, does it?” Kermit asked.

“In a way, it does.” I replied, and he, Fozzie, and Gonzo all looked down sadly. “But don’t worry, you guys, you’ll still have Peter, Mary Jane, Aunt May, and Harry to hang around with, while we’re gone.”

“Yeah, but…how will we know it’ll be the same?” Fozzie inquired.

“Listen, I know for a fact that you guys had a far more interesting life before Lori and I came to town.” I stated. “I’ve got a feeling that once we’re out of Manhattan, things will be a lot more marvelous for you Muppets.” Hearing me say that brought a whole lot of confidence in Kermit, Fozzie, and Gonzo about my departure; I smiled at them, just as Harry Osborn approached me.

(I have a habit of working the title of a story or a series into the story, such as Sean's quote in the paragraph above. The name "MARVELOUS Muppets" is actually an homage to the titles of several Marvel Comic heroes--i.e. The AMAZING Spider-Man, The UNCANNY X-Men, or The FANTASTIC Four. It is the actual nickname for the Muppets in the series, originated from the incident involving Nicky Holiday and the Baseball Diamond--a moment from "The Great Muppet Caper" that was redone exclusively for this series, bringing in Spider-Man villain, The Sandman, and a young Kim Possible & Ron Stoppable.)

“Mr. Thomas?” He said, and I turned to face him, seeing the great deal of depression that he was going through after losing his father. “I just want you to know that I always believed everything that I read in the Bugle about Spider-Man. He is a criminal…and he deserves to pay for what he did to my father.” He said those things with such hatred and vengeance that I wanted to tell him there and then that he was only wasting his time; not just because Spidey was more powerful than he’ll ever be, but because the man he wanted to kill was actually his greatest and only friend in the world.

“I’m glad you feel that way, Harry.” I lied. “But the truth is that I’m no longer part of their staff…I quit just yesterday.” He didn’t let that change the way he felt; instead, he just shook my hand and smiled.

“I wish you the best of luck then.” said Harry, and he looked over at Kermit, Fozzie, and Gonzo. “And I’ll be reading more about that murderer in future issues.”

“Uh, yeah, sure.” uttered Kermit, and we watched the vengeful Harry as he walked over to the black Rolls Royce that he arrived in and left the cemetery.

(Though it wasn't mentioned in this first story--and it might be in future "MARVELOUS Mini" tales that'll lead up to the events of the third crossover, Rachel Bitterman had attended Norman's funeral and followed Harry's Rolls Royce as it left. Her being there and at the World Unity Festival adds on to the mystery surrounding her role in the series.)

My gaze switched from the departing Rolls Royce to Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson, who were standing nearby Peter’s uncle’s grave and sharing a passionate kiss. After saying something to her that seemed to have hurt her emotionally, he began heading out of the cemetery on foot; as he was walking away, Mary Jane had gone from being hurt to bewildered, placing her fingers on her lips and looking back at Peter questioningly.

Even after I have left my former life in New York behind me, I always look back on the last story that I had done for the Daily Bugle, involving a hero that has done many great things for many people. Whenever there is someone in need of assistance or rescuing, he’ll be there to see that it gets done, because someone once told him that with great power comes great responsibility. Who is he? He’s Spider-Man!

THE END​

(In early "MARVELOUS" tales, the story would end with the words "The End". The last one to do it was "Hulk-O-Vision", the Hulk/Muppets crossover. Nowadays, only the title of the series itself closes the story.)


Kermit: Wow. What a marvelous beginning to such a marvelous fanfic series! And it was only the beginning, folks! There were other great tales to follow this one, and there are still more to come, mostly the third Spidey/Muppets crossover, "The Spectacular"! Speaking of which, we still have more to come, as we continue with our interview with Fozzie Bear, as well as introduce our newest interviewer who will interview the secondary characters involved in the upcoming story. Stay tuned!

 

[G-MAN]

This is a cool story and I have enjoyed rereading it, and I'm sure I'm not the only fan that would like to "see" some of these deleted scenes you're talking about. Keep up the good work Muppetwriter.

 

[muppetwriter]

Thanks, G-MAN. Those "deleted scenes" will come shortly. But now, let's get back to Kermit, who's continuing his interview with Fozzie Bear.

Kermit: Thank you, M.W. Fozzie, you have to be without a doubt the most patient bear I know.

Fozzie: Well, it helps when you spend three hours in a doctor's office. Get it? Doctor? Patient? Wocka! Wocka!

Kermit: Yeah, nice one, Fozzie. But we really have to get serious for a moment, because we're about to get on the subject of the third Spidey/Muppets crossover, which you play a major role in.

Fozzie: You bet I do. I get to be part of a pretty serious scene in this next story. One that involves a great deal of stunts.

Kermit: Yes. Your Studebaker meets a pretty distasteful demise, doesn't it?

Fozzie:*shivers* Ohhh...please don't remind me. That was a very hard scene for me to be a part of.

Kermit: Oh, sorry. But it's just a story, Foz. Your Studebaker is still safe and sound in your uncle's garage.

Fozzie: Yeah. It's a good thing though that he's hibernating though. I don't think he'll be able to stand the shape that his car will be in during this next story.

Kermit: But, without spoiling anything for these marvelous readers, let's talk about your role in the story. Of course, by this time in the storyline, neither your or I are Daily Bugle reporters, since we retired to do the new Manhattan Melodies show. And yet you're still part of an investigation that'll bring you and other Muppets back to a time when things were really crazy.

Fozzie: Boy, you can say that again. I go on a pretty big journey between reencountering Nicky Holiday--who's going to be a thousand times more threatening in this story than in "The Great Muppet Caper"--to helping solve a mystery that surrounds the death of one particular character, which will take me and a few other characters (both human and Muppet) into hostile terroritory.

