Gang War (comics)

"Gang War" is a 2023 storyline published by Marvel Comics. It was created by Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr. The story involves Spider-Man and the local superheroes working to deal with a gang war between the different families after Tombstone was shot and the crime families plan to take over the criminal underworld.

"Gang War"
Publisher	Marvel Comics
Publication date	December 2023 – February 2024
Main character(s)	Spider-Man (Peter Parker) Spider-Man (Miles Morales) Daredevil (Elektra Natchios) Jackpot (Mary Jane Watson) Luke Cage Shang-Chi Spider-Boy (Bailey Briggs) Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) Beetle Tombstone Madame Masque
Creative team
Writer(s)	Zeb Wells John Romita Jr.

Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 6 #39, Deadly Hands of Kung Fu: Gang War #1, and Luke Cage: Gang War #2 were dedicated in memory of Keith Giffen who died from a stroke on October 9, 2023. Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 6 #40, Luke Cage: Gang War #3, Miles Morales: Spider-Man Vol. 2 #14, and Spider-Woman Vol. 8 #2 saluted the retirement of Alison Gill.

The event overall received mixed to negative reviews, with criticism directed towards Romita's artwork, the large number of tie-ins, pacing, inconsistent character arcs, and the lack of focus on Peter Parker's Spider-Man. However, the ongoing titles for Miles Morales: Spider-Man and Spider-Woman in the event were positively received.

Publication history

Gang War details the various crime families of New York City going to war after Tombstone is shot by Shotgun during the wedding of Janice Lincoln and Randy Robertson. With the crime families blaming each other for calling the hit and planning to take over the criminal underworld, Spider-Man works to keep the gang war from getting worse with help from the local superheroes while also dealing with anti-vigilante laws that cause all the sides to come into conflict with the NYPD.

Plot

Lead-up

Peter Parker and several crime lords are attending the wedding of Janice Lincoln and Robbie Robertson's son Randy Robertson when Shotgun arrives and shoots Tombstone. As Tombstone is hospitalized, the crime lords blame each other for the attack. Madame Masque leaves in her limousine as Hammerhead sets off an explosive in it.

As Spider-Man and Rek-Rap deal with Re-Po, who seeks to return the latter and other demons to Limbo, Hammerhead talks with his branch of the Maggia, and Count Nefaria arrives and agrees to take the blame for the incident. As the gangsters of New York City meet to divide Tombstone's territory, New York City mayor Luke Cage learns of a movement to repeal Wilson Fisk's Anti-Vigilante Act. Amidst this, Randy Robertson is shot by unidentified gunmen and hospitalized.

At Manhattan City Hall, Cage holds a press conference to address the increased crime rate in the city. He battles Alistair Smythe, who was believed to be dead, and enlists Cloak and Dagger to battle the gangs.

In The Bronx, Spider-Woman fights Armadillo and learns that he is working for Helmut Zemo in exchange for being returned to his human form. Meanwhile, Jessica Drew / Spider-Woman searches for her missing son Gerry and learns of the restoration of the Web of Life and Destiny. At Financial District, Manhattan, Spider-Woman infiltrates a nightclub and battles Diamondback, who is working with Hydra. Afterwards, she agrees to work with Spider-Man to battle the gangs.

Main plot

In Central Park, the Ringmaster brainwashes numerous civilians to form an army and battle Crime Master and A.I.M. before Spider-Man and Spider-Woman defeat the latter. Elektra heads off to deal with the trouble in Hell's Kitchen, Spider-Woman goes to Downtown to confront Diamondback, Miles Morales heads to Brooklyn, and Spider-Man asks She-Hulk to deal with Monster Metropolis. Meanwhile, Beetle and the Syndicate battle Black Mariah for control of Spanish Harlem, and Tombstone agrees to work with Spider-Man.

In the Meatpacking District, Manhattan, the Tracksuit Mafia are planning to attack the Inner Demons until Tombstone, Spider-Man, and She-Hulk stop them. Meanwhile, Tombstone plans to stop the gang war by making a deal with Fisk, and Madame Masque assumes leadership of the Maggia.

Spider-Man, She-Hulk, and Tombstone meet with Fisk and learn that his son Rose has been drawn into the gang war and is making a play for territory and revenge. However, Tombstone and Fisk begin fighting before Spider-Man and She-Hulk stop them. Meanwhile, at Sugar Hill, Beetle, Electro, Lady Octopus, Scorpia, and White Rabbit battle Rose and Digger, with the latter ripping off Octopus' tentacles and Beetle's wings.

After the battle, Beetle and White Rabbit take in Digger, who Fisk's men abandoned. Meanwhile, Madame Masque is revealed to have been mind-controlling Shotgun, and obtains special gauntlets from Rabble.

