50 Greatest Super Heroes In Comic Book History

45. Spider-Woman

(Write-up by Matt Conner, Bam Smack Pow Staff Writer)

In the early decades of super hero comics, it wasn’t uncommon to see female versions of popular male heroes. These were generally similar characters and power sets, but they had a pair of X chromosomes, and kids enjoyed the little diversity they’d get.

Spider-Woman was an exception. Her origin story had nothing to do with Spider-Man’s. His is pretty simple: a nerd at a science exhibit gets bitten by a radioactive spider and gets some powers. For Jessica Drew, in her original appearance, she was a spider that had been evolved into a woman. This angle was quickly retconned away to a story about a young girl who was poisoned by the radioactivity of the mountain on which she lived, and the High Evolutionary saved her by combining her DNA with that of a spider. She developed an ability to glide on silk wings, zap people with a bioelectric venom (yeah, I love her, and I don’t get that spider-power, either), and release automatic pheromones that make people kind of uncomfortable around her (THAT was a great touch. Even people who aren’t that afraid of spiders still tense and watch when one crawls across their steering wheel, and it gave her this unique social standing that alienated comic readers can understand).

Later, terrorist group HYDRA got their mitts on her. They brainwashed her into thinking that Viper was her mother, and that she needed to kill Nick Fury. It was bonkers. Her series ran fifty issues with barely any mention of Spider-Man. She fought all kinds of creepy supernatural baddies like Gypsy Moth and the Brothers Grimm. Sometimes she was a bounty hunter or a private detective. After Carol Danvers escaped her multidimensional rapist, Jessica was her only support.

Decades later, Bendis brought her on board his Avengers relaunch. Since then, she has maintained a high profile as someone who can join the Black Widow for spy adventures or go on a date with Hawkeye. She’s currently headlining a new solo series as part of the Spider-Man family of titles, and it is noteworthy that this is the first time since 1977 that she has been even casually defined by her male counterpart. Spider-Woman represents the powerful idea that men and women are different in ways that don’t simplify to “Men do this; women do the opposite” or “Men do this; women do the same thing but backwards in heels.” Spider-Woman does her own thing, she does it well, and that’s heroic.

And yes, as Bendis has said in an Avengers book, she DOES have the best hair in comics.

For more Spider-Woman news, rumors and opinion, visit Whatever a Spider Can.

Next: No. 44: Comic writers' favorite monkey wrench