Kermit: Um, isn't that "territory"?

Fozzie: No after what I've seen in this tale.

Kermit: Can't argue with you there. But you mentioned the name "Nicky Holiday" and the fact that he'll be "a thousand times more threatening".

Fozzie: Yeah, him and a lot of other classic Muppet villains. For the first time in Muppet History, regular Muppet baddies will become "super baddies" in this one crossover. But before anyone thinks we poor defenseless Muppets are going to meet our doom, I just want to say that some brave, heroic Muppets (one of which is me) will step up and confront these super Muppet villains in this upcoming story.

Kermit: And I hear that one of those Muppets will be the next "Muppet hero" that we'll be introduced to. Last year, we witness the birth of one through Gonzo's role in the third X-Men/Muppets crossover, and others through Beaker and Bunsen in the first F4/Muppets story.

Fozzie: Yeah. That's the best part about it all. Since the first Spidey/Muppets story, we've been standing on the sidelines, watching all of these other guys take care of things. But, finally, in this next one, we'll live up to our nickname, "The MARVELOUS Muppets", and save the day. But it's really this one Muppet who will make sure the job gets done.

Kermit: Lately, a lot of fans have been talking about this one super villain named "The Lizard". In the Spider-Man comics, it's Dr. Curt Connors who transforms into the villain. However, according to rumors, it's not going to be Connors in this story. What can you tell us about that?

Fozzie: Well, I can't tell ya who's going to become him. But I can say that if the Spider-Man movies were handled under the name of The Jim Henson Company, the Creature Shop sure would be having a field day bringing that bad guy to life. I mean, he'll practically be the reason we end our "Manhattan Melodies II" performance on Broadway in this story.

Kermit: As if there weren't enough villains who were making it hard for me to be green. *clears throat* But, anyways, a lot of Spidey villains will be making their appearance in this story, as well as a lot of Spidey heroes. Out of the two groups, who are you favorites?

Fozzie: Well, on the villains' side, I have to go with the one who can turn into water at will, because the character that becomes him (or her, since it'll be a female character) is pretty neat to fight with.

Kermit: What about the heroes' side?

Fozzie: Wow. That's a toughie. *thinks for a sec* I gotta have to say it's The Black Cat. I love the character who becomes her, because she goes through a lot of trauma in this story. Fans of this character will definitely see a different side of her in this tale.

Kermit: Can you give us a hint as to who this character might be?

Fozzie: Watch "The Muppets Take Manhattan" and find out.

Kermit: Wow, nice hint. But I have one more thing to ask you, and this will be a little off topic. What will your future in "The MARVELOUS Muppets" series be after this story?

Fozzie: Well, I can't say exactly without ruining the ending for anyone. But I'm pretty sure that it'll have something to do with S.H.I.E.L.D., Scooter, and The Avengers.

Kermit: I've been hearing the rumors. Congratulations.

Fozzie: Thanks. I'm really stepping up in this series, becoming more than just a comic relief in a few. By next year, a lot of my fans will love what I'll become and how I'll use my new role to do more heroic things. It's going to be really exciting.

Kermit: I bet it will be. Thanks for taking the time to have this interview, Fozzie.

Fozzie: No problem. Should I tell one last joke before I go?

Kermit: Sure. Why not.

Fozzie: OK. You'll love this one. *clears throat* What do you get when you cross Donald Duck with Spider-Man?

Kermit: Uh...I give up. What?

Fozzie: A webhead with webbed feet!! Get it! Wocka! Wocka Wocka!

Kermit: I think I heard that joke somewhere before. But, anyway...Fozzie Bear, ladies and gentlemen!

(Silence.)

Fozzie: Boy, is this forum dead today or what?

Kermit: It's the internet, Fozzie. You'll get used to it. *turns to audience* Coming up next, the scenes you never saw...or read about in the first Spidey/Muppets story. Stay....

April: Kermit!

(Kermit notices April O'Neil as she walks on stage.)

Kermit: Oh, wow! I don't believe it! Ladies and gentlemen, it's one of the main characters to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise--and my original guest reporter before Pepe the King Prawn--April O'Neil.

April: How's my little green pal doing?

Kermit: Same as always...green.

April:*laughs*

Kermit: Congratulations on the new movie. I've been hearing that it's really good.

April: It sure is. But, hey, enough about me and my franchise. Let's worry about the others that'll be featured in this next story. *turns to audience* Stay tuned, everyone. After our next treat, I'll go one-on-one with the stars of the first secondary franchise in "The Spectacular" (the third Spidey/Muppets crossover).

Kermit: Wow. You did that brilliantly.

April: Thank you.

 

[muppetwriter]

Gonzo: Hey!

Rizzo: Hi dere!

Gonzo: We're here to introduce you all to the scenes that were taken out of the first "MARVELOUS Muppets" story, "The Amazing!", only to be brought back out onto the spotlight for all of you to read.

Rizzo: Dat's right, Muppet Central. Dese scenes were either removed from da story because dey were too over-the-top for such a family story like dis or dey were just too unneccessary for the plot.

Gonzo: Up first is a scene that involved me going one-on-one with WWE Hall of Famer, Hulk Hogan.

Rizzo: You went up against Hulk Hogan? Whew! Dis must've been some scene.

Gonzo: It sure was. Check it out.

---------------------​

"The Amazing!" (Deleted Scene)
"Gonzo Versus Hulk Hogan"​

“U-U-U-Uh…what I meant to say is Bone Saw McGraw is so tough that not even a snarling, grotesque beast like Randy Savage can beat him!” said Sal, in a desperate attempt to cover his previous comment.

