INT. THIRD STREET CHOP SHOP - GARAGE - NIGHT
Inside what would, to the untrained eye, look like a regular
garage, three MEN cross the otherwise abandoned floor,
looking at the deserted workstations around them.
The two men on the outside are wearing low-budget suits, cut
wide at the shoulders. They're clearly not the brightest, and
look pretty out of place here.
The other is a manager type, used to giving orders. He's got
a much nicer suit, dark blue with a spotless white shirt
underneath. Sharp features and slicked back hair give him a
fairly distinguished look. This is NICKY CAVELLA.
And boy is he pissed.
CAVELLA
Who showed up?! NO-ONE, that's who.
All 'a them cops here earlier, they
scared 'em all off! The ones I can
get ahold of say they ain't goin'
to jail, and the rest I can't even
find! And to top it all off, I got
the freakin' PUNISHER on my ass!
The first GOON tries to be reassuring...
GOON #1
At least the boss hasn't said
anything yet. Maybe he'll move you
somewhere better...?
CAVELLA
He doesn't care about us. Sooner
throw guys like us to the Punisher.
GOON #2
This is pretty bad...
Cavella looks like he's about to have an aneurism.
CAVELLA
Pretty bad, huh? That the best you
can up with? I am really, really
glad we don't pay you to think.
GOON #1
Don't pay us to take on the
Punisher either. If he comes don't
go lookin' to us for protection.
CAVELLA
He doesn't scare me.
GOON #2
Yeah? Guy's got a bodycount in the
thousands.
No one ever gone up against him has
come out alive. No one! I am not
facing this guy.
GOON #1
Yeah, I'm gone.
Both of them turn the other way, heading for the exit.
CAVELLA
Oh, come on! You worthless pricks!
It's no use; they're gone.
Cavella keeps going the way he was going, throwing his hands
up in frustration. PULL BACK, and see SPIDER-MAN, crawling
upside-down on the ceiling.
He waits for the goons to leave, before throwing a WEB LINE
at Cavella!
It hits him in the back, and Spidey YANKS it, pulling him up!
CAVELLA
What the hell?!
Spider-Man THROWS him across the room, where Cavella lands on
a car with a loud THUD!
Spidey jumps down, walking up as menacingly as he can.
Cavella looks up, sighing in relief and freezing in fear at
the same time.
SPIDER-MAN
Nicky Cavella. Heard a lot about
you the last few days.
CAVELLA
Spider-Guy?
SPIDER-MAN
Spider-Man. And my name isn't
really that important to you.
Cavella gets to his feet, wiping some dust off his suit.
CAVELLA
Yeah, real imposing. What're you,
twelve? I got my first kill when I
was twelve.
Neither moves for a few moments.
Spider-Man finally breaks the tension:
SPIDER-MAN
Kingpin.
CAVELLA
(snorts)
Yeah, right. Like I'm gonna tell
you about the boss.
SPIDER-MAN
Well, we could always sit and wait
for The Punisher.
Cavella narrows his eyes.
CAVELLA
Yeah, right. Like you got the
stones ta work with that clown.
SPIDER-MAN
I'm not kidding around! He's coming
here, and he's going to kill you!
CAVELLA
I'm touched.
SPIDER-MAN
Save it. Leave the jokes to me.
When I'm in a better mood.
CAVELLA
(pause)
I ain't tellin' you anything, web
boy.
SPIDER-MAN
Listen to me you moron! He's...
BANG! A loud slam from the front cut him off.
Cavella tenses, reaching into his coat. Spidey notices, and
WEBS his hand.
SPIDER-MAN
No. No guns.
Cavella struggles with the webbing, but it doesn't budge.
Within moments, Castle KICKS open another door, holding a
pump-action shotgun right on Cavella.
Spider-Man shoots a strand of webbing at Castle, but he
THROWS himself to the side, switching aim to Spider-Man.
SPIDER-MAN
Wait! I'm not...
A SHOT rings out and we:
SMASH CUT TO:
INT. WATSON RESIDENCE - LIVING ROOM
The door opens and Mary Jane enters, looking exhausted. There
waiting for her is her father, CRAIG. He doesn't look happy.
MARY JANE
(unsure)
Uh... hi.
