I'm working on Marvel's Spider-Man in American comics.

Chapter 481 Anansi and the Legion
Peter still couldn't figure out who Anna Soria was. The closest character he knew was Anya, the Spider Girl, but Anya hadn't appeared in the Problem 616 universe yet, and even if she did, she wasn't some 20th-century Spider Woman, but a whole generation younger than Peter, probably still a two or three-year-old girl.

So, is the woman who sold the totem to Osborne actually the woman who sold the totem pole to Hydra in Universe 616? If so, why would she do that?

Peter was completely baffled.

But for him now, he had other things to do. As Peter thought this, he took out the smaller totem pole from Universe 616. Otto Octavia, seeing this, shuddered, seemingly understanding something: "You...you've found your kind! There's more than one of these?!"

"Shut up, Otto."

Spider-Man Noir, having gagged Otto with his newly acquired web-shooters, pushed his wheelchair out: "You stay here and do your research, I'll keep watch for you."

Peter watched as Spider-Man Noir pushed Otto's wheelchair away, then looked at the totem pole of this universe. He could sense that the totem pole was emitting some strange information, seemingly attracting him to come into contact with it.

Peter decided not to make contact.

The reason is simple: the power of this totem pole comes from Anansi, and I have a grudge against Anansi, or at least against Anansi in some universe. Since it belongs to my enemy, it's better not to touch it. What if there's a trap hidden inside?

But before Peter could think it over, both totems simultaneously emitted intense light. Peter was so frightened that he dropped the smaller totem pole. But in that instant, projection magic emanated from the two totem poles, revealing a piece of the past.

The past of Anansi, the Spider God.

In the distant past, when humanity was still ignorant, Anansi, one of the gods, discovered the Web of Life and its immense power. He learned that it was a creation of the ancient gods. The new god made a request to his father, Niyama, the god-king of the Ashanti mythology.

"I request that this powerful force be spread to ordinary people, so that they too may become advocates for the web of life and destiny."

His father agreed, on the condition that Anansi complete a great feat. Some adventures followed, and the spider god, who represented stories and lies, eventually completed the adventure. He modified the vast divine power and rich knowledge on the Web of Fate into content that mortals could understand, and then, as the Web of Fate expanded, it continued to spread outwards.

"And so, one spider totem after another was born. They appeared in different corners of the multiverse. Some were important, some were not, but their appearance meant that the spider totem was functioning normally in this universe. As long as a spider totem appeared in a universe, all the souls in that universe would be registered on the Web of Fate and become part of the celestial map of souls that manages the entire multiverse."

As the story came to an end, it was no longer a projection. A young black man in a suit and expensive, flashy purple tuxedo appeared in the room, holding a book and talking. Peter looked at him in shock: "You... my spider-sense didn't detect you."

“Of course, if we were to use the Web of Fate to traverse the multiverse, our very existence would be enough to shake the Web of Fate itself, just like what you encountered in the wasteland universe.” Anansi said, closing the book. “So, this is just a projection, a false illusion.”

Peter looked at the Spider God with some uncertainty and asked, "So, everything that just now was real?"

“I am the God of Stories and Lies, Peter. Those can be stories, or they can be lies, but at least many Spider-Totems believe in this story. Anansi was the first Spider-Totem and spread the power of the Web of Fate throughout the multiverse, creating almost all the Spider-Men.” Peter looked at Anansi, and finally asked uncertainly, “If this version of the story is true, then why did you form the Spider-Army? If you are the God of Stories…”

“If I were the God of Stories, then I should be able to see that this world is all stories. Above all the new gods—Norse, Greek, Indian, Egyptian, Sumerian—exists great and terrifying shadow gods who feed on faith and hide in the shadows of the gods. And I should be able to contend with them, because mythology is part of the story, right?”

“I did it, so in my universe there are no more gods, the gods have been banished, except for a god who represents lies and stories.”

Anansi laughed and sat down at Otto's desk: "If you've ever talked to my comrades, such as Mnemosyne (the Greek goddess of writing, memory, and language) or Brachi (the Norse god of poetry, wisdom, and eloquence), you'll know that I'm much more optimistic than they are. At least they didn't think about rebelling against the continuous paternal love and filial piety or the endless Ragnarok of the gods in Greece, but I did."

Peter was momentarily unsure whether Anansi was telling the truth or not. In countless Marvel stories, Loki became the God of Stories, witnessing the shadow gods drawing power from the cycle of Ragnarok. And now, another God of Stories claimed he had done something similar, freeing a universe from the shadows of the gods.

"So, what is the Spider Legion?"

"Do you know what the scariest thing about a good story is for a reader? It's that the story ends up being clichéd, or that the story is completely over and there's nothing left to read."

"...These seem to be two separate things."

“It’s the same thing, and the story will eventually come to an end.” Anansi looked at Peter. “But some stories don’t necessarily have a good ending, Peter. The Spider Legion exists to fight against all of this. You, and the countless totems chosen by the Web of Fate, are heroes, and heroes are not suited for war.”

“You will stop and go to rescue people, but what we need is an army and countless bases that can provide resources for this legion.”

Even if countless universes were to descend into darkness as a result?

Anansi smiled helplessly: "Many universes were destined to go dark, such as the zombie universe, the ogre universe, and the wasteland universe. We're just making use of waste. You may not agree, but it doesn't matter. When the war that will determine the fate of the Web of Fate itself really comes, the Legion will enter the battlefield before the Alliance. I hope that in the end, the heroes will not die, and all the scum will disappear."

"Oh, by the way, I left you a gift."

What gift? Before Peter could react, his hand was bitten hard by a spider that appeared out of nowhere, and he felt dizzy.

　Bragi is the previous generation's Norse god of stories, and we can see from the immortal Thor story that he also possesses the abilities of a god of stories.

　　But for some reason, they didn't try to find a way to fight the Shadow Gods like Loki did.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)