Who Is Madame Web? And What Changes Sony’s Madame Web Makes To Marvel Comics

Cassandra Webb will make her live-action Marvel debut in 2024’s Madame Web, which adapts her comic book mythos as well as those of four other Spider-Man characters. Madame Web will be situated in the Sony Spider-Man universe, which currently includes Venom and Morbius. The SSU will offer its vision of Madame Web, a powerful Marvel hero with a long background in the comics while basing its films on villains and supporting characters from Spider-Man comics (albeit not Spider-Man himself).

Madame Web, starring Dakota Johnson in the title role, will delve into the origins of Cassandra Webb and three other Spider-Man characters from Marvel. The cast includes Sydney Sweeney as Julia Cornwall, Celeste O’Connor as Mattie Franklin, and Isabela Merced as Anya Corazon. The morally gray Ezekial Sims will also make his live-action debut in Madame Web, donning a nasty version of the classic Spider-Man suit. Madame Web’s abilities and backstory from the comics will be updated and recreated for the SSU.

A Brief Insight Into Marvel’s Madame Web Comic Books

Madame Web, created by Dennis O’Neil and John Romita Jr., made her debut in The Amazing Spider-Man #210. Madame Web, while technically a mutant, did not get her powers from the X-Gene like the characters in the X-Men books. Instead, Madame Webb is linked to the Web of Life and Destiny, a construct that connects the multiverse itself. Her link gives her a variety of superpowers, including precognition, which eventually leads to her becoming an ally of Peter Parker. While Spider-Man was first dubious of Madame Web’s skills, he eventually came to trust them, allowing her to help save lives.

In the 1998 “Gathering of the Five” comic story arc, Madame Web took part in the titular ritual, ostensibly earning immortality, while another participant, Mattie Franklin, was given “power,” gaining superhuman abilities similar to Spider-Man’s. The following year, Madame Web teamed up with Mattie and the previous two Spider-Woman incarnations, Jessica Drew and Julia Carpenter, to kidnap her granddaughter, Charlotte Witter. Witter inherited some of her grandmother’s talents, making her a target for Doctor Octopus, who kidnapped her, gave her superpowers through horrific experiments, and brainwashed her into becoming the malevolent third Spider-woman.

Despite being granted immortality at the Gathering of the Five ceremonies, Madame Web is murdered by Sasha Kravinoff, Kraven Hunter’s daughter. Before her death, Web transferred her powers (and the Madame Web title) to Julia Carpenter. Madame Web would momentarily return from the grave during the “Dead No More” story arc.

Madame Web Powers As Shown In The Marvel Comic Books

Madame Web possesses powerful psychic talents as a result of her link to the Web of Life and Destiny. These include telepathy, which enabled her to uncover Spider-Man’s true identity. Madame Web can also do “psychic surgery,” which she employs on her granddaughter to eliminate her knowledge of Spider-Man’s true identity. Madame Web’s powerset also includes the talents of astral projection, clairvoyance, and precognition. Madame Web’s gift of “immortality” following the Gathering of the Five ritual also somewhat reduced her age, although only temporarily. Furthermore, Madame Web’s death in “Grim Hunt” goes against her gift.

However, the Gathering of the Five’s gifts are not always what they appear. The arc demonstrates how the gifts supplied to participants might change over time. For example, Norman Osborn’s mental instability would evolve into wisdom. This would explain why Madame Web’s new appearance was only transitory, as her gift of immortality most likely faded with time. What the gift evolved into, however, remains unknown. Furthermore, it is unclear whether Julia Carpenter received any effects from the Gathering of the Five ritual when Cassandra Webb passed her talents to her.

Changes In Madame Web Comics

Much of Madame Web’s early existence in comics remains unclear. Cassandra Web was born with blindness and myasthenia gravis, which rendered her paraplegic. For much of her comic history, she is seen using a life support chair with a web-like arrangement of tubes. While Madame Web’s younger appearance following the Gathering of the Five was only temporary, the ritual seemed to have permanently cured her of myasthenia gravis. Madame Web will make some big adjustments to Cassandra Web’s original comic version.

In the SSU, Cassandra “Cassie” Webb will gain abilities in an accident when she is in her thirties. She will also be without her comic counterpart’s blindness and myasthenia gravis. While Madame Web is presented as an experienced and strong clairvoyant in the comics, the SSU’s Madame Web will learn to control her abilities as she befriends the three future Spider-Women.

How Is Sony’s Madame Web Connected To Marvel Comics Madame Web? 

Madame Web is set to take place in the same Sony Spider-Man universe as the two Venom films and Morbius. While the film’s trailers did not directly mention the SSU, there could be a tie or allusion to established SSU history. It seems unlikely that either iteration of Spider-Man will appear, although a surprise cameo could help to clarify the film’s location in the Sider universe.

Before agreeing to share Spider-Man’s film rights with Marvel Studios, Sony intended to develop Spider-Man spinoff films centered on antagonists and supporting characters, set in the same chronology as Andrew Garfield’s Amazing Spider-Man flicks. Sony’s current Spider-Man franchise, despite the lack of a Spider-Man iteration, fulfills these plans, and while Madame Web’s 2003 setting sets it before the rest of the Sony Spider-Man Universe, Easter eggs and references are to be expected.