Marvel's Spider-Man: Webbed Champion/City of Heroes, Part 3: American Cats

City of Heroes, Part 3: American Cats is the 9th episode of Marvel's Spider-Man: Webbed Champion.

Featured Characters

 * Spider-Man / Peter Parker (flashback and main story)
 * Tigra / Mary Jane Watson (flashback and main story)
 * Lion King / Marcus Thompson (First full appearance) (flashback and main story)

Supporting Characters

 * Kid Arachnid / Miles Morales
 * Ghost-Spider / Gwen Stacy
 * American Knight / Kevin Hunt (First appearance)
 * Black Panther / T’Challa (First appearance)
 * Barbara "Barbie" Morse (First appearance) (flashback and main story)
 * Jack Thompson (First appearance)
 * Cassie Lang (First appearance)
 * Eugene "Flash" Thompson (full name revealed) (flashback and main story)

Antagonists

 * Shadow Council
 * Killmonger / N’Jadaka (First appearance)
 * Vulture / Adrian Toomes
 * Wake Riders
 * Barkley Blitz
 * Unnamed Members
 * Jack O'Lantern / Jason Macendale (First appearance) (flashback and main story)
 * Master Planner (secretly Otto Octavius)

Other Characters

 * Betty Brant (appears in TV, computer screen and hologram)
 * Avengers
 * Captain America / Steve Rogers (mentioned only)
 * Iron Man / Tony Stark (poster)
 * Ant-Man / Scott Lang (mentioned only)
 * Harry Osborn (mentioned only)
 * J. Jonah Jameson (mentioned only)

Plot
Having been exposed as criminals following J. Jonah Jameson's arrest, Barkley Blitz and his fellow Wake Riders are following Vulture in a attempt to steal Stark Industries' technology for their unseen benefactor. They are intercepted by Spider-Man, Tigra and Kid Arachnid, who take them into a fight. Attempting to escape on his own while the Wake Riders keep the three occupied, Vulture is ambushed by Wakandan king T'Challa the Black Panther, who was informed that Vulture and his henchmen are in league with the Shadow Council. Before Vulture can answer, however, the young heroes and Black Panther end up encountering Jack O'Lantern, a new criminal with equipment and weapons based on Harry Osborn's HobGoblin technology, who arrives intending to destroy the "places of Flash Thompson's glory". And because Stark Expo was one of them, he starts by throwing numerous bombs in the area.

Spider-Man, Tigra, Kid Arachnid and Black Panther work to stop the chaos and ensure the safety of the citizens. Just then, Jack O'Lantern is attacked and driven off by Lion King, a lion-themed superhero vigilante with attributes similar to those of Black Panther, although Vulture and the Wake Riders manage to take advantage of the distraction caused by Jack O'Lantern and escape. Later in Horizon High, Peter is with Gwen Stacy working on some animatronics alongside Kevin Hunt, who secretly operates as the armored superhero American Knight, before they overhear Mary Jane having a heated argument with Flash and dismissing him. Later on, Mary Jane is having a conversation with Gwen and explains she dropped out of Midtown High and became resentful of Flash because Flash indirectly insulted her and other classmates by referring to costumed party entertainers as "useless clowns" while excluding Jason Macendale, one of Midtown High's jocks, from the school's football team because he was dressed as a clown in a children's hospital. Overhearing this, an upset and angered Mary Jane ended up dropping out of the school, leaving Flash brokenhearted. Mary Jane is soon calmed down and comforted by Gwen over her anger and sadness, while Mary Jane mentions that at least Flash's younger brothers are more well mannered than he is. Later on, Spider-Man and Kevin (as American Knight) are fighting crime on streets before they confront Vulture and his and the Wake Riders' employer, who is revealed as Wakandan exile and leader of the Shadow Council N'Jadaka / Killmonger.

