Origin[]

The inception of the Spider Society dates back to 1099 AD in Castile, Spain, for the purpose of worshiping totemic spider deities.^[1] Its founding members, foreseeing the perpetual existence of crime, deliberately cultivated an environment shrouded in darkness to harness power. Were they always present to thwart misdeeds. Initially, the wasps and spiders coalesced as one organisation. Both were guardians of the arcane, benevolent facilitators of royal authority, and formidable defenders veiled within the shadows, staunchly guarding the Holy Lands during the tumultuous era of the Crusades. Delving into the writings of the Arabs, they unearthed enigmatic secrets and drew upon forgotten totemic reservoirs buried deep underground for mystical insights and safeguarding measures. However, the Spider Society's aspirations were marred by fragility, relegating them to mere participants in crusades and fools in the pursuit of their goals. This internal discord catalyzed the rift between the Spider Society and the Sisterhood of the Wasp, culminating in a thousand-year schism marked by intense conflict, as they grappled over the true essence and embodiment of "True Power".^[2]

Modern Age[]

WebCorps, a company founded by Ezekiel Sims, is based at 200 John Street, Manhattan, New York City, and is a front for the Spider Society. It is a shell company inside another shell company, inside an offshore private company incorporated in Brazil by three guys whose death certificates read one year earlier than the certificate of incorporation.

Hunters[]

The Hunters are warriors chosen by the Spirit of the Hunter, and are often marked by a spider-shaped tattoo that imbues them with spider-like abilities. Jessica Drew once worked as a Hunter for the Spider Society, and Ezekiel Sims served as a Hunter up until his death.^[3]

Araña[]

Anya Corazon was believed to have been chosen as a Hunter following the death of her late mother. On her first day at a new school Anya discovered a stranger being attacked by a strange group. This Sisterhood of the Wasp attempted to kill the man, but Anya leaped in the way of the killing blow. The site was allegedly a sacred spot.^[4] The man, Miguel Legar, was the sorcerer of the Spider Society, a secret group dating back for hundreds of years. Recognizing that Anya had the ability to become the new Hunter of the Spider Society, he transferred some of his power to her to save her life.^[5] As Legar's partner, Anya visited the WebCorps Headquarters, a shell company used to hide the Spider Society's actions, and became suddenly involved in the war against the Wasps. When Legar got caught in a bad situation when doing reckon work, WebCorps enlisted Anya to rescue him.^[6] During the confrontation, Anya was shot in her arm. The wound became a spider-shaped metallic tattoo. At WebCorps, she was informed of her birthright role as a chosen initiate for the Spider Society.^[3]

As part of Anya's training, Legar abandoned her in the Mexican desert. After being attacked by coyotes, she learned she had gained enhanced strength and agility and the ability to manifest a protective blue exoskeleton. This allowed her to knock out several of the beasts. She then fully joined the Spider Society as their Hunter, being given a cover as an intern of WebCorps. Being given the opportunity to choose a new given name for herself, Anya rebaptized herself as Araña after her mother's maiden name.^[7] Since the Society asked Araña not to tell her father of the recent events, he became suspicious of his daughter's behavior. He demanded to meet her superior in WebCorps, and Legar met him to calm him down. Having her father's approval, Araña joined her co-workers from WebCorps Legar, Ted, and Nina on a mission to prevent the Sisterhood from empowering their own Hunter.^[8]

Due to her possessing the power of the Hunter and her membership in the Spider Society, Anya was able to understand the language of the Spider-Totems.^[9]

• Spider Society Tattoo: The tattoo provides the wearer spider-like powers.