Countess Katrina Karkov
Real Name: Katrina Karkov
Identity/Class: Human, unconventional
technology user
Occupation: Monarch of Symkaria, criminal, weapons
manufacturer and dealer;
former Countess
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Green Goblin (Norman Osborn) and the
Goblin Army, Doctor Dragovic, el Facoquero;
possibly Ernst
Sablinova, Ionela Novotny
possibly Wilson Fisk (Kingpin)
Enemies: Doctor Doom (Victor von Doom),
Wild Pack, the Symkarian battalions and their Generals (Foxtrot,
Juliet,
Romeo,
Tango,
X-Ray),
Delvadian freedom fighters, Naduan freedom fighters, S.H.I.E.L.D. (Nick Fury
Jr., Bobby Morse/Mockingbird, others), Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Devil-Spider,
Tarantula
(Jacinda Rodriguez)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Katarina (used by Doctor Doom)
Base of Operations: Symkaria, Europe
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man IV#25 (May, 2017)
Powers/Abilities: As ruler of Symkaria her power
was mainly political, at tyrannic level, and
economic. She was able to convert the workforce of the people toward one
specific manufacturing and industrial sector, enslaving the population,
without rebellion or uprisings.
She had optimal intermediation and
psychological skills, well managing the eclectic, unpredictable and
dangerous behavior of Norman Osborn, and profiting of his knowledge and
experience in the technological advanced weapons engineering and
building.
She had been trained to be the best swordsman in Europe. Her ability allowed her to wield a double-handed sword with a single hand and with ease.
Katrina did not use her advanced
weapons directly, but she possessed a great variety of light and heavy
fire weapons (like the Kingslayer), and
soldiers that used them for her.
Height: 5'5" (by approximation)
Weight: 143 pounds (by approximation)
Eyes: Icy blue
Hair: Dark green (dyed)
History:
(Amazing
Spider-Man IV#26 (fb) - 27 (fb) - BTS) - Norman Osborn allied with the
last monarch of Symkaria, the Countess Katarina Karkov, and began
transforming Symkaria into the main producer of weapons in Europe. The
process, however, involved all the population; even children were
enslaved into work in the industries. They produced tanks, jets and Goblin
Gliders, all sold all over the world.
In order to foil Karkov and
Osborn's schemes, Silver Sable gathered a revolutionary army, led by her
Wild Pack, a group of five generals and their battalions.
(Amazing Spider-Man IV#25) - The Countess helped Osborn to hide despite
widely operating in the weapons traffic. She ordered Doctor Dragovic
to give Osborn another face. One of Karkov and Osborn's allies, el
Facoquero, accepted to stay hidden while Norman took his face and his
role.
The ruse worked well, until Spider-Man and S.H.I.E.L.D.
found el Facoquero's hideout, capturing him at Las Colinas Rojas in
Delvadia. They soon learned that el Facoquero was the real one, and that
Norman Osborn was still free.
As a consequence of the capture, Countess Karkov suggested Osborn to have his face altered again.
(Amazing Spider-Man IV#26) - The two associates organized
an Exposition in Hong Kong, to sell their Kingslayer
Mark I, a two-legged armored tank.
Their plan was changed by the interference of Silver
Sable. Karkov's Goblin Gliders had to show up before schedule to bring
Osborn back to the Expo. Spider-Man and Sable managed to destroy most of
the Gliders and to reach the Expo where Karkov and Osborn held their
show. The Countess introduced the Kingslayer to the guests, and the tank
attacked the two heroes. Osborn and Karkov had a so high consideration
of their giant Tank that left the scene before the end. They didn't
attend the two-legged cannon's destruction.
(Amazing Spider-Man IV#27) - Silver Sable gathered many
allies to free the people of Symkaria. Spider-Man, with the technology
and the weapons built by the Parker Industries, Mockingbird (resigned
from S.H.I.E.L.D.), the Wild Pack, and freedom fighters from countries ruined
from wars fought with weapons built in Symkaria; all they invaded
Symkaria from the southern border.
Katrina was dining in her castle with Norman Osborn
when the news of the invasion arrived.
The Wild Pack evacuated
the workers of the munition factories, then, well
armed, destroyed other sensible targets. Osborn mobilized Karkov's
defensive forces: giant tanks Kingslayer Mark 1, Goblin Gliders and
laughing Goblin soldiers empowered by a variant of the Goblin serum!
Upset, Osborn decided to launch their secret weapon. Countess Katrina
ordered the population to seek shelter, to stay safe from danger, but
the real purpose behind her words was that the population had to become
the carrier of the Goblin Serum. Karkov and Osborn's secret weapon was
a missile full of Goblin serum, which would transform the population of
the capital city into what they believed would be an unbeatable Goblin
army, green thralls of the Countess and Osborn
(Amazing Spider-Man IV#28) - When the missile rocketed into the sky,
Mockingbird flew to reach it. Foxtrot and Tango flew to help her.
Silver Sable sent X-Ray, Romeo and Juliet to evacuate the town, while
Spider-Man and Sable assaulted Castle Karkov, with the hope of finding a
means to shut the missile down. The Countess was still speaking to her
subjects when Spider-Man and Silver Sable broke into the communication
center and her radio transmission.
Unfortunately, the majority of
the population believed Countess Karkov's advice, and they refused to
leave the town. While Mockingbird tried to deactivate the explosives in
the missile, Katrina Karkov and Silver Sable dueled by sword. The
Countess drew the first blood, confirming her purpose to transform her
people into strong thralls feared all over the world. Silver Sable
succeeded in scratching Katrina, who folded, fearing to be contaminated
by the Goblin serum. However, Mockingbird deactivated the bomb, and Foxtrot and Tango spun a web that intercepted the missile right
above the central square, stopping it and saving the people.