“Absolutely, Bone, baby.” commented Johnny, peaking over Sal’s shoulder. “Savage, Hogan, The Rock…none of those crybabies got nothing on you.”

“HEY!!!” Someone in the crowd shouted, and we all turned our heads to find where the voice had come from. Out of nowhere popped up professional wrestler, Hulk Hogan, pointing his finger at the three characters in the wrestling ring. “You! Who are you calling a crybaby?!”

“Oh, jeez.” Johnny uttered into his microphone, while Sal moved behind him, much to Johnny’s surprise. “Sal, what’re you doing? You’re supposed to be my bodyguard here.”

“When it comes to wrestlin’, Johnny, I don’t have much of a body to guard with!” Sal remarked, as Hulk Hogan started walking through the crowd, jumping over the security rail, and throwing himself into the ring. He walked up to Bone Saw and looked straight into his eyes, while nose-to-nose with him.

“You know, brother, you’re exactly what the initials of your name are…B.S.!!!” Hogan exclaimed, and the crowd groaned over the way he had disrespected Bone Saw, who was anything but pleased over the comment. “I’m going to show you, the Frank Sinatra wannabe, the chimp, and all of these other people why I’m the legend in this business!” Hogan then turned away from Bone Saw and faced us, the crowd of crazed, bloodthirsty fans. “Which one of you Hulk-a-maniacs wants to step in the ring for three minutes with the Hulkster?!”

Kermit, Lori, Fozzie, and I looked around at all of the people in the crowd who were raising their arms frantically, each wanting the opportunity to show Hogan what they were made of. Lori and I exchanged disgusted looks. We knew that this whole thing had to be a publicity stunt for members of the press, like ourselves, would eat up the next day. It was exactly the reason J. Jonah Jameson had sent us here in the first place.

“Oh, no!!” I heard Kermit said, sounding very worried.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him, and when he pointed towards the ring, the rest of us turned our heads to see none other than Gonzo step out of the crowd and into the ring, approaching Hogan. Lori lowered her head in embarrassment, while Kermit and Fozzie covered their eyes. Seeing that helped me realize that it all wasn’t a publicity stunt, unless Gonzo was keeping some things a secret.

“I challenge you, Hulkster!” Gonzo yelled, and Hogan turned his head to see whom the challenger was, but didn’t see anyone at first. “Down here!” The Hulkster titled his head forward and noticed Gonzo, recognizing him from their last encounter at the C.O.V.N.E.T headquarters.

“Hey! You’re the little blue alien dude!” Hogan shouted, seeming to be very angry about Gonzo’s presence in the ring. “You represent everything I hated about that time of my career! Working with that bald idiot and his stupid organization nearly had years of everything I worked my butt off for going down the toilet!”

“Geez, sorry about that.” Gonzo said, sincerely. “If it helps, I have a friend who has connections, and I’m sure he’ll…” Before Gonzo could finish, Hogan screamed his lungs out and charged at the weirdo, grabbing him by his nose and swinging him around and around. Kermit, Fozzie, Lori, and I nearly made ourselves dizzy following Gonzo’s body as it was swung around.

“Time to go boldly, meatball…er, uh…oddball!!!” Hogan yelled, right before he tossed Gonzo high into the air, making him fly all the way up to the rafters and crashing through the roof of the arena. We heard him scream frighteningly as he flew up and then back down, crashing right back into the seat that he was sitting in. My eyes widened in surprise over the remarkable display of athleticism by Hulk Hogan, who raised his arms in victory as the crowd roared (literally) with applause.

“Gonzo, are you alright?” Lori asked him, and if it weren’t for the way he was laughing as he climbed out from the hole that was shaped like his figure, which was where his seat should’ve been, we would’ve believed that he was seriously injured.

“Looks like Hulk-a-mania’s still running wild!” Gonzo exclaimed, before we turned our attention back to the ring, where Hogan was hogging up all of the glory that Bone Saw believed he should be getting. The jealous Bone Saw decided to take action against Hogan, screaming wildly as he charged at the legendary wrestler and used all of his might to knock him out of the ring. Normally, Hogan would retaliate from such a blow. But considering the fact that the entire show wasn’t scripted, Hogan really was knocked out cold from the fall that he had taken onto a wooden table outside the ring that he was knocked out of. Meanwhile, back in the ring, Bone Saw turned his attention to the ring entrance, waiting for the first amateur wrestler to come out.

----------------​

Rizzo:*frustrated* Argh! Boy, are ya lucky!

Gonzo: Yeah. To go one-on-one with such a legend. What an honor!

Rizzo: No, I mean ya had one of da most gorgeous characters in our story worry about ya. Usually when I get hurt, people ask me where da bathroom is.

Gonzo:*shakes head in disgust* There are more deleted scenes to come. Stay tuned, everybody.

 

[muppetwriter]

Fozzie: Hey, everybody. I know I'm not supposed to have hosting duties for this big event, but I've come across some news that not even Kermit or Miss O'Neil have found out yet! It turns out that this whole "Spidey/Muppets" celebration is a cover-up for a bigger story that's going to be released in May. No joke! For once, I'm being serious! And I have proof! Here with me now is the star of the real upcoming "MARVELOUS Muppets" story, Mr. Howard the Duck!

Howard:*takes cigar out of his bill* Hey, Foz. Nice to be here amongst a crowd of hairless apes.

Fozzie: Wow. I mean...I just can't believe how fooled we all were. I thought for sure that there was going to be a third Spidey/Muppets crossover. Boy, what a time to find out about such a secret on the day of all days, April Fools Day.

Howard: Yeah, well...that's the media for ya, Bear. *blows smoke* So...uh...don't you have some questions for me or somethin'?