At the Harlem Hospital Center, Spider-Man visits Randy Robertson before meeting with Elektra, Miles, Spider-Woman, She-Hulk, and Tombstone on the rooftop. In Central Park, Beetle and her fellow gang members battle Madame Masque and her army for territory. Amidst this, Shotgun is freed from Masque's control and is revealed to have been sent by the U.S. government to assassinate the gang lords of New York until Masque got him.

Ultimately, Masque's army is defeated, the Anti-Vigilante Act is officially repealed, Beetle leaves New York City, and Tombstone takes over the criminal underworld without other gangsters to challenge him.

Subplots

Daredevil: Gang War

In Hell's Kitchen, Elektra battles the Heat, which are led by Rafael Scarfe and have battled her and Daredevil before. An unidentified assassin interrupts the battle, enabling Scarfe to escape. After returning to her apartment, Elektra assumes that the assassin is working for the Hand, despite Matt Murdock previously sacrificing himself to destroy the Beast of the Hand. Elektra is then visited by Owl, who proposes a truce.

Later, Elektra fights the Hand again and learns that the assassin is X-23's clone Bellona. However, Bellona escapes after using a smoke bomb. Afterwards, Spider-Man contacts Elektra and enlists her to fight Madame Masque.

Luke Cage: Gang War

At City Hall, Cage contacts Danny Rand to put a team together. Meanwhile, Alistair Smythe's Spider-Slayers break into Ryker's Island, with Cage enlisting Rand, Jessica Jones, and Cloak and Dagger to fight them. They attack Smythe's laboratory before he escapes and sets his laboratory to self-destruct. Cage later obtains a powered armor dubbed the "Cagebuster" and uses it to battle the Spider-Slayers. Afterwards, the police consider arresting Cage for violating the Anti-Vigilante Act, but decide against it after he saves their lives.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man

At Misty Knight's safe house, Miles talks with Doc Samson's protege Keisha Kwan about Spider-Man and how he was missing for several months. Meanwhile, Knight and Colleen Wing battle the Cape-Killers, and Hobgoblin approaches the Prowler to propose an alliance.

Later, in Brooklyn, the Prowler approaches the Enforcers to give them weaponry in exchange for killing Spider-Man. Meanwhile, Miles, Misty, and Colleen get into an altercation with the Cape-Killers, while Starling enlists Miles' clone Shift for help. Scorpion is tasked with investigating Hobgoblin's activities in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, and takes Miles and Gust with him. After stopping Hobgoblin, Miles learns that Madame Masque has assembled an army in Central Park and leaves to help Peter end the gang wars once and for all.

Deadly Hands of Kung Fu: Gang War

Shang-Chi recounts his father Zheng Zu's lessons while observing the beginning of the Gang War from the Five Weapons Society's headquarters in Chinatown. He orders his warriors to stand down, but Clan Yulan attacks before Shang-Chi defeats them with the Ten Rings. Shang-Chi publicly announces to the rival gangs that he will crush them if they try to threaten Chinatown again as Spider-Man arrives, unintentionally enabling Clan Yulan to escape. Spider-Man confronts Shang-Chi for involving the Society with the other crime families and expresses concern that his threats will intensify the violence. Society member Captain Feng claims Shang-Chi could end the war by conquering the city with the Ten Rings, but he refuses due to his principles. The next day, Shang-Chi is wounded by the Inner Demons and left unable to wield the Rings, leading Feng to betray him and steal the Rings for himself.

Shang-Chi meets up with his girlfriend Delilah Wang, who believed that he was dying. Later, he sends written messages to Mister Negative, Lady Yulan, and Diamondback, confirming that he lost the Ten Rings and knew that each of the gangs were planning to claim Chinatown for themselves now that he was unarmed. He offers to have each of them send their best champion to fight him personally, promising to have the Five Weapons Society leave the city if any of them can defeat him. Although suspicious of Shang-Chi's motives, the crime lords agree to his proposal. However, they learn that Shang-Chi had planned all along to pit the Society's enemies against each other, keeping Chinatown safe without having to use the Ten Rings. Meanwhile, Cage gathers Spider-Man, Danny Rand, She-Hulk, and Tombstone to confront Shang-Chi.

Shang-Chi and the Five Weapons Society order Chinatown's businesses to close early and erect magical barriers for protection. However, Delilah questions his decisions and leadership and confronts him for pitting the Society's rivals against each other. Cage and the other heroes attack Shang-Chi, but he escapes after the Inner Demons, Clan Yulan, and Hydra attack. At the Ten Rings' prison, Shang-Chi encounters Captain Feng and his turncoat sorcerers and defeats them after reclaiming the Rings. Afterwards, Shang-Chi cleans up the damage in Chinatown and distributes supplies with the Five Weapons Society and Delilah. Shang-Chi promises to her that he will help the other heroes end the gang wars and the two agree to work on their relationship after Shang-Chi leaves to join Spider-Man and the other heroes.