(Doctor Doom#7 (fb) - BTS) - Months later, Countess
Katrina Karkov was still the ruler of Symkaria, but Doom's General Vasily Makeyev was in love with her and betraying Doom's war plans to her.
(Doctor Doom#8 (fb)) - Doctor Doom and his
forces invaded Symkaria. Doom brought a great destruction in search
for those responsible of the conspiracy against him. Katrina was forced into
sword-dueling against Doom. Katrina was wounded in the left shoulder
while making a thrust, then she was fatally wounded by a stab to the chest.
Before exhaling her last breathe, she told to Doom that she wasn't the
leader of the conspiracy.
Doom wasn't sure whether he used a Kree blade, to kill Katarina Karkov, or a Saxon sword of the XIV Century.
After Katrina's death, Doctor Doom uncovered the
conspiracy, and one of the main actors was the prime minister, Silver
Sable's father. Probably Sablinova and Katrina Karkov were allied, as
well as the conspiracy leader Ionela Novotny.
It is unrevealed the degree of kinship between Katrina and King Philip
of Symkaria or with Princess Lenka.
During Katrina's rule, the capital of Symkaria resembled
very much Prague, capital of Czechia (see the square "Staromestske
namesti" view from the Town Hall tower).
Quick BTS addition by Loki with information from Doctor Doom#7.
Profile by Spidermay.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Katrina Karkov has no known connections to:
Powers/abilities: The Kingslayer was a
two-legged armored tank which moved on legs instead of tracks. It was
built in two models, the human-piloted model and the self-driving model.
Offensive: Central main cannon, lateral machine gun,
lateral mini-cannon
Defensive: Armor. Impervious to guns. Resistant to
spider-strength assaults
Height: 40 feet (by approximation)
Weight: 10 tons (by approximation)
History: (Amazing Spider-Man I#26 (fb)) - The
Kingslayers were built in Symkaria by the enslaved people, forced by the
monarch, Katrina Karkov, and under Norman Osborn's management. They were
the most powerful weapons of the Goblin Army.
(Amazing Spider-Man I#26) - The Kingslayer was the star of the Hong Kong black market Exposition. It was scheduled for a demonstration of its power against a flight of Goblin gliders, but Spider-Man and Silver Sable's interference forced Norman Osborn to use the tank against the heroes. Norman was confident that the Kingslayer would vanquish the couple of intruders. The Tank cannon fired, but Spider-Man managed to jump away, but one of the hits was too close to Silver Sable for her to escape the explosion effects. Spider-Man webbed the machine gun, wrenching it out, but the Kingslayer otherwise still seemed unstoppable. Spidey web-stuck one of the Goblin Gliders' power cell to the hull, and Silver Sable hit it with her first gunshot. The Kingslayer exploded.
(Amazing Spider-Man I#27) - Few days after, in Symkaria, the Kingslayers were unleashed by Osborn in order to stop the invasion of the liberation forces. Alongside with the Gliders and the Goblin soldiers, the tanks fought the Wild Pack, Spider-Man and Mockingbird. It took the combined attacks of the Wild Pack Generals and Mockingbird to destroy one of the tanks.
Eventually the freedom fighters overcame the Goblin
Army.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Kingslayer Mark I has no known connections to:
--Amazing Spider-Man IV#26,27
images: (without ads)
Amazing Spider-Man IV#27, p19, pan3 (Katrina Karkov swords-woman)
Amazing Spider-Man IV#26, p9, pan4 (Katrina Karkov, head shot)
Amazing Spider-Man IV#26, p15, pan3 (Katrina Karkov the weapons seller)
Amazing Spider-Man IV#26, p16, pan4 (a square in the Symkarian
capital/the square under the Town Hall in Prague)
Amazing Spider-Man IV#27, p11, pan1 (Kingslayers Mark I)
Appearances:
Amazing Spider-Man IV#25 (May, 2017) - Dan Slott
(writer), Stuart Immonen (pencils), Wade von Grawbadger (inks), Marte
Cracia (colors), Nick Lowe & Devin Lewis & Alison Stock
(editors)
Amazing Spider-Man IV#26 (June, 2017) - Dan Slott (writer), Stuart
Immonen (pencils), Wade von Grawbadger (inks), Marte Cracia (colors),
Nick Lowe & Devin Lewis & Alison Stock (editors)
Amazing Spider-Man IV#27 (July, 2017) - Dan Slott (writer), Stuart
Immonen (pencils), Wade von Grawbadger (inks), Marte Cracia (colors),
Nick Lowe & Devin Lewis & Alison Stock (editors)
Amazing Spider-Man IV#28 (August, 2017) - Dan Slott
(writer), Stuart Immonen (pencils), Wade von Grawbadger & Andres
Mossa (inks), Marte Cracia (colors), Nick Lowe & Devin Lewis &
Alison Stock (editors)
Doctor Doom#7 (June, 2020) - Christopher Cantwell (writer), Salvador
Larroca (pencils and inks), Guru-eFX (colors), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Doctor Doom#8 (December, 2020) - Christopher Cantwell (writer), Salvador
Larroca (pencils and inks), Guru-eFX (colors), Tom Brevoort (editor)
First Posted: 04/23/2026
Last updated: 04/24/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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