(beat)
Where's mom?
CRAIG
Working late.
Mary Jane nods and an awkward silence ensues.
MARY JANE
So... um...
CRAIG
How long?
Mary Jane stands in silence.
MARY JANE
I...
CRAIG
You lied to me. How long?
She hangs her head low.
MARY JANE
A month.
Craig just glares at her.
CRAIG
Do you have any idea how
disappointed I am in you?
This obviously hits her hard, even if she tries to hide it.
MARY JANE
Can we just drop it?
CRAIG
No, we can't just drop it! I said
no job, and you go behind my back
and get one anyway?
MARY JANE
How did you even find out?
CRAIG
Your boss called. You left your
English book at the diner.
MARY JANE
Oh, that's wonderful.
CRAIG
You're doing your homework at the
diner? Isn't this exactly...
MARY JANE
What you told me would happen?
Yeah, it is. You were right. It's
hard. My grades are terrible, I
haven't touched my portfolio
project, and I'm about to pass out
from exhaustion.
CRAIG
Don't make me about to be the bad
guy here. Your mother and I both
warned you it'd be this way.
MARY JANE
See, there you go again. It's
always about you and mom. Why can't
you get it through your head that
this has nothing to do with you? I
needed to do this, okay? For me.
And I know you're going to make me
quit, so... whatever.
Craig sighs. He stands and walks over to her.
CRAIG
Why would you think that?
Mary Jane looks up, surprised.
MARY JANE
Because you're... mad.
CRAIG
Because you lied. Look, you know
how I feel about you working, but
even so, I'm proud of you for
fighting through this.
MARY JANE
Really?
CRAIG
Really. You see what I meant,
though? Your grades, your art?
Mary Jane nods in reluctant agreement.
MARY JANE
Yeah...
CRAIG
Which is why Dante and I had a
little talk.
Mary Jane perks up.
CRAIG
I'm not going to make you quit. He
told me you're a hard worker, and
how valuable you are to him.
MARY JANE
He said that?
CRAIG
He did. But, since you're having
such a tough time, he agreed to cut
your hours some. You'll only be
working on the weekends, and
holidays when school's out, and in
the summer, it's between you and
him. But...
(beat)
Until your grades come up, you're
not setting foot back in that
diner. Don't worry, your job'll be
there when you go back. Sound fair?
She smiles.
MARY JANE
Yeah, I can live with that.
They hug.
CRAIG
I meant what I said, too.
MARY JANE
Weekends only?
CRAIG
That I'm proud of you.
Off a smiling Mary Jane:
FADE TO:
INT. THIRD STREET CHOP SHOP - GARAGE
Picking up where the gun shot left us.
We see Cavella, holding a gun in his free hand, the source of
the shot. Spider-Man sprays that hand with webbing as well.
Castle's been hit, square in the chest, but the bullet has
stopped dead, lingering for a second before falling to the
ground. Spidey and Cavella react.
CASTLE
Kevlar armor. I'm surprised you
don't use it.
SPIDER-MAN
I just try not to get shot...
CASTLE
Good luck with that.
He pulls the shotgun up, pointing at Cavella again.
SPIDER-MAN
Whoa, hey! No!
CASTLE
What?
He's not lowering the gun. Spider-Man webs the barrel shut.
SPIDER-MAN
No killing, no guns.
CASTLE
Great. Just what I need.
SPIDER-MAN
I mean it. I'm not going to let it
happen on my watch.
CASTLE
Stay away from me, if you know
what's good for you. You got that?
This is my fight. Stay out of it,
and stay away from Fisk!
Spider-Man freezes.
SPIDER-MAN
Fisk? Wilson Fisk? What does he
have to do with any of this?
CASTLE
Everything. Now stay out of it.
We turn to see Cavella, looking around for some sort of
escape. He's trying to wiggle his fingers inside the webbing,
but it's not doing any good.
SPIDER-MAN
Not going to happen, dude. Even if
Fisk is this Kingpin guy, I'm not
going to let you murder him.
There's a better way to do this!
Cavella looks up. Castle's got his free hand resting on a
pistol, while Spider-Man is ready to web it down.
CASTLE
You don't know the first thing...
SPIDER-MAN
Just stop, okay!?
