Jessica Drew: SHIELD's #6 Agent

Of the many problems surrounding you if you’re a fan of SHIELD is the multitude of alliances, double-dealings, and layers of protocol and bureaucracy needing clarified from issue to issue. On one page, your hero starts off as an SHIELD agent; the next he or she is a spy, working for HYDRA.

In this case, however, the reverse is true. Born on the British Isles, Jessica Drew, codename Spider-Woman, was raised and recruited at a young age to work with HYDRA (it is suggested that she was brainwashed into their service.). With her spider-agumented agility, venom blasts, and rare power of exuding mind-influencing pheremones, she was a perfect operative for assassination, seduction, and espionage.

Jessica’s affiliation with SHIELD, though, ends up being her greatest, and worst, adventure. When Nick Fury was removed as Director, she was re-approached by HYDRA and coerced into being their double-agent. Reluctantly, Jessica agreed, but secretly she kept contact with Fury and exchanged information.

Ok, friends, this is where it gets really weird. More...


Also Recommended: Essential Spider-Woman, Vol. 1 (Marvel Essentials)

I'm a big fan of The Essentials that Marvel released for their superheroes. One of the great advantages of this one is that you get to pick on some of Spider-Woman's earliest adventures, learning some of the subtle details of her past, including her affiliations with HYDRA and SHIELD. At the same time, for the amount of stories you get, this book comes extremely cheap.

Plot: Before she was an Avenger, she was... a Hydra agent?! Witness the Arachnidian Adventuress's dire debut against Nick Fury, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. - and a follow-up arc alongside the ever-lovin', blue-eyed Thing! After working a few bugs out of her origin, she set up shop in California and faced an array of eccentric enemies rarely equaled to this day! Includes the introduction of several characters by the late great Mark Gruenwald! Featuring Shang-Chi, the Werewolf by Night, the Shroud, and more! Collects Marvel Spotlight #32, Marvel Two-In-One #29-33 and Spider-Woman #1-25.

Jessica Drew is #6 on The Top 10 Greatest Agents of SHIELD, a countdown from The Superheroes List showing you some of the unique, super-powered people who have worked for the secret organization. If you enjoy espionage and subterfuge, spycraft and that sort of thing, Check out this List!