Spider-Woman (Mattie Franklin)

Spider-Woman
Spider-Woman from The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2 #5. Art by John Byrne
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Spectacular Spider-Man #262 (shadow) (November 1998) The Amazing Spider-Man #441 (1998) (full appearance) The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2 #5 (as Spider-Woman)
Created by	John Byrne Rafael Kayanan
In-story information
Alter ego	Martha "Mattie" Franklin
Team affiliations	Loners
Notable aliases	Spider-Man
Abilities	Superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, agility, coordination, and stamina Ability to cling to solid surfaces Psionic spider legs and webbing Flight Precognitive "Spider sense" Telepathy

Spider-Woman (Mattie Franklin) is a fictional character who is a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. She is the third character to be called Spider-Woman and the second to receive her own ongoing series.

Publication history

The character first appeared in Spectacular Spider-Man #262 (in the shadows), in November 1998. Her first full appearance was in The Amazing Spider-Man #441 (1998), and her first appearance as Spider-Woman was in The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2 #5 (1999).

Fictional character biography

Martha "Mattie" Franklin was a troubled youth who grew up with her father after her mother died. She was granted her powers when, after overhearing a phone call between her father and Norman Osborn about the The Gathering of Five, she took her father's place during the Gathering and was endowed with the powers that Norman Osborn desired for himself.^[1]

Mattie's first Spider-Woman costume

During one of Spider-Man's temporary retirements, she wore a near-identical costume and filled in for him.^[2] During this time she was defeated by Shadrac, forcing Spider-Man to return to the costume and save her.^[3] After Spider-Man's return, she assumed the identity of Spider-Woman.^[4] Eventually Charlotte Witter, a villain also going by the name of Spider-Woman, attacked her and stole her powers. Mattie continued to fight Witter and managed not only to reabsorb her own powers, but also to absorb the powers of both previous Spider-Women (which Witter had also stolen) and Witter's own powers. With the blessing of Jessica Drew and Julia Carpenter, she took up the Spider-Woman mantle. Franklin eventually settled with J. Jonah Jameson, a close friend of her father, and sported eight costumes before deciding on the last one.^[5]

Loners

Mattie required assistance when a boyfriend exploited her to produce a drug called Mutant Growth Hormone, which afforded superhuman powers to a user for a short time. In order to harvest the MGH, her boyfriend kept her severely sedated. During one of her stupors, Mattie broke into private investigator Jessica Jones' apartment looking for Jessica Drew, but quickly left when Jones confronted her. With the help of Jessica Drew, Jones rescued Mattie and returned her to her uncle.^{[volume & issue needed]}

Mattie tracks down the dealers who were selling the MGH, and follows them to Los Angeles, where she attends Excelsior meetings and pretends to quit using her powers. In reality, she is using the meetings to recruit a partner to help her. She is joined by Darkhawk and Ricochet, who keep their activities secret from the rest of the group.^[6]

The trio's involvement in the MGH ring bust is revealed when Ricochet's later break-in at a Fujikawa lab results in Lightspeed being grievously wounded by Hollow (formerly Penance). The group is confronted by a woman leading armored guards and Delilah; they have come to reclaim Hollow. The matter is settled peacefully by Mickey Musashi; Mattie is frustrated about allowing the bad guys to leave. However, Mickey reminds her that she is undoing the damage for which she, Darkhawk, and Ricochet are responsible. It is revealed that another reason for her joining the support group was that she was secretly researching the Slingers. While over at Johnny's house she begins searching around, looking for evidence when she is caught by Johnny whom she sleeps with in order for him not to get suspicious.^[7] Afterwords, she privately contacts the father of Dusk, in which she confirmed that the former Slinger named Ricochet has no knowledge of Cassie's whereabouts. Mattie and Johnny later arrive at Mickey's apartment, in which they learn about both Phil and Chris fighting each other in Darkhawk armor. After defeating Phil, she learns about Phil also making a deal with Fumiko Fujikawa (just as Mickey did) and decides to leave the support group, no longer trusting them, pointing out that they forgotten about how to be heroes in trying to overcome their heroic pasts. Mattie also admits that she regrets sleeping with Ricochet.^[8]

The Initiative

She has been given status "potential recruit" by Iron Man in Civil War: Battle Damage Report.^[9]

The Gauntlet and Grim Hunt

Further information: The Gauntlet and Grim Hunt

Mattie has been active in New York City, and as she was about to help Spider-Man against Lady Stilt-Man she was attacked by Ana Tatiana Kravinoff and captured. Mattie is then shown laying unconscious in a laboratory where Madame Web is also bound. Madame Web apologizes to Mattie for getting her involved in this, but Mattie is still unconscious.^[10] She is killed by Sasha Kravinoff as part of a ritual to revive her son Vladimir Kravinoff. It was a success, but Vladimir was revived as a large humanoid lion creature.^[11]

Powers and abilities

Mattie Franklin possessed a variety of superhuman powers, derived from her participation in the Gathering of Five and the absorption of the superhuman abilities possessed by the other Spider-Women and by Madame Web. Thus she possessed the following superhuman abilities:

• Superhuman strength, speed, stamina, agility, reflexes/reactions, coordination, endurance
• Superhumanly acute hearing and heightened senses
• Adhesive touch that allows her to cling to walls and other surfaces via electrostatic attraction
• Immunity to all forms of non-corrosive toxins and poisons after an initial exposure to them. These initial exposures make her dizzy, but her metabolism quickly recovers and renders her immune to it.
• Immunity to all forms of radiation
• Venom blast: Spider-Woman can discharge a powerful toxin with her body's excess bio-electricity, which she focuses through her hands. These bio-electric blasts affect the nervous system, and their intensity can be regulated to deliver a minor shock, render someone unconscious, or even kill. (Their concussive force is powerful enough to puncture metal.)
• Pheromones: These chemicals can make her extremely attractive to men and tend to repulse women.
• Flight
• Psionic webbing: By using psychokinetic energy, she can bind ambient free-floating molecules into strands of solid force. Her psi-webs can be used to wrap enemies, or focused into narrow web-lines that she can swing from. Due to its psychic nature, her psi-webs can be used in ways Spider-Man's webbing never could, such as causing webs to form from a distance, or controlling the movement of her webbing mentally.
• Psychic spider legs sprouting from her back. Occasionally, Mattie has been shown to be able to fire blasts of unknown energy from the tips of her spider-legs which are able to stun an opponent. Having the legs exposed is her natural state; she must concentrate in order to conceal them, which creates a constant feeling of pressure in her back.
• Moderate telepathy
• Precognitive flashes

Franklin had none of the training or experience of the earlier women who carried the Spider-Woman mantle. Due to her inexperience she was not be able to make use of all of these abilities.

In other media

Video games

• Mattie was intended to be one of Jessica Drew's alternate Spider-Woman skins in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, as was Julia Carpenter; this is shown in an unlockable concept art screen. However, in the game, she was replaced by Spider-Girl.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ The Amazing Spider-Man #441 (1998)
2. ^ The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2 #1
3. ^ The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2 #2
4. ^ The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2 #5
5. ^ Spider-Woman vol. 3 #1-18
6. ^ The Loners #1
7. ^ The Loners #5
8. ^ The Loners #6
9. ^ Anthony Flamini & Ronald Byrd (w), Scott Kolins (p), Scott Kolins (i). Civil War: Battle Damage Report 1 (March 2007), Marvel Comics
10. ^ The Amazing Spider-Man #611
11. ^ Amazing Spider-Man #634

External links

• Mattie's profile at Spiderfan.org
• Profile of the MC2 version of the character in the Appendix to the Marvel Handbook