This article's plot summarymay betoo long or excessively detailed. Pleasehelp improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise.(June 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

"Gang War" is a 2023 storyline published byMarvel Comics. It was created byZeb Wells andJohn Romita Jr. The story involvesSpider-Man and the local superheroes working to deal with a gang war between the different families afterTombstone was shot and the crime families plan to take over the criminal underworld.

Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 6 #39,Deadly Hands of Kung Fu: Gang War #1, andLuke Cage: Gang War #2 were dedicated in memory ofKeith 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, andSpider-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 forMiles Morales: Spider-Man andSpider-Woman in the event were positively received.

Gang War details the various crime families of New York City going to war afterTombstone is shot byShotgun during the wedding ofJanice Lincoln andRandy 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 theNYPD.^[1][2]

Peter Parker and several crime lords are attending the wedding ofJanice Lincoln andRobbie Robertson's sonRandy Robertson whenShotgun arrives and shootsTombstone. As Tombstone is hospitalized, the crime lords blame each other for the attack.Madame Masque leaves in her limousine asHammerhead sets off an explosive in it.^[3]

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 theMaggia, andCount Nefaria arrives and agrees to take the blame for the incident.^[4] As the gangsters of New York City meet to divide Tombstone's territory, New York City mayorLuke Cage learns of a movement to repealWilson Fisk's Anti-Vigilante Act. Meanwhile, Randy Robertson is shot by unidentified gunmen and hospitalized.^[5][6][7]

At Manhattan City Hall, Cage holds a press conference to address the increased crime rate in the city. He battlesAlistair Smythe, who was believed to be dead, and enlistsCloak and Dagger to battle the gangs.^[a][8]

InThe Bronx,Spider-Woman fightsArmadillo and learns that he is working forHelmut 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.^[b] At Financial District, Manhattan, Spider-Woman infiltrates a nightclub and battlesDiamondback, who is working with Hydra. Diamondback agrees to work with Spider-Man to battle the gangs.^[9]

InCentral Park, theRingmaster brainwashes numerous civilians to form an army and battle Crime Master andA.I.M. before Spider-Man and Spider-Woman defeat the latter.Elektra heads off to deal with the trouble inHell's Kitchen, Spider-Woman goes toDowntown to confront Diamondback, Miles Morales heads toBrooklyn, and Spider-Man asksShe-Hulk to deal with Monster Metropolis. Meanwhile, Beetle and theSyndicate battleBlack Mariah for control of Spanish Harlem, and Tombstone agrees to work with Spider-Man.^[10]

In theMeatpacking District, Manhattan, theTracksuit Mafia are planning to attack theInner 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 theMaggia.^[11]

Spider-Man, She-Hulk, and Tombstone meet with Fisk and learn that his sonRose 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, andWhite Rabbit battle Rose andDigger, with the latter ripping off Octopus' tentacles and Beetle's wings.^[12]

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 fromRabble.^[13]

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. 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.^[14]

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.^[15]

In Hell's Kitchen, Elektra battles theHeat, which are led byRafael Scarfe and have battled her and Daredevil before.^[c] An unidentified assassin interrupts the battle, enabling Scarfe to escape. After returning to her apartment, Elektra assumes that the assassin is working for theHand, despite Matt Murdock previously sacrificing himself to destroy the Beast of the Hand.^[d] Elektra is then visited by Owl, who proposes a truce.^[16]

Later, Elektra fights the Hand again and learns that the assassin isX-23's cloneBellona. However, Bellona escapes after using a smoke bomb. Spider-Man contacts Elektra and enlists her to fight Madame Masque.^[17][18]

At City Hall, Cage contactsDanny Rand to put a team together. Meanwhile,Alistair Smythe'sSpider-Slayers break into Ryker's Island, with Cage enlisting Rand,Jessica Jones, andCloak and Dagger to fight them. They attack Smythe's laboratory before he escapes and sets his laboratory to self-destruct.^[19][20] Cage later obtains a powered armor dubbed the "Cagebuster" and uses it to battle the Spider-Slayers. The police consider arresting Cage for violating the Anti-Vigilante Act, but decide against it after he saves their lives.^[21]

At Misty Knight's safe house, Miles talks withDoc Samson's protege Keisha Kwan about Spider-Man and how he was missing for several months. Meanwhile, Knight andColleen Wing battle theCape-Killers, andHobgoblin approaches theProwler to propose an alliance.^[22]

Later, in Brooklyn, the Prowler approaches theEnforcers to give them weaponry in exchange for killing Spider-Man. Meanwhile, Miles, Misty, and Colleen get into an altercation with the Cape-Killers, whileStarling enlists Miles' cloneShift to help Miles. Miles and the Cape-Killers form a temporary truce to investigate Hobgoblin's activities inSheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, where they get into an altercation with the Enforcers and the Prowler. After the Enforcers are defeated and Starling arrives with Shift andMs. Marvel, the Prowler reveals himself as a double agent working forHobie Brown to stop the Hobgoblin. The combined group confronts Hobgoblin at his hideout, where it is revealed that Rabble is supplying him with her tech. Although Hobgoblin is defeated, Rabble manages to flee. Miles learns that Madame Masque has assembled an army with Rabble in Central Park and leaves to help Peter end the gang wars once and for all.^[23][24][25]

Wanting to the deter the rival gangs from threatening Chinatown but also keeping his battle-hungry soldiers satisfied, Shang-Chi has theFive Weapons Society minimally involved in the gang wars. Spider-Man confronts Shang-Chi for his involvement with the other crime families, but Shang-Chi reassures him otherwise. Believing that his actions are weakening the Society, Shang-Chi's lieutenant Captain Feng stages a coup and attempts to steal theTen Rings. Having anticipated this, Shang-Chi thwarts the coup but Feng has his sorcerers seal the Rings before fleeing, leaving Shang-Chi without his weapons.^[26]

