The Daily Bugle was singing Thor Peter's praises again, but this time, it also sang the praises of Iron Man, Thor's little sidekick.
The reason Editor Jameson hated Spider-Man and was his number-one anti-fan, constantly spreading the idea that "Spider-Man is a threat," was that Spider-Man always wore a mask and wasn't open and aboveboard enough.
Back then, Jameson's lover had been killed by a masked criminal, which caused him to despise everyone hiding behind a mask. He believed people should act openly and honorably, and that anyone hiding behind a mask was a coward. Spider-Man had simply been caught in the crossfire.
He had clearly known before that Iron Man's identity was Tony Stark's, but because Iron Man wore a mask, he had deliberately portrayed Iron Man as Thor's little sidekick.
But after Tony's identity was exposed during the battle with Sea King, everyone knew who Iron Man was. Naturally, Jameson no longer harbored such deep hostility toward him.
He still made his own views clear in the newspaper, though. Superheroes should reveal their identities and walk openly beneath the sun, accepting both people's cheers and their supervision.
He believed that if a superhero wore a mask, they must be avoiding responsibility. Masks allowed them to fight recklessly without facing the consequences, and they could even destroy public property without paying for it.
His line of reasoning clearly served the government's needs, so it was strongly promoted and spread like wildfire.
The people at the center of the storm, Tony and Peter, stood at the entrance to the martial arts school's main hall, looking at the head impaled on a spear and feeling a little sick.
That was right. Although Peter had been stabbed through the stomach, he had been discharged from the hospital after only a few days.