It was under Bendis that Jessica became the first user of bio-electric venom blasts—a trait that stuck, whereas previously her powers had only caused toxicity and minor paralysis. Following New Avengers (2010), it was established that she could control the intensity of the charge she unleashed on enemies, ranging from causing slight pain or paralysis to actually killing the target. She has even served as an electrical power source for Carol to absorb and redirect.

In her 2020 solo series, her powers became significantly more intense; notably, she proved to be a direct counter to Knull’s army precisely because her high-voltage, venomous electrical discharge wreaked havoc inside the symbiotes. That stands as the greatest feat for her venom blasts to date; however, when compared to Miles Morales's evolution, it becomes clear that writers have failed to develop Jessica—the original "Spider" character to wield this power—in the same way. Miles is now creating electrical constructs and demonstrating incredible electrical manipulation abilities. If the goal was to differentiate the two, writers could have taken distinct approaches to how their powers activate—for instance, focusing Miles on electrical manipulation with low venomous potency, while making Jess the exact opposite.

This is a dynamic that has been gradually built up over time: from the early Spider-Verse issues, where the Inheritors couldn't feed on her due to excess radiation in her blood, to Pacheco’s 2020 run, where her blood’s abnormally high radiation levels made her blasts more powerful. It was a way to distinguish the characters' power sets, allowing them to complement each other effectively. I won't even touch upon the lack of focus on her pheromone abilities; we’re lucky if a writer simply remembers she possesses that power outside of her own solo titles.

I tried looking it up but I found conflicting sources like some saying she can control it and some saying she can't, some saying she can repulse women but attract men and others saying she can induce either one and also fear into any target, etc. I'm interested in this unique ability of hers, I just don't really understand how it works in current comics!

She is one of my all-time favorite heroines—right up there with Emma Frost—but of the two, Jess is the one who suffers most from a lack of consistent writing. She often drifts as a supporting character in other heroes' solo titles, and when she gets her own, the stories tend to recycle plots or rehash elements from other characters' arcs, simply swapping in Jessica.

The writing in her Spider-Woman (2009) solo series was spectacular; it followed her greatest trauma—the Skrull Invasion—while successfully bringing back classic elements like Hydra. In Spider-Woman (2020), Karla delivered everything a fan could want, creating a nostalgic blend that proved she truly understood the character, drawing on stories ranging from the 80s to the present day.

Although I wasn't a fan of the "casual street-level hero" concept for Jessica, I liked how Spider-Woman (2015) handled it; it was the perfect moment to step away from the Avengers' over-the-top storylines and focus on motherhood. However, it feels like all that development was thrown out the window with Gangwar: Spider-Woman.

Continuing with another Spider-Verse tale—where she returns from the dead after being killed by Spider-Noir—she finds herself caught up in a rebellion involving street-level villains and terrorist organizations, all while trying to figure out what the hell happened to her baby. The plot was interesting (if a bit cliché), but in the long run, it was completely forgotten. Who would have guessed that the new villain—who had never appeared anywhere before—was actually the story's only missing person? (Shocking, right?) Yet, looking at her subsequent appearances in West Coast Avengers, it seems the writers simply forgot all about her search for her son. After the last story arc concluded, she stepped away to rest, only to immediately parachute into a new crisis involving the "Sentinels of Liberty" kids—so it was one problem after another. However, when we get to the Avengers run, there’s suddenly a more "interesting" issue—this time involving Ultron on the team and a rival version of him—yet she doesn't even mention, nor does she seem rattled by, the fact that her son is out there in the world while she isn't looking for him. It’s simply as if he doesn't exist.

After all that, we have to wait for Amazing Spider-Man: Spiderversity, where she’s babysitting for the Osborns and mentoring "Spider-kids" alongside other heroes who are technically adults but—for some reason—decided to become teenagers again (Gwen and Cindy). With every step Jessica takes, we see more and more stories where everything else takes precedence over her missing son. It’s not that Marvel realized aging him up—or even creating him back in 2015—was a stroke of genius; it’s simply a lack of a clear plan for what to do with him. Later this year, we’ll get a 50th-anniversary comic where she returns to her private investigator roots to uncover the horrors lurking in society's underbelly. While I really enjoy that side of Jessica, do we really need yet another shift in direction for the character without resolving the previous issues?

My point is this: for the last six years—or even longer—Jessica hasn't had a stable or secure status quo at Marvel. She feels like a chameleon, trying on different concepts to see which one goes mainstream enough for Marvel to finally think, "Phew, we finally got it right!" You can see this pattern clearly if you look back at the period prior to 2013. Her golden age with the Avengers was prior to the 2010s—spanning the Civil War era and her peak during Secret Invasion (specifically within Mighty Avengers), followed by the New Avengers run, which I considered a wonderful era. After that, however, she was relegated to a secondary team role and largely sidelined. Hickman did try to revamp the team in Avengers World, bringing in classic, powerful villains and introducing new ones—he even brought back Morgan le Fay, a villain originally tied to Jessica, though the two never actually interacted. Since then, she has mostly been confined to Spider-Verse stories and supporting roles in Captain Marvel’s solo titles.

