Marvel Studios' Hawkeye, set to air on Disney+, will reportedly feature the female super villain Madame Masque. She was created by legendary writer Stan Lee and the talented artist Gene Colan. However, it wasn't until years later that the character would receive a permanent change. In Iron Man Vol. 1 #17, the creative team of Archie Goodwin and George Tuska transformed the character into the Madame Masque fans see today.
For most of her history, Madame Marque has been associated with Iron Man, given her origin. Over the years, she has made her mark as one of the most compelling Marvel villains, one who will make for a great addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
10 Iron Man's Ex
Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, has had many romances over the years, including one with the villainous Madame Masque. The two met before she became Madame Masque, while she was working undercover at Stark Industries. The two would later become romantically involved.
Unfortunately, their romance did not last long. Madame Masque still has feelings for Tony, which sometimes crosses the line into obsession. Despite them no longer being a couple and Madame Masque having attacked Tony several times, the latter still cares for her and has even helped her when she has needed it.
9 Daughter of a Supervillain
Like superheroes, sometimes supervillains go on to have children. Some of Marvel's villains' offspring include Daimon and Satana Hellstrom, Thane, Hela, and Sinthea Schmidt.
Count Luchino Nefaria is the biological father of Madame Masque. He was first introduced in Avengers Vol.1 #13. Since then, he fought several incarnations of the Avengers and the X-Men. Count Nefaria did not raise his daughter, but he still connected with her later in life. The two have been shown as allies and enemies throughout the years.
8 Hawkeye's Rival
Madame Masque first met Kate Bishop, aka Hawkeye, in Hawkeye Vol. 4. Their first interaction was when Kate impersonated Madame Masque at an event. Later, Kate saw Madame Masque at a hotel, and she reintroduced herself as Whitney Frost.
Seemingly not recognizing Kate, Madame Masque had lunch with Kate and invited her to her house. Madame Masque attempted to drug her, leading the two to fight. Since that encounter, the two have been rivals. Madame Masque was also the villain of Kate Bishop's solo comic series.
7 Many Aliases
Madame Masque is a woman of many names. When she was first introduced in Tales of Suspense Vol. 1 #97, she used the code name Big M. She was the leader of the Maggia at this time. Madame Masque also used the name Kristine Longfellow while working at Stark Industries.
The character's most notable alias is Whitney Frost. She received this name after she was adopted by Byron Frost and Loretta Frost. Madame Masque also sometimes goes by her birth given name, Giuletta Nefaria.
6 Clones
Madame Masque suffers from paranoia and insanity. Because of this, she has done some extreme things. One of which is the fact she has dozens of clones of herself. She did this on her own, and the clones were not a result of another villain, like Scarlet Spider.
Madame Masque has the clones as a fail-safe. The clones have even gone on to help superheroes, like the Avengers, in important battles. Madame Masque also cloned Kate Bishop, before she transferred her consciousness into the clone, wreaking havoc.
5 Joined the Masters of Evil
Madame Masque has been affiliated with a few teams, but the most significant is the Masters of Evil. The Masters of Evil is a team of villains who often battle superheroes such as the Avengers.
Later, Madame Masque even went on to create her own version of the team known as the Masters of Evil West Coast. The team includes Satana Hellstrom and Lady Bullseye and they have fought Kate Bishop's West Coast Avengers.
4 Iconic Mask
Madame Masque's iconic golden mask isn't just an aesthetic choice but a result of the character being in a plane crash. While she survived, her face was extremely disfigured. Since that day, she wears the mask to hide it.
The mask is also bulletproof, which is helpful protection for any supervillain. There have been times when Madame Masque's face has been healed but she still opts to wear the mask, and she has even gone through a few different designs. Despite this, the golden mask and her scarred face are still two of the most defining parts of her character.
3 Body Swap
Body swaps are a fairly common occurrence in the Marvel universe. Some of the most famous include Peter Parker trading bodies with Otto Octavius and Yelena Belova with Natasha Romanoff.
Madame Masque experienced this one time when she swapped bodies with Bethany Cabe. Cabe is best known as Tony Stark's former bodyguard and past girlfriend. Longtime Iron Man foe Obidiah Stane played a part in the switch. While she was in Bethany Cabe's body, Madame Masque tried to kill Tony. Iron Man then switched the two back before any irreversible damage was done.
2 V.S. Black Widow
Madame Masque has battled many of the greatest heroes in Marvel Comics. This includes Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow. While both women have a history with Iron Man, the two did not meet until recently.
While Natasha Romanoff was in Madripoor, Madame Masque confronted her. The two then fought, and Madame Masque admitted she expected more of a challenge from the famous Black Widow. Natasha ultimately won the fight. Natasha then stole Madame Masque's suit and impersonated her at a party. The two have not interacted since, but this set up another potential great rivalry in Marvel Comics.
1 Sorcery
Madame Masque briefly had magic-based powers, which were first displayed in Invincible Iron Man Vol. 3. Madame Masque showed she could teleport, take control of someone's body, and give off energy basts. She used these powers to attack Tony Stark, her longtime enemy, and her ex-boyfriend.
Madame Masque then used her powers to attack a man she was dealing with at Mary Jane Watson's nightclub. There, she fought Iron Man and Doctor Doom. The latter managed to remove a demon that was possessing Madame Masque, causing her to lose her newfound abilities.