SPIDER-PEOPLE SPIDER-PEOPLE
Classification: Semi-humanoid terrestrial race (Hidden race); Elderspawn
Location/Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
a society of Spider-People dwelled in the Temple of
the Spider, within a subterranean cavern in an unspecified region of
Japan in modern-times
Known Members: None named;
It is unrevealed how many
Spider-People dwelled in the Temple of the Spider (or in the world or
elsewhere). Only a few were shown.
Affiliations: Omm,
Enemies: Harpies, Serpent Men, Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Wolf-Men, unidentified demon races;
indirectly Set;
they were disdained a locals, including a local Japanese monk
Relatives: Omm (father of the race), Gaea (Omm's mother);
extensive distant relations via Gaea (see her profile)
First Appearance: Marvel Team-Up I#111 (November, 1981)
Powers/Abilities: The Spider-People notably had two to six arms, apparently with three fingers and an opposable thumb, each of which ended in a sharp talon.
The tops of their heads, as well as their arms (and probably their legs) have thick, coarse hairs.
They likely possess some degree of enhanced
human strength.
It is unrevealed whether they had any other additional abilities.
They weren't shown to scale walls.
They were presumably carnivorous, and they may well have been man-eating.
They fight with
swords, daggers, and clubs, and they can throw sticky
nets of webbing to ensnare their foes. Presumably it takes them to time
to spin webs, as they carry web-nets with them in a fight rather than
spinning them as needed.
In ages past, the Spider-People had high intelligence.
However, in modern times, the Spider-People are (at
least according to one of the Serpent Men whose motives were
questionable) "near brainless."
They did not speak (And may or may not have been
able to speak), but they did fight with various weapons. They were only
shown to attack intruders in the Temple of the Spider.
Traits: The Spider-People were, at least, territorial, attacking intruders in the Temple of the Spider.
They were only shown to fight and then to flee if overwhelmed.
In the past, they apparently warred against the Serpent Men and other Elder Races and likely sought to conquer Earth.
They worshipped their creator, Omm, and they had a large statue of Omm.
They wore clothing, apparently a tunic and some sort of boots, although some appeared to be bare-chested.
Type: Bilaterally symmetric semi-humanoid arachnid bipeds
Eyes: Two (on head; solid black color seen; in some images, they look multi-faceted, like fly eyes, but most seem to show them as solid discs; some images also showed a rectangular pupil-like structure)
Fingers: Three (plus opposing thumb)
Toes: Unrevealed (they wore boots)
Skin color: Brown
Average height: Approximately 5'10"?
History:
(Marvel Team-Up
I#111 (fb) - BTS) - The Spider-People are the spawn of the spider-god Omm.
(Marvel Team-Up I#111 (fb)) - In the distant past, man's world was ruled by inhuman demon races: Harpies, Serpent Men, Spider-People, and Wolf-Men (among others). Gods eventually rose to smite these demonic creatures.
(Marvel Team-Up
I#111 (fb) - BTS) - The Spider-People and the Serpent-Men considered themselves hereditary enemies.
(Marvel Team-Up I#111 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, a group of the Spider-People established a base in caverns in a subterranean base in what would become Japan. There they built the Temple of the Spider, including a statue of their progenitor, Omm.
(Marvel Team-Up I#111 (fb) - BTS) - "Untold thousands of years ago" in the Temple of the Spider caverns, the Spider-People waged a war against the Serpent Men.
(Marvel Team-Up
I#111 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, the Spider-People obtained a
"bejeweled snake-headed statue" that the Serpent Men needed in their
eventually plot to resurrect the spirits of slain Serpent Men in human
hosts.
The statue was placed within the
hands of the Temple of the Spider's Omm statue, which could act against
presumably non-spider-beings attempting to steal it.
(Marvel Team-Up I#111 (fb) - BTS) - Remnants of the Spider-People lived on into modern years, although they "de-evolved" into "near-brainless" creatures.
At least a small society of Spider-People remained in the caverns around the Temple of the Spider.
(Marvel Team-Up I#111 (fb) - BTS) - The Temple of the Spider was known to some of the locals, but it was considered unholy, with dark forces lurking there. The locals generally avoided even speaking of it.
