Spider-Woman: Origin #1
“30 Years Ago”[1]
Jonathan Drew and his wife Miriam live on Wundagore Mountain where Jonathan continues his studies on spider venom. Even though she is pregnant with their daughter, Miriam continues to hunt for the elusive species of spider known as Latrodectus Wundagore. When they return to their mansion, they are greeted by their maid, Bova, who tells them that General Wyndham is on his way.[2] As the British helicopter carrying General Wyndham prepares to land, Jonathan’s assistant Miles Warren comes out and expresses his discontent that the General has arrived early.[3]
While Miles Warren is stand-offish with the General, when Wyndham asks Jonathan how things are progressing, he offers to show the General the results they have reached recently. Jonathan shows the General the lab, which they were able to get up and running within a year thanks to his generous funding. However, Jonthan says their work is not yet ready, but the General insists on a demonstration anyway, since he had bee sneaking millions of pounds of funding into this secret project.
The General is then taken to the lab where their DNA Compiler is located. Jonathan explains that once it is complete they will be able to map and alter the DNA of a subject in real time. They have been experimenting with the ray by using spiders as test subjects. As Merriam places her recent specimen out to be tested upon, Miles begins fiddling with the computers. Jonathan tells him to stop as he was running timer diagnostic. Unfortunately, the warning comes too late and the DNA compiler activates while Jonathan’s wife is in the path of its beam.
Over the next few months, Jonathan spends his time keeping close watch of his wife’s pregnancy, fearing what the exposure to the DNA Compiler and spider DNA may have done to their unborn daughter. While he fears that the child will be stillborn or worse, Miriam continues to be optimistic. When the child is born in December of that year, Jonathan and Miriam welcome their daughter, Jessica Miriam Drew, into the world. In all appearances, the child appears to be a normal and healthy baby.
Years later, once Jessica is old enough, Miriam takes her daughter to collect another sample of the local spider species. She quizzes her daughter on how to avoid getting bit by these deadly spiders as their venom is lethal. Jessica recalls how they don’t bite unless they are afraid as she captures one in a insect specimen container. On their way back to the lab, Jessica asks her mother about spiders and their feelings and decides that the spider wouldn’t like being taken from its home. To Miriam’s shock, Jessica then opens the container, takes the venomous spider out and lets it free. Miraculously, the Latrodectus Wundagore does not bite Jessica. When she tells Jonathan about it later he tells her not to bring their ten-year-old daughter out to collect deadly spiders anymore. Noticing that her husband is already in a bad mood, Miriam asks him what’s wrong. He tells her that Miles Warren quit today so he could explore the science of cloning rather than DNA alteration.
By this time, Jessica has retired to her room and has quickly grown bored. Going to her window, she suddenly can’t pull her hands away from the window ledge as he nose begins to bleed. Pulling with all over her strength, she ends up ripping up parts of the window ledge and collapses on the floor. When she wakes up, her mother is relieved to see that she is awake. Jonathan however tells Miriam to get back and draws a blood sample for examination. Jonathan is facing increased pressure as his staff continues to leave in droves. He also continues to experiment and run blood tests on his daughter. Unfortunately, every test he runs comes up normal until finally it detects a DNA match for Latrodectus Wundagore, the Wundagore Widow spider. Dismissing Bova for the day, Jonathan then prepares to give his daughter one more injection. However, Miriam discovered his diary and tires to stop him from experimenting further on their daughter.
Jessica flees into her father’s lab with her parents following behind her. When Miriam attempts to stop him again, he begins strangling his wife. Jessica please with her father to stop choking her mother and suddenly unleashes a powerful venom blast that jolts her father. Jessica then blacks out and when she wakes up, years have passed and she is emerging from some kind of stasis chamber. Confused and disorientated she calls out to her father. She is instead greeted by General Wyndham and an accompaniment of Hydra soldiers. The General greets Jessica as a friend of her father.
Recurring Characters
Jessica Drew, Jonathan Drew, Miriam Drew, Bova, Miles Warren, Hydra (“General Wyndham”)
Continuity Notes
This story contradicts the original origin for Spider-Woman told in Marvel Spotlight #32/Spider-Woman #1. An in-universe explanation has yet to be provided. I provide my interpreatation of these conflicts here.
