Ashley Kafka (Earth-616)

Name	Ashley Kafka
Affiliation and Relationships
Affiliation	New U Technologies Formerly Ravencroft Institute
Relatives	Parents: Unnamed mother (deceased) Clones and Donors: Ashley Kafka (clone) Siblings: Norma Kafka (sister, deceased)
Marital Status	Single
Physical Characteristics
Gender	Female
Height	5′6″ (1.68 m)
Weight	140 lbs (63.5 kg)
Eyes	Irises: Blue
Hair	Black
Origin and Living Status
Origin	Human
Living Status	Deceased
Reality	Earth-616
Place of Birth	New York City, New York
Place of Death	Transamerica Pyramid, San Francisco, California
Cause of Death	Killed by Marcus Lyman (Cloned by the Jackal) Cellular degeneration caused by the Jackal
Personal Information
Identity	No Dual
Citizenship	American
Occupation	Therapist, psychologist
Education	Doctorate in Psychology
Base of Operations	Ravenscroft Asylum, New York Formerly Empire State University, New York City, New York
Creators and Appearances
Creators	J.M. DeMatteis, Sal Buscema
First	Spectacular Spider-Man #178 (May, 1991)
First	Spectacular Spider-Man #178 (May, 1991)
Death	Ravencroft #2 (February, 2020) (Mentioned)
Death	Ravencroft #2 (February, 2020) (Mentioned)

History

Early Life

Dr. Ashley Kafka was born and raised in New York City along with her sister, Norma Kafka, by their mother. Her sister was sadly born with birth defects to her face and was mentally challenged. Her mother died when Kafka was only nineteen years old and Norma was institutionalised not long after, dying at the facility. Ashley went off the college at Empire State University where she studied psychology.

Vermin

Dr. Kafka eventually joined Ravencroft Institute, known for housing dangerous criminal patients. One of her initial cases involved Vermin. Although initially hesitant to take on such a complex case, she was encouraged by a colleague after Vermin's recent capture following the death of Kraven the Hunter. The colleague believed that Vermin's condition, a transformation into a man-rat, required a psychological rather than physical approach. Dr. Kafka employed hypnotherapy and saw promising progress until Vermin ultimately managed to escape, returning to his life in the sewers. Spider-Man visited Ravencroft to discuss Vermin's case. However, Vermin returned, seeking Dr. Kafka's assistance. Upon seeing Spider-Man, he panicked and attacked, despite Spider-Man's assurances that they were there to help. Dr. Kafka attempted to calm Vermin and regain his trust, but he bit her in distress before fleeing once again.

Dr. Kafka met Spider-Man again when he came for help. He had been exposed to one of Green Goblin's psychedelic Pumpkin Bombs, which caused him to experience intense delusions. She guided him through his hallucinations, reminding him that he was no longer a child and had the strength to confront his inner struggles. When a nurse reported a sighting of Vermin in Scarsdale, Spider-Man went to investigate, with Dr. Kafka following closely. She found them both at Vermins's family home, where they had been injured after an attack by the Green Goblin. Spider-Man managed to protect Vermin from both the Goblin and the police, allowing Dr. Kafka to safely escort Vermin back to Ravencroft Institute. She continued Vermin's treatment and saw a promising sign in his aggression toward her. She interpreted his hostility as evidence that the Vermin personality was weakening, allowing his true self to grow stronger.

The Horns of a Dilemma

When Harry Osborn was defeated as the Green Goblin, was sent to the Ravencroft Institute, where Dr. Kafka became his therapist. In a session, she held up his Goblin mask, attempting to show him how it was limiting him. Enraged, he demanded the mask back and tried to attack her, though she remained safe behind shatterproof glass. She remarked that his reaction was precisely what she'd hoped for, but her work was cut short when Detective Angela Cairn arrived to take him into police custody.

Death of Vermin

Dr. Kafka made solid progress with Vermin, as his transformations into Vermin were becoming less frequent and shorter in duration. However, he relapsed into the Vermin persona after being abducted by the Mutates—other individuals who, like Vermin, had been subject to Baron Zemo's failed experiments. Dr. Kafka was also taken captive by these deformed creatures and brought into the sewers. The Mutates sought to make Vermin their leader and exact revenge on Zemo for his cruelty. Dr. Kafka tried to reach Edward, reminding him of his progress and how close he was to freeing himself from the Vermin identity. Vermin threatened her, vowing to kill and consume her, yet refrained out of respect for her past kindness. Leading the Mutates to the surface, Vermin encountered Spider-Man, who was overwhelmed by the sheer number of attackers and forced back into the sewers. At this point, Zemo arrived to reclaim his "creations" and used a control device to threaten Kafka if Spider-Man tried to intervene. Even the ever-compassionate Dr. Kafka reached her breaking point. But Vermin's, strengthened by months of therapy, managed to break free from Zemo's control. Though poised to kill his tormentor, he heeded Dr. Kafka’s counsel and held back. She agreed to take in the Mutates at New York University Medical Center, offering them a chance for treatment. Vermin, in turn, took on the role of her assistant.

The Savaging

When Dr. Curtis Connors was sent to the Vault for therapy to manage his transformations into the Lizard, Dr. Kafka was assigned to support him. Her sessions made remarkable progress, bolstering his mental resilience. This progress was abruptly disrupted when Calypso Ezili infiltrated the prison, intending to reclaim the Lizard as her ally. However, thanks to Kafka’s work, Connors' strengthened willpower allowed the Lizard to resist Calypso's control. In a final act of defiance, the Lizard overpowered and killed his former master before escaping into the Colorado mountains.

Later Cases

While there she treated many criminally insane super-villains, including Electro, Vulture, Carnage, Chameleon, and Doctor Octopus.

Death

Dr. Kafka was murdered by one of the patients of Ravencroft, the serial killer Massacre, when he made his escape from the institute. Along with numerous allies of Spider-Man, Dr. Kafka was brought back to life by the new Jackal using a sophisticated cloning process in his attempt to sway the hero into cooperating with his enterprise. Dr. Kafka eventually died from clone degeneration, but a second clone of her was discovered by Norman Osborn and tricked into believing that she was the original.

Attributes

Power Grid

Abilities

Psychology: Dr. Kafka has an MD with a Psychology. She is considered to be the best psychological doctors in the country. Her expertise is in the treatment of super-criminals.

See Also

• 60 appearance(s) of Ashley Kafka (Earth-616)
• 3 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Ashley Kafka (Earth-616)
• 2 minor appearance(s) of Ashley Kafka (Earth-616)
• 22 mention(s) of Ashley Kafka (Earth-616)
• 1 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Ashley Kafka (Earth-616)
• 1 image(s) of Ashley Kafka (Earth-616)

Links and References

• Ashley Kafka on Wikipedia.org