Snip to Chapter 41

(Mayor's office)

Jameson is in his office, signing papers and grumbling as usual. He flips through the endless stack of bureaucratic nonsense and finds it hard to focus on anything other than the events at the Baxter Building the day before. His mind is a jumble of confusion and disbelief. Gwen Stacy, alive. He still can't wrap his head around it.

There’s a sharp knock on the door and he’s about to bark at the intruder when it creaks open to reveal Robbie Robertson. Jameson's gruff expression changes into a genuine smile

“Jonah,” Robbie greets him with a friendly smile. “Glad to see you haven’t given yourself a heart attack yet.” Robbie closes the door behind him, “But from the looks of things, you're trying.”

“Heart attack?” Jameson scoffs, but there's warmth in his voice. “I’m more likely to die of boredom.” He gestures to the mountainous pile of papers. “A man can only sign his life away so many times before he starts jumping out of windows.”

Robbie lets out a good natured laugh at his friend before he approaches the desk and hands Jonah a folder he had in his hand. “Got what you asked for. But I don’t know why you want them.”

Jonah loses his smile as he takes the folder from his old friend. He looks at the label “Unexplained Incidents” and above that is “Proof of Crimes!” crossed out. Robbie’s doing no doubt, and a good thing too. 

Jonah opens it and the first thing he sees is an unprinted article where Spider-Man had destroyed AC units from a rundown apartment years ago. Jameson remembers how he was going to publish this article, declaring how Spider-Man was a menace and vandal of the worst kind, before another incident where the Vulture was involved occurred that overshadowed it. He of course made sure the Bugle stated how much damage was done as a result of this confrontation, but looking back at it now, he realizes how much of that was because of Toomes. 

“So what did you want these old articles for?” Robertson’s question brings him out of his reminiscing. 

Jameson sighs as he flips to another unprinted article. “You said you don’t want to know about who he is, Robbie,” He responds while reading the title of the next article, “Spider-Man: Pouring Pollution!” in which Spider-Man was seen pouring some kind of substance into the Hudson River. “And I don’t know how I can tell you without telling you everything.” 

Robbie continues to look at his old friend curiously. “Does this have anything to do with what happened in South Dakota?” He inquires. 

Jameson a humorless scoff as he says, “Honestly, the destruction of a national monument is the least bothersome issue connected with Spider-Man right now.”

Both of Robertson's eyebrows go up in surprise. “Really?” He says with surprise and interest, “In the old days, you’d have made sure we ran out of ink printing as much newspapers as we can spreading how Spider-Man was involved in such a catastrophe. Especially with all the death surrounding it.”

Jonah looks down in shame, “I know.” He says, his voice heavy with guilt, “I already told you how wrong I was about him, Robbie. Now, I don’t know how to tell you anything that’s going on with him without telling you everything I learned about him.”

“Then tell me what you can,” Robertson states, “Tell me why you wanted old articles that we never printed but kept?”

Jonah immediately thinks of how to properly word the answer. He leans back in his chair but keeps his eyes on the papers in front of him, “Because I need to know why he did these things.” He answers before he picks up one article titled ‘Spider-Man Spreads Sickness’ and there is a photo of the hero spraying something to a flock of pigeons. “Beating up crooks and fighting other weirdos in costumes I can understand. But why was he doing all these random acts without telling anyone anything?”

“I’m sure he had his reasons Jonah.” Robbie responds.

Jonah sighs and places the article down. “That’s just it, isn’t it?” He says as he rubs his head, “He always has his reasons for doing what he does. And damn me for not seeing ho noble he’s always been.”