Warning: SPOILERS for Edge of Spider-Verse #4!Recently Spider-Hero who has become one of the most relatable new superheroes in recent history. Of course, this may be the case partly because Sun-Spider was initially created by fan Dayn Broder as part of the Spidersona contest before swinging her way into Spider-Verse canon. Having an intersectional identity as part of both the queer and disabled communities could lead some to see Sun-Spider as only appealing to a niche group, but generational shifts as well ongoing historical events have shaped younger comics readers into the perfect audience to see themselves in her.
With Dan Slott and Mark Bagley's The End of the Spider-Verse creeping ever closer, the most recent volume of Edge of Spider-Verse has served to spotlight key players and connect readers with Spider-Heroes new and old. Charlotte Webber takes center stage as Earth-20023's Sun-Spider in Tee Franklin, Jethro Morales, Chris Sotomayor, VC's Joe Caramagna, Nick Lowe, and Devin Lewis' entry in Edge of the Spider-Verse #4. Charlie previously appeared in cameos during an earlier Spider-Verse miniseries, but now it seems that Sun-Spider is set to take on a more prominent role in protecting the Web of Life and Destiny. If her first story is any promise of what is to come for Charlie Webber, then Sun-Spider is a hero who will resonate with readers for years to come.
Going into the story, many readers were likely already aware of Charlie Webber's chronic illness. Having Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome makes her hypermobile, which is why Charlie uses an ambulatory wheelchair and owns specialized crutch-web-shooters for when she's Sun-Spider. However, Sun-Spider's queerness is also plainly on the page and is a welcome development of her character. In Charlie's spotlight story, she's attending prom with her girlfriends, one of whom she's crushing on. Superhero antics eventually prevent her from slow dancing with Aster, but hopefully the two girls will have more opportunities in the future. Sun-Spider's fate in The End of Spider-Verse is still unknown, but Charlie Webber's unique role as a queer disabled hero is surely one that many fans will have a vested interest in seeing more of.
Marvel's Intersectional Hero Sun-Spider Reflects Modern Comics Readers
Being queer and disabled puts Sun-Spider at an intersectional identity rarely spotlighted in mainstream comics. However, these overlapping identities speak to comics fans more than ever. One in five Gen Z adults identify as LGBTQ+ and is the most openly queer generation in recent history. Further still, people the world over have had to reconsider their own identities as disabled or non-disabled in light of the consequences of ongoing pandemics. More than any other time in Marvel Comics' history, the publisher's readership is populated by numerous queer people, disabled people, and people who live at the intersection of those two groups. In this way, Sun-Spider is a hero created by Marvel fans and also represents fans in ways not often seen.
Much like Night Spider, the new Spider-UK, or the Hunter-Spider, Sun-Spider is a reminder that anyone can wear the mask when it comes to Spider-Man. Charlie Webber's intersectional identity broadens the idea of what the Spider-Verse can be, and queerness and disability reflect important populations among comic fans. One can only hope that Sun-Spider, Night-Spider, and Web Weaver eventually have the chance to swing through a Pride parade with 1610-Jessica Drew, Marvel's original LGBTQ+ Spider-Hero. Of course, that all depends on if Sun-Spider and her fellow Spider-Comrades can survive whatever Shathra and Morlun cook up for The End of Spider-Verse.
Edge of Spider-Verse #4 is available now from Marvel Comics.