Shang-Chi sends written messages to Mister Negative, Lady Yulan, and Diamondback, challenging each of them to single combat for control of Chinatown. Just as Shang-Chi planned, this ends up pitting the three crime lords against each other, which keeps Chinatown further safe from the gang violence.^[27]

Despite his successes, Shang-Chi's girlfriend Delilah Wang chastises him for his recklessness while Cage gathers Spider-Man, Danny Rand, She-Hulk, and Tombstone to confront Shang-Chi. The heroes arrive at the Society's headquarters just as the Inner Demons, Clan Yulan, and Hydra attack it; Shang-Chi escapes in the ensuing confusion. At the Ten Rings' seal, Shang-Chi encounters Captain Feng and his turncoat sorcerers and defeats them after tricking them into releasing the Rings. After Chinatown is secured, Shang-Chi reconciles with Delilah before leaving to join Spider-Man and the other heroes.^[28]

Spider-Woman works to take down Diamondback, and meets withTilda Johnson, who is no longer known asNightshade.^[e] She infiltrates Hydra's Typhon Group location inBattery 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.^[29][f] 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.^[30] After stopping the Hydra agents and Diamondback while Black Mamba gets away uponCaptain Marvel arriving, Spider-Woman vows to rescue Gerry.^[31]

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 friendChristina Xu, but flee asVermin appears outside.^{[32][33][34][35]}

As Jackpot, Mary Jane Watson works to get people out of the crossfire of the gang war. She battlesMenagerie membersArmadillo andMan-Bull with Spider-Man and She-Hulk before being attacked byElectro. However, Jackpot's powered gauntlet malfunctions during the battle, leading Spider-Man to suggest that she should repair it soon.^[36]

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.^[37]

Rabble infiltrates aRoxxon 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.^[g] Meanwhile, Gao meets with Rabble to propose an alliance.^[38]

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.^[6]

• Mott Haven, Bronx andPort Morris, Bronx were run byBig Ben Donovan until he lost control of them to theMenagerie off panel. The territories were later liberated bySpider-Man and his allies.
• East Harlem was run byBlack Mariah.Beetle claimed Mariah's territory after her defeat.
• Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn was run byBumbler until his defeat byMiles Morales and theDaughters of the Dragon.
• TheUpper East Side was run byCrime Master with backup fromA.I.M. until they were defeated bySpider-Man (Peter Parker) andSpider-Woman. Crime Master's vacant territory was later claimed byShotgun forMadame Masque.
• Inwood, Manhattan,Morningside Heights, andWashington Heights, Manhattan were run byDiamondback until theRose usurped them from him. After the Rose was taken away by theHellfire Club soldiers onWilson Fisk's orders, Beetle consolidated these territories to her own.
• Chinatown, Manhattan andTwo Bridges, Manhattan were run by theFive Weapons Society until they were usurped by Madame Masque off panel.
• Brooklyn Heights,Dumbo, Brooklyn, andVinegar Hill, Brooklyn were run byFrost Pharaoh until his defeat by Spider-Man (Miles) and the Daughters of the Dragon.
• Murray Hill, Manhattan andTurtle Bay, Manhattan were run byHammerhead until Madame Masque incapacitated him. Hammerhead also ranAstoria, Queens with help from theMaggia until Madame Masque wrested control of the Maggia away from him,Count Nefaria, andSilvermane with Shotgun's help.
• Bushwick, Brooklyn,Greenpoint, Brooklyn, andWilliamsburg, Brooklyn were run byHobgoblin with assistance fromRabble until he was defeated by Spider-Man (Miles) and his allies.
• East Village, Manhattan, andLower East Side were run byLady Yulan until Madame Masque gained control of them after Clan Yulan was defeated byShang-Chi.
• Financial District, Manhattan,Greenwich Village, andTribeca were formerly run byMadame Masque and contested until claimed by Diamondback with backing fromHydra. Madame Masque regained these territories after Diamondback and his Hydra allies faced separate defeats to Spider-Woman and Shang-Chi.
• Midtown Manhattan,NoHo, Manhattan andBowery were run byMister 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.
• TheUpper West Side was run byOwl until Madame Masque captured him and added his territories to her own.
• Randalls and Wards Islands were run byRingmaster until he was defeated byDaredevil.
• Ridgewood, Queens was run by theEnforcers 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 theHeat with assistance fromBellona untilTombstone claimed it after the end of the Gang War.
• Hunts Point, Bronx was run by theMenagerie until it was liberated by Spider-Man and his allies off panel.
• Chelsea, Manhattan was run byRose until Madame Masque claimed it after he was taken away by the Hellfire Club soldiers on Wilson Fisk's orders.
• Harlem andSouth 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.

According to ComicbookRoundup, the entire event received an average rating of 6.8 out of 10 based on 104 reviews.^[39] Tim Rooney from Comicsbeat wrote "If this were Marvel Universe: Gang War, I could imagine giving this a recommendation. But for a story inAmazing 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."^[40]

• Storylines in comics
• 2023 in comics
• Comic book limited series
• 2023 comics debuts
• Daredevil (Marvel Comics) storylines
• Spider-Man storylines
• Cultural depictions of the Mafia
• Cultural depictions of gangsters
• Works about criminals
• Works about gangsters
• Works about gangs
• Works about organized crime
• Works about organized crime in the United States

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Wikipedia articles with plot summary needing attention from June 2024
• All Wikipedia articles with plot summary needing attention
• Comics infobox without image
• Story arc pop