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Shriek (comics)
Encyclopedia
Shriek is a fictional character
, a supervillain
ess in the Marvel Comics
universe
. She is an enemy of Spider-Man
. She was created by Tom DeFalco
, Mike W. Barr
, Terry Kavanagh
, Ron Lim
, Jerry Bingham
, and Mark Bagley
and first appeared
in Spider-Man Unlimited
volume 1 #1 (May 1993).
, she allied herself with Carnage
and several other supervillains who went about New York on a killing spree.
Shriek's origin
s and real name are uncertain. She was named Sandra Deel in her earliest appearances, but named Frances Louise Barrison in later appearances. According to the Spider-Man Encyclopedia she was born Frances Louise Barrison, but used Sandra Deel as an alias.
During her childhood, she was abused
by her mother for being overweight, driving her to drugs and leading to her later fixation on becoming a mother herself. She became a drug dealer, which exposed her to situations that ultimately damaged her sanity; namely, being shot in the head by a police officer, and being put in Cloak
's dark dimension. The origin of Shriek's powers is unknown.
Shriek debuted at the start of the "Maximum Carnage
" crossover
. During Carnage's violent escape from the Ravencroft mental institution, he came across Shriek, who was also incarcerated and wished to join him. He freed her, and the pair embarked on a killing spree. They attracted the company of several other homicidal supervillains (Demogoblin
, Doppelganger
, and Carrion
), and formed a "family," with Carnage and Shriek as the "parents" and the others as their "sons" (although it is clearly obvious that Shriek had love for Carnage, it is uncertain whether he felt the same for her, although it is implied many times that he did.). Shriek also used her mental powers to increase the chaos by causing a number of New Yorkers
to violently turn on one another, although the heroes were able to calm the people down before they did anything too serious, such as killing their own children. The killers fought a number of heroes, led by Spider-Man, but succumbed to in-fighting. Carnage slew the Doppelganger and left the others to their defeat and capture, although he was subsequently contained by the Avengers after a clash with Spider-Man, Venom and Black Cat
.
Shriek was returned to Ravencroft and attempted to escape twice. Once, alongside the vigilante
Mayhem
and a handful of other inmates, she was defeated by Spider-Man and John Jameson
before they managed to escape. The second time, she and Carrion
escaped and tried to become a family. In the end, she absorbed the Carrion virus into herself to release her "son" from his suffering. She was returned to Ravencroft, where the virus was taken from her by the Jackal
. The Spider-Man Encyclopedia mentions that she is slowly beginning to respond to psychotherapy
.
She appeared in Brand New Day
as one of the villains in the bar. She appears in the new Carnage series in October 2010. She is being transported in an armored truck that the Doppelganger
tried to rescue her from. She later merges with a piece of the Carnage symbiote (which covers her right arm and part of her face) and joins the returned Carnage in attacking Spider-Man.
She is able to sense the darkest side to a person's psyche
so that she can use her powers to specifically manipulate that person's emotions. Her scarred left eye is also prone to glow whenever she uses her powers. Why only that eye glows is uncertain.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
ess in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. She is an enemy of Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
. She was created by Tom DeFalco
Tom DeFalco
Tom DeFalco is an American comics writer and editor, well known for his association with Marvel Comics and in particular for his work with Spider-Man.-Career:...
, Mike W. Barr
Mike W. Barr
Mike W. Barr is an American writer of comic books, and mystery, and science fiction novels.-Biography:Barr's debut as a comics professional came in DC Comics' Detective Comics #444 , for which he wrote an 8-page back-up mystery feature starring the Elongated Man...
, Terry Kavanagh
Terry Kavanagh
Terrence "Terry" Kavanagh is an American comic book editor and writer.-Biography:Kavanagh was a Marvel Comics editor during the late 1980s and 1990s...
, Ron Lim
Ron Lim
Ronald "Ron" Lim is an American comic book artist living in Sacramento, California.-Biography:Ron Lim's first published work was an independent comic book entitled Ex-Mutants, which he worked on from 1986-1988....
, Jerry Bingham
Jerry Bingham
Jerry Bingham is an American artist who has worked in the fields of comic books, commercial illustration, and design...
, and Mark Bagley
Mark Bagley
Mark Bagley is an American comic book artist. He has worked for Marvel Comics and DC Comics on such titles as The Amazing Spider-Man, Thunderbolts, New Warriors, and Ultimate Spider-Man.- Early life and career :...
and first appeared
First appearance
In comic books and other stories with a long history, first appearance refers to the first occurrence to feature a fictional character.-Monetary value of first appearance issues:...
in Spider-Man Unlimited
Spider-Man Unlimited
Spider-Man Unlimited was a short-lived animated series featuring the Marvel comic book superhero Spider-Man. The series was released in 1999, but, although it had fair ratings, was overshadowed by Pokémon, and was canceled after airing only a few episodes. Fox later resumed airing the show, airing...
volume 1 #1 (May 1993).
