| Skein | |
|---|---|
 Skein | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Spider-Woman #10 (January 1979) |
| Created by | Mark Gruenwald Carmine Infantino |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Sybil Dvorak |
| Species | Human Mutant |
| Team affiliations | Night Shift Masters of Evil Thunderbolts Women Warriors Menagerie |
| Notable aliases | Gypsy Moth, Sybarite |
| Abilities | Telekinesis Levitation |
Skein (real nameSybil Dvorak, also known asGypsy Moth andSybarite) is asupervillain appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics.
The character first appeared inSpider-Woman vol 1. #10 asGypsy Moth, and was created byMark Gruenwald andCarmine Infantino.[1]
Sybil Dvorak was born inFocșani,Romania, in the shadow of theCarpathians. She was raised byRomani and spent much of her time alone nurturing her gardens and focusing on hermutant powers - the ability to telekinetically manipulate and control materials with her mind. She loved how the sensation offiber, such as soft weaves and flowers, felt to her mental touch; hard objects felt abrasive to her.[2]
Wandering onto the set of a remake of the movieDracula, which was being filmed on location in Romania, she met the star, Jason Reed.[citation needed] He romanced her and convinced her to come with him back to his home inLos Angeles. Dvorak was essentially a prisoner in the house, as she was anillegal immigrant since Reed would not marry her. Reed was constantly away on "trips", and Dvorak feared that he was having affairs. She wove herself a costume using her powers, began calling herself Gypsy Moth, and directed her feelings of anger and betrayal by attacking Hollywood social gatherings.[2]Jessica Drew (Spider-Woman) confronted Gypsy Moth at one such gathering and offered her friendship, but Dvorak tried to kill her in response, insisting she has no use for friends. Drew's boyfriend,S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Jerry Hunt, shot Gypsy Moth, knocking her unconscious. However, Spider-Woman flew Gypsy Moth away from the party so that the authorities would not take her.[3]
Soon after, Sybil managed to get herAmerican citizenship and an inclusion into her husband Jason Reed's will. When he died of a supposed obstructed blood vessel in his heart, she inherited his home and his wealth.[4]
She took on the name ofSybarite and used these new assets to start ahedonisticcult. "Sybarite" paid her followers illegal drugs in return for soft garments and animal bodies, which they stole and scavenged from various sources. Her followers captured Spider-Woman on one outing and brought her before Gypsy Moth. Spider-Woman attacked her and defeated her in battle. While she lay unconscious, Gypsy Moth was kidnapped byLocksmith andTick-Tock.[2]
Spider-Woman was also captured by Tick-Tock and Locksmith. Gypsy Moth was forced to work with her nemesis in order to escape, and then entangled Locksmith and Tick-Tock in their own clothing, leaving them out in the open for the police to find. She then reluctantly accepted an invitation from Spider-Woman to a victory party for Locksmith's former captives.[5] During the party,Magnus the Sorcerer cast a spell removing all memory of Spider-Woman. Left with no idea where she was or how she got there, Gypsy Moth fled; however, the spell's effects dissipated shortly after.[6]
TheShroud, another fellow prisoner of Locksmith, tracked Gypsy Moth down and recruited her for theNight Shift, a band of Los Angeles–based villains. Tick-Tock, her former captor, was also a member. The Night Shift used the Los Angeles sewers to move about the city; when these sewers were overrun with the mutated test subjects of thePower Broker, the Shroud employed the Night Shift in putting an end to the Power Broker's operations.[7] She and the Night Shift battledMoon Knight in the Tower of Shadows.[8] She then served as a member ofSuperia's Femizons.[9] Gypsy Moth fought the secondSpider-Woman (Julia Carpenter) during a fight between the Night Shift and theWest Coast Avengers. Gypsy Moth asked Carpenter if she was related to the Spider-Woman she had encountered previously; Carpenter stated that she was not.[10] They realized thatSatannish had taken part of their souls and fought back against him.[11]
Gypsy Moth later left the Night Shift, and joined theCrimson Cowl'sMasters of Evil. Gypsy Moth aided the other Masters of Evil in their search forJustin Hammer's legacy, by helping them battlePlantman,Hawkeye andSongbird. Hammer's legacy was a bio-toxin which could kill thousands of superhumans. Hawkeye attempted to convince Gypsy Moth and most of her teammates to switch sides, and to aide him in preventing the Crimson Cowl from obtaining the toxin. Gypsy Moth sided with Hawkeye "for kicks", designed a new costume for herself and changed her name toSkein.[12]
As a part of Hawkeye's team ofThunderbolts, Skein helped thwart the Crimson Cowl by effectively unraveling the Crimson Cowl's costume, rendering her powerless. As a member of the Thunderbolts, Sybil fought aS.H.I.E.L.D. team and was present when the original team of Thunderbolts returned to Earth after having their own adventure on Counter-Earth.[13]
