In the morning after the Spider-Island incident, citizens and heroes alike revert back to their human form, they are naked in the streets. Hiding behind a tree is a nude Carlie Cooper, who sees her Spider-man tattoo that she got on her hip fading away. The members of the Avengers begin their cleanup in Union Square where the corpse of the giant queen monster resides. Steve Rogers requests that Iron Man do a full-body scan of the Queen's corpse to make sure she's really dead. Madame Web is chatting with Shang-Chi, but senses Kaine is near, still in Peter's stealth horizon suit. She calls Kaine out and says she needs to discuss with him his future.

There are cleaning crews and heavy trucks taking away wreckage at the site of Queen's corpse. Inside one of the trucks is another Miles Warren clone along with Jackal. The Jackal the Queen disintegrated was merely another clone. Jackal tells the Miles clone that he kept his distance the entire time, and rigged a computer to say that the killed Jackal was the original. Jackal also says he's "bristling with ideas, all new ways to plague our Mr. Parker".

Peter is still on top of the Empire State Building with Mary Jane, explaining how he was able to lead the march of mentally-controlled octo-spiders to carry the cure to 1.6 million New Yorkers last issue, and yet in the time he and MJ lived together, he "couldn't record two shows at the same time on our DVR?". Peter gets a call from Aunt May on his in-mask comm. Her and Jay are still at the airport waiting to depart from Boston. The flights have been reestablished, and May wants to see Peter again before they leave. With Mary Jane's blessing, Peter swings away, saying they'll talk later, and that he can't shake the feeling that he's forgetting something. MJ herself, still with Spider-Powers of her own, swings off the rooftop, thinking "Oh, I'm sure it's nothing important.".

At Newark's Liberty Airport, injections are being administered to travellers by workers in hazmat suits, as a last precaution. Peter meets up with Jay and May--on a TV screen, a news report shows a "cured" Eddie Brock alongside Reed Richards, who proclaims Brock as the true hero of Spider-Island, as the essence of the cure was distilled from Eddie's Anti-Venom symbiote. May and Jay head towards their gate, saying their goodbyes to Peter. Then, Peter runs into Kaine, clad in a blue hoodie. Kaine tells Peter that he's leaving New York, and that he's keeping Peter's stealth Horizon suit, that Madam Web told Kaine he may need it. Jonah and Robbie, meanwhile, are enjoying a drink at an empty pub. Jonah says he awoke in his Command Center, in a locked room, marvelling at how Spider-Man "got one of those metal bugs throught he best security the city's got. That is a dangerous man.". Robbie asks in light of the fact that he saved a million citizens, does Spider-Man get any credit? Jonah says he'll make a call. Spider-man, while swinging across the George Washington Bridge, has a moment of identitication with an appreciative city worker, who concludes that Spider-Man must not be that different than anyone else.

Dropping in through his skylight, Peter changes out of the costume, and runs into Carlie in his apartment, who's packed her bags and is leaving. Peter tries to make up some excuses, that he was asleep the whole time in the other bedroom, but Carlie stops him short. She says she's leaving him, and that she knows he's Spider-Man. She asks him to finally show her some respect and own up to it, which he does. She says Peter showed no learning curve like everyone else did with his powers, and that Peter Parker is just a suit, "a costume you put on to be like the rest of us". Peter tries to stop her, but Carlie says whatever they had is over, and that they're done. With that, she leaves and slams the door on her way out, leaving Peter alone.

Peter goes to the fence of Avenger's Mansion, demanding that Dr. Strange show himself and give him an explanation. Strange appears in his astral form, he's somewhere else at the moment but sensed the urgency of Peter's call. Peter says someone figured out his secret identity, and wonders how that's possible, as Strange put a spell in place that psychically blocked anyone from figuring out Peter is Spider-man. Strange says the spell wouldn't work if another person unmasked Peter, or if he unmasked himself to others. Strange shows him a misty vision of the video Peter sent out over the internet of himself proclaiming that he has spider-powers too during Spider-Island, in an effort to rally the public. Strange claims with that act, Peter revealed himself to the world again. The spell has been weakened, and its protection is gone. The world won't remember Peter revealing his identity, but from now on, they can learn it once again. Strange also says it's only a spell that can be performed once.

In Horizon Labs, Max Modell has gathered all the scientists, and is congratulating them all for their role in saving New York from the infestation. Peter busts in at this moment, demanding another sample of the cure. Modell says the quantites of it are now limited, but that he has an emergency hypodermic of it, which he gives over to Peter. Modell tells Peter to tell Spider-Man to be very careful with it, that it will permanently remove Spider-man's powers.

On the roof of Horizon, Peter has changed into is Spider-Man costumes, and runs into Madame Web, who says Peter could make the choice and cure himself now with the syringe he has, that "the web of life" will "reweave itself", and someone will step in to take his place, maybe Kaine, maybe another. Peter says the powers he has are a gift, and throwing them away would be the most irresponsible thing he's ever done. Madame Web says he is to suffer a loss, but won't tell him what, which exasperates him.

Spider-Man catches up with a web-slinging Mary Jane, who is still wearing his spider-costume top, jokingly asks her to pull over at the tall building. Peter tells her he has to cure her before she mutates into a big, hairy spider. Also, that he knows her, and that she hates shaving her legs, and to try shaving eight of them. MJ gives in, and Peter injects her with the cure. They talk some more, and Peter informs MJ that Carlie left him. He says he won't stop being Spider-man, because people need him, but that just once, it'd be nice to get some gratitude. MJ tells him to shut up and look: nearby, the Empire State Building is lit up at the top with blue and red, in honor of Spider-Man.