Fictional character biography
Shriek is a dangerous and criminally insane villainess with the ability to manipulate sound. During the events of Maximum CarnageMaximum Carnage
"Maximum Carnage" is a fourteen-part comic book crossover published in Marvel Comics's Spider-Man family of titles in 1993. It featured Spider-Man and Venom teaming up to face Venom's murderous offspring Carnage.-Plot:...
, she allied herself with Carnage
Carnage (comics)
Carnage is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . The character first appears in The Amazing Spider-Man #344 , and was created by writer David Michelinie and artist Mark Bagley. The character is frequently depicted as an enemy of Spider-Man...
and several other supervillains who went about New York on a killing spree.
Shriek's origin
Origin story
In comic book terminology, an origin story is an account or back-story revealing how a character or team gained their superpowers and/or the circumstances under which they became superheroes or supervillains....
s and real name are uncertain. She was named Sandra Deel in her earliest appearances, but named Frances Louise Barrison in later appearances. According to the Spider-Man Encyclopedia she was born Frances Louise Barrison, but used Sandra Deel as an alias.
During her childhood, she was abused
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
by her mother for being overweight, driving her to drugs and leading to her later fixation on becoming a mother herself. She became a drug dealer, which exposed her to situations that ultimately damaged her sanity; namely, being shot in the head by a police officer, and being put in Cloak
Cloak and Dagger (comics)
Cloak and Dagger are a fictional comic book superhero duo in the . They were created by writer William "Bill" Mantlo and designed by artist Edward Hannigan.-Publication history:...
's dark dimension. The origin of Shriek's powers is unknown.
Shriek debuted at the start of the "Maximum Carnage
Maximum Carnage
"Maximum Carnage" is a fourteen-part comic book crossover published in Marvel Comics's Spider-Man family of titles in 1993. It featured Spider-Man and Venom teaming up to face Venom's murderous offspring Carnage.-Plot:...
" crossover
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
. During Carnage's violent escape from the Ravencroft mental institution, he came across Shriek, who was also incarcerated and wished to join him. He freed her, and the pair embarked on a killing spree. They attracted the company of several other homicidal supervillains (Demogoblin
Demogoblin
Demogoblin is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared as Demogoblin in Web of Spider-Man #86 , and had previously appeared as an unnamed demon in Spectacular Spider-Man #147....
, Doppelganger
Doppelganger (comics)
The Doppelganger, also called the Spider-Doppelganger, is a fictional character and supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. It first appeared in The Infinity War #1.-Fictional character biography:...
, and Carrion
Carrion (comics)
Carrion is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe, in which he is an enemy of Spider-Man. He first appeared in The Spectacular Spider-Man #25....
), and formed a "family," with Carnage and Shriek as the "parents" and the others as their "sons" (although it is clearly obvious that Shriek had love for Carnage, it is uncertain whether he felt the same for her, although it is implied many times that he did.). Shriek also used her mental powers to increase the chaos by causing a number of New Yorkers
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to violently turn on one another, although the heroes were able to calm the people down before they did anything too serious, such as killing their own children. The killers fought a number of heroes, led by Spider-Man, but succumbed to in-fighting. Carnage slew the Doppelganger and left the others to their defeat and capture, although he was subsequently contained by the Avengers after a clash with Spider-Man, Venom and Black Cat
Black Cat (comics)
The Black Cat is a fictional character, a superheroine in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Keith Pollard, she first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #194 ....
.
Shriek was returned to Ravencroft and attempted to escape twice. Once, alongside the vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
Mayhem
Mayhem (comics)
Mayhem is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:The character of detective Brigid O'Rielly first appeared in Cloak and Dagger #1 , and was created by Bill Mantlo and Rick Leonardi...
and a handful of other inmates, she was defeated by Spider-Man and John Jameson
John Jameson (comics)
John Jameson is a fictional character in publications from Marvel Comics.-Publication history:...
before they managed to escape. The second time, she and Carrion
Carrion (comics)
Carrion is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe, in which he is an enemy of Spider-Man. He first appeared in The Spectacular Spider-Man #25....
escaped and tried to become a family. In the end, she absorbed the Carrion virus into herself to release her "son" from his suffering. She was returned to Ravencroft, where the virus was taken from her by the Jackal
Jackal (Marvel Comics)
The Jackal is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 , and was created by writer Gerry Conway and artist Ross Andru. In The Amazing Spider-Man #148 The Jackal is a fictional character that appears in...
. The Spider-Man Encyclopedia mentions that she is slowly beginning to respond to psychotherapy
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
.
