Why did humanity blow itself to Hell? Interesting story, that. Tell me: Did you ever hear of a corporation called... Alchemax? 
Appearing in 1st story
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Gravity Police (First appearance)
- Dogs of War (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Inheritors (Referenced)
- Morlun (Referenced)
- Maestro (Bruce Banner) (Referenced)
- Hulk (Bruce Banner) (Referenced)
- Rick Jones (Referenced)
- Captain Marvel (Genis-Vell) (Referenced)
- Spider-Man (Peter Parker) (Referenced)
- Strange (First appearance)(Possessed by Strange's Demon)
- Strange's Demon (Behind the scenes)
- Spider-Man (Peter Parker) (Mentioned)
- Alchemax (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
- Demons (Behind the scenes)
Locations:
-
-
- Nueva York (Ruins)
- The Wastes (First appearance)
- Dystopia (First appearance)
- Maestro's Palace (First appearance)
- Maestro's Palace
- Nueva York (Ruins)
- Hell (Invoked)
-
- Miguel's 2099 A.D. (Referenced)
- Nueva York, United States of America (Referenced)
- Future Imperfect (Referenced)
- Dystopia (Referenced)
- Dystopia
Items:
Synopsis for 1st story
Following his return from the Great Hunt, Spider-Man is shocked to find himself in the post-apocalyptic ruins of Nueva York. Trying to grasp the situation, he is suddenly shot by an energy weapon. The shooters, a pair of scavengers, check on Spider-Man and don't seem to recognize him. Spider-Man quickly stands up, as the shot had missed him and was feigning, and subdue the men. After tying them up in his webs he demands them answers or he will kill them. The scavengers consent to Spider-Man's threats and introduce themselves as Sonner and Ash, who are called "scanners" who scan an area for anything worth salvaging and bringing them back to their home, which is located in the Wastes outside of a place called Dystopia - something which Spider-Man vaguely remembers the name but couldn't recall. Spider-Man releases the Scanners and ordering them to take him to their settlement.
The three reaches the Scanners' settlement but only to find it mysteriously abandoned. They are then suddenly attacked by soldiers. Spider-Man puts up a fight until he is knocks back by a shock wave. He then looks up and, to his surprise, to see his new attacker to be the Maestro, the future incarnation of the Hulk. Spider-Man now remembers that he encountered him before during his travel with Rick Jones and Captain Marvel. However, the Maestro doesn't recognize Spider-Man and mistakes him for Peter Parker of the past, which makes Spider-Man to believe that the Maestro is either a past version of him that he haven't yet met him or an alternate version of him. The Maestro questions Spider-Man of how he was able to come to this era unless it was a time machine. Spider-Man decide to play along with the Maestro, who then request him of taking him back to the past. Spider-Man tries to put up an excuse, but the Maestro has already sees through his deception and attacks him. The two battle in which the Maestro gains the upper hand and brutally beats Spider-Man into submission until he grew tire.
Maestro orders his men to take Spider-Man and the Scanners back to his home, Dystopia. During the journey the Maestro tries to make some conversations with Spider-Man. Spider-Man demands to know why the world is in ruins to which the Maestro answered that it was humanity that "blows itself to hell." Or more precisely it was the Alchemax corporation. The Maestro explains that in the first half of the 21st century, the Alchemax corporation began a program that went horribly wrong which led to mutual assured destruction.
The group finally arrives at the Maestro's home. Ash demands the Maestro as to what he had done to his people at the settlement. The Maestro gleefully replies that he had felt an artistic impulse and that he needed "materials" to create his art work. He gesture the Scanners to turn around and are horrified to see their people crucified to a giant sign of the Maestro's name. The Maestro takes advantage of their stunned state and crushed their skulls, intending to use their remains to complete his sick work.
The Maestro takes Spider-Man to a cell, where there is another prisoner who had piqued his interests in alternate worlds and refused to talk to him. He sees Spider-Man as a opportunity to allow to make the other prisoner more cooperative. After the Maestro tossed him into the cell Spider-Man meets face-to-face with Strange, the Sorceress Supreme of 2099.