(Marvel Team-Up I#111 (fb) - BTS) - In preparation for their plot to resurrect the spirits of slain Serpent Men in human hosts, the Serpent Men captured the Defenders (Clea, Devil-Slayer, Dr. Strange, Gargoyle, Hulk, Sub-Mariner, Valkyrie) to serve as the needed "seven warriors with the power to conquer the world."
Apparently unable to steal the
needed snake-headed totem/statue from the powerful Omm statue as it
would act against Serpent Men, one of the Serpent Men posed as
Devil-Slayer (utilizing his Shadow Cloak) and plotted to enlist the aid
of Spider-Man
(Marvel Team-Up
I#111 - BTS) - "Devil-Slayer enlisted
the aid of Spider-Man (presumably because his spider-nature might be
accepted by the Omm statue). This false Devil-Slayer told Spider-Man
that he (Spider-Man) was the seventh warrior the Serpent Men needed and
that the snake-headed totem was needed to thwart the plot.
"Devil-Slayer" then transported himself and Spider-Man
to a valley in the mountains somewhere close to the Temple of the
Spider. As the Serpent Man did not know the Temple's exact location,
they received directions from a local monk, although he was initially reluctant to speak of the dark place.
(Marvel Team-Up
I#111) - As Spider-Man and "Devil-Slayer" entered the ruins of the
Temple of the Spider, a group of Spider-People, brandishing swords,
daggers, clubs, and web-nuts charged them. "Devil-Slayer"summoned a
battleaxe and savagely attacked the Spider-People, which Spider-Man
webbed a large stone block and swung it at some of the Spider-People,
presumably knocking them out.
One of the Spider-People caught Spider-Man in a web-net, after which another attempted to slay him with a number of swords, but Spider-Man freed himself and kicked that Spider-Person away. As the remaining Spider-People retreated, Spider-Man had to stop "Devil-Slayer" from repeatedly hacking at an already-dead Spider-Person with his axe.
(Marvel Team-Up
I#111 - BTS) - After "Devil-Slayer" sensed that
the snake-headed totem lied downward through a crevice in the rocky
floor, he and Spider-Man descended via web-line and found the totem in
the clutches of the giant statue of Omm.
Spider-Man recovered the totem and
Devil-Slayer brought Spider-Man back to rescue the Defenders.
Ultimately, Spider-Man discovered and exposed the Serpent Men's
duplicity, shattered the totem, and freed the Defenders, after which
Dr. Strange banished the Serpent Men extradimensionally.
Comments: Created by J.M. DeMatteis, Herb
Trimpe, and Mike Esposito.
The warring among
the Elder races (some of whom were Elderspawn) in Earth's distant past
was first detailed (in Marvel Comics, anyway) in Kull the Conqueror I#2
(September, 1971).
That image showed and referenced Demons, Harpies,
Serpent-Men, and Wolf-People.
The same beings (with some artistic
license, presumably) are shown in the image to the right in Marvel
Team-Up I#111, with the image and name of the Spider-People added.
The
text is slightly altered, so that rather than listing Demons as just
one of the races, each of the groups being described are considered to
be one of the demon races.
