Shriek (Marvel)
Shriek is a female comic supervillain who features in Marvel Comics.
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Biography
Frances Louise Barrison
She was a woman whose early life was defined by trauma, abuse, and neglect, leaving her with deep scars that would later manifest in violence. She suffered under an abusive household and later turned to narcotics as an escape from the pain of her upbringing. Her addictions and instability led her into the criminal underworld, where she encountered both violence and exploitation. (Spider-Man Unlimited v1 #1) Years ago, came to manifest her sonic powers which were still new to her as she operated as a drug dealer in the Downtown area. During this time, she encountered Cloak where in their fight he came to encase her in the Darkforce dimension. Exposure to it resulted in her falling into complete madness where she began to operate as a spree killer. (Web of Spider-Man v1 #101) The darkness of that dimension left an indelible mark on her mind, amplifying her anger and fracturing her morality. From that moment, she embraced her role as a killer, finding belonging only in chaos and destruction. She had claimed to had been engaging in mass murder when she met someone who literally blew her mind which resulted in her being apprehended by the authorities. (Spider-Man Unlimited v1 #1)
At some point, she came to be confined to the Ravencroft Institute where she remained in a special cell. One day, the captive Cletus Kasady was being escorted to his cell after seemingly having lost the powers of his Symbiote. However, he came to manifest the Symbiote from his blood allowing him to become Carnage. Going on a rampage, he started killing the security guards at the scene with Shriek watching it. She then asked him to free her as she had become attracted at the mayhem he was capable of releasing and suggested the two work together. Carnage then freed her as the pair escaped and decided to engage in killing people all across the city. She joined him in a rampage across New York, where she quickly became one of his most dangerous allies. Shriek’s influence extended beyond her destructive powers; she adopted a maternal role to Kasady’s twisted "family," treating allies such as Demogoblin, Doppelganger, and Carrion as her children. Her relationship with Carnage was one of obsessive devotion, feeding off his violent charisma while reinforcing his crusade of bloodshed with her own sadism. Together, they left devastation across the city, their bond deepening with each atrocity committed. (Spider-Man Unlimited v1 #1)
Shriek’s rampage with Carnage escalated into open war against Spider-Man and other heroes of New York. She unleashed her powers of sound manipulation to devastating effect, capable of hurling concussive blasts and manipulating the emotions of crowds. In the height of the chaos, she spread violence by amplifying aggression and hatred within the city’s populace, turning ordinary civilians into rioters and killers. This widespread manipulation transformed her from a mere killer into a mass threat, magnifying the destruction of Carnage’s crusade. Her nihilistic joy in watching society turn against itself revealed the depth of her instability and the sheer danger of her abilities when paired with her fractured psyche. (Spider-Man Unlimited v1 #2)
Shriek was returned to Ravencroft Institute where she once attempted an escape alongside the vigilante Mayhem and a handful of other inmates. However, she was defeated by Spider-Man and John Jameson before they managed their escape. (Web of Spider-Man Annual v1 #10)
Through unknown means, she managed to escape imprisonment and turned up at the Bar with No Name. At the Bar, several super-villains were betting on what was in a chrysalis recently formed. This chrysalis happened to be a homeless man nicknamed Freak after he had visited Doctor Curtis Connors' laboratory and injected himself with one of Connors' experiments. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #552)
After recovering, she came to join the Sinister Sixteen that had been created by Boomerang. (Superior Foes of Spider-Man v1 #12) After being manipulated and abandoned by Boomerang, Shriek and three other members of the Sinister Sixteen sought revenge on him in the Bar With No Name, only to be defeated by him, Beetle, Overdrive, and Speed Demon. (Superior Foes of Spider-Man v1 #15) Shriek subsequently attacks a police station with Gibbon, Griffin, and Ruby Thursday. The quartet is subdued by Spider-Woman's apprentice Porcupine. (Spider-Woman v6 #1)
Shriek later appeared as a secret ally to Kraven the Hunter at the time he was leading the NYPD's SWAT Team into hunting the human-dinosaur hybrids living beneath New York City. She made herself known where she used her sonic attack on Venom and then collapsed the ceiling on him much to Kraven's annoyance. Shriek stated to Kraven that he can have the head of Eddie Brock after their mission. (Venom v1 #157) Venom catches up to Kraven the Hunter and fights him and Shriek. With help from Tana, Venom stated that the Dinosaur People weren't killing anybody and that they are only surviving underground. Kraven the Hunter and Shriek are arrested by the NYPD. (Venom v1 #158)
