[Phantasm]

ARANEUS

Real Name: Jonathan Drew.
Occupation: Genetics scientist, retired superhero.
Identity: Secret.
Legal Status: Naturalized citizen of the United States with no known criminal record.
Other Aliases: "Spider-Dude"
Place of Birth: London, England.
Place of Death: San Francisco, California.
Marital Status: Married.
Known Relatives: Jessica (alias Spider-Woman, daughter); Miriam (wife, deceased); Anabelle (sister; deceased).
Group Affiliation: Former member of the Shadowguard.
Base of Operations: San Francisco, California; formerly Los Angeles, California; formerly Mount Wundagore, Romania; formerly mobile.
History: As youths Jonathan Drew and his sister Anabelle were friends of aspiring geneticist Herbert Wyndham; together, the three of them pooled their resources to purchase Wundagore Mountain in what was then on the border between Yugoslavia and Romania (currently between the small republic of Transia and Romania). Discovering a vein of uranium on the mountain, the three funneled the profits from a mine into opening up a scientific research citadel.

Not much later, however, Jonathan and Anabelle both came down with radiation sickness. To save their lives, Jonathan and Herbert combined their expertise to develop a serum based on various spider venoms which Jonathan injected into both himself and his sister, then the two entered one of Wyndham's custom-built genetic accelerator pods which slowed their aging while the serum took effect.

Thirty years later, the two had only aged ten years at most. However, events during that time had caused Wyndham to forcibly evolve himself along with several animals, becoming known as the High Evolutionary and the Knights of Wundagore (see High Evolutionary). Not long after, while returning from visiting a nearby village at the foot of the mountain, Anabelle was mauled to death by what appeared to be a wild animal. Although the High Evolutionary promised to investigate, Jonathan felt his old friend had lost his humanity and left the citadel.

Jonathan relocated to Los Angeles, California, where he soon discovered he'd gained several powers similar to that of a spider. Calling himself Araneus, he began a crimefighting career which spanned a decade. During this time, he briefly joined the outlaw team known as the Shadowguard. At one point, in the late 1980s, he was briefly reunited with the High Evolutionary when the Evolutionary had finally tracked down the creature who had killed Anabelle: a werewolf named Baron Gregor Russoff – allegedly the father or grandfather of present-day werewolves Jack and Lissa Russell – who lived in a nearby castle (see Russell, Lissa; Werewolf). Most of Araneus's activities during this time period are unrecorded.

Eventually, Jonathan married a woman named Miriam, with whom he shared his secret identity; not long after the birth of their daughter Jessica, he retired from his crimefighting career. Every so often, he would come out of retirement to assist later superhuman crimefighters and adventurers, though these instances were few and far between. Also at some unrevealed point in time, he and his family relocated to San Francisco, where he worked as a genetic scientist. As Jessica grew older, she learned she had inherited Jonathan's powers, and he trained her in their use (see Spider-Woman).

Recently, Jonathan's wife and daughter were kidnapped by an old enemy of his, the Spider-Wasp, who forced him to become Araneus one last time (see Spider-Wasp). During their fight, although Jessica was able to free herself and her mother using her own powers, Miriam was killed in the crossfire by one of Spider-Wasp's stray poisoned darts. In the end, both Araneus and Spider-Wasp were apparently killed when the building they were in exploded.

To distance herself from her parents' deaths, Jessica moved to Los Angeles, wearing a variation on Araneus's old uniform in her career as Spider-Woman.

It should be noted that the ghost of the ancient Arthurian-era sorcerer Magnus claimed to know Araneus, but the circumstances of their meeting are not yet depicted (see Magnus).
Age: 87 (appeared 47).
Height: 5' 11".
Weight: 180 lbs.
Eyes: Brown.
Hair: Gray, formerly black.
Uniform: Red bodysuit with a white spider-pattern on the chest, red gloves with white triangles on the backs of the hands, red boots, red full-face cowl with white eye-coverings. (Think the Symbiote-Suit Spider-Man, only red instead of black.)
Strength Level: Araneus possessed superhuman strength enabling him to lift (press) roughly ten tons.
Known Superhuman Powers: In addition to his enhanced strength, Araneus possessed superhuman durability, enabling him to withstand superhuman blows. His agility is many times that of a normal person's, bordering on the superhuman. His fingers and toes secrete a near-invisible adhesive substance which enable him to cling to most surfaces, and his leg muscles have been altered to enable him to leap tremendous distances. This enhanced musculature also gives him a perfect sense of balance. His physiology and metabolism is such that he has a near immunity to radiation and toxins. In addition, his senses of hearing and smell are extraordinarily acute.

Araneus's body also produced an inordinate amount of bio-electricity, which he could discharge from his hands in what he called his "venom blast". He is able to modulate his bioelectricity in order to merely stun a person or cause them pain, or push enough power in order to electrocute his target.
Other Abilities: Jonathan Drew was a skilled genetics scientist and biologist, having studied with and under the High Evolutionary.
Limitations: Due to wear and tear on his body from repeated injuries sustained earlier in his career, near the end Jonathan suffered from chronic aches and pains. He could only exert himself for a short amount of time before his body decided to "shut down".

(stats next post.. ran too long again!)