Silver Sablinova, also known as Silver Sable, is an antagonist in Marvel's Spider-Man, and a supporting character in its downloadable content campaign, The City That Never Sleeps. She is the leader of the international mercenary company Sable International, as well as the princess of the Symkarian royal family.
Sable and her team are hired by Mayor Norman Osborn to bring order to the city against the Inner Demons. Initially heavily mistrusting of Spider-Man, Sable acts in opposition to him despite sharing his goals and enemies. She eventually builds a begrudging respect for him and the two form an alliance against Hammerhead.
History[]
Early history[]
Silver Sablinova was born around the year 1982 into the royal family of the Eastern European nation of Symkaria.[1] Her grandfather had fought Nazi occupation, and then founded Sable International after the war. Though Sable International later became an organization with agents worldwide, Sable herself was trained from early childhood by the greatest warriors in the world.[1]
At some point during her early adulthood, her family's sovereignty over Symkaria was overtaken by a dictator, who established a totalitarian government in Symkaria. Due to this, the country fell into a bloody civil war, with the Sablinova family leading the rebel movement. Sable accepted jobs for Sable International then used the money she raised to create her own technology and weapons to help the rebels fight.[2]
At one point, Sable rescued a school of children, and their math teacher, David Obademi during a rebel uprising, from armed soldiers. This led Obademi to feel indebted to her, eventually becoming a mercenary himself.[2]
Marvel's Spider-Man[]
Silver Sable's first encounter with Spider-Man
Due to threats against his life from the Inner Demons gang, after the City Hall bombing, Norman Osborn hired Silver Sable and her mercenaries to protect him. Her first encounter with Spider-Man was in "Dual Purpose", when he infiltrated a business operated by the Demons. Sable and her team successfully captured Spider-Man, though Yuriko Watanabe intervened to save him.[3]
In "Collision Course", when Dr. Morgan Michaels was attacked by the Demons, she and her team took him to safety. As Spider-Man was attempting to rescue the doctor himself, she simply told him she would be using deadly force and ordered him to leave. After Spider-Man had rescued him, she scolded him and aimed her gun at him, before Michaels urged her to leave him alone.[4]
Spider-Man was eventually placed on Sable's target list after prisoners escaped the Raft and Ryker's Island.[5] During "Step Into My Parlor...", after the Devil's Breath incident, Sable was personally protecting Norman Osborn at his penthouse when Mary Jane Watson snuck in. Despite Mary Jane being unarmed and trapped on the balcony, Sable fired on her, forcing her to leap off the edge.[6]
In "The Heart of the Matter", Sable first warned Spider-Man to leave the Devil's Breath lab, and when he did not comply and instead knocked out her mercenaries, she confronted him. Holding a gun to his head, she expressed fury at his harassing her men and the cost to her and her client, though he pleaded they work together to stop Martin Li and rescue Osborn inside. She complied and helped buy time for Spider-Man to find him. After Spider-Man successfully rescued Dr. Michaels and defeated Li but was badly injured by Doctor Octopus, Sable helped get Spider-Man critical care; when he thanked her, she responded he could "thank her by not dying".[7] Thereafter, Sable called Spider-Man to tell him she was leaving New York, inspired by his action in helping those who hate him, choosing to reflect on her life choices.[8]
The City That Never Sleeps[]
After Sable International technology was stolen by Hammerhead, Sable returned to New York. In "Old Friends", on return, she was furious at Spider-Man for preventing Hammerhead from stealing Project Olympus technology, briefly trading blows with him in anger.[9] After another battle with Hammerhead, in "Together But Alone", she reluctantly agreed to work with Spider-Man but placed a tracker on his suit,[10] after which she trailed him to find more about Hammerhead.
In "Trust Issues", while cloaked, she followed Spider-Man and gained information on Hammerhead's location, leading her to the Colexco rooftop building. Despite Spider-Man's warning that it was a trap, she went there with his support and fought Hammerhead from her jet, but was captured by him after Hammerhead crashed the jet.[11] She was then tortured by his men in their sewer base until Spider-Man rescued her in "Getting Deep", at which point they devised a way to beat Hammerhead by targeting heat against his plate.[12] In "One Plus One Equals Win", she and Spider-Man lured Hammerhead to a cloaked Sable International boat on the Hudson River, where they teamed up to finally defeat him. Afterwards, she told Spider-Man she had warmed to him, and thanked him for his heroics and before returning to Symkaria to help her people.[13]
After Marvel's Spider-Man[]
Before Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Silver Sable trained Mary Jane Watson, whom she befriended (despite their last hostile encounter) when the latter visited Symkaria along with Peter to cover the Civil War there, making her a more competent combatant.
