Following the much-anticipated release ofSpider-Man: No Way Home, both casual and hardcore Marvel fans alike have expressed their eagerness to see more alternate universe Spider-People in future films and TV shows. One character many fans would love to see portrayed in live-action is Jessica Drew, a.k.a Spider-Woman, who first appeared in the comics in 1976.
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Amidstfan speculation of potential casting for Jessica Drew, many might be interested in seeing some of the origins and adventures of Spider-Woman before she makes her big-or-small screen debut. Given that it can be difficult to know where to start with reading comics these days, this selection of Jessica’s greatest hits might be the best place to start.
10Spider-Woman: Origin (2005)
Many of Jessica Drew’s best adaptations were written by Brian Michael Bendis, who handled this iteration of Spider-Woman’s origin story. Ten years after her pregnant mother, Miriam, is exposed to radiation from her husband’s DNA experiments (involving, you guessed it, a spider), Jessica begins to discover a fondness for spiders. It’s not long until she begins to experience side-effects, shaping her path to become a wall-crawling superhero.
This origin story carefully follows Jessica’s origin, from her time as an agent of Hydra, to finally switching sides and working with Nick Fury for S.H.I.E.L.D. She even gets to encounter some familiar faces to recent fans of the MCU: Madame Hydra (who appeared inThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier) and Taskmaster (who played a key role inBlack Widow).
9Spider-Woman Vol. 1 (1978)
Marv Wolfman was the first comic writer to take on a Jessica Drew solo series, though later issues of this series would be run by writers like Mark Gruenwald and Chris Claremont. Bendis’s 2005 origin series is essentially a retelling of these original comic appearances of Spider-Woman, again following her period of Hydra loyalty to her time with the Avengers.
As the first Spider-Woman solo run, this volume introduced a lot of the powers that separate Jessica from her web-slinging, teenage counterpart Peter Parker. One of these powers is Jessica’s ability to secrete a special fluid to allow her to attach herself to solid objects, much like a real spider.
8Spider-Woman Vol. 3 (1999)
This comic, run by John Byrne, features several Spider-Women from alternate universes meeting up to fight together, as well as fight each other. Jessica Drew still plays an important role, passing the mantle of Spider-Woman onto Mattie Franklin after a battle with Charlotte Witter, a Spider-Woman created by Doctor Otto Octavius.
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Jessica, Mattie, and Julia Carpenter are called together by Madame Web, Witter’s grandmother, who can see into the future. Suffice to say, this comic run is the perfect choice for anybody looking to see a team-up of female Spider-heroes. That is, until…
7Spider-Women Alpha (2016)
Seventeen years after Jessica battled with Julia Carpenter and Mattie Franklin, she teamed up with fan-favorites Gwen Stacy and Cindy Moon. Together, the three of them fight S.I.L.K, a secret organization founded by a multiverse variant of Cindy Moon teaming up with Jesse Drew, a male variant of Jessica herself.
In this series,Jessica takes on more of a mentor roletowards Gwen and Cindy before their interdimensional plans are thwarted by S.I.L.K’s nefarious schemes. Like the 1999 run, this is a great place for Spider-Woman fans that want to see the female equivalent toSpider-Man: No Way Home.
6New Avengers Vol. 1 (2004)
While this team-up may not feature any multiverse hijinks, it’s still a great place for fans who want to see Jessica Drew’s dynamic with other heroes. Heralded bySpider Woman: Origins' Brian Michael Bendis, this volume sees Jessica joining forces with Steve Rogers, Peter Parker, Luke Cage, Wolverine, and Tony Stark to form the New Avengers, with additional appearances by Matt Murdock and The Sentry.
Together, the team is tasked with taking down Max Dillon, a.k.a Electro, who’s been hired to break Dr. Karl Lykos, a.k.a Sauron, out of prison. In doing so, Electro lets loose a whole slew of villains, including Armadillo, Typhoid Mary, and Carnage. For her first stint with a super-team, Jessica was probably welcome, as they needed all the help they could get.
5Spider-Woman Vol. 4 (2009): Agent of S.W.O.R.D.
This series sees Jessica recruited by S.W.O.R.D, a government agency specializing in eliminating extraterrestrial threats. The agency recently made their first appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universein the Disney+ seriesWandaVision. During her time at S.W.O.R.D, Jessica is tasked with seeking out and uncovering Skrulls throughout the globe.
Unfortunately, the series was cut short at only seven issues, due to scheduling conflicts with its creators. However, this wouldn’t be the last time that good ol' Brian Michael Bendis got to work with Spider-Woman. He eventually gave her another chance, only a year later.
4Avengers Vol. 4 (2010)
Bendis' take onThe Avengersmay be Jessica Drew’s highest-stakes battle thus far. Here, Jessica joins a reassembled Avengers, alongside Bucky Barnes' Captain America, Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Wolverine, Hawkeye (with whom Jessica starts a romantic relationship in later issues), Thor, and Maria Hill.
Although this may seem like an ideal Avengers line-up, Bendis has themgoing face-to-face with Kang the Conqueror. Jessica also joins these Avengers to fight the Serpent as well as familiar Spider-Man antagonist Norman Osbourne. Luckily, Jessica’s powers are strong enough at this point to earn her well-deserved spot on the iconic superhero team.
3Spider-Woman Vol. 5 (2014)
After several run-ins with S.H.I.E.L.D, S.W.O.R.D, and the Avengers, this run by Dennis Hallum takes Jessica Drew back to the Spider-Verse. Here, she teams up with Cindy Moon (a.k.a Silk) again, while also encountering an army of Spider-People from separate universes, including Peter Parker, Gwen Stacy, and Spider-Man Noir (who made an appearance voiced by Nicolas Cage inSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse).
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Among the villains that Jessica faces are the Inheritors, a group of hunters who sustain themselves by feeding on humans who are connected to the animal world. Long story short, Spider-People are certainly on their grocery list, and Jessica makes it her mission to stop them.
2Spider-Woman Vol. 6 (2016)
Post-Avengers and post-Spider-Verse, this series (written again by Dennis Hallum) finds Jessica working as a private investigator before discovering that she’s pregnant. Ever the workholic, Jessica juggles the heroic life of a superhero with the struggles of pregnancy and becoming a mother. During this time, she recruits Porcupine and Ben Urich to assist her with her investigations, though they’re not as much help as they could be.
This series also sees Jessica teaming up with Captain Marvel forsome good, old-fashioned Skrull-fighting. Finally, once her son is born, Jessica finds herself questioning the merits of being a superhero when there’s a human life that depends on her. While this isn’t the typical superhero story comic fans might be used to, it’s guaranteed to tug heartstrings.
1Spider-Woman Vol. 7 (2020)
In this ongoing run of Jessica Drew’s solo adventures, written by Karla Pacheco, Jessica comes face-to-face with her old adversaries at Hydra, though she’s hindered by a sudden, venom-inducing illness. In her quest to find a cure, she dons a new all-black outfit to match her aggressive combat style,making her reminiscent of Spider-Man’s Symbiote suit.
As this series is still ongoing, Marvel fans can catch up to the eighteen volumes that have been released (as of January 2022) and join the rest of the comic-reading world in seeing where Jessica will go next. Hopefully, the best is still yet to come for this underrated Marvel hero.
