SCARLET SPIDER

Real Name: Joe Wade

Identity/Class: Human cyborg

Occupation: Undercover FBI agent

Group Membership: FBI;
    formerly minion of Doctor Octopus (Carolyn Trainer)

Affiliations: Stephanie Briggs, Nelson Stone, Stunner;
    formerly Doctor Octopus

Enemies: Aura (Ann Herd), Doctor Octopus (Carolyn Trainer), Looter, Dr. Linette Martinez, Madelyne Naylor, New Warriors (Justice (Vance Astrovik), Firestar, Speedball (Darrion Grobe), Powerhouse (Alex Power)), Override (Greg Herd), Philip, Scarlet Spider/Spider-Man (Ben Reilly), Angela Yin

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Virtual Scarlet Spider, "Tin Man", "Spider-Zord"

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    formerly Doctor Octopus' Staten Island headquarters

First Appearance: Amazing Scarlet Spider#1 (November, 1995)

Powers/Abilities: When originally altered by Doctor Octopus, Wade projected a solid hologram/nanotech construct of the Scarlet Spider from his mind, which possessed superhuman strength, speed, and agility, and the ability to manifest additional solid holographic/nanotech objects, from webbing to firearms. The projection could also "decompile", allowing it to disintegrate and reform at will. After being infected by the nanites, Wade himself periodically transformed into a mentally unstable copy of the Scarlet Spider, possessing the abilities of the original projection, as well as the ability to transform into a massive, clawed armored form capable of firing sonic blasts.

Before being empowered, Wade possessed excellent espionage and infiltration skills, and carried a white noise device to conceal his calls to the FBI.

History: (Web of Scarlet Spider#3 (fb)) - FBI Agent Joe Wade and his partner Stephanie Briggs busted Ginelli and his boys under an arch in Central Park.

(Spectacular Scarlet Spider#1 (fb)) - The FBI sent Wade to infiltrate Doctor Octopus' operations as one of her henchmen, with Briggs as his contact.

(Amazing Scarlet Spider#1) - After an attack on one of her facilities, Doctor Octopus tasked Wade with finding out who was behind it - but not to take retaliatory action, as she wished to do so personally.

(Spectacular Scarlet Spider#1) - Wade prepared to report a strike by Aura, Override, and the Looter on Jason Tso's nightclub, but was startled by the appearance of a tentacled silhouette at the door. Wade was relieved when the door burst open to reveal fellow henchman Jimmy, carrying tubes.

(Web of Scarlet Spider#2) - Wade overheard Ock, Override, Aura, and the Looter planning an attack on Jason Tso at the Children's Zoo. He passed their plans on to Stephanie Briggs, unaware that he was being watched by Linette Martinez.

(Amazing Scarlet Spider#2) - Linette continued to spy on Wade and report back to Ock.

(Scarlet Spider#2) - Wade slipped away for a tryst with Linette in a secure area of Ock's base, but forgot all about her when she offered to let him poke around the computers. Before he could touch the equipment, however, he found himself ensnared in the arms of Doctor Octopus. She stripped Wade of his henchman uniform and strapped him into a hi-tech harness. As Linette and Ock watched, Philip (Linette's husband) plugged equipment directly into Wade's brain. Using a tentacle attachment, Ock downloaded files containing extensive data on the Scarlet Spider into his cerebral cortex. A holographic matrix was formed, blowing a hole in the building. From that hole, a solid holographic/nanite duplicate of the Scarlet Spider emerged. The duplicate took the Verrazano Narrows Bridge into the city, smashing and webbing-up cars as he went.

Back at the laboratory, Ock and the others left Wade to suffer in silence. He called out, and found that someone else, a woman, was in the room with him. While she was in the same kind of harness as Wade, she was in none of the pain he was, and seemed to be enjoying herself. She directed Wade to look at the screen above his head, where he saw the image of the beautiful Stunner. She explained what was happening to him, and told him to stop fighting it. She explained that she was given her harness as a gift from her friend Otto Octavius - but that he was gone now, and the people who followed him wouldn't want her to tell him anymore. As Joe cried out for her to stay, she faded away, apologizing.

