|
This is starting to sound like a bad comic book plot This character is non-canon to Spider-Man: The Animated Series.
|
- Looking for another article with the name Spider-Woman? Check out the Spider-Woman disambiguation page.
Spider-Woman is a superhero and member of Force Works. In her civilian guise of Julia Carpenter, she is the Chief Operating Officer of Stark Enterprises.
History[]
Early life[]
Not much is known about Julia's early life. All that is known is that Julia had a daughter named Rachel from a previous marriage. At some point, Julia gained spider like powers through unknown means and become the costumed hero, Spider-Woman. Tony Stark later hired her to be Stark Enterprises' C.O.O. (Chief Operating Officer) and when Tony learned that Julia was Spider-Woman, he asked her to join a team of heroes he led called Force Works.
Later life[]
Working with Force Works[]
Along with Force Works, Spider-Woman fought the Mandarin and his gang called the Hand (which consisted of M.O.D.O.K., Hypnotia, Dreadknight, Blacklash, Grey Gargoyle, Blizzard and Living Laser).
Spider-Woman and Scarlet Witch would also compete for the affection of Iron Man. However, Iron Man would rebut both of their advances.
At one point, the Mandarin learned that Iron Man's armor was powered by solar energy and kidnapped Rachel Carpenter and planned to use her as bait to trap Iron Man. The Mandarin then had Justin Hammer deliver a message to Tony Stark saying that if he didn't give him the planes for a weapon, he created he would never see Rachel again. However, unknown to Tony Stark and Julia Carpenter, this was just a ploy to lure Iron Man into a trap. After Rachel and Iron Man went missing, Spider-Woman and Force Works began to search for them. However, Iron Man was eventually able to save Rachel and he returned her to Julia.
Left at the altar[]
Tony Stark eventually developed feelings for Julia and the two began to date and after some time they were engaged. However, for unknown reasons, Tony left her at the altar.
Force Works disbands[]
Despite being left at the altar, Julia and Tony remained good friends. When the Mandarin attempted to steal Iron Man's armor, Iron Man faked his death. After learning this, Force Works decided that they could no longer trust Iron Man and the team disbanded. However, Julia Carpenter and James Rhodes were the only ones that continued to work for Stark Enterprises. Julia's reason for staying was because she still had feelings for Stark.
Captured by Madame Masque[]
While on business in Egypt, Julia Carpenter was kidnapped by Madame Masque who was an ex-girlfriend of Tony Stark's. Madame Masque then used Julia as leverage to force Tony to steal an ancient artifact called the Eye of Isis which could grant its user great power and could heal anyone bathed in its mystical light (Madame Masque's face was disfigured and that was the reason she wanted it). Madame Masque even tortured Julia to get Stark to cooperate. After agreeing to her request, Tony Stark had Masque free Julia. However, Madame Masque kept the other Stark Enterprises employee's hostage to ensure that he would still help her. Once Madame Masque got the Eye of Isis, it gave her god like powers and Spider-Woman, Iron Man, and War Machine were able to defeat her.
Armor Wars[]
After a fight between Iron Man and the Crimson Dynamo, in which a nuclear bomb exploded, the United Nations decided to condemn Iron Man. Right before Julia was able to tell him she discovered from Tony that his Iron Man technology had been stolen and used to create the Crimson Dynamo armor and Tony blamed himself for all the deaths that were caused after the Crimson Dynamo activated a nuclear bomb in Russia.
Distraught by this news, Tony went into seclusion for several days. Julia and James Rhodes then visited him. However, Tony did not feel like talking to them. Julia even tried to tell Tony that he needed to run his company. However, Tony still would not listen.
Iron Man later attacked a few federal agents that were using his stolen armor and when Nick Fury learned of this he went to Stark Enterprises to arrest Iron Man. Julia attempted to stop him, but to no avail. Fury then told Stark that unless he handed Iron Man over to S.H.I.E.L.D. he would shut down Stark Enterprises. Tony Stark then publicly announced that he was firing Iron Man. That night, Julia arrived at Tony's beach house and demanded to know why he always pushed away the people that care about him.
Julia eventually learned that Tony was going after a naval commander named Stingray. Because Stingray was a hero, Julia knew that Tony would be in even more trouble than before, and she was able to convince James Rhodes to stop Iron Man as War Machine. However, this failed.
Justin Hammer then created a robot he called Firepower to destroy Iron Man. When Iron Man went to destroy Firepower, Julia was able to communicate with Iron Man and tell him that he was walking into a trap. Iron Man ignored her warnings and when he confronted Firepower he was seemingly killed after being hit by a missile. Julia then began to mourn for Iron Man. However, a short while later Tony Stark contacted Julia Carpenter and told her that his armor was on autopilot flying itself when it was destroyed. When Tony got back to Stark Enterprises, Julia scolded him for not letting her in on his plan and for always being a lone wolf.
Tony then locked himself in his laboratory and did not come out for several days. James Rhodes and Julia knew that Tony had been depressed and both of them believed that Tony had committed suicide. However, as Julia broke down the locked doors to the laboratory, they both saw that Tony Stark was alive and well and that he had completed a new Hulkbuster armor to defeat Firepower. When Iron Man did defeat Firepower, he went to Hammer Industries and uploaded a virus onto Justin Hammer's computer that erased all files on his armor. After the Armor Wars crisis was over, Julia was able to forgive Tony for everything he put her through.