This time assessment is based on the assumption that Jessica Drew is physically 30 years old around the time of New Avengers #1. However, whatever math Brian Michale Bendis is using doesn’t add up when compared to the Sliding Timescale. Some facts:
First things first, it’s my opinion that this is a false memory anyway and the true origin of Jessica Drew makes whatever her age in the Modern Age a moot point. Per Punisher Annual #1, Jessica was born sometime in the late 1920s and spent decades in suspended animation as the High Evolutionary cured her of radiation poisoning. As such, she’s much like Captain America. Due to the Sliding Timescale, it is impossible to give a specific age for Spider-Woman as it will always change as the Sliding Timescale bumps the Modern Age forward in time.
Secondly, according to Spider-Woman: Origin #2, Jessica was physically 17 years old when she was indoctrinated into Hydra. According to that story, her enlistment and training took only a few months until the events of Marvel Spotlight #32 (Spider-Woman’s first appearance) which published in February 1977, placing it in year four of the Modern Age. New Avengers #1 was published in January 2005 placing it as happening during year eleven of the Modern Age. That would make Jessica physically 24 years old at the time of New Avengers.
Since this is all probably part of a Hydra manipulation, the length of time doesn’t really matter anyway.
The false memory of Bova is based on the New Woman of the same name, who was actually a cow evolved into an humanoid form. First seen in Giant-Size Avengers #1, Bova has been depicted as a caretaker for the various children who have spent time at the High Evolutionary’s Citadel of Science on Wundagore Mountain. General Wyndham is based on Herbert Wyndham, aka the High Evolutionary (first seen Thor #134). The Evolutionary was a geneticist who actually plays a large part in Jessica Drew’s true origins, see below for details.
Per Scarlet Spider Unlimited #1, Miles Warren spent time learning genetics at the High Evolutionary’s Citadel of Science and was kicked out for his early experiments in cloning, as the Evolutionary considered the practice genetic heresy. Although Jessica never had any known contact with Warren during her time living at the Citadel, there’s nothing saying she couldn’t have encountered Warren, or at least known about him through her education, which could explain why he would pop up in a false memory.
On Continuity
This series is at odds with the previously established origins of Spider-Woman. It places Jessica Drew’s early life taking place in the 1930s, that the High Evolutionary was highly involved in the creation of her spider-powers among other issues (Spider-Woman’s origins were tied in with the Puppet Master, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, the High Evolutionary, the Russoff werewolves, and the demon Chthon, basically every character that has some kind of ties to Wundagore Mountain)
The origin story written here, by Brian Michael Bendis, borrows from these elements but tells an entirely different story. BMB’s origin story is also reinforced as the “true” Spider-Woman origin when he later went on to pen the fourth volume of Spider-Woman (which is part of this index, check it out). Adding to the confusion is the seventh volume of Spider-Woman which at the time of this writing (February 2021) is still in publication.
As with other limited series with “sticky” continuity (Spider-Man: Blue, Doctor Octopus: Year One) resources like the Marvel Chronology Project have not made an attempt to match it with pre-existing continuity. However, unlike the other stories, there is a baked-in explanation for the differences between the original Spider-Woman origin and this one, and that’s the inclusion of Mentallo in this limited series. Mentallo, for those who don’t know, was a telepath that was under the employ of Hydra. Part of this story involves Mentallo using his powers to brainwash Jessica Drew into being loyal to Hydra and they even suggest that he had tampered with his memories.
Another factor to consider is the fact that the High Evolutionary is not above manipulating people left in his care. This turned out to be very true in the case of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch (whose parentage was confused by the Evolutionary) but also the High Evolutionary originally tried to convince Jessica that she was one of his New Men, evolved into human form from a spider!
Other people who have told Jessica of her origins were Modred the Mystic and Nick Fury, both men who have been known to manipulate people for their own ends.
On top of this, old Spider-Woman stories were fragmentary and later contradicted, and Hydra manipulation was part of it. One could assume that this story is not exactly Spider-Woman’s origins, but the ones that Hydra implanted in her mind. Why Spider-Woman remembers false memories in Spider-Woman (vol. 4) could easily be explained away by the fact that — since this story takes place after Secret Invasion — the months in Skrull captivity left her memories in a confused jumble, not that she ever had a clear memories of her past.
What Jessica Drew knows about her past are what other people told her or were divulged by the Watcher to the reader during the Evolutionary War event. If you’ve been reading this index for very long, you’ll note that I’ve frequently talked about how the difference in events boil down to who is telling the story. I think this is exactly the case.