Fozzie: Oh, yeah. Sure I do. I came up with some as soon as I found out about this neat rumor. *pulls out a series of index cards* So, Howard, how does it feel being involved in a story with memorable Muppet characters?

Howard: Well, I'm not much of a fan. I'm just in it for the publicity. I have to make up for that worthless garbage people call a "movie adaptation" of my comic in the 80s. I figure the best way to make a big comeback is to star in a story based on my origin, while crossed over with lovable characters like you guys.

Fozzie: Aren't you worried that the sexual elements in your comics might come out in this fanfic story? This is a family forum, you know.

Howard: I wouldn't sweat it. Today's audience soak in that type of stuff like a sponge, and it doesn't bother them one bit. As long as it's done right, we've got nothing to worry about. *takes another puff from his cigar* Next question...please!

Fozzie:*nervously* Ahem! OK. Can you tell us anything about the story?

Howard: Well...I don't want to ruin anything for anyone. But everybody reads spoilers off the net every day anyway, so...here's what happens. I come down to Earth from my home planet of Duckworld and meet my sweet potato, Beverly Switzler, who helps me search for the one who has connections to all parts of the universe, Gonzo the Great. Through the weirdo, I'm able to travel through the cosmos and come in contact with those two pointy-eared Muppets (I forget their names) from that Jim Henson movie about crystals and darkness...and I think David Bowie was in it, too. But, anyway, they help me defeat the greatest threat of the cosmos and so on and so on and so on....you get my drift. Right?

Fozzie:*puzzled* Uh...yeah. I think I do. Are you sure that this is something the muppetwriter is going to be doing soon?

Howard: Oh, yeah. It's gonna be big, Fuzzy.

Fozzie: That's Fozzie.

Howard: Whatever.

Fozzie: No, that's Gonzo.

Howard: My point is that it's going to be the most MARVELOUS story this message board has ever read. Much better than that Spidey/Muppets collaboration that you were duped into believing was gonna happen. I mean, who would read a story about a freak with a mask who shoots webs teaming up with characters from several different franchises to stop a guy made out of sand, an emotionally disabled millionaire's son who says he's a goblin but doesn't even look like one, and some black and gooey alien with ridiculous fangs?

Fozzie: Uh....

Howard: This board deserves something bigger...something better...something that has "MARVELOUS" written all over it. And my story, the Howard/Muppets crossover will have a million views and thousands of replies on the first day its posted.

Fozzie:*uncertain* You...uh...really think...so?

Howard: Of course. Why wouldn't it?

Fozzie: Oh, I dunno. It's just that...the plot...it doesn't sound as marvelous as the plot to the Spidey/Muppets crossover.

Howard: Well, what did that story have that mine's won't?

Fozzie: Well, a lot of things. Terrific characters, a working storyline, neat references to past Muppet films and television shows, wonderful additional franchises, great heroes, villains that you love to hate or just love, and--above all--inside jokes.

Howard: Gee, I'm sorry, Bear. But my story's in and that story's out.

Fozzie: I guess so. *sighs* Wow. This news doesn't sound as exciting as it did moments ago, when I first found out about it. I wonder what'll happen to this thread, now that it's going to be a Howard/Muppets crossover coming instead of a Spidey/Muppets one?

Howard: Well, here's what I think.....

(Howard tosses his cigar aside and suddenly rips off his entire skin, which turns out to be a costume worn by Statler and Waldorf.)

S&W: APRIL FOOLS, YOU STUPID BEAR!!!!!!!!!!

Fozzie:

Statler: You should've seen the look on your face after we told you that ridiculous plot!

Waldorf: Yeah, you looked more surprised than George Lucas did when he got the paycheck!

Statler: Not even zeroes can make up for that big piece of "number two".

S&W: Dohohohohohoho!!!

Fozzie: I can't believe I actually took you guys seriously.

Waldorf: Just comes to show that you can't trust the internet, Bear.

Statler: Unless it's MySpace or YouTube.

Waldorf: You old fool! You can't trust those sites either.

Statler: Not after the woman I met last night.

Waldorf: That was no woman. That was me. Dohohohoho!!

Statler:*shivers*

Kermit:*hops in* Sorry for all of this nonsense, everyone. But we'll have some real good treats to come very soon. So stay tuned.

Fozzie: I think I'm starting to hate April Fools Day.

S&W: We love it!! Dohohohohohoho!!!!

Kermit:*shakes head* Sheesh.

 

[muppetwriter]

Gonzo: Greetings!

Rizzo: Howdy!

Gonzo: We have another deleted scene for you this evening, straight from the first Spidey/Muppets story, "The Amazing!"

Rizzo: Now here's a scene dat I wish made it into da final draft of this story, because it is just so cool!

Gonzo: I know what you mean. It's a really marvelous scene that explains just how close Sean Thomas was to the origin of Spider-Man. But it was a little too close for the author of this tale, the real Sean (a.k.a. "muppetwriter"), who wanted his character to only come as close as finding out the truth about Spidey near the end.

Rizzo: So sit back and enjoy anotha awesome "deleted scene" from "Da Amazing"!

Gonzo: Enjoy!

-----------------​

"The Amazing!" (Deleted Scene)
"Sean Meets Dr. Connors"​

Before going to work the next day, I stopped by Columbia University to see my old mentor, Dr. Curtis “Curt” Connors. He used to be the old professor that Lori and I had when we were living in San Francisco and attending Whitmire College, and he taught almost everything he knew about biology. That was why I went to see him the morning after the wrestling event and the murder at the Hudson River waterfront, just to figure out if there was a connection between the two. I knew I wasn’t seeing things the other night. I saw that same wrestler who called himself (or at least Johnny and Sal called him) “The Amazing Spider-Man” in the ring at the scene of the crime, shortly after the event was over. And I don’t want to start pointing fingers until I know I had all of my facts straight.