This profile was completed 12/06/2020, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20th anniversary 's celebratory event.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Spider-People may or may not have had any connection to
  The Temple of the Spider is within in caverns in a subterranean base in the valleys between mountains in Japan. The tunnel from the surface took approximately 15 minutes of traveling down a tortuous cavern to reach the temple. In modern times, the temple had fallen into ruins. It is unrevealed how many Spider-People dwelled in the Temple of the Spider. Only a few were shown. (Marvel Team-Up I#111 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, a group of the Spider-People established a base in caverns in a subterranean base in the valleys between mountains in what would become Japan. There they built the Temple of the Spider, including a statue of their progenitor, Omm. (Marvel Team-Up I#111 (fb) - BTS) - "Untold thousands of years ago" in the Temple of the Spider caverns, the Spider-People waged a war against the Serpent Men. (Marvel Team-Up I#111 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, the Spider-People obtained a "bejeweled snake-headed statue" that the Serpent Men needed in their eventually plot to resurrect the spirits of slain Serpent Men in human hosts. The statue was placed within the hands of the
Temple of the Spider's Omm statue, which could act against presumably
non-spider-beings attempting to steal it. (Marvel Team-Up I#111 (fb) - BTS) - At least a small society of Spider-People remained in the caverns around the Temple of the Spider. (Marvel Team-Up I#111 (fb) - BTS) - The Temple of the Spider was known to some of the locals, but it was considered unholy, with dark forces lurking there. The locals generally avoided even speaking of it. (Marvel Team-Up
I#111 - BTS) - A Serpent Man posing as Devil-Slayer duped Spider-Man into helping him recover the snake-headed totem. "Devil-Slayer" transported himself and Spider-Man
to a valley in the mountains somewhere close to the Temple of the
Spider. As the Serpent Man did not know the Temple's exact location,
they received directions from a local monk, although he was initially reluctant to speak of the dark place. (Marvel Team-Up
I#111) - As Spider-Man and "Devil-Slayer" entered the ruins of the
Temple of the Spider, a group of Spider-People, charged them.
"Devil-Slayer" and Spider-Man incapacitated or slew some of these
Spider-People, and the surviving Spider-People fled. After "Devil-Slayer" sensed that the snake-headed totem lied downward through a
crevice in the rocky floor, he and Spider-Man descended via web-line and found the
totem in the clutches of the giant statue of Omm. Spider-Man recovered the
totem and Devil-Slayer transported Spider-Man back to the USA,
allegedly to rescue the Defenders. (Marvel Team-Up I#111 - BTS) - Ultimately, Spider-Man discovered and exposed the Serpent Men's duplicity, shattered the totem, and freed the Defenders, after which Dr. Strange banished the Serpent Men extradimensionally. --Marvel Team-Up I#111Note: On the cover, it was called "The Temple of the Spider-God" It should be distinguished from:
|
  A large granite statue (apparently painted gold), perhaps 25' tall, it sat on a large pedestal with a cavern accessed via a crevice in the stone floor within the Temple of the Weaver. The statue had six arms, each apparently with three fingers (some images made it look more like four digits) and a thumb. Its two legs had four toes, but the first toe was positioned much like the thumb in hand (or the big toe in some monkeys). A veil-like mask seemed to cover its face, and it was seated in an immense throne. Otherwise inanimate, the statue would sense the approach of a being and move to stop that being if it judged that being as hostile. Spider-natured beings were apparently trusted as long as they behaved in a non-threatening manor. (Marvel Team-Up I#111 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, a group of the Spider-People established a base in caverns in a subterranean base in what would become Japan. There they built the Temple of the Spider, including a statue of their progenitor, Omm. (Marvel Team-Up I#111 (fb) - BTS) - "Untold thousands of years ago" in the Temple of the Spider caverns, the Spider-People waged a war against the Serpent Men. (Marvel Team-Up I#111 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, the Spider-People obtained a "bejeweled snake-headed statue" that the Serpent Men needed in their eventually plot to resurrect the spirits of slain Serpent Men in human hosts. The statue was placed within the hands of the
Temple of the Spider's Omm statue, which could act against presumably
non-spider-beings attempting to steal it. (Marvel Team-Up
I#111 - BTS) - A Serpent Man posing as Devil-Slayer duped Spider-Man into helping him recover the snake-headed totem. "Devil-Slayer" transported himself and Spider-Man
to a valley in the mountains somewhere close to the Temple of the
Spider. As the Serpent Man did not know the Temple's exact location,
they received directions from a local monk, although he was initially reluctant to speak of the dark place. As Spider-Man and "Devil-Slayer" entered the ruins of the
Temple of the Spider, a group of Spider-People, charged them.