Meanwhile, in downtown Manhattan, Wade's avatar continued his rampage, finally ending up at the Daily Bugle building. Attaching hundreds of weblines to the building, he began to tear it down, before being ambushed by the real Scarlet Spider, who had followed him from Ock's headquarters. The duplicate materialized a gun, and began blasting away at the Scarlet Spider. Dodging his blasts, the real Scarlet answered back with a barrage of spider-stingers and impact webbing capsules, encasing him in a cocoon. When he tore the web-ball open, however, the Scarlet Spider found that the fake had gone...

(Spectacular Scarlet Spider#2) - Wade continued to fight his programming, despite the urgings of Stunner. Linette watched him, and injected him with Thorazine to calm him down.

(Spectacular Scarlet Spider#2 - BTS) - Ock sent the duplicate Scarlet Spider to ransack her father Seward Trainer's apartment.

(Spectacular Scarlet Spider#2 - BTS/Web of Scarlet Spider#3 (fb)) - The real Scarlet Spider unleashed a virus into Ock's computer systems, blowing up her virtual reality generator and her lab with it. The explosion infected Wade with a painful degenerative nerve disease, as well as the nanites that composed the duplicate Scarlet Spider. The nanites killed the nerve disease's pain, but also induced violent transformations into the Scarlet Spider.

(Web of Scarlet Spider#3) - Stephanie Briggs and the FBI examined the wreckage of Ock's labs. They saw a red hand peeking from the wreckage, which turned out to be attached to Wade's Scarlet Spider form. He burst out of the wreckage, webbing-up the guns of the FBI agents before they could shoot him. Briggs asked him about Wade, not realizing that the creature was her former partner. Wade brushed her off with a joke, but referenced her old weight problem and swung away.

The Scarlet Spider swung gleefully through the city, grabbing a random pedestrian and stranding him on the railing of the observation deck of the Empire State Building. He spent all day breaking traffic lights, hanging occupied cars from bridges, and outmaneuvering the cops before collapsing in an alley and reverting back to Joe Wade. The disoriented and half-naked Wade staggered to his apartment and passed out. The next morning, as he watched news reports of his crime spree, Wade called Stephanie, asking her to meet him in Central Park. In the park, Wade explained what had happened to him, and tried to turn himself in until he transformed back into the Scarlet Spider. Swinging over to the George Washington Bridge, he ran into Firestar, who had been searching for the real Scarlet Spider. She was thrown off-guard by his deranged banter, and he took the opportunity to grab her and give her a kiss. She blasted him off her, and fought with him atop the bridge. She led him away from the civilians, and melted the costume right off him. While she tried to figure out what was going on, the now-metallic Scarlet Spider blasted her into unconsciousness and moved in for the kill...

(New Warriors I#67) - Scarlet Spider attacked Firestar, but Justice came to her rescue. Scarlet Spider altered his body further into an armored form, and incapacitated them with a sonic pulse. He then headed back to his house, changing into his human form as he went. When he arrived, he found Briggs staking out his house. Trusting her not to turn him in, he went to sleep. When he woke up, he instinctively turned back into the Spider and knocked Briggs out. He noticed the Channel Five Lunchtime show, hosted by Marla Peters, on the television. When guest Madelyne Naylor (Speedball's mom) commented on the size of the audience of her soap opera, Scarlet Spider decided to take over the studio and kill one of the guests on-air.

(Web of Scarlet Spider#4 - BTS) - The Spider took over the studio, taking five hostages (including Naylor), and challenged viewers to guess which hostage he'd kill first. He promised to kill them all of the cameras were shut down.