When I arrived at the university, I noticed that Connors was just finishing Biology class that he had that morning. All of the students had cleared out of the room, except for one that stayed for a few minutes to ask Connors a couple of things. She looked like she could have been one of Connors’s best students, much like I was back then.

“I’m really sorry that I was almost late today, Dr. C.” The student said. “I was so busy with my job at home that I just lost track of the time. I…I promise that it won’t happen again.” Connors, just like he always did when I was his protégé, smiled at the student and waved it off.

“It was only a minute, Miss Frances.” Curt remarked, and the student rolled her eyes when he addressed her that way.

“Please, Dr. C…please call me ‘Frankie’.” She said, and Connors chuckled, as he used his good arm to collect his papers and other items.

“You’re a good student, Frankie. I won’t hold anything like a small delay against you.” Curt assured, and the student sighed a breath of relief as she began to walk away from Connors’s desk.

“Thanks, Dr. C.” She said, passing by me on her way out. “See you this Thursday.” Once the student was out of the room, I stepped inside and walked up to Connors’s desk, showing off a toothy grin.

“Not as cold-blooded as you used to be, eh?” I uttered, and his head immediately shot up as soon as he heard my voice. He smiled brightly, coming around his desk and sticking out the only available hand he had to offer in order to shake mine.

“How have you been, Sean?” Curt said, laughing.

“Still trying to find the courage to mix acid with potassium.” I had always started and ended our conversations with lame Biology jokes that weren’t exactly meant to be funny. Of course, I would never lend them to Fozzie.

“What brings you back into the wonderful world of biology this day?” Curt asked me, always the one to get down to business after a happy greeting. “I’m sure it’s not to do an interview on plans for the next atom bomb.”

I laughed; he was always the one with the better jokes. “No. I’m here for a more personal reason.” I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out a plastic bag that contained a strand of the webbing that Spider-Man had shot from his wrists while wrestling against Bone Saw. After the murder that happened last night, I went back to the arena and paid Beauregard, the Muppet janitor who was working there late that night, a hefty sum of money to snatch me some of Spidey’s webbing—the only available evidence I could find. I’m not exactly sure what he would do with it though.

“What’s that?” Curt curiously asked, as I gave him the bag.

“Something that could be just a lame stunt to please the crowd, at least at a first glance.” I replied. “But after the murder that I witnessed near the Hudson River, it might be something more.”

“And you want me to do what with it?” He looked at me as if I was pulling a practical joke on him, because he knew exactly what it was in that bag.

“If I recall, there was one lecture you gave us on the anatomy of spiders and how anyone can find structures of DNA in their webbing.” I noticed how he was smiling as I took a trip down memory lane. “The guy who shot this webbing from his wrists had reflexes that were close to that of a spider. I mean, he moved so fast, just the slightest blink of an eye will leave you missing one amazing move.” It was then that Connors was really looking at me oddly, and for a brief moment, I thought he was just going to hand the bag back to me, give me a pat on the shoulder, and tell me to have a nice day. But he did the opposite instead.

“It does look strangely enormous to be a regular spider web.” We moved to the back of his desk, where I helped him sever a piece of the webbing and place it under his microscope. Looking through its lens, Curt made peculiar expressions as he studied it. “My god.”

“What?” I asked him, feeling the goose-bumps pop up from my right forearm over the way he said “My god.”

“I don’t know what you have here, Sean…nor would I want to meet the man responsible for shooting this stuff from his wrist.” He told me, before looking up from his microscope and giving me the only serious look he had on his face during the whole conversation. “But it’s definitely not what you would call a ‘gimmick’.” Now it was my turn to give him the strange look. He moved away from the microscope and allowed me to have a glimpse of what he was seeing. I actually saw strands of DNA in that microscope, which could only mean that whoever “The Amazing Spider-Man” was, part of him was a spider.

“I’ve got to go.” I said, heading towards the door in a mighty hurry. “Thanks for your help, Curt.”

“You’re welcome. But aren’t you going to take your…?” Before Connors could finish his question, we both stopped and heard a strange sizzling noise. We looked at the webbing that was sitting on the microscope and in the plastic bag, and the most unbelievable thing happened. The webbing began to dissolve until it was nothing more than pools of gray liquid on Connors’s desk. The both of us looked at each other strangely. “Guess there’s not going to be a joke to conclude this meeting.” I just looked at him, shaking my head.

“This is no joke, Curt.” I said, right before I left the room, leaving him completely dumbfounded of what I had brought into there.

---------------​

Rizzo: Aw, man! Dat was so...so...

Gonzo: Marvelous?

Rizzo: YEAH!!!!!

Gonzo:*laughs* Just remember, folks. Only through this celebration could you've found out about such a great "deleted scene". And there'll be more to come very soon. So stay tuned.

 

[muppetwriter]

Hey, everyone. I personally want to introduce the next story included into this celebration. It's a tale written by Ryan ("theprawncracker") last year in July, and its one of my personal favs here on Muppet Central. Two particular characters in this story that Ryan created himself will be in the upcoming third Spidey/Muppets story.

Its title is just as special as its storyline, and for those that haven't read it yet, you'll really feel marvelous after you do.

"Old Friends Who've Just Met"
by
theprawncracker (a.k.a. Ryan)​

Prologue

Seven years have passed since The Great Gonzo met his real family at CapeDoom. He has not seen them since that fateful day that changed his life forever.

But now, somewhere in the outermost reaches of space, a scream is heard, an alien is murdered by an arch-nemesis and a plan is made.

