Cerebra's Files
Arachne
Real Name: Julia Carpenter
Affiliation: S.H.I.E.L.D.
Previous Affiliations: Force Works, West Coast Avengers, Freedom Force, The Commission
Aliases: Spider Woman II
Status: Divorced (Larry Carpenter)
Relatives: Rachel (daughter)
Alternate-X Versions: None
Codename Etymology: Pronounced ə-răk'nē [From Greek Arachne "spider," in mythology, a girl turned into a spider for boasting she could weave better than Apollo] Old codename spī'dər-wŏŏm'ən
[From Middle English spither, from spenwanan "to spin" + Old English wimman "female"];
Powers: Once called Spider-Woman, second of that name, the heroine named Arachne casts a psychic web that "sticks" to its targets, and renders them paralyzed or unconscious. The web can support 10 tons, and lasts about an hour. She also has super-strength and super-speed. Although primarily an Avengers-related character, she ran for a time with Freedom Force following a conviction, and so came into contact with the X-Men as Spider-Woman II. She left Freedom Force when they arrested the Avengers on trumped-up charges, after helping to them. She was then accepted into the Avengers' ranks and joined the West Coast Avengers after helping to defeat the Pacific Overlords.
A few years later, following the enactment of the Superhuman Registration Act, Julia, now going by Arachne, opted to register with the government as a model of citizenship for her daughter. Along with former Avengers Wonder Man and Ms. Marvel, Arachne became the first superhuman trainer of the new generations of heroes. However, in reality, Arachne was a mole, secretly helping her lover the Shroud to escape government agents. She was exposed, but Ms. Marvel helped her escape to Canada with her daughter. Still opposing the Registration Act, she agreed to work with Canadian Special Intelligence in the new Omega Flight team, perhaps as a means of restoring her record as a hero. Whether she can return to the U.S. without facing charges is uncertain at this time.
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