Spider-Man gets all the movies and is in countless comics every month, but the women who wear the spider-symbol have been in some amazing stories themselves over the years. The first Spider-Woman debuted in 1976 when Stan Lee wanted Marvel to create a character with the name before a rival could use it, but over time, this specific character outgrew that role and became one of Marvel’s best heroes. Since that time, there have been several Spider-Women, some who used that name and others who go by other monikers but remain great female spider-heroes in Marvel Comics.
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From the original Spider-Woman from 1976 to a new hero who took the role in the very first Secret Wars series, and even a teenager who stole the name, there have been some great Spider-Women. This has become even more important thanks to the “Spider-Verse” events and the recent comics where the women have stepped up to often overshadow any spider-character not named Peter Parker.
5) Mattie Franklin
Mattie Franklin made her first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #441 (1998) by John Byrne and Rafael Kayanan. When she was 15, Mattie overheard her father planning the Gathering of Five ritual with Norman Osborn. She took his place and walked away with the power Osborn wanted for himself. Because she was a Spider-Man fan, that power took spider form. She has superhuman strength, speed, agility, stamina, and reflexes. She has subsonic flight and psionic spider legs. She later added webbing, wall-clinging, spider-sense, and bio-electric blasts.
During one of Peter’s retirements, she wore a near-identical costume and even filled in as Spider-Man. After her father’s death, J. Jonah Jameson and his wife became her foster family, and she lived with Jonah after taking the Spider-Woman name. Sasha Kravinoff killed her in a ritual to resurrect Vladimir Kravinoff in “Grim Hunt,” and her last request was to let Spider-Man know it wasn’t his fault. She is best compared to Peter, as she carries the same burden of loss and has one of the darkest backstories of any Spider-Woman.
4) Julia Carpenter
Julia Carpenter made her debut as Spider-Woman during one of the most notable events in Marvel Comics history. She made her first appearance in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #6 (1984) by Jim Shooter and Mike Zeck, with her full debut in Secret Wars #7. The Commission on Superhuman Activities, under Val Cooper, recruited her in Denver for an athletic study. The Commission then injected her with spider venom and exotic plant extracts.
Her Secret Wars debut was brutal. She was killed and then resurrected by Doctor Doom using the Beyonder’s power. After this event, she came into her own and served with Freedom Force before joining the West Coast Avengers, Force Works, and Omega Flight. She eventually left the role of Spider-Woman and became Arachne, and then took over as Madame Web. Her Spider-Woman costume is actually a precursor to what Spider-Man changed his appearance to after he gained the symbiote, making her an important part of Spider-Woman’s history.
3) Mayday Parker
Mayday Parker is a unique Spider-Woman character because of where she debuted and what her future holds, specifically for Peter Parker himself. Mayday debuted in What If…? #105 (1997) by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz. In this alternate-Earth Marvel story, Mayday is the daughter of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson in the MC2 universe (Earth-982). She was kidnapped as a baby for the Green Goblin before Kaine saved her and returned her to her family.
After the What If…? issue, she proved so popular that she received a 12-issue limited series that became an ongoing title. She is the one Spider-Woman character who could change everything about Peter Parker’s life. Mephisto envisioned her as the hero who would beat him after he attempted to take over Earth, which is why he offered Spider-Man the “One More Day” deal. She is also important because she proves that Spider-Man’s legacy works.
2) Ghost-Spider
Ghost-Spider is Gwen Stacy from Earth-65. She debuted as Spider-Woman in Edge of Spider-Verse #2 (2014) by Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez. In this world, teenage Gwen Stacy was bitten by the radioactive spider, while her friend Peter Parker became the Lizard and died in their fight. J. Jonah Jameson publicly blamed her, and her father, Captain George Stacy, started hunting her.
Gwen was important in this story because most variants of Gwen Stacy mostly existed to be killed to advance a male hero’s story, and she was able to reverse the role on this Earth. She was meant to be a one-off character, but she proved so popular that Marvel had to bring her back. She has become even more popular thanks to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and its sequel, where she is now a major presence alongside Miles Morales. She is now a main character on Earth-616 and continues to build her legacy.
1) Jessica Drew
The original Spider-Woman is still the best. Jessica Drew debuted in Marvel Spotlight #32 (1976) by Archie Goodwin and Sal Buscema. She was originally a brainwashed Hydra spy whose powers came from a spider-blood serum and a genetic accelerator. This was later retconned so her powers came from her mother being struck by a radiation beam carrying spider DNA. She has most of Spider-Man’s powers, but she also has a very powerful venom blast.
She exists partly for legal reasons. Stan Lee said he wanted to protect the Spider-Woman name so another company could not publish a Spider-Woman book and claim it. She gained popularity when she had a classic Spider-Woman animated series from 1979 to 1980. She was also a key player in the “Spider-Verse” comic book event, and she has been a member of the Avengers more than once. She is the original Spider-Woman, the character whose 1976 debut created the whole lineage on this list, and she celebrated her 50th anniversary in Marvel Comics this year.
Who is your favorite Spider-Woman character from Marvel Comics? Let us know what you like best about these characters in the comments below.
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