Spider-Man and American Knight fight Killmonger while Vulture departs to seek Killmonger's candidate for his Shadow Council. Just as he overpowers the two heroes, Killmonger is stopped by Black Panther and Lion King, forcing him to retreat. Later on, Lion King soon unmasks himself and reveals himself as Flash's younger brother Marcus Thompson, whom Peter recognizes as a party entertainer who brings joy to children in hospitals and daycare yards as cartoon character Lyle the Happy Lion, wearing an animatronic mask which Peter and Mary Jane made for him. Marcus also tells them that he is also as resentful of Flash (who disapproves of Marcus' desire of becoming a party entertainer) as Mary Jane is, and has wishes to impress his high school crush and Mary Jane's best friend Barbara "Barbie" Morse with his work as an entertainer. Later on, while helping track down Jack O'Lantern and Killmonger, Marcus also reveals that he got his powers from a ancient lion spirit which bonded to him, which Black Panther recognizes as a spawn of, the Egyptian god of war who is also symbolized by lions. Remembering having overheard that Jack O'Lantern plans to destroy all the places where Flash was a champion at, Spider-Man and Lion King begin to suspect that Jason Macendale is Jack O'Lantern, and Marcus remembering that Flash had the absurd thought that their younger brother Jack is the villain. Meanwhile, Mary Jane and Gwen are side-walking with Jack (who is under Mary Jane's care) and Gwen's little cousin Cassie Lang before meeting Barbie at the auditorium of a Football match between Midtown High's jocks and a new rival school's team, although Mary Jane is still resentful of Flash after what happened and refuses to cheer him on. Right before Flash can perform a touchdown, Jack O'Lantern emerges ready to dispose of him once and for all.

Mary Jane and Gwen suit up as Tigra and Ghost-Spider respectively, and the two are joined by Spider-Man, American Knight, Lion King, Kid Arachnid, and Black Panther just when Killmonger, Vulture and the Wake Riders also arrive seeking to brainwash Jack O'Lantern as part of the Shadow Council. As the battle issues with Black Panther taking on Killmonger, Jack O'Lantern reveals himself to Flash as Macendale, who had grown fed up of Flash's recent attitude and is looking for revenge for humiliating him in front of their fellow jocks. Right before he can finish Flash off, Macendale is stopped by Spider-Man, who restrains Macendale with his webs, and Tigra and Lion King, who escort Flash to safety. Using a mind-control device he salvaged from the Jackal, Killmonger gets Jack O'Lantern to his control, but despite the struggle, Spider-Man and Lion King defeat Killmonger while Tigra and Black Panther claw Vulture's sonic wave collar, causing a shockwave which disables his and the Wake Riders' armors and the mind control devices on Jack O'Lantern, although Macendale ends up driven insane because of his hatred for Flash. Killmonger, Vulture and the Wake Riders are taken to the Cellar, where Killmonger withdraws his deal with Master Planner (who was the one who gave Macendale his Jack O'Lantern armor for his revenge on Flash) while Macendale is taken to a mental hospital. As Flash begins blaming himself for bringing this on, Marcus has a moment with Barbie, who had recognized him in the Lion King armor and (viewing the dedicated hero he became for his both brothers) expresses her feelings for him by sharing a kiss, with Peter, Mary Jane, Gwen, Miles, Kevin and T'Challa watching pleased. Satisfied that Killmonger has been dealt with, T'Challa takes his leave to hunt for the remaining members of the Shadow Council, but not before voicing his compliments of respect for Peter and sharing with him a piece of Vibranium technology which upgrades Peter's Spider-Man suit (giving it a new look in the progress) to be sure he will prepared to face the Master Planner, whom T'Challa is aware to be the mastermind behind the impending chaos. And Peter likewise begins listing the possible suspects for the villain's identity.

Voice Cast

 * Robbie Daymond as Spider-Man / Peter Parker
 * Ashley Johnson as Tigra / Mary Jane Watson
 * Jason Marsden as Lion King / Marcus Thompson
 * Nadji Jeter as Kid Arachnid / Miles Morales
 * Laura Bailey as Ghost-Spider / Gwen Stacy
 * Cameron Bowen as American Knight / Kevin Hunt
 * James C. Mathis III as Black Panther / T'Challa
 * Kari Wahlgren as Barbara "Barbie" Morse
 * Katie Leigh as Jack Thompson
 * Jessica DiCicco as Cassie Lang
 * Grey DeLisle as Betty Brant
 * James Arnold Taylor as Jack O'Lantern / Jason Macendale
 * Keston John as Killmonger / N'Jadaka
 * as Vulture / Adrian Toomes
 * Ogie Banks as Barkley Blitz
 * Benjamin Diskin as Flash Thompson
 * Scott Menville as Master Planner