"Devil-Slayer" and Spider-Man incapacitated or slew some of these
Spider-People, and the surviving Spider-People fled. (Marvel Team-Up I#111) - "Devil-Slayer" sensed that the snake-headed totem lied downward through a crevice in the rocky floor, and he and Spider-Man descended via web-line and found the totem in the clutches of the giant statue of Omm. Noting he could not
leap across the ravine, "Devil-Slayer" directed Spider-Man to jump
across. While nervously speaking to the statue ("Mr. Spider-God") in a
friendly fashion, Spider-Man then scaled the pedestal to reach the
statue and the totem. As Spider-Man reached for the totem, however, the
statue's granite arms grated and moved, its razor-sharp claws (undulled
by time) descending toward him. "Devil-Slayer" urged Spider-Man not to resist or even to move, and when Spider-Man complied, the statue (presumably sensing his spidery-nature) ceased its motion, allowing Spider-Man to claim the snake-headed totem. (Marvel Team-Up I#111 - BTS) - Devil-Slayer transported Spider-Man back to the USA, allegedly to rescue the Defenders. Ultimately, Spider-Man discovered and exposed the Serpent Men's duplicity, shattered the totem, and freed the Defenders, after which Dr. Strange banished the Serpent Men extradimensionally. --Marvel Team-Up I#111Note: The image on the right, from the cover of Marvel Team-Up I#111, differed slightly from the image shown in-story (on the left), and I'd consider the differences to be artistic license, making it appear more dynamic, threatening, and colorful. The Devil-Slayer imposter never got that close to the Omm statue. The Temple of the Spider sub-profile shows the ravine before the statue of Omm. While the Devil-Slayer imposter had the real Devil-Slayer's shadow cloak and could have transported himself and Spider-Man down through the crevice to the cavern containing the statue of Omm and/or transported Spider-Man across the ravine to reach the statue, it presumably either feared the statue's power, sought to limit its involvement in order to avoid attracting the statue's attention, or it was actually limited by the statue's presence/power...or maybe it just wished to keep Spider-Man occupied to prevent him from thinking things through too clearly. |
 Unidentified, this aged (presumably Buddhist) monk apparently lived near enough to the Temple of the Spider to be familiar with its nature and location. He spoke English (Marvel Team-Up I#111 - BTS) - A Serpent Man posing as Devil-Slayer transported himself and Spider-Man to a valley in the mountains somewhere close to the Temple of the Spider. As the Serpent Man did not know the Temple's exact location, they sought directions from a local. As the aged monk approached them, Devil-Slayer asked the "old man" if he spoke English. The monk confirmed he did and, considering their strange garb, asked if they were boddhisatvas (sic; see note) come to guide him on the path to truth. "Devil-Slayer" grabbed him by the collar, telling him that who they were was irrelevant and demanding to know how far they were from the Temple of the Spider. Noting the Temple of the Spider to be unholy, with dark forces lurking therein, the monk urged that they "must not even ask.." "Devil-Slayer" then slapped the man and threatened to beat him senseless if he refused to tell them the location. Spider-Man stopped "Devil-Slayer" and then asked the man nicely; whether it was due to the man's fear of assault or Spider-Man's placating manner, the man provided the desired information, giving them a clear path to the Temple. --Marvel Team-Up I#111 Note: Per Wikipedia, Bodhisattva (in Mahayana Buddhism) is a person who is able to reach nirvana but delays doing so out of compassion in order to save suffering beings. It's also a song on that subject by Steely Dan. |
images: (without ads)
Marvel Team-Up I#111, cover (Omm statue, stylized)
pg. 6, panel 2 (Spider-People and other Elderspawn);
pg. 8, panel 3 (Japanese man)
pg. 10, panel 1-3 (tunnel & temple);
panel 4 (rushing to attack);
pg. 11, panel 5 (two-armed spider-person throwing web);
panel 6 (six-armed spider-person attempting to kill trapped Spider-Man);
pg. 12, panel 1 (Spider-Man kicking spider-person);
panel 7 (Omm statue, blocked by big speech balloon!);
panel 8 (chasm before statue)
Appearances:
Kull the Conqueror I#2 (September, 1971) - Roy Thomas (writer), Marie Severin (pencils), John Severin (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Marvel Team-Up I#111 (November, 1981) - J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Herb
Trimpe (pencils), Mike Esposito (inks), Tom DeFalco (editor)
First posted: 09/15/2021
Last updated: 09/14/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and
© 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you
like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com
Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!