Spider-Woman (Mattie Franklin)

Spider-Woman
Spider-Woman from Spider-Woman vol. 3 #18. Art by Bart Sears.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	(In shadow): Spectacular Spider-Man #262 (November 1998) (Full appearance): The Amazing Spider-Man #441 (1998) (As Spider-Woman): The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2 #5
Created by	John Byrne (writer) Rafael Kayanan (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Martha "Mattie" Franklin
Team affiliations	Loners
Notable aliases	Spider-Man
Abilities	Superhuman strength, speed, agility, stamina and reflexes Flight at subsonic speeds Invulnerability Bio-electricity projection Psionic spider legs and webbing Precognitive "Spider Sense" Mild telepathy Ability to cling to solid surfaces

Spider-Woman (Mattie Franklin) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is the third character to be called Spider-Woman.

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), the beginning of a three-part crossover which lead directly into the launch of her own Spider-Woman series. Like Spider-Woman volume 1, Spider-Woman volume 3 pitted the protagonist against macabre and grotesque villains, and featured a closing story arc in which she looks into a mirror and sees her own face shriveled down to skin and bones. As a running joke, Spider-Woman constantly changes costumes throughout the series, including a four-issue run (#2–5) in which she adopts a new costume every issue. However, sales were mediocre and the series was cancelled with issue #18 (December 2000).

After an almost two years' absence, Mattie Franklin returned for a six-issue story arc in Alias #16–21, but the character spends the entire story (save a three-page epilogue) in a semi-conscious state. The 2007–2008 limited series Loners thus represented Mattie Franklin's first active adventure in more than six years.

Martha "Mattie" Franklin is a troubled youth who grew up with her father after her mother died. After overhearing a phone call between her father and Norman Osborn about the The Gathering of Five, she takes her father's place during the Gathering and is endowed with the powers that Norman Osborn desired for himself.

During one of Spider-Man's temporary retirements, she wears a near-identical costume and fills in for him. Mattie has long been an obsessive fan of Spider-Man, who inspired her career as a superhero. This obsession is coupled with repressed romantic feelings for him, which she revealed during a state of delirium after suffering a head injury in battle. She is defeated by Shadrac, forcing Spider-Man to return to the costume and save her. After Spider-Man's return, she assumes the identity of Spider-Woman. Eventually Charlotte Witter, a villain also going by the name of Spider-Woman, attacks her and steals her powers. Mattie manages not only to reabsorb her own powers, but also to absorb the powers of all three previous Spider-Women. Assisted by Madame Web and Jessica Drew, she hunts down supervillains wherever she can find them.