(Web of Scarlet Spider#4) - Speedball burst into the TV studio and confronted the Scarlet Spider, allowing his hostages to escape. The Spider defeated him easily, however, and tossed him through the windows into the streets. With the hostages rescued, the New Warriors and Spider-Man came through the windows, but were blasted away by another sonic burst. As he swung away, he found Spider-Man had 'hitched a ride' via webline. They battled on the rooftops, but the Scarlet Spider soon gained the upper hand, blinding Reilly with a light burst and knocking him off the roof. While Reilly was rescued by Firestar, the Scarlet Spider leapt on them, knocking Firestar out and causing all three of them to fall to the streets below. Justice rescued the two heroes, but Scarlet fell like a meteor, creating a huge impact crater in the road and totalling Agent Briggs' car, which had been following them. As the Warriors and the Spider prepared for another confrontation, the bleeding Briggs staggered from the wreckage. She stood before the hulking Spider, imploring him to face his pain - and promising to fight it with him. Anguished, he shifted back into Wade and passed out. He was taken away by the FBI, with Briggs by his side.

(Thunderbolts II#111 - BTS) - The Scarlet Spider was among the potential rogue superhumans targeted by the Committee on Superhuman Relations' Thunderbolts. (see comments)

Comments: Joe Wade created by Tom DeFalco, Mike Lackey, Mark Bagley, and Larry Mahlstedt, and Scarlet Spider-ified by Howard Mackie, John Romita Jr., and Al Williamson. Stephanie Briggs and Linette Martinez created by Tom DeFalco, Todd DeZago, Tom Morgan, Randy Emberlin, Hector Collazo, and Don Hudson. Nelson Stone created by Evan Skolnick, Paris Karounos, and Randy Emberlin.

The Scarlet Spider projection was described as holographic in Scarlet Spider#2, but in Web of Scarlet Spider#3, Wade says that it was composed of nanotech machines. Maybe it was, uh, holo-projecting nanites?

Most of the 'Scarlet Spider' books reverted back to Spider-Man after two months, but Web stayed a Scarlet Spider title, and ended with #4. Since Ben Reilly had become Spider-Man by then, Wade technically had his own title for two months.

In 1997, Toy Biz released 'Steel Spark Spider-Man', a bulky Spider-Man figure in silver armor that looked remarkably similar to Wade's final armored Scarlet Spider form. The figure was intended as a representation of Spider-Man - and, indeed, had a Spider-Man mask under its removable helmet - but the resemblance to Wade is a little too close to be unintentional. See for yourself at http://www.marveltoys.net/figures.php?figureline=56

The Scarlet Spider targeted by the CSA wasn't identified as Wade, but as both Reilly and the Great Game Scarlet Spider impersonator are both dead, there's only one living Scarlet Spider...

Big thanks to LV! for the New Warriors I#67 info and scans.

Profile by Minor Irritant.

CLARIFICATIONS

Joe Wade, the ersatz Scarlet Spider, should not be confused with:

• Scarlet Spider (Ben Reilly), who he impersonated @ Spider-Man#52
• Scarlet Spider, unwilling participant in the Great Game @ Spider-Man Unlimited I#14
• Scarlet Spider (Felicity Hardy), Earth-MC2, would-be sidekick of Spider-Girl @ Spider-Girl#46

...but has no known connections to:

• Barnaby Wade, unwilling telepathic servant of the Yellow Claw @ Yellow Claw#4/4
• Joshua Wade, NYPD, investigated the Gotham Game Club @ Incredible Hulk Annual#9
• or any other "Jekyll and Hyde"-style cyber-maniacs

Stephanie Briggs has no known connections to:

• Briggs, agent of SHIELD, involved with Almost Reno @ X-Force I#77
• Briggs, Bailey, ghostly ex-Hammer employee @ She-Hulk I#3
• Briggs, Billy, homeless mutant @ Classic X-Men#39
• Briggs, Lt. Carleton, ally of NightMan @ NightMan I#5
• Briggs, Foxy, employed by Master Planner @ Amazing Spider-Man I#31
• Briggs, Nathaniel, Sentinel Squad O*N*E, killed by Vulcan @ X-Men II#177
• or anyone else named Briggs

Nelson Stone has no known connections to:

• Stone, police officer, ordered shooting of Britney Gutman @ X-Statix#12
• Stone, Chantal, Tri-Corp colleague of Peter Parker @ Amazing Spider-Man II#1
• Stone, Chuck, friend of Venom @ Amazing Spider-Man I#388/2
• Stone, Earnest, member of Gotham Game Club @ Incredible Hulk Annual#9
• Stone, Gary, actor, former lover of Lisa Pyne @ Dracula Lives#4
• Stone, Kron, became Venom 2099 @ Punisher 2099#1
• Stone, Lt. Marcus, leader of Code: Blue @ Thor I#404
• Stone, Roy "Blarney", Leatherneck Raider @ Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#26
• or any of the other bazillion other guys named Stone-something

Dr. Linette Martinez has no known connections to:

• Martinez, Eliza, 16th century samurai, resurrected by the Hand @ Elektra: The Hand#3
• Martinez, Irene, V-Battalion's Penance Council, founding member @ Citizen V and the V-Battalion#1
• Martinez, Isadora, daughter of Irene, handles financial affairs of V-Battalion @ Thunderbolts I#38
• or anyone else named Martinez

Philip, husband of Linette, has no known connections to:

• any other Philips, Phillips, Phils, or Phillipes

STEPHANIE "STEPH" BRIGGS

(Web of Scarlet Spider#3 (fb)) - FBI agents Joe Wade and Stephanie Briggs busted Ginelli and his boys under an arch in Central Park.

(Spectacular Scarlet Spider#1 - BTS) - Wade tried to contact Briggs about Ock's upcoming attack on Club Noir, but was interrupted by one of his fellow henchmen.

(Web of Scarlet Spider#2) - Wade tipped Briggs off to Ock's attack on the Central Park Zoo. She arrived on the scene with a phalanx of officers, just in time to arrest Override, Aura, and the Looter.

(Scarlet Spider#2) - Briggs encountered the Scarlet Spider on the roof of Dr. Octopus' Staten Island facility, and tried to convince him to leave. He refused, and saved her life when the top floor of the building exploded, freeing Ock's Scarlet Spider duplicate (secretly "anchored" by Briggs' partner Wade). The Spider followed his doppelganger to the city, leaving Briggs behind.

(Web of Scarlet Spider#3) - Briggs led a team of agents to the ruins of Ock's base, where they uncovered the now nanite-infused form of Wade. Unrecognizable in his Scarlet Spider guise, Wade made a crack about Briggs' former weight problem and fled. Later, in Manhattan's FBI offices, Briggs was told by Stone to stay away from the Scarlet Spider investigation, but was given lease to continue searching for Wade. Receiving a phone call from Wade, Briggs met him in Central Park, where he explained what happened to him, and begged her to arrest him. Before she could respond, he transformed back into the Scarlet Spider and fled.

(New Warriors I#67) - Briggs was assigned to stak out Wade's house, and suspected that Stone's interest in Wade was based on his desire to study the nanotech embedded in his body. She was waiting for Wade when he returned from attacking the New Warriors, and brought him inside when he passed out. In the morning, Wade transformed back into the Scarlet Spider and knocked Briggs unconscious before escaping.

(Web of Scarlet Spider#4) - Recovering, Briggs sped to the TV studio where the Scarlet Spider held five hostages. She arrived just in time for the Spider to smash into her car. Staggering from the wreckage, the bloodied Briggs persuaded Wade to confront his pain, and resist his programming - and promised to be there for him.

--Web of Scarlet Spider#2 (Web of Scarlet Spider#2, Scarlet Spider#2, Web of Scarlet Spider#3, New Warriors I#67, Web of Scarlet Spider#4

NELSON STONE

(Web of Scarlet Spider#3) - Stone, Wade and Briggs' FBI superior, debriefed Briggs on her encounter with the Scarlet Spider imposter. He ordered Briggs to forget about the Scarlet Spider, and continue investigating the technology recovered from Ock's base and the disappearance of Wade. Unbeknownst to Briggs, Stone harbored suspicions that Wade was the Scarlet Spider...

(New Warriors I#67) - After reading Briggs' personal files, Stone briefed a group of agents about the Scarlet Spider situation, and on the possibility of Wade being alive. He assigned Briggs to stake out Wade's house.