Spider-Woman

Spider-Woman works to take down Diamondback, and meets with Tilda Johnson, who is no longer known as Nightshade. She infiltrates Hydra's Typhon Group location in Battery Park before being attacked by Green Mamba. However, Madame Web rescues her and tells her that her connection to the Web of Life and Destiny weakened after it was restored, with her thoughts being white noise. Spider-Woman tells Web about her son Gerry, who nobody remembers the existence of. The two eventually discover that Gerry was kidnapped by Hydra, rapidly aged into an adult to serve them as Green Mamba, and wiped from public knowledge via mass brainwashing. After stopping the Hydra agents, Spider-Woman vows to rescue Gerry.

Spider-Man Unlimited

During the gang wars, Spider-Boy works to reclaim the F.E.A.S.T. building from the Inner Demons. However, he is attacked by rats, and learns that they are a larger threat than the Demons. The rats corner him and his friend Christina Xu, but flee as Vermin appears outside.

Jackpot

As Jackpot, Mary Jane Watson works to get people out of the crossfire of the gang war. She battles Menagerie members Armadillo and Man-Bull with Spider-Man and She-Hulk before being attacked by Electro. However, Jackpot's powered gauntlet malfunctions during the battle, leading Spider-Man to suggest that she should repair it soon.

Aftermath

In Hell's Kitchen, Elektra battles A.I.M. agents who evaded capture before encountering Bellona. They fight before Bellona falls off a building and is presumed dead. However, Elektra believes that Bellona survived after being unable to find her body.

Rabble infiltrates a Roxxon tech depot and accesses one of their computers, planning to attack Miles Morales soon. Meanwhile, in Brooklyn, Miles goes to therapy and Julia Gao meets with Cage to inform him that Fisk's law is being repealed and that the Cape-Killers are disbanding. Later at Misty Knight's warehouse, Miles informs her, Miss Marvel, Shift, and Starling of Rabble's weapon supplying to criminals, planning to reason with her. Meanwhile, Gao meets with Rabble to propose an alliance.

Gang War territories

In the beginning of every issue, a map detailing the different territories ruled by each crime lord in New York City is displayed and constantly updated each issue whenever ownership changes during the story. Territories liberated by Spider-Man and his allies are marked with spider-symbols.

• Mott Haven, Bronx and Port Morris, Bronx were run by Big Ben Donovan until he lost control of them to the Menagerie off panel. The territories were later liberated by Spider-Man and his allies.
• East Harlem was run by Black Mariah. Beetle claimed Black Mariah's territory after her defeat.
• Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn was run by Bumbler until his defeat by Spider-Man (Miles Morales) and the Daughters of the Dragon.
• The Upper East Side was run by Crime Master with backup from A.I.M. until they were defeated by Spider-Man (Peter Parker) and Spider-Woman. Crime Master's vacant territory was later claimed by Shotgun for Madame Masque.
• Inwood, Manhattan, Morningside Heights, and Washington Heights, Manhattan were run by Diamondback until the Rose usurped them from him. After the Rose was taken away by the Hellfire Club soldiers on Wilson Fisk's orders, Beetle consolidated these territories to her own.
• Chinatown, Manhattan and Two Bridges, Manhattan were run by the Five Weapons Society until they were usurped by Madame Masque off panel.
• Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo, Brooklyn, and Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn were run by Frost Pharaoh until his defeat by Spider-Man (Miles) and the Daughters of the Dragon.
• Murray Hill, Manhattan and Turtle Bay, Manhattan were run by Hammerhead until Madame Masque incapacitated him. Hammerhead also ran Astoria, Queens with help from the Maggia until Madame Masque wrested control of the Maggia away from him, Count Nefaria, and Silvermane with Shotgun's help.
• Bushwick, Brooklyn, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and Williamsburg, Brooklyn were run by Hobgoblin with assistance from Rabble until he was defeated by Spider-Man (Miles) and his allies.
• East Village, Manhattan, and Lower East Side were run by Lady Yulan until Madame Masque gained control of them after Clan Yulan was defeated by Shang-Chi.
• Financial District, Manhattan, Greenwich Village, and Tribeca were formerly run by Madame Masque and contested until claimed by Diamondback with backing from Hydra. Madame Masque regained these territories after Diamondback and his Hydra allies faced separate defeats to Spider-Woman and Shang-Chi.
• Midtown Manhattan, NoHo, Manhattan and Bowery were run by Mister Negative. Mister Negative first lost control of Midtown to Madame Masque offscreen and eventually his remaining territories to her after the Inner Demons were defeated by Shang-Chi.
• The Upper West Side was run by Owl until Madame Masque captured him and added his territories to her own.
• Randalls and Wards Islands were run by Ringmaster until he was defeated by Daredevil.
• Ridgewood, Queens was run by the Enforcers until Hobgoblin got them to side with him. Hobgoblin claimed the territory after the Enforcers were defeated by the Cape-Killers but lost them after his defeat by Spider-Man (Miles) and his allies.
• Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan was run by the Heat with assistance from Bellona until Tombstone claimed it after the end of the Gang War.
• Hunts Point, Bronx was run by the Menagerie until it was liberated by Spider-Man and his allies off panel.
• Chelsea, Manhattan was run by Rose until Madame Masque claimed it after he was taken away by the Hellfire Club soldiers on Wilson Fisk's orders.
• Harlem and South Bronx were formerly run by Tombstone and later contested until Beetle reclaimed them.