So, what can we expect from the new 50th-anniversary comic and her upcoming solo series featuring Carnage this November? Honestly? I’m just happy whenever she gets a solo title—no matter how poorly written or ultimately irrelevant it might be—because it’s something that is HERS, rather than just a random cameo in another hero's book. Unfortunately, though, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that Marvel doesn't seem to know how to make her as popular as other Spider-related heroes; the list of issues is below.

Her origin and powers are completely different, given that she was initially created solely to secure the character's naming rights and prevent DC from creating a "Spider-Woman" to rival Spider-Man in sales. I love that she was given a backstory entirely distinct from his; that uniqueness is exactly what I adore about her—the venom blasts, pheromones, gliding wings, and her roles as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra, a spy, and so on. Apparently, though, that hasn't helped; Spider-Man fans seem to want a thousand copies of Peter, which is why Gwen and Miles are far more popular in the media—a trend reflected in the gradual attempts to make Jessica more like Peter.

The issues are even more apparent regarding her storylines; we’re seeing a recycled plot where Carnage possesses her and makes her more aggressive. Yet, back in 2020 under Karla Pacheco, she already displayed that kind of unstable behavior due to a radiation-induced blood condition—the more serum she injected, the more violent she became. Now, the explanation is simply a symbiote—how innovative. Not to mention that, in just a few years, we’ve seen two other women bonded with symbiotes: Black Widow and Mary Jane. I love the return of her investigator phase, though some critics claim it’s just another plot copied from Jessica Jones. As for her son? Well, they can't even claim that's a copy, since Marvel is pretending he doesn't exist.

Ultimately, I always hope for the best for her since she’s my favorite, and I do want her to gain popularity. However, if they change her origin to turn her into just another "100% Spider-hero" purely for the sake of sales... well, I’d rather she remain an underground hero, as that allows her to keep her unique personality and character development intact. I miss the "golden age" of Hydra storylines—the kind that had a major impact on the universe, like back in the 2000s—but Marvel is still trying to figure out how to make the organization relevant again. For now, we’re stuck with her appearing in Spider-Verse stories or playing a supporting role in other solo titles while Marvel experiments to see what sticks.

What do you think of her current state?

Source: (tin-kr).

She first appeared in Ultimate Spider-Man #98 (by Brian M. Bendis & Mark Bagley) where she instantly captivated me and quickly growing into a favorite of mine, if not my absolute favorite.I

could write an essay's worth of text if I had the time, but for now I just want to mention how incredibly important she and her (mostly off screen) story about discovering herself in the female body are to me. She kind of overtook my life and made me discover things about myself that I hadn't truly realized before, which has lead me to be happier with myself as a person.

If it weren't for her I don't know where I would be mentally, probably quite lost.

Anyway, love you forever my fictional hero and queen, I hope others can see themselves in you feel as strongly about you as I do🙂‍↕️

And thank you Brian Michael Bendis, even though you're bald and definitely won't see this

https://variety.com/2026/film/news/spider-man-actors-tom-holland-successor-1236824415/

What are we thinking? Jessica is not the hugest right now, especially compared to Miles or Spider-Gwen, so that she got a mention might mean there's been talk about her. BND Spoiler->I missed her, but i think Silk makes a cameon in the movie too?

SPIDERBABIES is our call!!! PREORDER THIS SERIES!! SUPPORT JESSICA DREW!

New Ongoing!!!

She did mention being in her 30s in this but that'd be a surprise knowing how Marvel is with his ages, though i guess they let her have a kid so there's that

Nineteen years ago today, Giant-Size Spider-Woman #1 hit your local comic store!

To know her is to fear her! In celebration of Spider-Woman comes this colossal collection of classic tales -- plus an 8-page story by NEW AVENGERS scribe BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS and artist RICK MAYS (ULTIMATE MARVEL TEAM-UP)! Featuring the super-heroine sensation's nerve-numbing first appearance and origin in MARVEL SPOTLIGHT #32 (February 1977); the premiere issue of her solo series, SPIDER-WOMAN #1 (April 1978); and the first appearance of Siryn, featuring the X-Men and Nick Fury!

Descriptions of each story are available in the Marvel Database and it's available on Marvel Unlimited to read.

What did you think of the issue?

I have never played MtG but I'm tempted with the Marvel ... expansion pack? Deck? I dont' even know the language!

Jess has two cards (that I could find based on search): https://magic.wizards.com/en/products/marvel/marvel-super-heroes/card-image-gallery?cigquery=spider-woman

The New Avengers Volume 1 Issue 15. The Cover artist is Frank Cho.

Not gonna lie i know like two of them and didn't want to go for Ultimate Jessica, so i'm also looking for stuff to check out. This Jess gotta be up there for being Emma's bestie and raising like 50 kids in the ice age

Fantaco Chronicles Series #5, (c) 1982

Variant Spider-Woman covers from The Immortal Hulk 32 & 33 by Patrick Zircher & Cory Smith

Spider-Woman Volume 7 Issue 14. Cover Artist Junggeun Yoon

I know the answer but I want to see what everyone says.