That all said, it is my opinion that this entire story, up until Jessica Drew is woken up by Hydra is actually false memories implanted in her mind by Mentallo (who we will see in issue #2) Later issues has SHIELD showing Jessica intel taken from Hydra that apparently supports the events of this issue. I think that the intel that SHIELD obtained by Hydra was not the truth, but instead info on the fabricated past they created for Jessica when they brainwashed.
As for “General Wyndham” who appears in this story. Obviously he’s not the High Evolutionary. Since this guy is a Hydra agent, I highly doubt his real name was Wyndham, and that was just a name plucked out of Jessica’s memories to help sell her false memories.
I’ll get into some of the other sticky issues (such as Jonathan and Merriam Drew still being alive in the modern age) as we move along.
Chronology
Punisher Annual #1 (story #3) ~ Spider-Woman #1 (page 6, panel 1-page 7, panel 1): Spring 1930: Herbert Wyndham meets with Jonathan and Merriam Drew in France to discuss working on genetic and evolution together. Meets Jessica. They all agree to work together and after selling off all of their assetts, Herbert and the Drews move to Wundagore in Transia. Jonathan wants to continue his research into spiders.
Silver Surfer Annual #1 (story #4) ~ Spider-Woman #1 (page 7, panel 2-3): July 1930: Herbert and Jonathan find Uranium on their land. With the money they make from the find, they build the Citadel of Science. On a night of a full moon, Jessica panics when being put to bed because she sees something outside the window. Wyndham and Drew go out looking for an elusive werewolf. Herbert is visited by Maelstrom who takes him to a cave where he offers up an army of Moloids to help build his citadel of science.
Avengesr #187 (page 11, panel 3): The Citadel of Science begins construction (Jessica is depicted as an infant here instead of a toddler in previous stories. The differences can be explained away that the above was told by the Watcher, while this flashback is told by Modred the Mystic)
New Mutants Annual #3 (story #3) ~ Spider-Woman #1 (page 7, panel 5-page 9, panel 2): March 1931: Citadel of Science is almost complete. Jessica falls ill while playing with Phillip Masters (the future Puppet Master) It is determined that Jessica is suffering from radiation poisoning and is put in cryogenic suspension. Her father also injects Jessica with spider DNA in an effort to save her life. When she doesn't immediately respond, Wyndham suggests they speed up the incubation period with his genetic accesslorator. Merriam Drew refuses to allow her daughter to be experimented upon and runs off. She is later found murdered by a werewolf.
Spider-Woman #1 (page 9, panel 3-5): Jonathan mourns the loss of his wife. Herbert begins using his genetic excellorator on Jessica with unexpected results, but the treatment will take years before there are results.
Fantastic Four Annual #21 (story #3): Jonathan abandons his daughter and returns to America.
Web of Spider-Man Annual #4 (story #3) ~ Spider-Woman #37: (page 3, panel 2): In the following decades Jonathan Drew returns, possessed by the spirit of Magnus. Helps the High Evolutionary stop Chthon from escaping, leaves. The HE checks on Jessica who is back in cryogenic suspension. In the midst of trying to find a home for Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, revives Jessica Drew from crygenic stasis.
Spider-Woman #1 (page 10, panel 1) ~ Marvel Spotlight #32 (page 13, panel 6-page 14, panel 2): Jessica's final treatment is completed when she was an adult. The High Evolutionary leads her to believe she was one of his New Men, evolved to human form from a spider.
Marvel Spotlight #32 (page 14, panle 6) ~ Spider-Woman #37 (page 3, panels 3-4): Jessica grew up among the New Men who shunned her. The High Evolutionary became more distant as he became consumed in his work.
Marvel Spotlight #32 (page 13, panel 7) ~ Spider-Woman #37 (page 3, panel 5): Jessica leaves the Evolutionary and finds a job in the village below Wundagore Mountain.
Marvel Spotlight #32 (page 15, panel 1-3) ~ Spider-Woman #37 (page 3, panel 6): Jessica falls in love and accidentally kills her love with a venom blast.
Marvel Spotlight #32 (page 6 panel 2-4) ~ Spider-Woman #37 (page 4, panel 1): Cursed as a witch, she was later rescued from the villages by Count Otto Vermis.
Marvel Spotlight #32 (page 6, panel 5) ~ Spider-Woman #37 (page 4, panel 2): Jessica is indoctrinated into Hydra. Marvel Spotlight (page 7, panel 1) ~ Spider-Woman: Origin #1 - Jessica is brainwashed by Hydra. This entire story is false memories created by Mentallo based on elements of her childhood. She is woken up by Hydra and led to believe she had been in stasis the whole time until they freed her.
