Season 1, Episode 2

Story Title: The Crime of all Centuries

Staff: John Douglas (music), Joe Siracusa (music editor), Robert T. Gillis (supervising editor), Jim Blodgett / Richard Gannon (effects editor), Kathy Condon / Armand Shaw (production manager), Donald L. Jurwich (supervising director), Dennis Marks (producer), David H. Depatie / Lee Gunter (executive producer), Donald F. Glut (writer)

Brief Description:
Kraven the Hunter discovers the Savage Land, a place where real dinosaurs exist, and plans to use them to rule New York. He captures a few dinosaurs and some eggs and creates a growth energizer to make the eggs hatch. All he needs is the Eye of India ruby and a human heat source – Firestar. For the first, he creates a distraction in a museum with his dinosaurs and steals the ruby, and for the second, he seduces Angelica into trusting him. He lures her away from her friends and captures her with freezing spray. When Spider-Man and Iceman come to the rescue, they get caught too. Not wanting Kraven to harm her friends, Firestar cooperates and activates the growth energizer, turning an egg into a huge tyrannosaurus rex. After a tough battle, the Spider-Friends defeat the dinosaur and Kraven. Kraven is sent to prison, and the dinosaurs are sent back to the Savage Land.

Full Synopsis:
By the movies, Peter Parker and Angelica Jones are walking by a sign about a movie called "Dinosaur Destroyer". Peter says that that movie is getting a fortune in free publicity thanks to that creep, Kraven the Hunter – he's on safari in the Savage Land right now, hunting live dinosaurs. Just then, they notice a few thugs robbing the cashier. They run into an alley and change to Spider-Man and Firestar. Firestar uses her powers to stop the robbers' bikes, and the robbers run the other way. Spider-Man uses his web to make a huge dinosaur statue move, scaring the robbers. Firestar adds flames to the show, and the robbers change direction again, running straight into police officers. The officers arrest the robbers, and the superheroes take off through the sky.

Flying and webbing through the sky of New York City, Firestar asks Spider-Man about the live dinosaurs he said Kraven the Hunter was hunting. Spider-Man explains that they still exist in the Savage Land – a remote lost world that Kraven discovered, and where he is right now.

In the Savage Land, Kraven's camp already has two caved prehistoric creatures. Kraven drinks a potion to give him strength, and leaves for another hunting trip with his assistant, Skelton. Skelton lays meat in the jungle as bait, and when the dinosaur arrives, Kraven jumps at him from a tree and knocks him down. The dinosaur tries to struggle, but Kraven knocks him out with sleeping gas. Kraven then tosses the dinosaur into a cage, and Skelton says that that makes all three prehistoric creatures. Kraven answers that they're building to the greatest capture of all – New York itself! Soon, his growth energizer will hatch his dinosaur eggs, and he'll get a destructive dinosaur army – New York will surrender itself to him. But first, to make the energizer work, he'll need the Eye of India ruby and the most powerful living heat source on Earth – and her name is Firestar.

Back in New York, Firestar is flying in the sky. Iceman is ice-sliding below her on the road. Kraven and Skelton are in a truck not far away, watching Firestar. Skelton drives straight into a pole, and a cage falls from the back of the truck. The cage breaks, and a flying dinosaur flies out to the air. Firestar realizes that Spidey was right – prehistoric animals do still exist – and this one is coming after her. The dinosaur chases Firestar through the sky.

Iceman slides to the back of the truck, and is shocked by what he sees inside. Meanwhile, the dinosaur almost catches Firestar, but she gets free with her powers, and brings the dinosaur back down to the cage, re-trapping it. Kraven the Hunter tells her that that was fantastic, and she thanks him. He introduces himself, and she tells him he's even more handsome in person than on his poster. He asks her to be his guest at the museum tomorrow when he unveils his prehistoric animals, and she accepts. He carries the cage back to the truck on his bare hands, gets in and drives away. Iceman is surprised that Firestar really bought that guy's phony charm, but she doesn't think it's phony.

In Peter and Bobby's room, Angelica tells the boys and Aunt May that Kraven seems like a nice guy. Bobby says he smells like a zoo, but Angelica says that at lest he doesn't live in one and leaves the room. Aunt May, cleaning the fireplace, says that she'll have it clean soon. Peter sees that she is about to move the statue that turns their room into a lab, and yells "don't!" He's too late, though, as all the furniture changes. Still, he manages to distract his aunt and move the statue back, switching the lab back into a bedroom. He covers for it by telling her they'll finish cleaning themselves. She thanks him and leaves, but not before making a comment to Bobby about his rent. Bobby asks Peter to lend some money, but Peter refuses, saying he needs the money for chemicals to make more web fluid. Peter turns the room back to a lab and says that with Kraven around, Angelica is gonna need a couple of chaperones.