CASTLE
Look, you're out of your league.
You just keep doing your little
circus act. Keep grabbing the
headlines. It's what you do, and it
seems to work for you, but this is
what I do. It's the only way...
Cavella takes the opportunity to run, barreling through a
door, heading for the front exit.
CASTLE
Damnit
He lets go of his pistol and pulls out a sawed-off shotgun,
raising it and FIRING at Spider-Man!
Spidey hits the ground hard, and Castle runs past.
We CLOSE ON Spider-Man as his head rolls to the side.
FADE OUT.
END OF ACT TWO
ACT THREE
FADE IN:
INT. PARKER RESIDENCE - NIGHT
It's late; the alarm on Peter's desk reads 5:42.
After a few moments, the window begins to creak open, and
Spider-man hauls himself in.
There's no blood anywhere, and as Spidey silently closes the
window and flicks on the light, we see that his suit isn't
even torn.
He pulls the shirt off, examining his chest. There's a very,
very bad welt, but no broken skin.
Too tired to figure out what happened, Peter rips off his
mask, and stuffs the top half of his costume under the bed.
He flops forward, pulling the blankets around him.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. MIDTOWN HIGH - LIBRARY - THE NEXT DAY
A weary-looking Peter is sifting through various articles,
clippings, all about Wilson Fisk.
He tosses one aside, sighing in discontent.
EDDIE (O.S.)
Yo! Pete!
Peter sighs, standing up and walking over to Eddie and Gwen,
trying to hide what he was looking at.
PETER
Hey, guys.
EDDIE
Did you hear, dude?
PETER
Ye...no, I didn't. What's up?
EDDIE
That Punisher dude hit a garage
last night. They couldn't even ID
the body when he was done with it.
Peter reacts, but tries his best to downplay it.
PETER
Man...
EDDIE
Seriously. It's all over the news.
GWEN
I really wish you would stop on
this guy. What's the big deal?
EDDIE
It's big news! Everyone's talking
about it!
GWEN
(matter of fact)
Peter isn't talking about it.
EDDIE
Peter never talks about anything!
Peter sighs, rubbing his face with his hand.
PETER
Yeah, okay, I'm really tired. And
I'm probably late for my next
class. You guys need something?
EDDIE
Yeah, Bro, you up for a movie
tonight? Friday night two-for-one?
MJ said she was in if you were...
PETER
Busy. Sorry guys.
EDDIE
Weak, dude. Really weak.
GWEN
What's with you lately? You're
always busy.
PETER
I can't help it. Believe me, I'd
rather be at the movies.
GWEN
Yeah, well let us know. We wouldn't
wanna interfere with your schedule.
PETER
Sorry.
Peter shrugs, apologetically. Gwen rolls her eyes and, along
with Eddie, exits the library.
INT. DAILY BUGLE - LATE AFTERNOON.
Robbie is hard at work, pulling random papers out of folders.
Peter approaches, but Robbie doesn't notice, too engrossed in
his work.
PETER
(walking over)
Hey.
Robbie looks up; nods.
ROBBIE
What's up?
Peter pats his chest, wincing as he does so.
PETER
(quietly)
I got shot.
Robbie's eyes bulge.
PETER
Relax. I'm not even bleeding. I
think it was some kind of blank or
something.
ROBBIE
You still should get it checked
out. I told you to stay away...
PETER
He's going after Fisk.
ROBBIE
You... what?
PETER
This Punisher guy, he thinks Fisk
is this Kingpin everybody's talking
about.
ROBBIE
Sounds like we'd get along.
PETER
I'm starting to wonder myself.
ROBBIE
It all makes sense, actually.
(pulls out a chair)
Take a look at this...
Peter sits, turning his attention to the computer screen.
ROBBIE
This Punisher? Name's Frank Castle.
He's an ex-Marine. Family was shot
execution style back in the early
90's. I'm guessing all this killing
he's doing, it's to find the people
responsible.
PETER
So... Fisk?
ROBBIE
Personally? I doubt it, but he does
have the resources to pull
something like that off, yeah.
PETER
(sighs)
What should I do?
ROBBIE
My advice? Stay the hell away from
Castle, Fisk, and anyone in between
them. Put in a tip with the Cops if
you gotta do something, but don't
get yourself involved.