Recruited by Carnage into the Cult of Knull, Shriek resumed her Sandra Deel persona and served as the cult's public face during their takeover of Doverton, Colorado. After an altercation with John Jameson, Shriek assisted Carnage and the Doppelganger in sacrificing the citizens of Doverton to Knull, claiming their codices. (Web of Venom Cult of Carnage v1 #1) After Carnage's takeover of the Ravencroft Institute, Shriek offered herself as a sacrifice to revive Demogoblin, allowing Carnage to rip out her spine to claim her codex of the Scorn symbiote. Her corpse was subsequently possessed by the Demogoblin, who changed its name to 'Demagoblin' to commemorate having a female host. (Absolute Carnage: Lethal Protectors v1 #1) In need of a safety measure to use against the symbiotes they were experimenting on, the revitalized Life Foundation regrew Shriek in their laboratories due to her sonic powers, and kept her in stasis inside a tank for when she would be needed. When the Zombiotes of Alchemax began to spread across New York City, Liz Allan, C.E.O. of Alchemax, hired the international mercenary organization known as the Wild Pack, who she equipped with the original Life Foundation symbiotes, to secure the tank containing Shriek for her. During an altercation with the Zombiotes, Shriek was accidentally released from the tank, but Tarantula was able to subdue her. (Venom War: Lethal Protectors v1 #2)
Despite that, Shriek managed to escape where she took a job for a gangster named Stevie who faced arrest if the testimony of a witness reached the authorities. She seemingly dealt with the witness but was not paid by Stevie who she threatened and reminded him on his fate if she did not get her money. Afterwards, she came upon a band named Threadbare playing where Shriek decided to use her powers to cause attendees to fight one another before Francis decided to attack the singers themselves. She was then confronted by the superheroes Silk and Ghost Spider who helped defeat Francis. (All-New Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider v1 #6)
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Shriek was a human woman with pale skin, raven-black hair, and a slender, angular frame that emphasized her gothic aesthetic. She wore a tight black leather costume adorned with white patterns resembling broken glass or shards, which mirrored her shattered mind and violent persona. Her dark eyes and pale complexion heightened her unnerving presence, making her as visually unsettling as her personality. This distinctive look set her apart as both a figure of gothic beauty and violent menace, a living symbol of her fractured psyche and chaotic powers. (Spider-Man Unlimited v1 #1)
Shriek’s personality was defined by instability, sadism, and obsession. She displayed violent mood swings, veering from maternal warmth toward her 'family' to murderous cruelty toward her enemies. Her obsession with Carnage revealed both a dependency and a loyalty that bordered on delusion, as she saw in him the only form of love and acceptance she could understand. At the same time, her joy in chaos and violence suggested that her identity was built upon destruction itself, making her unpredictable and deadly. Despite her instability, Shriek possessed cunning and charisma, capable of bending others to her will through both manipulation and her sonic abilities. (Spider-Man Unlimited v1 #2)
She claimed to be a good mother who came to love her 'children'. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #390)
At one point, she came to enjoy the chases Spider-Man made of her because she thought that it brought more darkness that was buried deep in his psyche. After Carnage disappeared, Shriek came to believe that Spider-Man could become her new husband and father to her 'children' if he fully embraced the darkness within him and became more like her. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #391)
Powers and abilities
Shriek was a Mutant human whose powers were awakened after exposure to Cloak’s Darkforce Dimension. Her abilities included the manipulation of sound waves, allowing her to release destructive sonic blasts that could shatter structures and incapacitate opponents. In addition to her physical destructive powers, she was capable of manipulating the emotions of those around her, inciting hatred, violence, and aggression within entire crowds. This ability to sow mass unrest made her uniquely dangerous, as she could extend her influence beyond direct combat into society itself. Her physiology as a mutant granted her enhanced resilience, allowing her to endure conflicts against multiple superhuman opponents, including Spider-Man and Venom. (Spider-Man Unlimited v1 #1)
During one of her stays at Ravencroft, she began to explore the nature of her sonic powers and its capabilities. This led to her learning to manipulate them in new ways and achieve new feats. Among them included altering the sonic buffer zone to reduce the impact of physical blows. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #391)
Notes
- Shriek was created by Tom DeFalco, Mike W. Barr, Terry Kavanagh, Ron Lim, Jerry Bingham, and Mark Bagley where she made her first appearance in Spider-Man Unlimited v1 #1 (May, 1993).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In Ultimate Spider-Man, Shriek appeared in the setting of the animated television series in the vs. the Sinister Six season where she was voiced by actress Ashley Eckstein.
Films
- In Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Shriek appeared in the setting of the 2021 live-action film set in Sony's Spider-Man Universe where she was portrayed by actress Naomie Harris.
Video games
Appearances
- Spider-Man Unlimited v1: (1993)
- Amazing Spider-Man v1:
- Fearless Defenders v1:
- Superior Foes of Spider-Man v1:
- Venom v1:
- Absolute Carnage v1:
- All-New Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider v1:
External Links
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