Return of the Mandarin[]
After several months, the Mandarin returned with all of his ten rings he went to the United Nations and told the Security Council to turn over the power of the world to him. When the Security Council refused, the Mandarin used a mystical gem called the Heart of Darkness to release a cloud that covered New York City and drained the power from all electronic devices. Mandarin then had the cloud surround Hong Kong and Spider-Woman, Iron Man and Force Works arrived to stop the Mandarin's henchmen. Spider-Woman and the others were successful in doing this. However, Iron Man went to fight the Mandarin, but the Mandarin was able to use the Heart of Darkness to drain his armor of its power and even learned that Iron Man was Tony Stark.
A short while later, Spider-Woman and the rest of Force Works arrived at the Mandarin's lair where they were confronted by the Hand and very easily captured by the Mandarin. As Tony Stark and James Rhodes escaped, the Mandarin revealed to Spider-Woman and the other members of Force Works that the Heart of Darkness feeds on the life forces of living beings to increase its own power, and that by feeding on the life forces of super powered beings the Heart of Darkness will be able to shut down all technology on Earth. The Heart of Darkness then began to feed on her life force and the Heart of Darkness became even more widespread, and according to the Mandarin, the Heart of Darkness could now affect the entire planet. However, Iron Man was able to destroy the Heart of Darkness and the Mandarin's rings in the process. Iron Man then defeated the Mandarin once and for all.
Tony Stark and Julia then kissed underneath the moonlight.
Powers[]
Spider-Woman possesses enhanced speed, strength, and reflexes. Unlike Spider-Man, Spider-Woman can naturally shoot webs from her hands.
In the comics[]
A secret U.S. government group called The Commission decided to create their own superhero. Val Cooper met college friend Julia Carpenter in Julia's hometown of Denver and convinced her to be part of an "athletic study." She was unknowingly a test subject in their experiments. During the experiment, they "accidentally" injected Julia with a mix of spider venom and exotic plant extracts, which gave Julia powers very similar to Spider-Man.
Her first adventure as Spider-Woman was during the Secret Wars (1984 - 1985) limited series. During the Secret Wars, Spider-Woman was killed and resurrected by Doctor Doom who had taken control of the Beyonder's powers.
After the Secret Wars, Julia Carpenter joined Freedom Force (a government sponsored team made up of former members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants who enlisted into government service to avoid prison time). However, Julia began to question her teammates' exceedingly brutal attitudes that they held over from their criminal past. Freedom Force was then sent to arrest the Avengers. Freedom Force managed to defeat them, and the Avengers were arrested without a trial. Spider-Woman once again found her loyalties divided and had a change of heart and broke the Avengers out of prison.
Julia was eventually offered a membership to the West Coast branch of the Avengers and accepted their offer and joined the team. During this time, Spider-Woman was chosen by Doctor Strange to be a founding member of the Secret Defenders.
When the West Coast Avenger disbanded, Spider-Woman joined a team called Force Works which was led by Iron Man. Other members of Force Works included Century, Scarlet Witch, U.S. Agent, War Machine, and Wonder Man.
During Marvel's Civil War, she took the name Arachne. During the Civil War, Arachne joined Iron Man (who supported the Superhuman Registration Act) but turned out to be a double agent who was working to help superhumans escape registering with the government.
After the Civil War, charges were brought up against Spider Woman. However, the Canadian government offered to drop all charges if she joined Omega Flight which she accepted.
Later on, Sasha Kravinoff kidnaps Madame Web to use her as a sacrifice to resurrect her dead husband Kraven the Hunter. Spider-Woman managed to save Sasha's prisoners. However, Madame Web was mortally wounded. In her final moments Madame Web transferred her telepathic, precognitive and astral projection powers to Julia which also made her blind.
Julia's first action as the new Madame Web was to stop Spider-Man from killing Kraven the Hunter, explaining to Peter that he is the center of a moral web that would be destroyed if he killed Kraven. Julia also told Spider-Man that Kraven's murder, no matter how justified, would turn him into a ruthless destroyer.
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
Iron Man: The Animated Series[]
- And the Sea Shall Give Up It's Dead
- Rejoice! I Am Ultimo Thy Deliverer
- Data In, Chaos Out
- Silence My Companion, Death My Destination
- The Grim Reaper Wears a Teflon Coat
- Enemy Within, Enemy Without
- Origin of the Mandarin
- The Defection of Hawkeye
- Iron Man to the Second Power, Part I
- Iron Man to the Second Power, Part II
- Origin of Iron Man, Part I
- Origin of Iron Man, Part II
- The Wedding of Iron Man
- The Beast Within
- Fire and Rain
- Beauty Known No Pain
- Iron Man, On the Inside
- Distant Boundaries
- The Armor Wars, Part I
- The Armor Wars, Part II
- Hulk Buster
- Hands of the Mandarin, Part I
- Hands of the Mandarin, Part II