Characteristics[]
Appearance[]
Concept art of Silver Sable
Silver Sable has short, grayish-white hair, with the left side partly covering her eyes. She dons a white coat with a light and dark gray uniform underneath. She has piercing blue eyes, and eyebrows that possess a similar color to her hair. She carries two gray pistols, which are stored on the left and right side of her waist when she is not in battle.
Personality[]
David Obademi: There were nine of them, all with automatic rifles. They asked for names, but I would not give any. Their patience wore out. They raised their rifles to shoot me... and that's when she came in.Peter Parker: Who?David Obademi: Silver Sable. She took out the whole group. She saved me, and the children, and that is why I owe her my life.Peter Parker: Wow... For a heartless mercenary, she's Sometimes almost likable.David Obademi: Sometimes.
Silver Sable is stoic, aggressive, and determined. She is uncompromising in her mission to complete a contract, at times leading her mercenaries to violate citizens' constitutional rights[14] or leading her to be rash against potential allies.[4][9] Her demeanor is typically serious and no-nonsense, reflecting both a disciplined approach to her work, and her troubled past.
Beneath Sable's demeanor and the drive for her success is the conflict in Symkaria, which is more personal to her than she lets on. Sable is empathetic to her people in Symkaria and to her own employees, defending them when attacked,[7][a] leading to strong loyalty from them in return.[2] Though Sable's men did at times detain New Yorkers unlawfully, this was likely influenced from the mayor's orders as his orders forced them to stop,[14] and when carrying out jobs, she has come to defense and protection of civilians.[2]
Silver Sable prefers to work with her own men and without outside help. This leads her to a complicated relationship with Spider-Man, treating him as a nuisance and warning him to stay away and allow her men to handle the Inner Demons.[4][7][a] This culminated in her almost killing him when trying to rescue Osborn from the Demons, until Spider-Man convinced her to work with him.[7] In both this case and with Hammerhead, she ultimtaely relented and gained a gruding respect for him, admitting to being inspired by his forgiveness and heroics despite finding his witticisms irritating.[7][13]
Abilities and equipment[]
Trained from early childhood by the most accomplished warriors in the world, Silver Sable is an extraordinary hand-to-hand combatant, and skilled in various martial arts. Spider-Man describes her as possibly the "best pure fighter [he's] ever seen."[1] She is also a formidable and lethal marksman, having immense skill with numerous ranged weapons. Sable, through rigorous training and her mercenary escapades, is the epitome of physical prowess, with her agility, speed, strength, durability and reflexes (complementing her spectacular combative skills) capable of rivaling even the superhumanly nimble and athletic Spider-Man, allowing her to defeat him twice during their two fights. Additionally, she is fluent in multiple languages, including Symkarian and English.
Concept art of Silver Sable's gun
Silver Sable generally has the latest technology and equipment at her disposal, provided by Sable International. In combat, she usually dual-wields her signature twin handguns, and uses a red, electric bolas to capture her enemies. As depicted in the "Silver Lining" expansion, Silver Sable uses a high-tech jet for transportation that is also fitted with energy-powered guns, and has access to stealth technology that effectively renders her invisible to the naked eye.
Original appearance[]
Silver Sable's first appearance was in Amazing Spider-Man #265 (June 1985).
Notes[]
Annotations[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sable blames her setbacks on Spider-Man's interferences after nearly losing Dr. Micheals,[4] after Devil's Breath incident,[7] and after losing technology to Hammerhead.[9] Her reason for blaming him is partly finding Spider-Man to be a nuisance, but also partly her defense of her men, who she has never directed blame to.
Citations[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Marvel's Spider-Man menu § "Silver Sablinova / Silver Sable"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Marvel's Spider-Man script § "Olympus Hideouts"
- ↑ Marvel's Spider-Man script § "Dual Purpose"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Marvel's Spider-Man script § "Collision Course"
- ↑ Marvel's Spider-Man script § "Out of the Frying Pan..."
- ↑ Marvel's Spider-Man script § "Step Into My Parlor..."
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Marvel's Spider-Man script § "The Heart of the Matter"
- ↑ Marvel's Spider-Man script § "Pax in Bello"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Marvel's Spider-Man script § "Old Friends"
- ↑ Marvel's Spider-Man script § "Together But Alone"
- ↑ Marvel's Spider-Man script § "Trust Issues"
- ↑ Marvel's Spider-Man script § "Getting Deep"
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Marvel's Spider-Man script § "One Plus One Equals Win"
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Marvel's Spider-Man script § "Sable Outposts"