She appeared in Brand New Day
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
"Brand New Day" is the title of a run of comic book storylines in The Amazing Spider-Man, published by Marvel Comics in 2008. It chronicles the start of Spider-Man's adventures in the aftermath of the big status quo change in the "One More Day" storyline, and continues afterwards into "Spider-Man:...
as one of the villains in the bar. She appears in the new Carnage series in October 2010. She is being transported in an armored truck that the Doppelganger
Doppelganger (comics)
The Doppelganger, also called the Spider-Doppelganger, is a fictional character and supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. It first appeared in The Infinity War #1.-Fictional character biography:...
tried to rescue her from. She later merges with a piece of the Carnage symbiote (which covers her right arm and part of her face) and joins the returned Carnage in attacking Spider-Man.
Powers and abilities
Shriek has the ability to manipulate sound in a number of elaborate ways. She can harness it for destructive concussive force or use it to disorient and agitate her enemies. She can apparently hypersonically induce intense emotion in those around her (generating fear, hate, or despair). She also has moderate powers of levitation that she can use to make herself fly and possibly some low level of psionic ability.She is able to sense the darkest side to a person's psyche
Psyche (psychology)
The word psyche has a long history of use in psychology and philosophy, dating back to ancient times, and has been one of the fundamental concepts for understanding human nature from a scientific point of view. The English word soul is sometimes used synonymously, especially in older...
so that she can use her powers to specifically manipulate that person's emotions. Her scarred left eye is also prone to glow whenever she uses her powers. Why only that eye glows is uncertain.
Video games
- Shriek was among the boss characters that appeared in Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum CarnageSpider-Man and Venom: Maximum CarnageSpider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage is a scrolling fighting game for the Super NES and Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, developed by Software Creations and published by LJN in 1994...
, which was based on the story-arc that she was a part of.
- Shriek makes an appearance as one of the minor villains, for the Wii, PS2, and PSP versions of the Spider-Man 3Spider-Man 3 (video game)Spider-Man 3 is an action game loosely based on the Spider-Man 3 film and released for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Wii, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, Microsoft Windows and Game Boy Advance. The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions were developed by Treyarch, the PC version by Beenox while...
video game voiced by Courtenay TaylorCourtenay TaylorCourtenay Taylor is an American actress.- Acting career :...
. In the game she is married to Michael MorbiusMorbius, the Living VampireMorbius, the Living Vampire, is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and penciler Gil Kane, the character, a living human suffering from vampiric abilities resulting from scientific rather than supernatural means, first appeared as...
. Her powers were given to her by a symbiote similar to that which gave Spider-Man his black suit. She is first mentioned by Morbius as the one who caused him to need to feed on blood, but mentions that when she did it to him she was "not herself" and that she had been "changed." She uses her psychic powers to influence the citizens of New York to do multiple things (like being her "children" or alternatively making them walk into toxic gas and stay in the gas). She puts a large pillar structure on top of a building and attaches multiple meteorites to it, out of which she could draw power. Spider-Man succeeds in pulling all the meteorites off of the pillar and Shriek in turn flees. Later Spider-Man brings Morbius to Shriek's hideout, and Morbius demands to know what Shriek did to him; Shriek says she released a special blood in his lab that infected Morbius (although she had not meant to hurt him). She uses her psychic powers to force Morbius to fight Spider-Man, and to shut the windows so the sunlight could not hurt Morbius. Spider-Man defeats Morbius and Shriek flees deeper into her hideout. Shriek employs psychological warfare on Spider-Man, urging him to just use his powers to have fun and bring himself enjoyment. She also creates illusionary duplicates of Mary Jane WatsonMary Jane WatsonMary Jane Watson, often shortened to MJ, is a fictional supporting character appearing, originally, in Marvel comic books and, later, in multiple spin-offs and dramatizations of the Spider-Man titles as the best friend, love interest, and one-time wife of Peter Parker, the alter ego of Spider-Man...
, J. Jonah JamesonJ. Jonah JamesonJohn Jonah Jameson Junior is a supporting character of Spider-Man in the .Jameson is usually the publisher or editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, a fictional New York newspaper and now serves as the mayor of New York City...
, Curt ConnersLizard (comics)The Lizard is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe and enemy of Spider-Man. The Lizard first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #6 , and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko...
, and Harry OsbornHarry OsbornHarry Osborn is a fictional character, a supporting character of Spider-Man in the . In addition to being Peter Parker's best friend, Harry was the second Green Goblin and is the son of Norman Osborn...
to combat him. Spider-Man realizes that both Shriek's powers and his black suit come from the same source, uses his black suit to make Shriek/Francis Morbius appear, and in turn defeats her. Spider-Man brings Shriek/Francis to Dr. Conners and Morbius to discover if she can be cured of her condition.
External links
- Shriek at Marvel.com
- Shriek profile at Spiderfan.org