At the end of the Gang War, Tombstone claims all of New York City's territories as his, becoming the new Kingpin of New York's criminal underworld.

Issues

Gang War: First Strike

Title	Writer	Artist	Colorist	Release date
The Amazing Spider-Man Gang War: First Strike #1	Zeb Wells Cody Ziglar	Joey Vazquez Julian Shaw	Bryan Valenza	November 29, 2023

Series Tie-ins

Title	Issue(s)	Writer	Artist	Colorist	Debut date	Conclusion date
The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 6)	37-38	Zeb Wells	Ed McGuinness Emilio Laiso Mark Farmer Wade von Grawbadger	Erick Arciniega Marcio Menyz	November 8, 2023	November 22, 2023
Miles Morales: Spider-Man (vol. 2)	12	Cody Ziglar	Partha Pratim	Bryan Valenza	November 29, 2023
Spider-Woman (vol. 8)	1	Steve Foxe	Carola Borelli	Arfif Prianto

Limited Series

Title	Issue	Writer	Artist	Colorist	Release date
Luke Cage: Gang War #1	1	Rodney Barnes	Ramon Bachs	Andrew Dalhouse	November 29, 2023

Main series

Title	Issues	Writer	Artist	Colorist	Debut date	Conclusion date
The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 6)	39-44	Zeb Wells	John Romita Jr. Scott Hanna	Marcio Menyz	December 6, 2023	February 28, 2024

Tie-in issues

Limited series

Title	Issues	Writer(s)	Artist(s)	Colorist	Debut date	Conclusion date
Daredevil: Gang War	1-3	Erica Schultz	Sergio Dávila Sean Parsons	Ceici De La Cruz	December 13, 2023	February 7, 2024
Luke Cage: Gang War	2-4	Rodney Barnes	Ramon Bachs	Andrew Dalhouse		February 24, 2024
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu: Gang War	1-3	Greg Pak	Caio Majado	Jim Campbell	December 27, 2023	February 14, 2024

Series tie-ins

Title	Issues	Writer(s)	Artist(s)	Colorist	Debut date	Conclusion date
Miles Morales: Spider-Man (vol. 2)	13-16	Cody Ziglar	Federica Mancin Federico Vicentini	Bryan Valenza	December 13, 2024	February 14, 2024
Spider-Woman (vol. 8)	2-4	Steve Foxe	Carola Borelli	Arfif Prianto	December 27, 2024	February 21, 2024

Infinity Comics

Title	Issues	Writer(s)	Artist(s)	Colorist	Debut date	Conclusion date
Spider-Man Unlimited Infinity Comic	19-24	Preeti Chhibber	E.J. Su	Federico Blee	January 9, 2024	February 21, 2024

One-shots

Title	Writer	Artist	Colorist	Release date
Jackpot	Celeste Bronfman	Eric Gapstur Joey Vazquez	Edgar Delgado Erick Arciniega	January 17, 2024

Gang War: Aftermath

Series tie-ins

Title	Issue	Writer	Artist	Colorist	Release date
Miles Morales: Spider-Man (vol. 2)	17	Cody Ziglar	Partha Pratim Federico Vicentini	Bryan Valenza	February 28, 2024

Limited Series

Title	Issue	Writer	Artist	Colorist	Release date
Daredevil: Gang War	4	Erica Schultz	Sergio Dávila Sean Parsons	Ceici De La Cruz	March 6, 2024

Reception

According to ComicbookRoundup, the entire event received an average rating of 6.8 out of 10 based on 104 reviews. Tim Rooney from Comicsbeat wrote "If this were Marvel Universe: Gang War, I could imagine giving this a recommendation. But for a story in Amazing Spider-Man, it is disappointing, and another example of how this title is held back by editorial and publishing demands to keep Peter Parker frozen in amber."