Chapter Text
Four years have passed.
College life isn't bad for Peter, especially living with his girlfriend, Yelena. She's still doing her missions for Valentina.
Meanwhile, Peter is attending Empire State University, patrolling the streets as Spider-Man, and charging the Daily Bugle for photos to help pay their apartment rent, along with Yelena's salary.
Peter will always remember Midtown's graduation ceremony, the last time Yelena used her Gwen Stacy identity. He remembers how Yelena applauded the loudest when Peter went to collect his diploma and how, as he threw his cap and stepped off the stage, he was almost knocked over when Yelena rushed to hug him. He remembers how much fun they had at the party and how they promised MJ and Ned they would stay in touch despite studying at different universities miles apart. He remembers that at the end of the party, Yelena whispered to him, in a suggestive tone, that she had a surprise for him. She remembers that night as her "first time" with Yelena, a memory that brought a smile to her face.
Yelena's life changed after a mission in Malaysia, investigating a corporation on Valentina's orders. But Yelena was very disillusioned with her work.
After the mission, she visited her father, Alexei, in Baltimore. Alexei asked Yelena how things were going with Peter, to which she replied that their relationship was better than ever. Alexei even showed her a photo from the Daily Bugle depicting Peter and Yelena hanging upside down from the roof of a skyscraper. The headline had given Yelena the nickname "Black Cat," which had made Jameson her number one enemy, and he had blamed Peter for taking the picture of them. Yelena stifled a sigh of frustration at Alexei's laughter. Yelena told him that she was no longer enthusiastic about doing clandestine missions and believed she was ready to do something else. She hasn't admitted it, but she harbors a certain envy for Peter, a public hero admired by New Yorkers. Yelena, like Peter, wanted to make a difference.
After her conversation with Alexei, Yelena tells Valentina she wants to come out of the shadows. Valentina tells her she has one last mission to complete. But this mission was a trap set by Valentina, who was trying to sever all ties to the OXE corporation, to eliminate all its agents: US Agent, Ghost, Taskmaster (who dies), and Yelena herself.
Yelena discovers Robert "Bob" Reynolds, the Sentry project, in the warehouse. She notices not only that Bob bears a physical resemblance to Peter, but also that he has a similar personality. Yelena vows to protect Bob during the mission. She learns that Bob possesses powers, leading her to mentally note that after the mission, she will consult with Peter about becoming Bob's mentors so he can learn to control them.
But Bob sacrifices himself so they can escape. The group is captured by Bucky, who sees them as nothing but dangerous individuals. He also reminds Yelena that her boyfriend beat her up at the Berlin airport. Finally, when she discovers that everything about Bob is true, Bucky takes them on a mission to New York. Yelena decides to contact Peter in case they need backup.
They confront Valentina and Bob, who has now agreed to work with Valentina. After being defeated, the group of misfits begins rescuing people. At one point, Spider-Man appears, much to Yelena's delight, and helps them. Peter tells Yelena that his new friends are peculiar. After saving the civilians, they are cheered by the crowd. Peter tells Yelena that it's funny, because that's how the Avengers started. Peter also recognizes Alexei, who is happy to see Peter after a long time apart. Alexei tells him that after the battle he wants to have a "typical chat" with Peter.
Then Bob is invaded by The Void and begins sending people to that dimension, to the Shame Rooms. To Peter and Alexei's dismay, Yelena leaps into The Void. Peter is devastated, but he finds the strength to comfort Alexei, who is screaming in anguish at having lost his daughter. Peter gathers information from the other Thunderbolts about how, upon touching Bob, they saw his worst memories. Peter then deduces that when he vanishes, people are sent to those memories. Peter gathers his courage and sets off to find Yelena. The rest of the Thunderbolts follow them one by one.
Peter relives the deaths of Uncle Ben and Tony and faces a replica of Thanos. He manages to escape his shame room and finds Bob, along with Yelena. Yelena sees Peter and introduces him to Bob. Bob tells Peter his story and explains some of his motivations. Peter understands that Bob has gained immense power and needs help to control it. Now that responsibility falls to him. Together, Yelena and Peter convince Bob that he should trust the people who love him and not suppress his pain.
The Void itself attacks them, but they manage to rejoin the rest of the Thunderbolts and reach the deepest level, a replica of the labs where Bob gained his powers. All the Thunderbolts are immobilized while the Void confronts Bob. Bob can no longer contain himself and relentlessly attacks his dark counterpart. Peter sees himself reflected in this, as he was acting the same way when he chased the thief who killed Ben.
Yelena is the first to break free of her restraints and reach Bob to hug him, followed by Peter and then the rest of the Thunderbolts. With this group hug, the Void is contained and the city is saved. Bob doesn't remember what happened inside the Void. He sees Spider-Man and is overcome with emotion, having forgotten that he met him in his shame room.
Then they hear Valentina requesting an extradition. Peter and Yelena exchange a glance and agree: Valentina must be stopped. Yelena takes Bob's arm, telling him that from now on he will be with them.
The thing is, Valentina sneaks behind a tarp, and when the Thunderbolts crash through it, it turns out to be a press conference. Valentina is introducing the Thunderbolts, including Spider-Man, as the New Avengers. While Yelena whispers to Valentina that she now belongs to them, all Peter can think about is how to explain it to May.
Some time later
Peter had settled into the Tower with his teammates, the New Avengers. It was an interesting group, but he had no trouble making friends with them.
Peter was still stopping threats as Spider-Man, but now he always had a member of the New Avengers with him. Usually it was Yelena, who was slowly but surely earning her reputation as the new Black Widow. At the same time, Peter's presence in the group greatly improved their public image, as they had a vigilante who was highly respected by the people (except for a certain sensationalist editor of the Daily Bugle).
At the same time, Peter, along with Yelena, took their new responsibility seriously: helping Bob control his powers and become a hero. Peter believed that if Bob succeeded, he could become the most powerful hero of all.
Thanks to this turn of events, Peter was also able to find a suitable use for EDITH (which he had stored away in a drawer), incorporating its systems into the Avengers' defense systems.
As he lay in bed with Yelena by his side, Peter reflected on Tony's words when he bequeathed EDITH to him to become the new Iron Man. He hadn't literally become the new Iron Man, nor had he taken over Stark Industries, but Tony's legacy had materialized with him leading a new generation of heroes. It's true they didn't have the best origins; but the original Avengers also had turbulent beginnings. In that sense, Peter had become a new Iron Man, but he was still Spider-Man, while Yelena had fully embraced her role as the new Black Widow.
Peter didn't know what the future held, but he knew that with Yelena by his side, that future could only be bright.
Spider-Man and Black Widow will return in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.