In this review of Spider-Man: Long Way Home #3, The Punisher lays a deadly trap for Hulk as the race for the Cosmic Cube heats up.
SPIDER-MAN: LONG WAY HOME #3
Written by: Jonathan Hickman
Art and Main Cover: Adam Kubert
Variant Covers: Giuseppe Camuncoli, Lorenzo Ruggiero, David Messina, Julian Totino Tedesco
Page Count: 27 pages
Release Date: September 16, 2026
This review contains spoilers
Jonathan Hickman’s Spider-Man: Long Way Home #3 is out and begins with Peter in the hospital. The medical staff joke about removing his mask, until Spidey wakes up. He immediately swings back to Punisher’s location. Along the way, Pete recalls that merely touching the Cosmic Cube incapacitated him enough to put him in an ambulance.
Arriving at the scene, he witnesses that Frank has laid a trap. The Cube is laying there unprotected in the open, with Spidey realizing that it’s bait for Hulk. Spider-Man and Punisher engage in hand-to-hand combat over the cube until Banner arrives.
At the monster’s appearance, Frank launches a barrage of missiles and metal containers at Banner. They bury him under metal, but the ferocious gamma-powered Hulk breaks out eventually.
Easily tossing his two foes around, Hulk starts expelling excessive amounts of radiation. The ground beneath them literally burns and breaks, holding an obsidian-like appearance. The monster stands tall, and grabs the Cube, while exclaiming “Game over”.
Analysis
Spider-Man: Long Way Home #3 was a good issue for its action, letting Peter and Frank show off their agility while boasting strong art. Kubert’s art flows well and perfectly supplements the fighting. The paneling is great, with mini-panels bunched together to draw multiple back-and-forth strikes.
The humor level still remains low, at least relative to a Spider-Man book. Still, it’s decent for a comic with a grim tone. I like the way The Punisher’s humor is in this story, especially after Spider-Man: Brand New Day. To me, Frank’s humor in that movie was a detour from how his character presentation generally is. Hickman uses quieter and subtle jokes between Frank and Peter while maintaining the serious tone that defines the iconic skull-wearing vigilante.
An example is where Spider-Man repeatedly thanks Punisher for not hitting him with a trap as dangerous as the one for Hulk. It’s typical of Spider-Man to say such things in his classic annoying mannerisms, masking his fear with humor. Frank just plays into it, responding with a serious “No problem”. It works well for both the tone and the relationship.
The main issue I have is with the plot flow. In order for this trap to work and for the story to get here, the Hulk killed Frank’s friend after learning he was going to his house, and then left the scene. His departure allowed Frank enough time to set the trap.
It doesn’t make sense why Banner didn’t wait for Punisher’s arrival and then easily steal the Cube from him. He already knew where Frank was going, and Frank wasn’t expecting him. There’s no explanation in the dialogue either.
If I had to guess, the subtext would imply that Hulk is a monster and enjoys making people suffer. He’d rather let Frank live with the weight of his friend’s death before taking it. However, it’s jarring because Banner has panels where he re-tracks the Cube, making his work harder for no apparent reason.
It should be elaborated on in the dialogue at some point. Because without reigning the monster idea in, it just looks like bad decision-making to forcibly extend the plot. It’ll also add on to the themes of monstrosity, and I hope it comes in the remaining issues.
Final Thoughts
Emotional storytelling isn’t a focus here, taking a backseat to great action and the aesthetics for monstrosity. Spider-Man: Long Way Home #3 is worth picking up for the fights and the intriguing alternate version of Hulk, but not much for its story.
