History
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Catalina Marie Flores grew up in Bludhaven and witnessed many of the injustices carried out throughout the city. This most likely prompted her to leave Bludhaven behind and go into the F.B.I. training academy at Quantico. It’s not clear how long she was an agent, but eventually she left the bureau altogether and returned home to Bludhaven. Once there, she learned her brother, Assistant D.A. Mateo Flores, could not turn the tide of corruption that engulfed the city. Catalina seemed to be working for the city herself when she encountered the first Tarantula, Jonathan Law, when he walked into her office to collect his SSI check. Flores had previously read his book on the memoirs of the Tarantula and wanted him to sign her copy. She then wanted to know everything about his career as Tarantula.

 

Catalina Flores meets John Law (the original Tarantula)

(Note: One could almost assume Flores read Law’s book about the memoires of Tarantula during her F.B.I. years and was inspired to quit the bureau in order to pursue a costume career in Bludhaven.)

Flores first garnered Dick Grayson’s (Nightwing) attention when she attended a self defense class taught by him and was able to connect a blow to his body. Flores came across as confident and uninhibited, eager to learn other various hand-to-hand defensive methods as well as wanting to get to know Grayson better on less formal terms. She next caught his eye on her first outings as the new Tarantula. Grayson (as Nightwing) was unimpressed with her extreme vigilante methods and forbade her to operate in Bludhaven. This only angered Flores and she took off only to become more of a foil for Grayson down the road. During this time, Grayson was investigating the murder of Bludhaven’s corrupt Chief of Police, Delmore Redhorn and discovers evidence indicting the new Tarantula as his killer.

Nightwing succeeded in arresting Flores for Chief Redhorn’s murder with the help of Tad Ryerstad (Nite-wing), who himself was arrested for his crimes (the murders of Cisco Blaines and Dudley Soames).  However, Mateo Flores was determined to get his sister released, furious she had been turned in with the help of a dubious vigilante.  As Tarantula, Flores next aided Blockbuster in his revenge campaign on Nightwing. She did this in order to gain training that Nighwing denied her. When ordered to kill Grayson’s girlfriend, Barbara Gordon (Oracle), Tarantula instead manipulated a dinner engagement between the two in such a way that she helped cause Gordon to break up with Grayson.

Tarantula is unable to save John Law

but when she took the tape to her brother he crushed it due to the deal he made with Blockbuster to get her out of jail. Furious, Flores next went to the site of the battle between Blockbuster and Nightwing, who was driven to the edge of his sanity during the battle. Grayson could have saved Blockbuster, but due to his threats to continually kill every person Grayson comes in contact with, allows Flores to shoot him in the head.

Tarantula kills Blockbuster

Grayson becomes overwhelmed by his realization that he didn’t stop Flores from killing Blockbuster and is unable to resist her from having sex with him (her way of calming him down). The two next left Bludhaven and Flores ended up confronting the villain Copperhead, who was killing local gang members. Grayson managed to pull it together long enough to save her from Copperhead. Flores’ strong feelings for Grayson had them trying to get to know each other better and she soon persuaded him to apply for a marriage license. Before Grayson could sign anything the Batman summoned him to Gotham.

War Games

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Tarantula helps out in War Games

Batman disapproves of Tarantula's methods

Grayson soon regains his senses and seeks out Flores to persuade her to turn herself in for killing Blockbuster. They confront each other back in Bludhaven, in which Flores became heart broken and confrontational. Flores has yet to realize she’s become part of the problem that she wanted to fix in Bludhaven. Grayson managed to bring Flores in and he was acquitted of any charges while she was imprisoned.

Infinite Crisis

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During the Crisis the Society (of Super-Villains) dropped Chemo, a gigantic semi-intelligent life form made of chemicals, on the city of Bludhaven. They city is destroyed by the toxic fallout and 100,068. casualties are reported. It remains to be seen if Catalina Flores made it out of the city alive along with her brother Mateo Flores.

Skills and Abilities

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Flores is skilled in hand-to-hand combat and was in the process of learning to master several martial art forms. She’s an excellent marksman and swordsman. She also possesses limited knowledge of various poisonous substances.

Equipment

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In her arsenal Flores carries various bladed weapons and a gun. She carries a Wirepoon (a miniature harpoon firing handgun used for scaling heights) and a Blowgun with darts containing low-levels of poison to paralyze victims temporarily.