(Web of Scarlet Spider#4) - Stone took agents Torrez and Morrison down to the site of the battle between the New Warriors, Spider-Man, and the Scarlet Spider, and ordered every other available FBI agent there - except for Briggs, who came anyway. After Briggs talked Wade down, Stone took him into custody and stonewalled Spider-Man, who wanted an explanation.

--Web of Scarlet Spider#3 (Web of Scarlet Spider#3, New Warriors I#67, Web of Scarlet Spider#4

DR. LINETTE MARTINEZ

(Web of Scarlet Spider#2) - Linette Martinez noticed her fellow Ock-henchman, Joe Wade, behaving suspiciously.

(Amazing Scarlet Spider#2) - Ordered by Ock to keep an eye on Wade, Linette reported his suspicious behavior to her.

(Scarlet Spider#2) - Seducing Wade, Linette allowed him into a secure area of Ock's base. As his attentions shifted from her to the computers within, he was ambushed by Doctor Octopus and transformed into the Scarlet Spider. He tried to get Linette to help him, but she was unreceptive. She watched as her husband Philip and Ock worked on Wade's brain.

(Spectacular Scarlet Spider#2) - Linette continued to monitor Wade's struggles against his programming.

(Spectacular Scarlet Spider#2 - BTS) - Linette may have been killed when Seward Trainer's virus destroyed Ock's base.

--Web of Scarlet Spider#2 (Web of Scarlet Spider#2, Amazing Scarlet Spider#2, Scarlet Spider#2, Spectacular Scarlet Spider#2

PHILIP

(Scarlet Spider#2) - Philip helped transform Wade into the Scarlet Spider. His wife Linette urged him to be gentle.

--Scarlet Spider#2

images:
New Warriors I#67, p6, panel 3 (full shot, armored form)
Amazing Scarlet Spider#1,p8, panel 1 (Wade headshot)
Scarlet Spider#2,p8, panel 3 (Wade in cyber-harness)
Scarlet Spider#2 , cover (Full shot, original form)
New Warriors I#67,p4, panel 4 (Full shot, silver form)
Scarlet Spider#2, p7, panel 7 (Briggs)
Web of Scarlet Spider#4,p4, panel 4 (Stone)
Scarlet Spider#2,p5, panel 2 (Linette)
Scarlet Spider#2, p4, panel 6 (Philip)

Amazing Scarlet Spider#1 (November, 1995) - Tom DeFalco (plotter), Mike Lackey (scripter), Mark Bagley (penciler), Larry Mahlstedt (inker), Bob Budiansky (editor)
Spectacular Scarlet Spider#1 (November, 1995) - Todd DeZago (writer), Sal Buscema (penciler), Jimmy Palmiotti (inker), Eric Fein (editor)
Web of Scarlet Spider#2 (December, 1995) - Tom DeFalco (plotter), Todd DeZago (scripter), Tom Morgan (penciler), Randy Emberlin, Hector Collazo, & Don Hudson (inkers), Eric Fein (editor)
Amazing Scarlet Spider#2 (December, 1995) - Tom DeFalco (writer), Mark Bagley (penciler), Larry Mahlstedt (inker), Bob Budiansky (editor)
Scarlet Spider#2 (December, 1995) - Howard Mackie (writer), John Romita, Jr. (penciler), Al Williamson (inker), Bob Budiansky (editor)
Spectacular Scarlet Spider#2 (December, 1995) - Todd DeZago (writer), Sal Buscema (penciler), Bill Sienkiewicz & Jimmy Palmiotti (inkers), Eric Fein (editor)
Web of Scarlet Spider#3 (January, 1996) - Evan Skolnick (writer), Paris Karounos (penciler), Randy Emberlin (inker), Eric Fein (editor)
New Warriors I#67 (November, 1995) - Evan Skolnick (writer), Patrick Zircher (penciler), Andrew Pepoy (inker), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Web of Scarlet Spider#4 (February, 1996) - Evan Skolnick (writer), Paris Karounos (penciler), Randy Emberlin (inker), Eric Fein (editor)
Thunderbolts II#111 (April, 2007) - Warren Ellis (writer), Mike Deodato, Jr. (artist), Tom Brevoort (editor)

Last updated: 04/18/07