Spider-Man
Peter Benjamin Parker
Character profile
Spider-Woman
Jessica Miriam Drew
Raised by Hydra, employed by S.H.I.E.L.D., trusted by nobody until she earned it.
Biography
Jessica Drew's powers come from a childhood on Wundagore Mountain, where her father treated her radiation poisoning with an experimental spider-serum and the High Evolutionary's technology kept her alive. Hydra found her, raised her, trained her as an assassin and lied to her about all of it. Her entire career since has been about establishing an identity that is genuinely her own — private investigator, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Avenger, bounty hunter, and eventually a single mother who kept working.
She is one of Marvel's better-used espionage heroes, and she has the single worst luck in the company: the Skrull Queen Veranke impersonated her for years during the build-up to Secret Invasion, meaning her Avengers teammates had been talking to an alien the entire time. Dennis Hopeless and Javier Rodriguez's Spider-Woman run gave her a pregnancy arc that treated her as an adult professional rather than a plot device, and Issa Rae's version in Across the Spider-Verse put a pregnant Jessica Drew on a motorbike in front of a global audience.
Vital statistics
- Real name
- Jessica Miriam Drew
- Also known as
- Jessica Drew, Arachne, Agent Drew
- Species
- Human mutate
- Place of origin
- Wundagore Mountain, Transia
- First appearance
- Marvel Spotlight #32 (February 1977)
- Created by
- Archie Goodwin, Marie Severin
- Affiliations
- Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra (formerly), Spider-Army, Alpha Flight Space Program
- Groups
- Heroes Avengers Spider-Verse
Power grid
Intelligence4
Strength4
Speed3
Durability3
Energy4
Fighting4
Rated 1–7 on the classic Marvel power-grid scale.
Powers
- Venom Blasts
She discharges bio-electric energy from her hands, her primary offensive weapon.
- Pheromone Manipulation
She emits pheromones that attract or repel, inducing fear or trust in those nearby.
- Superhuman Strength and Speed
Enhanced physicality well beyond human limits, with a trained fighter's precision.
- Wall-Crawling
She adheres to surfaces, and her costume's underarm webbing lets her glide.
- Flight
Later versions of her powers include genuine sustained flight rather than gliding.
- Toxin Immunity
The spider-serum grants strong resistance to poisons, radiation and disease.
Abilities
- Trained Hydra assassin and S.H.I.E.L.D. field agent
- Licensed private investigator
- Multilingual espionage operative
- Veteran Avenger with decades of team experience
Weaknesses
- Pheromones can repel allies as easily as enemies
- Hydra conditioning resurfaces under stress
- History of being impersonated and disbelieved
- Venom blasts drain her stamina
Comics history
Archie Goodwin and Marie Severin created Jessica Drew in Marvel Spotlight #32 (1977), and Marv Wolfman's subsequent solo series ran fifty issues. Brian Michael Bendis made her central to New Avengers and Secret Invasion (2008), where it was revealed the Skrull Queen Veranke had replaced her.
Dennis Hopeless and Javier Rodriguez's Spider-Woman (2015) reinvented her as a working detective and expectant mother, and Karla Pacheco's 2020 run dug into her Wundagore origins. She remains a fixture of Avengers and Spider-Verse titles, and Issa Rae voices her in the animated films.
Allies
- Carol Danvers
- Clint Barton
- Spider-Man
- Silk
- Nick Fury
Enemies
- Hydra
- Veranke
- Morgan le Fay
- The Inheritors
Weapons & equipment
- Venom blasts
- Pheromones
- Red-and-yellow costume with glider webbing
- S.H.I.E.L.D. field gear
Trivia
- Her powers originate on Wundagore Mountain, tying her to the High Evolutionary and, indirectly, to Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch's origins.
- The Skrull Queen Veranke impersonated her for years, meaning the Jessica Drew who joined the New Avengers was an alien infiltrator.
- She headlined a 1979 animated series that predates most Marvel television by a decade.
- Issa Rae's Across the Spider-Verse version is heavily pregnant and still the most competent person in most of her scenes.
Famous quotes
I was raised by Hydra, cleared by S.H.I.E.L.D. and replaced by a Skrull. Ask me about trust issues.
Venom blast. It never stops being satisfying.
Timeline
- 1977
Debuts in Marvel Spotlight #32.
- 2005
Joins the New Avengers under Bendis.
- 2008
Secret Invasion reveals Veranke had been impersonating her.
- 2015
Hopeless and Rodriguez relaunch her as a detective and mother.
- 2023
Issa Rae voices her in Across the Spider-Verse.
Gallery
Poster art is generated from each character’s signature palette. Drop official art into assets/images/ and set the img field to swap it in.
Related characters
Silk
Cindy Moon
Spider-Gwen
Gwendolyne Maxine Stacy
Miles Morales
Miles Gonzalo Morales
Captain America
Steven Grant Rogers
Frequently asked
How did Jessica Drew get her powers?
Her father treated her childhood radiation poisoning with an experimental spider-based serum on Wundagore Mountain, with the High Evolutionary's technology sustaining her. The result is venom blasts, pheromone control, wall-crawling and enhanced strength.
Is Spider-Woman related to Spider-Man?
Not at all, biologically or narratively — her powers come from a serum rather than a spider bite. They are allies and occasional teammates, and she is a full member of the Spider-Verse community, but her origin is entirely separate.