Spider-Woman (Mattie Franklin)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Spider-Woman | |
 Spider-Woman from Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #5. Art by John Byrne |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Spectacular Spider-Man #263 (shadow) (November 1998) Amazing Spider-Man #441 (1998) (full appearance) 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 |
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Spider-Woman (Mattie Franklin) is a fictional character, a superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe. She is the third character to be called Spider-Woman and the second to receive her own ongoing series. The character first appeared in Spectacular Spider-Man #263 (in the shadows).
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[edit] 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 Gathering of the Five, she took her father's place during the Gathering and was endowed with the powers that Norman Osborn desired for himself.
During one of Spider-Man's temporary retirements, she wore a near-identical costume and filled in for him. After Spider-Man's return, she assumed the identity of Spider-Woman. 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 her uncle, J. Jonah Jameson, and sported eight costumes before sticking with the last one.
Mattie required assistance when a boyfriend exploited her to produce a drug called Mutant Growth Hormone, which afforded mutant 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. Jones, with the help of Jessica Drew, rescued Mattie and returned her to her uncle. (Jessica Drew is the current Spider-Woman.)
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.
Mattie, Chris and Johnny'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 letting the bad guys leave. However, Mickey reminds her that she is undoing the damage for which she, Darkhawk, and Ricochet are responsible. During the time in which the support was dealing with the consequences of their recent actions, Mattie was secretly researching the Slingers' past during the time she was keeping Johnny company; she privately contacted 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, pointing out that they forgotten about how to be heroes in trying to overcome their heroic pasts. Mattie also mentions that she slept with Ricochet.
[edit] Initiative
She has given status "potential recruit" by Iron Man in Civil War: Battle Damage Report.
[edit] Powers and abilities
Mattie Franklin possesses 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 possesses the following superhuman abilities:
- Superhuman strength, speed, stamina, agility, and reflexes.
- Superhumanly acute hearing and heightened senses.
- Adhesive touch that allows her to cling to walls and other surfaces via electro-static 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: Mattie generates chemicals that 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.
- Moderate telepathy.
- Precognitive flashes.
Mattie Franklin has none of the training or experience of the earlier women who have carried the Spider-Woman mantle. Due to her inexperience she also may not be able to make use of all of these abilities as of yet.
