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Chapter - 209
🕑 Added 2025-08-21 17:31:11 +0000 UTC[Title : Andrew Crashes At Comic Con]
[Title : Andrew Crashes At Comic Con]
….
Regal sat back in his office chair, Gwendolyn curled up comfortably on the armrest beside him, one hand absentmindedly playing with the collar of his shirt.
The two drifted between small talk and heavier matters - mundane jokes about breakfast gone wrong, then sliding into deeper discussions about the last hurdles of Spider-Man’s shoot, and what still lingered ahead with Harry Potter.
A sharp knock broke the quiet rhythm.
“It’s me, Samantha…” came the familiar voice from behind the door.
Before either of them could reply, the door cracked open and Samantha stepped in, holding her eyepad with a video paused mid-frame.
She didn’t even notice the way Gwendolyn groaned at the interruption.
“Ever heard of knocking and waiting?” Gwendolyn teased, tilting her head against Regal’s shoulder. “I finally get some peace with him and you barge right in.”
Samantha didn’t bite back, too intent on the glowing screen in her hands. Her tone carried an urgency that cut through the room. “Sorry, you two - but, I think you will want to see this.”
Regal reached out, taking the device.
Gwendolyn leaned closer, her arms slipping loosely around his neck, chin brushing his shoulder, while Samantha hovered just behind them, peering over with sharp eyes.
He tapped play.
The tablet screen flared to life, a wash of light spilling across his face and Gwendolyn’s hands still resting lightly around his neck.
The office, a quiet cocoon of paperwork and half-drained coffee cups, sank into silence. Even Samantha, usually brisk and talkative, leaned forward with an unusual gravity in her eyes.
The footage began with the familiar chaotic expanse of Comic-Con’s Hall H.
The camera panned across a sea of fans, costumed and restless, the air buzzing with that uncontainable mixture of anticipation and caffeine.
Murmurs rose and fell like waves, punctuated by bursts of camera shutters and the metallic crackle of microphones being tested.
Regal exhaled slowly.
This year, despite having produced an adoption of a comic character - he hadn’t set foot in San Diego.
He couldn’t afford to - too much was tied up in scripts, meetings, and the increasingly complex machinery of Harry Potter’s pre-production.
Instead, he had dispatched Simon and a small crew to man the booths, distribute glossy posters, and push out updates on the book release schedule and early film details.
Enough to keep fans interested, but nowhere near the grand spectacles other studios spent months crafting.
Even Spider-Man, though important, had been reduced to a modest stall with a few teasers. Functional. Nothing more.
And yet here was Comic-Con, sprawling larger than life.
On screen, the moderator’s voice filled the hall, careful and measured, ushering along a panel for Pixi Studios’ Power Rangers movie.
Bright branding, polished speakers, a carefully stage-managed promotion.
Regal arched an eyebrow, his gaze flicking toward Samantha as if to ask silently:
This? This is what you stopped me for?
But Samantha only pressed her lips together and gave nothing away.
Then, mid-sentence suddenly, a voice - nervous, urgent, and oddly familiar, cut through.
Regal leaned closer as the camera tilted toward the interruption.
It was a man in a Spider-Man costume - not the sleek, studio-approved spandex, but something hand-stitched and imperfect, the fabric slightly loose at the seams, the mask’s eye cutouts uneven.
He looked fragile and bold at once, his voice cutting through the noise with an edge that made the audience pause.
Gwendolyn’s arms tightened faintly around Regal’s shoulders, sensing the shift.
[“Hey—hey… I am sorry. Hey. Hi.”]
Regal’s expression changed the instant he heard the voice.
Recognition flickered, and then, to Gwendolyn’s surprise, he broke into a grin and even let out a quiet laugh.
She tilted her head, curious. “What’s so funny?”
Still smiling, Regal shook his head. “Just watch, you will see, it’s about to get good.”
On screen, dozens of heads began turning toward the figure in the red-and-blue Spider-Man suit, the homemade mask slightly crooked.
The interruption wasn’t disruptive, but it carried a spark of boyish eagerness, the kind of tone that demanded attention without trying to steal it.
[“We are not going to take questions just yet, at the end.”] The moderator started, but the voice spoke over gently, almost pleading. [“I am sorry, do you mind if I just quickly, can I say one thing?”]
The crowd shifted in curiosity, and then, from the edge of the stage, the man stepped forward.
At first glance, he was unassuming, hoodie up, cap low, a shaky casualness in the way he carried himself. But his voice betrayed him, trembling in that way where emotion presses up against composure.
[“I think this might be the most incredible day of my life.”] He began, his eyes sweeping over the audience as if trying to hold them all at once. [“I have always wanted to be at Comic-Con… in Hall H… With all of you guys, it’s always been a dream of mine.”]
The words hung there for a beat, and then the hall erupted, thunderous applause breaking like a wave against the walls.
He smiled, humbled, almost embarrassed at the sound. [“So now here I am wearing this Spider-Man suit. Thanks for having me, you have no idea how much this means to me. I have always wanted to come here as a fan, and… this is my first time. So here I am—]”
He hesitated, letting the crowd settle - [“As a fan.”]