In the museum, Kraven is onstage, speaking to the audience, which includes Bobby, Angelica and Peter. Bobby yawns, and Angelica tells the boys they're just jealous – maybe because Kraven is so tall, so muscular… Peter adds "and so twisted", and says everyone with such an obsession to hunting is dangerous. Kraven unveils his three dinosaurs to the audience, and Angelica thinks it's magnificent. Suddenly, one dinosaur breaks his cage, and the audience flees. The superheroes hurry to change to their costumes. The other two prehistoric creatures break loose too, and the flying one throws Firestar into a wall. The mammoth throws Spider-Man too, and Iceman freezes it, but it breaks the ice easily.

In a nearby room, a policeman tells another policeman that he doesn't care what's happening out there – their orders were to guard the Eye of India no matter what. They both run away, though, once the dinosaur enters and chases them. The room now clear, Skelton hurries to steal the ruby.

Firestar tells Spider-Man to use the hose next to him to flood the room, and after he does, she heats the water until they boil under the mammoth's legs. She then notices Kraven leaving, and wonders where he's going when he should be helping out. She flies after him, and Ms. Lion follows her.

Firestar finds Kraven in the street, talking to Skelton. Skelton gives Kraven the Eye of India, and Kraven tells him good job – only this perfect ruby can create the laser beam to power the growth energizer – with Firestar's special energy power in the ruby, they'll hatch the dinosaur eggs and Kraven will control a dinosaur army and capture New York. Firestar sees Kraven's true nature and realizes she was wrong about him.

In the museum, Iceman encases the flying dinosaur in a block of ice and Spider-Man traps the walking dinosaur in his web.

Firestar reveals herself to Kraven, and Kraven orders Skelton to get him a net. Skelton goes to get it, but Firestar heats the ground under his feet. Ms. Lion chases Kraven, and Kraven climbs a wall to a rooftop, holding a shield. Firestar attacks with flames, but Kraven protects himself with the shield. He than manages to tie her up, but she burns the rope. He next tries a heat-sensing boomerang that shoots freezing spray, and this time it works – Firestar falls to the ground.

Kraven jumps from the roof, catches Firestar in the air with one hand, swings on a tree branch with the other hand, and lands on his feet. He then puts the unconscious Firestar in the truck and tells Skelton that this hunt has ended. They drive away, and Ms. Lion hurries to tell the boys.

Iceman and Spider-Man has put the prehistoric animals back in their cages. Peter says someone wanted the animals to escape – the cages were sabotaged. Bobby says that they must have done it to steal the ruby in the confusion. Ms. Lion runs in, barking, and Bobby realizes she wants them to follow her.

In the truck, Kraven tells Skelton that they can't have Firestar's friends tracking them down too soon. He presses a button, and an orange liquid starts pouring after the truck, covering their scent.

Spider-Man and Iceman follow Ms. Lion through the streets, but Ms. Lion stops when she gets to the orange liquid – the scent is gone. She takes off a different direction, and the two superheroes follow.

Firestar wakes up in a place resembling the prehistoric era. Kraven welcomes her to his lair – here he perfects his hunting skills to survive in the Savage Land. It is built to max his abilities. Kraven tells Skelton to demonstrate, and Skelton presses buttons in the control room, activating various death traps – a pit, a volcano and an avalanche. Kraven asks Firestar is she's impressed, and she says she's not. She gets up and traps him in a cage of flames, but he escapes, saying he's got the swift of a cheetah. She answers that even cheetahs get caught, and flies after him. He leads her to a trap, where Skelton activates cold air again. Firestar freezes and falls, but Kraven catches her.

Ms. Lion leads the boys to a building and they enter, but it turns out she just came for food. Bobby says she must have lost the scent. Peter sees a cover story about Kraven – he's standing next to a famous old plane. And Peter knows just where that plane is kept.

Firestar next wakes up in a cage. She tries melting it, but it activates cold air again. Kraven tells her she cannot escape from there. He shows her his growth energizer and the eggs he brought back from the Savage Land and says that only her special energy can focus through the Eye of India and hatch his dinosaur army. She says he's as crazy as his plan if he thinks she'll cooperate, but he says she will, because if she doesn't, her friends will suffer once they get there with her as the bait.

