WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Spider-Man #239 by Brian Michael Bendis, Oscar Bazaldua, Brian Reber and Cory Petit, on sale now.
Two of Brian Michael Bendis' most popular co-creations during his time as a Marvel exclusive writer are the Ultimate Universe's Spider-Man, Miles Morales, and the super-smart Iron Man successor, Riri Williams. And though the writer's final stories in Spider-Man and Invincible Iron Man are telling separate tales, Bendis has covertly weaved the two together in a nice nod to his loyal readers.
What makes the connective tissue even more subtle is, it's all thanks to one villain, and the criminal team brought together for the ultimate heist.
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Who Wants To Be A Benefactor?
Miles' troubles all began with the return of his deceased uncle, Aaron Davis, and his ascension to Iron Spider status. Aaron quickly began work forming a new iteration of the Sinister Six with himself, Sandman, Electro, Hobgoblin, adult Bombshell (Lori Baumgartner) and Spot, with the sole purpose of stealing a decommissioned S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier for a mysterious benefactor. Spider-Man got involved when Lori coerced her daughter Laura -- who also goes by the codename Bombshell -- into working with them.
The ensuing battle revealed the Iron Spider's true identity, which took the focus off of who hired Aaron to steal the helicarrier in the first place. However, after leaving Miles to ponder exactly how he should best deal with his villainous uncle, Spider-Man #239 takes the Sinister Six to Latveria, where Doctor Doom used to reign supreme.
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Doom has been sharing the spotlight in issues of Invincible Iron Man ever since "The Search For Tony Stark" kicked off and his own Infamous series ended. Ironheart also spent some time in Latveria as she got her superhero reps against another of the country's previous leaders, who surprisingly has the Sinister Six on the payroll.
I Used To Run This Country
With Doctor Doom no longer in control of Latveria, dictator Lucia von Bardas made a play to put herself in charge, drawing Ironheart's attention in Invincible Iron Man #6-10. The conclusion of the story arc saw Riri overthrow Lucia to become Latveria's sovereign leader herself, before deciding it was best to relinquish the position in favor of an electoral vote. Of course, that power vacuum left the perfect opportunity for Lucia to once again make her presence known, but to do that she'd need to tip the odds in her favor -- which she's done by hiring the Sinister Six to steal the aforementioned helicarrier.
And just like that, Bendis has completed his stealth Spider-Man/Invincible Iron Man crossover. Furthermore, Lucia isn't the only character to appear in both titles. Aaron Davis has the super-powered arms dealer Ceres Goldstein to thank for his Iron Spider armor. As the Sinister Six ride their newly-stolen helicarrier from the United States to Latveria, Ceres is shown remotely piloting the machine from Paramus, New Jersey. The town is also where Ironheart and the Armor Squad found Ceres during their search for the missing Iron Man.
Bendis included another surprise in Spider-Man #239 by having Miles realize he couldn't beat the Sinister Six by himself. Since he's already a part of a superhero team in the Champions, it made perfect sense for Miles to turn to them for help.
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With Ironheart having her hands full solving the riddle of Tony Stark's disappearance, it's likely Lucia von Bardas' return gets resolved in Spider-Man #240, which marks Bendis' final Miles Morales issue. Will the young web-slinger and his teammates be victorious over a despot and her super-powered mercenaries? The Marvel Universe -- and readers at home -- will be watching.