And now, Gonzo’s family needs his help. For he is the one. The one who can save an entire alien race, his family from destruction.

But Gonzo already has a lifestyle on Earth. Routinely he performs life threatening stunts on The Muppet Show, and normally, being propelled into space to do battle with dangerous weapons would be like heaven to the blue weirdo. But when he gives up his unique art form forever, will he still be willing to save his family?

And what of the other Muppets? What of Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear and Miss Piggy? Can they survive without Gonzo when ex-members of C.O.V.N.E.T. return to find evidence of aliens and don’t care who they hurt in the process?

All of these questions and more will be answered in this tale, the blue weirdo will discover secrets about himself that he never knew, and everyone will learn of the importance of family, close to your soul, and so far away. The Great Gonzo will be going back there today.


Chapter 1

The guns from the immense space ships fired in all directions as the laser beams lit the vast endless sky.

“All power to the port thrusters!” a captain yelled to his crew.

“Starboard flank hit captain!”

“Power falling rapidly!”

Screams of terror followed from all aboard the vessel. The captain stared silently at the massive fleet of shuttles wiping out his team, his friends, and his family.

“What are we to do?” his anxious wife said as she rushed to him carrying a small wrapped blanket.

“Take the last escape pod,” he told her as his abnormally long curved nose gently rubbed against hers. “Take my son, get him a better life than this, away from war.”
“You must come with us,” she said.

“I cannot,” he turned to the window, watching the destruction again. “A captain must always go down with his ship.”

“Then I will stay with you,” she said. “And go down with my husband.”

He wouldn’t argue with her, he knew he couldn’t win. He never could. “At least send our son, let him live.”

She nodded her head once and darted off to the escape pod hatch. There was one pod left sitting in the hatch, the others had been taken or destroyed in the carnage. The ship shook from a blast making contact. She pressed a series of numbers to open the pod door. She placed the bundle inside and pulled back the sheet. A small blue head with an abnormally long light blue nose poked out of the sheet. The furry blue creature extended it’s small blue arms up towards his mother.

“Be well, be safe, take good care of yourself my son,” she said quietly. “My Gonzo.”

She pressed another series of numbers to close the pod and sending it rocket from the hatch. She closed her eyes, and deep down she believed she heard a faint Whoopie! coming from the pod blasting away.

* * * * * * * * * * * *
​

“Gonzo? Hey Gonzo buddy wake up,” Rizzo the Rat said shaking his best friend as he slept with his feet propped up on a seat in front of him in the Muppet Theater. “C’mon man, it’s almost time for your act!”

“No mom let me stay during the attack!” Gonzo said jolting up from his sleep. “Rizzo? I had that dream again Rizzo!”

“Aw no,” Rizzo sighed. “Noah?” Gonzo shook his head. “Goat and the dwarf and the peanut butter?” Gonzo shook his head again. “Uh...Oh, the one with the Doritos, the desk lamp and the red Ferrari?”

“No Rizzo, the one about my parents!” Gonzo explained.

“Oh, right, right,” Rizzo said. “Which one is that again?”

Gonzo sighed, Rizzo never completely understood, no one did. “Never mind Rizzo, what were you saying about my act?”

“Oh nothin’, you’re just comin’ up after Piggy practices her solo number.”

Up on the stage Miss Piggy lay on a shiny black grand piano in a seductive red dress. Rowlf the Dog sat at the front of the piano and began to let the music flow from his paws to the keys as Miss Piggy began to sing.

“Where have all the good men gone?
And where are all the gods?
Where’s the street-wise Hercules,
To fight the rising odds,” she sang seductively.

“Isn’t there a white night,
Upon a fiery steed?
Late at night, I toss and I turn,
And I dream of what I need,” Piggy held the note.

“HIT IT!” Piggy shouted, and the curtains drew back revealing Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem set up with their instruments as smoke filled the stage. Piggy jumped off the piano and began to dance. The Mayhem began to play, loudly of course.

“I need a hero!
I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the end of the night.
And he’s gotta be strong,
And he’s gotta be fast,
And he’s gotta be fresh from the fight!

“I need a hero!
I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the morning light
He’s gotta be sure
And it’s gotta be soon
And he’s gotta be larger than life,
Larger than life.”

At this point Scooter walked up behind Piggy clouded in smoke and hooked a rope to her dress. “Let the pig fly! Let the pig fly!” Scooter whispered into his earpiece.

“Oh no, dat’s my cue!” Rizzo said, back in the seats. The rat began to run backstage.

Gonzo watched as Miss Piggy continued singing with her arms extended as if waiting to take off.

“Somewhere after midnight,
In my wildest fantasy,
Somewhere just beyond my reach,
There’s someone reaching back for me!” Piggy sang, and began glaring backstage.

“Racing on the THUNDER,” she growled.
“And rising with the heat
It’s gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet,” she scowled off stage again. “SWEEP ME OFF MY FEET YOU STUPID RAT!”
Rizzo flipped a switch backstage sending Piggy flying through the air as a machine lifted the rope (they couldn’t have a repeat of the Christmas special of ‘02).

“Cool,” Gonzo said quietly to himself.

“I need a her-oh!” Piggy sang as she spun around above the stage.
“I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the end of the niii-ght!
GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!! MOI AM NO MARIONETTE!!”

Gonzo sighed, “And that’ll be my cue.” He hopped out of his seat and began walking up to the stage himself.

“Rizzo let her down!” Scooter said into the earpiece.

“I can’t!” Rizzo said tugging at a switch. “The switch is stuck!”

“Well then hock the ham!” Scooter said.

“You sure?”

“Do it!”

Rizzo began gnawing the rope the rope holding Piggy aloft.

