Appearing in 1st story
Featured Characters:
- Spider-Woman (Jess Drew) (Main story and flashback)
Supporting Characters:
- Marchand Pharmaceuticals (Only in flashback)
- Michael Marchand (Only in flashback)
- Stephen (First full appearance) (Unnamed) (Only in flashback)
- Peterson (First appearance; dies) (Only in flashback)
- Andrew (First appearance) (Only in flashback) (Unnamed)
- Unnamed others (Only in flashback)
- Night Nurse (Linda Carter) (Only in flashback)
Antagonists:
- Hydra (Main story and flashback)
- Octavia Vermis (First appearance)
- Supreme Hydra (Otto Vermis)
- Numerous unnamed agents (Main story and flashback)
- Rhino (Aleksei Sytsevich) (Only in flashback)
Other Characters:
- NYPD (Only in flashback)
- Jonathan Drew (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- Rebecca Marchand (Photo) (Only in flashback)
- Michael's "friend" (Mentioned) (Main story and flashback)
- God (Yahweh) (Invoked) (Only in flashback)
- Gerry Drew (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- S.H.I.E.L.D. (Mentioned) (Only in recap)
- Nick Fury (Mentioned) (Only in recap)
- Whiplash (Mark Scarlotti) (Only in recap)
- Givenchy (Mentioned) (Topical Reference)
Races and Species:
- Humans (Main story and flashback)
- Spiders (Main story and flashback)
- Rhinoceroses (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- Guinea Pigs (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- Dogs (Referenced)
Locations:
- Earth (Only in flashback)
- United States of America (Only in flashback)
- New York (Only in flashback)
- New York City (Only in flashback)
- Manhattan (Only in flashback)
- East Harlem (Only in flashback)
- Night Nurse's Clinic (Only in flashback)
- Midtown (Only in flashback)
- Marchand Pharmaceuticals (Only in flashback)
- East Harlem (Only in flashback)
- Manhattan (Only in flashback)
- New York City (Only in flashback)
- New York (Only in flashback)
- Mediterranean Sea (Only in recap)
- United States of America (Only in flashback)
- Hell (Invoked) (Only in flashback)
Items:
- Spider-Woman's Suit (Main story and flashback)
- Rhino Armor (Only in flashback)
- Iron Man Guantlets (Only in flashback)
Vehicles:
- Marchand's yacht (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
Synopsis for 1st story
Returning to New York after the yacht party, Michael drives Jess to East Harlem to see Linda Carter for an evaluation but brutalizes an unwelcomed Rhino, who Linda now has to treat because of her Hippocratic Oath. With tests done, Linda informs Jess the radiation levels in her powers are spiking with her immunity gone and damaging her cells. The only change in routine was a "flu shot" she had for her bodyguard job; deducing Michael Marchand took her radiation immunity and attacks him in his Midtown office for answers. He admits to it out of desperation to cure Rebecca's cancer for the recent three years and upon finding Jonathan Drew's research gave her a temporary remission and her body shutting down. With Jess coercing more out of him, he admits to canceling her immunity so as to make her as sick as Rebecca to find a proper cure, convincing her to help as it is uncertain if the condition is transmittable to Gerry. When testing the Marchand Serum on Jess, her strength and prowess return to peak condition but her aggression also spikes.
With Jess in suitable condition, Michael directs her to acquire something critical for the serum's development and an item that he was outbid on at an auction: the thought extinct and highly venomous Latrodectus Aeternum spiders. At the warehouse storing the spiders, Jess and a couple of Michael's guards get inside but are found by warehouse guards. In Jess's altered state, she attacks the guards who kill one of her escorts and she injures the other just getting him out of the line of fire. Exhausted, Octavia Vermis, daughter of Otto Vermis, reveals herself and fights Jess for her trespassing on her property. As they go into a bloody brawl, both are heavily injured as many of the spiders from the container are destroyed amid their fighting. In order to escape, Octavia throws the last of her Aeternum spiders past Jess who injures herself just to save, but also leaves on a cryptic note about the person needing the spiders and Jess's own "lovely family reunion."
Solicit Synopsis
DOWN WITH THE SICKNESS!
• Spider-Woman discovers the origin of her illness. Spoilers: It wasn’t bad sushi or that cold everyone at the office has.
• What does Jessica’s illness have to do with the daughter of her old nemesis Otto Vermis? And how does a shipment of black-market spiders fit in?
• Jessica Drew is fighting for her life while someone is pulling the strings of her web…BUT WHO?