Afterwards, the two Thunderbolts teams came together for a celebration. Members of the two teams contemplated whether to stay with or leave the group; Sybil announced that she did not intend to stay. Part of the reason Sybil had stayed with the team was the challenge of seducing Songbird but once rebuffed she saw no reason to stay.[14] She retained her powers followingM-Day.[15]
During theDark Reign storyline Skein is revealed as a member of the Initiative's new team for the state of Delaware, the Women Warriors.[16]
During theSpider-Island storyline, Sybil returned to the Gypsy Moth identity as well as her life of crime upon creating a new costume. After being hired by the Spider Queen to kidnapAlicia Masters, she used her powers to seal Spider-Woman's mouth shut and change her costume into another Gypsy Moth suit, which led to theThing mistakenly attacking the gagged heroine. After removing her gag and mask, Spider-Woman managed to defeat Spider-Queen and rescue Alicia.[17]
Sybil later appeared as a member of theMenagerie (which also consisted of animal-themed villainsHippo,White Rabbit, and a new villain namedPanda-Mania). They were on a rampage stealing expensive eggs from an auction untilSpider-Man arrived. When White Rabbit referred to her as "Gypsy Moth", Sybil told White Rabbit to call her Skein with White Rabbit protesting that she called the group the Menagerie because of the villains' animal themes. During the battle, Skein destroyed Spider-Man's outfit, save for the mask, leaving him naked in front of bystanders. She and the Menagerie are defeated by Spider-Man.[18] Skein and the rest of the Menagerie soon after commit a diamond heist which led to another defeat at Spider-Man's hands.[19]
During the "Opening Salvo" part of the "Secret Empire" storyline, Sybil is once again seen as Gypsy Moth where she is recruited byBaron Helmut Zemo to join the Army of Evil.[20]
During the "Spider-Geddon" storyline, Sybil in her Skein alias is seen with Night Shift members Digger, Dansen Macabre, theBrothers Grimm, and new member Waxman when they rob a bus. During this robbery, Skein robs the bus' people of their clothes. The group is thwarted by Superior Octopus whose outfit was made to be immune to Skein's abilities. Superior Octopus agrees to spare them more pain in exchange that the Night Shift becomes his agents where he will compensate them from his own funds. They agree to the terms and are ordered to return the stolen items. Superior Octopus leaves advising them never to cross him or they will not live long enough to regret it.[21]
Sybil has the ability to telekinetically manipulate materials and objects with her mind. Because all matter has a powerful and specific "texture" to her mind, she prefers to only manipulate "soft" substances like fibers and other malleable, yielding substances (this preference extends to the point of her having a strong aversion to mentally manipulating anything hard or solid). Thus she confines her manipulation to such substances as fabrics (both organic and synthetic) and organic tissue such as that of plants or animals. The maximum amount of material she can manipulate at once is equivalent to the amount of weight she can lift physically. By concentrating, she can levitate herself and move through the air as if she were swimming, at up to a top speed of 20 miles per hour for periods of up to a half-hour before tiring from the mental exertion. She can carry loads weighing no more than her own body weight while airborne.[22]
Marvel's depiction of Sybil Dvorak's wings has been inconsistent across publications. In her first appearance, credited as Gypsy Moth inSpider-Woman vol. 1 #10 (January 1979), the art presents large, moth-like wings visibly emerging from slits in the skin of her back and shown as part of her body rather than as separate, hand-held objects.[23][24][25]
A later retelling of Sybil's origin gives a markedly different account. InSpider-Woman vol. 1 #48 (February 1983), the narrative voice and dialogue describe Sybil as having psychokinetically "woven" the wing-like structures from fibers, which frames the wings as constructs produced and manipulated by her powers rather than as innate anatomical appendages.[26][27]
Subsequent editorial reference material tends to favor the fiber/telekinesis interpretation. Marvel's official character entry for Skein summarizes her powers as psychokinetic manipulation of fibers and the ability to levitate, language that treats the wings as a manifestation of those textile-manipulation powers rather than strictly biological flight organs.[28] Likewise, the All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z (issue #10, 2006) contains a character profile that consolidates Sybil's abilities along those same lines, supplying an editorial, handbook-style account that supports the "woven-wings" reading of later canon.[29][30]
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