That’s right! We’ve got a new Spidey in town! The OG Spiderwoman herself will be making her way into the still-untitled Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse sequel. And who will be taking up her mantel? Actor, writer, producer, director and executive Issa Rae! The 26-year-old New York Times best-selling author can now add superhero to her incredible resume as she voices Jessica Miriam “Jess” Drew.
Jess Drew, the original Spiderwoman, first appeared in the Marvel comics in 1977. At one point going by the moniker Arachne, she has no familial ties to Spiderman. Instead, when Drew was four years old, she was dying from radiation poisoning. This is the result of living on Mount Wundagore, in the fictional area of Transia. Her father – an expert on the regenerative and immunological properties of arachnids’ blood – injected her with an untested serum made with the blood of arachnids in an attempt to save her life. She was then placed in a genetic accelerator to speed the regeneration process and allow her body to develop an immunity to the radiation. However, progress was slow and Jess was kept in this chamber for decades, her ageing slowed. When she woke up, she had powers that would later lead her to become Spider-Woman.
These powers include Wall-Crawling (of course) and superhuman abilities – strength, speed, stamina, durability, agility, reflexes, hearing, flexibility. Not to be confused with the power of flight, however, Jess also has the ability to glide through the air.
Through the years, Drew has been an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., an agent of S.W.O.R.D., an Avenger and even – a mom!
Rae will be joined by returning voice actors Shameik Moore (as Miles Morales) and Hailee Steinfeld (as Gwen Stacy, Spider-Gwen). The sequel to Into the Spider-Verse is said to be centred around Miles and Gwen’s developing relationship (read: romance), which would then set up the space for a female-focused spin-off film.
These plans were already laid out before the first movie was even released, as the buzz surrounding it led developers to believe it would be a hit. And a hit it was! Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was the first non-Disney/Pixar film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature since 2011’s Rango while also bagging 40 different awards, including “Best Animated Feature” at the 91st Academy Awards, the 46th Annie Awards and the 76th Golden Globe Awards.
The sequel will drop on October 7, 2022. Meanwhile, a is also in development.
*Cover image credits: Marvel