As N.A.S.A. prepares to launch a space platform containing a canon created by Dr. Doom, there is an accident with a liquid nitrogen leak, trapping some gantry workers. Spidey quickly intervenes and saves both the workers, and the rocket, little realizing that he has ensured that Dr. Doom's final master plan can go ahead. Doom watches the rocket's launch from his new castle, unaware of Johan and his comrade's escape from the dungeons. Doom takes control of the rocket using his satellite tracking station, and help from Dr. Zoltan at N.A.S.A. Doom uses the laser canon on board the space platform to ignite all the volcanoes around the Pacific rim of fire. The resulting simultaneous eruptions move the Earth from its orbit, sending it away from the Sun and plunging it into a new ice age. Spidey discovers that the only opportunity to return the Earth to its original orbit it at midnight, when the volcanoes are on the other side of the Earth, facing away from the Sun. Doom issues his final ultimatum to the U.N., and with no choice, they declare him absolute ruler of the world. Spidey meanwhile, has hitched a lift to Latveria thanks to the French ambassador, and meets up with Johan's resistance. With Doom now master of the world, he sends out robot duplicates of himself to take their place at the head of all the world's governments, and dissolves the U.N. As Spider-Man and the Latverian resistance converge on Dr. Doom's castle, the stage is set for the final battle to save the Earth.

Spidey encounters the Vulture attempting to kidnap a scientist from his apartment, but is unable to stop him. The Vulture has kidnapped a number of scientists recently, and Peter is sent to contact Harry Osborn by Jameson to get a good quote. After losing his clothes as Spidey, Peter borrows some of Harry's clothes from his apartment, and is soon mistaken for Osborn by the Vulture, who kidnaps him. The Vulture takes Peter to his airship base, where he finds the other kidnapped scientists being forced to work for the Vulture. He forces Peter to develop enough radar-jamming paint to cover his ship, and Peter develops it using Harry's notes. After coating the Vulture's ship with the invisible paint, the Vulture leaves and Peter becomes Spider-Man. The other scientists are freed, but Spidey is thrown off the airship when the Vulture returns. Spidey lands safely and later discovers that the Jupiter space probe containing rare space rocks is scheduled to splashdown in one hour. He figures out that the Vulture's plans are to capture the probe and steal the rare gems. Spidey makes it on the recovery ship, and prepares to battle the Vulture to prevent the theft of the space probe.