An inhabitant of the Astral Plane, Shathra is the “Spider-Wasp” to Peter Parker’s “Spider”. She learned of Spider-man when he strayed from the safe path during visit to the Astral Plane to locate the inter-dimensional kidnapper known as Shade. Shathra immediately realized Spider-Man’s true nature and determined that he would make the perfect meal for her hungry young hatchlings.
Following Spider-Man’s scent back to Earth, Shathra quickly engaged her chosen victim in a battle that demonstrated her clearly superior speed and strength. Though Spider-Man was able to use his superior knowledge of New York to find temporary escape, he knew that Shathra would soon locate him once more.
In fact, Shathra turned the game in a new direction, changing to a human form and adopting the name “Sharon Keller”. Posing as Spider-Man’s jilted lover, she went on live TV to reveal a series of convincing and humiliating details. Spurred by Mary Jane’s distress, Peter Parker rose to the taunt, gatecrashes the studio interview and attacked Sharon Keller in full view. Fortunately, Shathra reverted to her Spider-Wasp form, but her gambit had achieved its goal of pushing Spider-Man to act on pure instinct, bringing the conflict to the simple level of “natural order”, in which the Spider-Wasp is the hunter and the Spider is the meal.
Spider-Man managed barely to avoid descending into mindless fury and though drugged by Shathra’s paralyzing agent, managed to escape to brief safety. He was rescued by Ezekiel, who took Spider-Man to a sacred temple in Ghana and helped Peter to set a trap for Shathra. Spider-Man now consciously allowed his arachnid side to take the forefront, or enough so to capture the Spider-Wasp, and to feed her to whatever spider dwelt in the depths of the temple. The food chain, it seems, can run in both directions.