Spider-Man and Iceman get to the old hangar, and Peter's spider-sense is registering danger. Ms. Lion barks at the door, and Bobby freezes it and breaks it. The superheroes and the dog walk in.

In the control room, Skelton spots Spider-Man and Iceman through the security cameras. He tells Kraven, and Kraven says that when he faces his prey his jungle powers will be at their peak. He drinks the same power drink he drank before and smashes a boulder.

Bobby and Peter enter, led by Ms. Lion, and see Firestar in her cage. She tells them to be careful – it's a trap. Kraven arrives and confirms that, ready to battle. Ms Lion attacks, but a hidden net-trap catches her on the way. Kraven empties the net into a cage, trapping the dog. Skelton activates an avalanche above the superheroes, but Iceman creates a huge ice shield to block the boulders. Spider-Man tells him that snow won't last forever and climbs the cliff, destroying the avalanche machine with a boulder. Iceman creates an ice ladder to Firestar's cage and climbs it, but Skelton activates the volcano below them and the ladder melts. Bobby almost falls into the volcano, but Peter rescues him, spinning on his web. An electric net falls on the two superheroes and zaps them, and they faint. Kraven laughs with pleasure – he made another capture.

Shortly later, the three superheroes' cages are hanging in the air. Kraven has a remote control that allows him to electrocute Spider-Man and drop Iceman into the volcano. Firestar has no choice, and Kraven releases her, ordering her to channel her hottest beam through the Eye of India – the growth energizer will do the rest. Firestar does as ordered, and the growth energizer sends a beam at one of the dinosaur eggs. Within seconds, the egg hatches and the dinosaur inside grows rapidly to a huge size.

Peter tells Bobby that this is their chance to move, since Kraven isn't watching, but Bobby is still too close to the volcano – he can't ice up. Peter starts swinging Bobby's cage to get him far from the volcano, but then Kraven notices them and presses a button, dropping Bobby's cage. Still, Bobby manages to jump out in the last second and transform into Iceman, landing on an ice-slide. He then freezes the top of Peter's cage, short-circuiting it, and Peter can open the bars and jump out. Firestar shows them the huge tyrannosaurus rex that hatched from the egg. The dinosaur attacks and the superheroes hurry to start battling it. It breaks Iceman's ice-slide with its tail, making Bobby fall from the air onto the side of the volcano. Skelton activates the volcano, and lava starts nearing Iceman. Firestar creates a huge fire-shield and saves Iceman. The tyrannosaurus prepares to stomp and crush Ms. Lion, but Spider-Man distracts it by pulling its tail. In front of his amazed friends, Spider-Man gets tosses into the dinosaur's mouth. Still, he manages to open the dinosaur's mouth with his strength. Iceman ices the ground under the dinosaur, and Peter swings out of its mouth. With his ice, Bobby leads the dinosaur to above the deep pit, and then Firestar melts the ground, making the dinosaur fall in.

Iceman freezes Skelton's controls and handcuffs him with ice. Kraven tackles Spider-Man and tells him that soon they'll all be exhibits in his private zoo, but Peter tosses him into the water pit with the dinosaur. Kraven begs for his life, saying he'll do anything, and Bobby asks him if he'll lend him fifty dollars for the rent. Firestar reverses the growth energizer and makes the dinosaur small again, and Iceman fishes it with an ice spoon.

Later, all the dinosaurs are put on a plane to take them back to the Savage Land where they belong, and Kraven the Hunter and his assistant Skelton are put behind prison bars, where they belong. Bobby gives Aunt May his rent and apologizes for being late, but she tells him he forgot he already paid it – Angelica and Peter gave her his envelope when they paid their rent.

Characters:
Firestar, Iceman, Spider-Man (all Spider-Friends)

Kraven the Hunter
Skelton
Dinosaurs from the Savage Land

Aunt May

br> Civilians, policemen, robbers, cashier
Ms. Lion (Firestar's dog)

Notes:
At the beginning of the episode, the movie's sign says that "Dinosaur Destroyer" stars actors Simon Williams and Karen Page. These are the names of Wonder Man and Daredevil's longtime girlfriend.

There's a poster of the Hulk in Peter and Bobby's room.

Issue Summary Written by: electAbuzzzz