PETER
I can't just do nothing.
Robbie shakes his head.
ROBBIE
Man, you are gonna get yourself
killed. Pete, man, trust me: This
isn't worth it.
Peter sighs.
PETER
Okay, look at it this way: Fisk may
or may not be the person you think
he is, but either way, he doesn't
deserve to die. And if Castle gets
his way, that's exactly what's
going to happen.
ROBBIE
Pete, you're acting like this is
your decision here.
PETER
It is.
ROBBIE
Ever think Castle feels the same
way?
PETER
Of course he does. The difference
is, I'm working with the law, not
against it.
(beat)
Castle's not gonna hurt me. He's
never taken an innocent life
before. I'll be fine.
Robbie sighs, and, reluctantly...
ROBBIE
Alright. Alright.
(then)
Fisk is making an inspection at one
of his chemical plants tomorrow.
Some big redesign or something. The
media's gonna be there, and I'm
guessing if Castle's got him in his
sights, he knows about it, too.
Peter leaps out of his chair...
PETER
Thanks!
ROBBIE
Just be...
Peter's already gone.
ROBBIE
Careful.
Off Robbie:
FADE TO:
INT. GWEN'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM
The door bell rings, and Gwen walks into frame. She opens the
door, revealing Eddie.
EDDIE
What's the big emergency?
She grabs him by the hand and pulls him into a long, deep
kiss. After a moment, they break, out of breath.
EDDIE
What was that for?
She smiles wide.
GWEN
Guess who's not grounded anymore?
EDDIE
Seriously?
She nods, flashing him a coy grin.
GWEN
Mmhmm.
EDDIE
Marshalls?
GWEN
Out to dinner.
EDDIE
Wow, so... actual private time.
Alone. With no... distractions.
(beat)
Any ideas?
CUT TO:
INT. GWEN'S HOUSE - GWEN'S ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
They BURST into the room, in a full-on passionate clinch,
eventually finding their way to the bed with a thud.
EDDIE
(through kisses)
You know... maybe we should...
slow... down... some.
Gwen's not interested. She responds by pulling his shirt up
over his head. He quickly pulls it back down.
EDDIE
Yeah! Okay... hold on a sec.
She stops, looking at him in confusion.
GWEN
What's wrong?
EDDIE
I... nothing. I just... this is all
so... fast, you know?
GWEN
No, not really.
She quickly moves to kiss him again, but he backs away.
EDDIE
Yeah, this isn't exactly how I
imagined it.
GWEN
How you imagined...
(beat, realizes)
Oh. Oh, wow. So you're a...
EDDIE
(quickly)
Yeah.
GWEN
Okay then... I didn't see that
coming. I just thought...
EDDIE
So you're not...
GWEN
No.
Eddie blinks, not really sure how to respond.
EDDIE
I guess I just always figured...
Gwen gets up, letting out a sigh.
GWEN
So... now what?
EDDIE
I just think we should slow down
some. Not that I don't... you
know... but, this kinda stuff is
probably something we should have
covered before we....
GWEN
Yeah, I... I'm sorry. I wasn't
thinking about that. I just assumed
you had before.
EDDIE
I guess I'm old fashioned, but I
kinda want it to... you know...
mean something?
(beat, snickers)
God, I sound like a total square!
An awkward beat before:
GWEN
It was last year. Before everything
with my parents. There was this
party, and this guy I was sort
of... I don't even know what we
were, but there was alcohol
involved, and... yeah. Not the most
romantic moment ever.
EDDIE
Have you since then?
GWEN
Almost once, but no.
EDDIE
Do you... regret it?
A beat as she considers.
GWEN
Do I wish it happened differently?
Yeah, I do. But regret? Not really.
Eddie stands, and moves toward her.
EDDIE
Look, this thing with us, I know I
may joke about it sometimes, but I
really want this to work. I don't
want you to take this the wrong
way, but I'm just not sure if we're
ready for this yet.
Gwen nods.
GWEN
No, you're right. We're not.
EDDIE
But we will be, you know? We've got
plenty of time.
She smiles.
GWEN
Yeah. Plenty of time.
He kisses her tenderly on the forehead, and as they embrace:
FADE TO:
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