Creator Mark Gruenwald brought the character back during his run on the West Coast Avengers as a member of the villain team Night Shift, which included other former Spider-Woman foes.

Armed with a yard-long needle, the mute villain attacked young men on the streets at night, sewing their mouths shut.

When Jennifer Kale and the Black Talon contain the virus within the Zombie (Simon Garth), the Night Shift members are apparently restored to normal, and the Hood teleports away with them.

[volume & issue needed] The Needle is a fair hand-to-hand combatant, and carries a needle-like weapon over 3 feet (0.91 m) long.

[volume & issue needed] For a time, the Needle's powers were enhanced by Satannish, increasing his physical attributes to that of an athletic man, allowing his hypnotic gaze to work instantaneously, and rendering his weapon sharp enough to rend cinder block.