“What the he-“ she began to say before she plummeted to the ground when the rope was cut. She crashed to the stage floor.

Clifford finally stood up from his front row seat. “Good thing we had those floors reinforced two fold last summer.”

Piggy sat up on the stage with her long blonde hair matted and tangled. “You’re gonna wish you had a reinforced face when I’m through with you!” she yelled at Clifford.

“Alright that’s the round back to your corners,” Rowlf said standing up from his piano. He lifted up a clipboard and made a check mark. “Good job Piggy, we’ll fix the rope and you’ll be ready for the show tomorrow night.”

“Or as ready as a porker like dat could be, hokay?” Pepe the King Prawn whispered to Floyd Pepper backstage.

“Watch yourself dude,” Floyd said. “Shrimp don’t go good with pork chops!” Floyd laughed.

Clifford glanced a look at his checklist. “Yo Gonzo! You ready?”

“Yeah, I’m ready,” Gonzo called as he prepared to go on stage wearing his yellow jumpsuit and red cape, his classic stunt uniform.
“You sure you wanna do this bud?” Rizzo asked him as he walked by.

“Come on Rizzo,” Gonzo said. “I’ve survived being shot out of an interstellar space cannon 400 feet in the air,” he said remembering his first, and still only, encounter with his family from space. “That makes being shot out of a regular cannon through thin sheet of ice and into a vat of lime green Jell-O look like eating a peanut butter and pickle sandwich!”

Rizzo grimaced, “It’s a pity Kermit ain’t here to see it,” he shook his head and handed Gonzo a helmet. “Here ya go man, good luck.”

“Thanks Rizzo,” Gonzo smiled as he put on the helmet.

The weirdo walked out on stage where Sweetums was carefully positioning a vat of lime Jello to the right of an inch thick sheet of ice slowly melting under the stage lights.

Better get started before the ice melts, Gonzo thought to himself. He climbed into the long black cannon and stuck his helmeted head out the front. “Light me!” he shouted.

Beauregard the janitor took a match to the wick at the end of the cannon and it slowly began to disintegrate under the flame.

Sweetums started to run to the left to get off the stage before the stunt began.

Gonzo was ready, he’d done more challenging stunts before. But still, deep inside he felt something, something wrong. I wish Kermit was here...

* * * * * * * * * * * *
​

Something happened. Something no one could predict or prevent. Something that would change the life of one blue alien weirdo forever.

Sweetums slipped. The water from the melted sheet of ice on the stage sent the monster sliding down the stage. He knocked the cannon slightly, throwing it off course.

The wick dissolved fully. The cannon shot.

And in a flash, the Great Gonzo was unconscious, beaten and broken on the other side of what used to be a brick wall.


There's more of Ryan's story to come.

 

[muppetwriter]

Here's another chapter from "Old Friends Who've Just Met"!


Chapter 2

Kermit the Frog leaned on his silver putter at Goelz Golf and Government Surplus.

“Kermit, if you sink this next putt you’ve beat him!” Fozzie Bear whispered to the frog.

Both Fozzie and Kermit were dressed in golfing garb. Kermit stared at the 18th hole, sinking this put would mean more than beating him, it would mean a weekly news spot on Disney Channel with all of the Muppets, and Kermit could not miss this chance.

“Alright Iger,” Kermit said to a tall man pulling a golf ball out of the hole. “This is it, this putt decides it.”

Bob Iger smiled at Kermit. “Alright Kerm, good luck.”

Kermit smiled back. “Ok Fozzie, grab the flag.”

“Yes sir!” Fozzie said as he ran to the hole and removed the plastic flag.

Kermit stared down at his tiny white ball and let the tip of his putter touch the green. He concentrated deeply. Put the ball in the cup. I am the ball. Put me in the cup. Kermit shook his head and slightly brought back his putter. Just as he began his soft decent onto the ball, the Muppet Show theme tune broke the deep concentrated silence and caused Kermit to send his ball flying into a nearby water hazard.

Kermit lowered his head and sighed. “Fozzie I thought I told you to put that on vibrate...”

“Sorry Kermit, I must’ve forgotten,” Fozzie said grabbing his pink-polka dot tie with his left hand and holding a lime green cell phone with his right. He let go of his tie and answered the phone. “Hello?” he said into it.

“Tough luck Kermit,” Mr. Iger said. “Better luck next time my friend,” he looked at his watch. “And I have to catch a plane, so long,” he said walking off the green and onto a golf cart.

“Bye Bob, see you next week,” Kermit said. He turned his attention back to Fozzie. “Something wrong Fozzie?” Kermit asked as he saw Fozzie acting more nervous than usual.

“Kermit, it’s Gonzo,” Fozzie said blankly.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

​

Kermit and Fozzie ran into the hospital still dressed in their golfing clothes and out of breath. Inside the waiting area a loud and furry group of creatures sat, some pacing, some dancing, most stunned.

Kermit walked around ducking and dodging boomerang fish and explosions looking for Miss Piggy or someone who knew what had happened. But before they could be found a small dark green frog ran up and hugged Kermit. “Uncle Kermit, Uncle Kermit!” the young frog called.

Kermit patted his small head. “It’ll all be okay Robin,” he comforted his nephew. “It’ll all be okay.” Kermit hugged him back and grabbed his hand. “Where’s Miss Piggy?”

Robin wiped his eye and pointed with his free hand. “She’s over there with Rizzo, Rowlf and Scooter,” he said.

The two frogs and Fozzie walked over to where Miss Piggy, Scooter, Rizzo and Rowlf sat around a coffee table, just as Robin had said. “Kermit,” Rowlf said surprised.

