Origin
Adriana Soria was the first female Marine in combat during World War II. Adriana and a number of other soldiers were exposed to radiation at Bikini Atoll in an attempt to create more super-soldiers like Captain America. All but Adriana died during this experiment. The mental strain of the experiment unhinged Adriana’s mind and she was placed in a military asylum and forgotten.
Creation
Queen first appeared in Spectacular Spider-Man #15 in August 2004 and was created by Paul Jenkins and Michael Ryan.
Major Story Arcs
Avengers Disassembled
Adriana was a latent mutant whose radiated genetic structure made her into a insect human hybrid, although she still looks completely human. During the events of ” Avengers Disassembled“, Queen surfaced in New York with the ability to control anyone with “insect genes” including those with retrograde DNA species, allowing her to take control over several civilians. She is first seen leaving a limousine and as she leaves, is greeted by several of her slaves. She quickly dispatches a taxi with telepathy and makes her way through a building`s roof. She is engaged by Spider-Man, however her sonic scream and mind-controlling powers enable her to quickly overpower the hero. Captain America appears to save Spider-Man, but he too is overpowered by the Queen and her drones. As Spider-Man tries to get up to fight her again, Queen takes him down with another sonic scream and makes out with him.
Later, she reappears and kisses the captured Spider-Man in an attempt to make him fall in love with her. While Spider-Man is almost seduced, he manages to temporarily overcome her powers. However, before she can take control over Peter, Captain America frees himself and while Cap fights the drones, Spider-Man engages her. She is finally defeated when Cap pushes her off the building.
It is later revealed that Queen had mutated the DNA in Spider-Man, resulting in him becoming a monstrous spider creature. The Queen defeats and captures Spider-Man once more, as he further mutates into a giant spider, before reverting mostly to his original form. It was Queen’s hope that this monstrous spider would give birth to a child for her. Spider-man was transformed by the process, gaining greater strength, enhanced senses and the ability to generate organic webs of his own making.
Queen was seemingly killed by a bomb she had planted as a means of escape when Spider-Man sabotaged it. Her body was never found.
Spider-Island
Queen returned in Spider-Island as a force behind the Jackal. As the Queen can control insects and people who have insect DNA in them, she plans on infecting the whole world with spider-powers and thus control it. She somehow obtained Captain America and changed him into her Spider-King. When Horizon Labs reactivated Spider-Man’s spider sense, Queen’s connection to the Web of Life was also amplified making her god-like. After a failed assassination attempt by Flash Thompson in the Venom suit cures Captain America, he joins Flash Thompson and together they take her down. However, the Queen is not dead, but she metamorphoses into a building-high spider-hybrid. All Avengers join in fighting her, but it was Spider-Man who defeated her by curing all her new minions with Octobots and stripping her of her powers. Then Kaine who also have been released from her thrall, kills the Queen.
Powers
Queen’s primary power is insect control, allowing her to command insects and humans carrying the insect gene, an atavistic DNA marker present in approximately one third of the modern human population. She can control her drones telepathically or control their motor functions through telekinesis. Only particularly strong-willed individuals may resist her commands for a while. She can telepathically communicate with her drones from a long distance, spreading her influence throughout New York City. Whether she can extent her control to even greater distances is uncertain.
She is also telekinetic, psionically manipulating matter at will. She has a sonic scream. She has super strength, able to lift c. 1 ton. She has received military training and is adept at armed and unarmed combat.