Warning! Spoilers ahead for Edge of Spider-Verse #1
Probably no hero has as wide and dangerous a villain gallery as Spider-Man, and one of his most deadliest is hinted to be returning.
Years ago, when Spider-Man was first learning about his mystical connection to the spider totem, he journeyed to the astral plane to fight a villain with the help of Doctor Strange. However, while he was there he drew the attention of a mystical wasp creature named Shathra. She followed him back to Earth and attempted to hunt him down. Ultimately, Spider-Man was able to defeat her with the help of Ezekiel and a spider God in Africa.
Marvel is in the middle of gearing up for a brand new Spider-Verse event, which the beginnings of were revealed in a brand new Edge of Spider-Verse #1 by Alex Segura, Caio Majado, Dustin Weaver, and DJ Bryant. In this issue, which featured several different stories across the Spider-Verse, another bearer of the spider totem, Arana, underwent a transformation that increased her powers. It seems her arch-nemesis, the Sisterhood of the Wasp, has returned and grown stronger due to Shathra’s reemergence. Also, an image of Shathra appeared in a later story, which pretty much solidifies her return as a villain during the series.
Although Shathra is am extremely dangerous villain and almost put Spider-Man down for good, she has been extremely underutilized since. Her fate seemed pretty definite, so it would be hard to bring her back. Obviously, no character stays dead forever in comics, and with the amount of times Spider-Man and his extended characters have utilized their spider totems in the stories, it was only a matter of time before their natural mystical predator made her resurgence.
It’s also very interesting how they are tying Shathra’s story in with Arana’s. Originally, the two were not connected at all except for the character Ezekiel, who was instrumental in Arana’s origin, but the connection makes sense. Shathra is a mystical wasp while Arana’s villains are the Sisterhood of the Wasp. It’s also beneficial that it seems Marvel is taking a break from the usual Spider-Verse enemies. Morlun and his family of Inheritors are typically the ones to hunt spiders across the Spider-Verse.
But it’s probably for the best that it appears Spider-Man and his friends will face another foe this time around.