Miss Piggy hopped up and charged into Kermit. “Oh Kermie,” she wailed as she hugged him around his neck.

Fozzie walked over and sat next to Scooter. “How...How could this happen?” Fozzie asked rhetorically, shaking his head.

Once Piggy had let go of him, she and Kermit sat down and Kermit lifted Robin onto his lap. “Don’t worry guys,” Kermit reassured them. “We’ll pull through. We’ve faced hardships before.”

“But Kermit,” Scooter spoke up. “None of us have been seriously hurt before. I mean Gonzo could-“

Rizzo began to sob into Rowlf’s furry arm. “Not my buddy,” he wailed. “Not my best friend!”

Fozzie stopped him, he put his hand on Scooter’s shoulder and shook his head. “No,” Fozzie said plainly. “No.”

The group sat quietly for awhile before Clifford walked up to them carrying two styrofoam cups of coffee in his purple hands. “Hey Kerm, hey Foz,” he said. “I woulda brought you coffee too, but uh, I only got two hands. Not that it would be uncommon for me to have more around here...”

Kermit smiled, Rowlf chuckled lightly. “Did the nurse say how he was doing?” Rowlf asked.

Clifford sighed and handed Rowlf a cup of the coffee. “Yeah, nurse said he was in a deep coma,” Clifford said quietly and cautiously. “She says...Well...No one knows when he’ll come out of it.”

* * * * * * * * * * * *

​

Camilla was allowed into Gonzo’s room by the doctor. She walked into room 81A where a bed sat in the middle of the right wall. In the bed, Gonzo lay silently with casts on both his legs and his right arm, and a sling on his left.

Camilla moved to the bed side and lay her head upon Gonzo’s chest. A small tear slipped from her eye. “Baguck,” she clucked quietly. She rubbed his chest with her wing softly. “Buck buck,” she sobbed.

A nurse softly knocked on the door “Excuse me miss,” she said. “Visiting hours are ending.”

Camilla removed herself from the bed and walked towards the door. The nurse placed her hand on the chicken’s back. “He’ll be just fine miss,” she said. “And just know that I’m pulling for him. And for you.”

Camilla sniffed. “Buck buck bawk,” she clucked thanking the woman. The nurse patted her back once more and walked away. Camilla silently returned to the waiting area with her friends.

* * * * * * * * * * * *​

Gonzo floated in a dark area. It was completely black, he was lost. “Where am I?” he asked the air. “Am...Am I dead?” he asked quietly. He hoped he wasn’t dead. Death was the big bang, the final show, the last act! He couldn’t have ended his legacy shooting through an ice sheet! His final ride had to be big. Real big.

“No,” he shook his head. “I’m not dead.”

There was no speculation in his voice. He knew this for a fact. He didn’t know how. He just knew.

Suddenly, a spark of light appeared. Head toward the light. Gonzo heard a voice say. “Well,” he said. “I’m not dead yet,” he shrugged as he moved toward the spark.
The light grew larger as Gonzo moved forward, he knew he was heading in the right direction. The light enveloped the once dark area, then slowly cleared away revealing a wooden stage with magenta curtains.

Gonzo looked around. “The theater?” he said quietly. “What am I doing here?”

The familiar theme song began to play and out danced five female Muppets.

“It’s time to play the music” they sang in harmony.
“It’s time to light the lights
It’s time to meet the Muppets
On the Muppet Show tonight!” they danced off stge.

Five male Muppets danced on stage from the opposite end singing as well.

“It’s time to put on make-up
It’s time to dress up right
It’s time to raise the curtain
On the Muppet Show tonight!”

The curtains opened to reveal Fozzie’s opening joke. Gonzo realized he was floating above the Muppet Show’s first season.

The curtains drew close and Kermit danced onto the middle of the stage.

“To introduce our guest star
That’s what I’m here to do
So it really makes me happy
To introduce to you
Peter Ustinov, yay!”

The curtains opened again to reveal a large bearded man gathered around a group of Muppets, then finally revealing Kermit, Wayne, Wanda, Fozzie and four other Muppets standing and sitting on a blue and white pedestal.

“And now let’s get things started
On the most sensational
Inspirational
Celebrational
This is what we call the Muppet Show!”

Then Gonzo saw him. Him. Himself. But not the him he was today. He was different. His nose was a light shade of blue, thin, and lightly crumpled. Gonzo noticed his eyelids had drooped down halfway over his eyes. “Wow,” Gonzo said. “I’ve changed so much since then!” he exclaimed.

The light swarmed around him again removing the theater from his view and revealing a dark desert where Piggy, Rowlf, Fozzie and Camilla were gathered around a bonfire.

“Part heaven
Part space
Or have I found my place?” he heard himself sing. There he was again. Sitting on a rock in the desert. His eyelids had lifted and his nose had taken its purple color. He noticed that he was still about half the size he was today.

“You can just visit
But I plan to stay
I’m going to go back there someday.”

Again the light returned. He was getting tired of this, it wasn’t even painful. The light left him in an old farmhouse where he saw himself fighting a turkey. His head had grown larger but seemed to leave his body back in 1979. It was now that he realized he was being taken through his growth. Throughout his life.

Once more came the light wrapping him inside it and sending him to a beach just atop a lighthouse. A small egg type device let a light out that shone to the sky. A signal. A humongous space ship began to descend from the sky to land at Cape Doom. The ship opened up and aliens began to dance and sing. Just as if they were family. Soon Gonzo saw himself shot into the air out of a cannon. This was who he was now. This was his final evolution (or so he presumed). That was it.

The light returned one last time returning Gonzo to the black area he started out at. All was black. Dark and black. “Wait!” he shouted to no one. “Take me back! Take me back!”



More to come later.