The voice wasn't egoistic, just a man at the heart of the thing he loved.
It was worth remembering that Spider-Man, in this world, had not yet climbed to the global pedestal of cultural familiarity.
The character lingered on the edges of mainstream awareness, recognized but not revered, a name without the thunderous weight it carried elsewhere.
Still, that had begun to change.
The shift had a face, and that face was Regal’s.
His announcement of a Spider-Man film had brought a sudden rush of curiosity, a spark that spread quickly across fan circles, news outlets, and studios who suddenly realized the hero’s dormant potential.
Adding to that momentum, a new comic series had emerged with a surprisingly strong story - tight, heartfelt, and captivating enough to make readers whisper that perhaps this masked figure could be more than just a faded pulp memory.
The man in the red-and-blue suit hesitated only a heartbeat, then spoke again.
[“I just want to say a couple of things, I am Andrew Garfield.”] He said at last, pulling back the hood as recognition rippled through the audience.
The room’s energy shifted, realization dawning that the man speaking to them wasn’t just a fan.
He was the actor playing Spider-Man!!
[“I am here to introduce this Spider-Man panel, and truthfully… the more I have come to know him, the more I have fallen in love with him.”] Andrew began, his words carrying both warmth and sincerity. [“I learned from Stan Lee that the magic of Spider-Man is that anyone can see themselves in him. He is not just a superhero - he is us.”]
It was no secret that Andrew had only truly begun to grasp Spider-Man after stepping into the role. Of course, he had known of him before, but now his understanding was deeper, personal - almost intimate.
His voice softened, taking on a reflective tone. [“As I discovered I realized I needed him in my life… especially when I was a kid. A generation before us had him already, but for me, it felt like he was living out my own fantasy, and maybe every skinny kid’s fantasy. Being stronger, being free of the body I was born into. That swinging sensation of flight…”]
He paused, letting the image hang there, and you could almost feel the weight of the mask he would later wear.
[“And upon receiving his power, unlike most who become corrupted, he used it for good. I think we all wish we had the courage to stick up for ourselves more, to stick up for a loved one more, or even a stranger you see being mistreated.”]
The words came faster now, like he was trying to pour years of gratitude into a few minutes. [“Peter Parker inspired me to feel stronger, he made me, Andrew - braver. He reassured me that I was doing the right thing… it’s worth it. Worth the struggle. Worth the pain. Worth the tears, the bruises, the blood.”]
He glanced down, his voice dropping almost to a confession. [“I wouldn’t be able to stand here in front of you right now without feeling that Spider-Man was here with me… with his reassuring hand on my shoulder… making sure I don’t fall over and concuss myself.”]
A small laugh bubbled from the audience.
[“And he has inspired so many people in the past - girls, boys, men, women, everyone.”]
Andrew continued, his voice carrying a steady conviction. [“And now, after all these years, he’s stepping back into our lives again. This generation needs him just as much as the last did. Because Spider-Man isn’t just a character, he’s a hero who saves lives. He saved mine. I owe Webhead more than I can put into words. I owe Stan ‘the Man’ Lee, for giving us this gift. And of course… there is Regal. Without him, none of us would be standing here right now. I am humbled to be part of this, in a way you can’t even imagine… to stand here and finally share the work we’ve poured ourselves into, with all of you.”]
His eyes scanned the crowd once more, slower now, letting the reality of the moment land on him.
[“This is my first Comic-Con… and this is definitely the coolest moment of my life. Thank you for being here, and for sharing it with me.”]
….
By the end of the clip, Regal leaned back with a half-shake of his head, his grin betraying him even as he muttered. “That could have been dangerous.”
Gwendolyn, still snug against his shoulder, gave a sly glance toward Samantha before speaking with deliberate sweetness. “Well, doesn’t he remind you of someone else? Someone who also just happened to crash an event… and, oh, I don’t know, completely stole the spotlight that was meant for someone else?”
Her voice carried that teasing note only she could pull off, and Regal didn’t need her to say the name.
She was pointing straight at him - at that infamous stunt when he had walked onto [New York's Got Talent] under the flimsy excuse of promoting his film, masquerading as a contestant, and walking away having turned the show into his own platform.
“And….” Gwendolyn added with a raised brow. “If I recall correctly, that was Pixi Studio’s event too, wasn’t it? So tell me, mister master mind… are you absolutely sure you didn’t stage this little Spider-Man moment as well?”
Regal’s laugh came easily this time, confident and unbothered. “Of course I didn’t. But I will tell you this - someone must have known before it happened. Because Andrew?”
He tapped his temple lightly. “He doesn’t do things on a whim. He thinks it through before he moves.”
His eyes drifted then, catching Simon’s expression. “You knew about this, didn’t you?”
Simon smirked, the kind that held a mix of guilt and amusement.
Regal pressed further, half serious. “Why didn’t you stop him?”
Simon only shrugged, leaning back like a man with nothing to apologize for. “Same reason as Gwen. He reminded me of you far too much. Guess he is just… taking after you.”
.
….
[To be continued…]
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Comments
Rahul Walia
Sooooo, no new chapters unlocked? I am dying to know what happens next.
Anderson
Thanks for the chapter
