A Spider-Woman live-action movie is possibly on the horizon from director Olivia Wilde. Any number of versions of Spider-Woman could possibly be the focus of the movie, thanks to the infinite multiverse within Marvel Comics. From Spider-Gwen to Jessica Drew, there are many great versions of the character to choose from.
Some of the best alternate versions of the character are very well known to comic fans and might well be to casual fans too, thanks to the success of movies like Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. Others are more obscure, but no less interesting than the most popular versions in the movies and comic books.
Mary Jane Watson
One of the best versions of Spider-Woman takes one of Spider-Man's existing love interests in the movies and comics and makes her into a powerful superhero in her own right. She's not Gwen Stacy, but Mary Jane Watson. In Exiles #22 from April 2003, the dimension-hopping team meets a version of Mary Jane with spider-powers.
She's a member of her world's Avengers and falls in love with Sunfire, the female version of the classic X-Men character who was part of the Exiles at the time. There are other versions of Mary Jane with powers in the comics, but this version is among the most unique.
May Parker
One of the best Spider-Woman versions is the daughter of Mary Jane and Peter Parker. May "May Day" Parker hails from the MC2 alternate universe introduced in the late 90s and debuted in What If..? #105 in February 1998.
May inherited all her powers from her father - as well as his gift for quipping - and goes by several aliases during the course of her superhero career, including Spider-Girl and eventually Spider-Woman. May is often featured in interdimensional crossovers in the comics and is part of the multiversal Web Warriors team.
Queen Veranke
A unique and powerful version of Spider-Woman is Queen Veranke. The leader of the Skrulls impersonated Jessica Drew as Spider-Woman for years in the comics. Her ruse was revealed in the Secret Invasion storyline (which is why fans speculate that Emilia Clarke could be playing Veranke in the streaming series).
Veranke nearly succeeds in taking over the entire Earth, but her plan is eventually undone by the Avengers. She is killed at the end of the storyline by Norman Osborn, the former Green Goblin and founder of the Dark Avengers.
Jessica Drew (Ultimate Comics)
There are numerous versions of Spider-Woman in the comics, and many versions of Jessica Drew as well. One of the best is from the Ultimate Comics imprint which began in the early 2000s. This version is unique because, unlike the Earth-616 Jessica Drew, this version is a clone of Peter Parker.
Peter Parker and clones don't always work out, as the Clone Saga crossover from the 90s attests to, but this version is one of the best. She has all of Spider-Man's basic powers, as well as the unique feature of spinnerets, silk-spinning webbing she can fire from her fingertips.
Kitty Pryde
Another Ultimate Comics Spider-Woman is Kitty Pryde. She is certainly one of the most unique versions of the character thanks to her lineage as an X-Man.
In Ultimate Comics, Kitty goes to Peter's school and the two become a couple for a time. She also helps him out fighting crime by donning the Spider-Woman persona (not Spider-Girl, which she rejects) in Ultimate Spider-Man #91. Her very brief run as the character includes another costume change for Kitty, who owns some of Marvel Comics' most outlandish costumes of all time.
Lady Spider
Lady Spider is one of the best versions of Spider-Woman thanks to her steampunk style. May Reilly comes from Earth-803, and doesn't have any superpowers but gets around it thanks to her mechanical implements like her steam-powered spider legs.
She fights against some of the most powerful members of the Sinister Six of her world, many of whom, in particular Doctor Octopus, also rely on steampunk gear. She first appeared in Spider-Verse #1 back in 2014.
Swiney-Girl (May Porker)
One of the best - and most hilarious - versions of Spider-Woman is Swiney Girl. May Porker comes from the same madcap universe as Spider-Ham. She is the "May Day" Parker of this universe and adopts a black costume that is similar to the one the Julia Carpenter Spider-Woman wore in Earth-616.
May Porker comes from Earth-94024 and first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man Family #4 in April 2009. She hasn't appeared much since then, but with Spider-Ham playing a big part of the movies now, anything is possible.
Julia Carpenter
Julia Carpenter is a significant version of Spider-Woman in the comic books, as she was the second version in Earth-616 after Jessica Drew stepped down from the role. She is one of the most interesting variants because her powers are in some cases very unique. She can emit psionic energy, usually through her hands.
Julia Carpenter first appeared in 1985's Secret Wars #6 and would go on to become a member of the West Coast Avengers and later Force Works. She was also different versions of the characters Arachne and Madame Web.
Jessica Drew
Jessica Drew is the first Spider-Woman in the comics and one of the best. Her comic book history is long and complicated, beginning with her acting as a spy for HYDRA and later a significant member of the Avengers.
She is also best friends with Carol Danvers, a relationship that could be a key factor in the MCU if Spider-Woman does come to the big screen. After being away from the role for many years, Jessica Drew resumed the mantle of Spider-Woman in the early 2000s and has never looked back.
Spider-Gwen
Spider-Gwen is one of the best versions of Spider-Woman because of how utterly unexpected she was. Gwen Stacy had died in the 1970s at the hands of the Green Goblin, but found new life when she was revealed as Spider-Woman (also Ghost Spider) in her native universe.
This Gwen Stacy was bitten by the radioactive spider instead of Peter Parker, giving her all of its powers. She has since become a major force in the comics and in the movies, appearing in Into The Spider-Verse and possibly being the subject of the Olivia Wilde movie.