Amazing Spider-Man Revives the Sinister Syndicate as an All-Female Team

The Amazing Spider-Man #25 reveals a new, all-female lineup of the Sinister Syndicate.

Francine Frye, the female Electro, attacks Broadway show Galactus: The Musical, attended by Mary Jane Watson and Carlie Cooper. It’s there Electro attacks famed actress Melanie Daniels as part of the world’s first ever real-time celebrity hostage ransom, where Electro threatens to publicly execute Daniels unless her live-saving fund is filled within an hour.

Mary Jane’s boyfriend, Spider-Man, is preoccupied combatting self-replicating killer drones programmed as a protective measure by Curt Connors, who hopes to keep his reptilian alter-ego in its human cage after the Lizard was unleashed during Kraven the Hunter’s final attack on the city.

MJ fools Electro by posing as Daniels — who acts as Susan Storm, the Invisible Woman, in the Fantastic Four-inspired show — and putting on a performance that reignites her desire to act following years away, during which time she acted in an assisting role to the Avengers before taking on an even bigger role at Stark Industries.

A toppled fish tank defeats Electro, who is whisked away by armored police. While Mary Jane enjoys a return to the spotlight, Spider-Man convinces Connors to initiate a self-destruct sequence on the ever-expanding army of drones and returns him home to his family, mutated son Billy and wife Martha.

MJ renews contact with her old agent, Brett Hoskins, who hopes to capitalize on her renewed fame. Unbeknown to MJ, sat nearby is Mysterio, who faked his death in Amazing Spider-Man #24. The master of illusions is in service of Kindred, a demonic creature responsible for a disturbing vision haunting Peter Parker.

As Kindred plots a still unraveling scheme against Peter and the Spider-Family — Miles Morales, the Gwen Stacy Ghost-Spider, Silk, and others — the armored police report to Mayor Wilson Fisk they’re en route with the captured Electro. The transport is assaulted and quickly defeated by a “burgeoning startup,” one who a mysterious figure says has yet to even finish putting their team together.

Revealed is the Sinister Syndicate, patterned after Spidey-hating super-group the Sinister Six: composed of Beetle, Lady Octopus, Scorpia, White Rabbit, Trapster and now Electro.

The Sinister Syndicate first formed in 1986’s Amazing Spider-Man #280, with Beetle leading a band of supervillain mercenaries comprised of Rhino, Boomerang, Hydro-Man and Speed Demon.

Now the new Beetle, Janice Lincoln — daughter of another Spider-Man foe, crime lord Tombstone — are hunting Boomerang, a.k.a. Fred Myers, who in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man #1 was revealed as Peter’s new roommate.

Amazing Spider-Man #26 releases July 24.