Madame Web is the next entry in Sony's Spider-Man Universe, also referred to as Sony's Universe of Spider-Man characters (SUMC). Starring a heavily altered version of Cassandra Webb, the unique superhero movie takes the Spider-Man ally and gives her a movie of her own. This won't even be the first time that the character has been adapted outside the comics, as she has a long history of heroism.

Diving the future and warning fellow "Web Warriors" of incoming dangers, Madame Web has long been a unique part of the wider Spider-Man mythology. Though she may not spin literal webs like the Wall-Crawler himself, she's still been a vital part of Peter Parker's life, especially in a certain animated series. Now, Madame Web is about to weave a different tale on the big screen, leading many to wonder just who the female Marvel hero is.

Updated by Timothy Blake Donohoo on December 19, 2023: The first trailer for Sony's Madame Web has been released, with the movie inching closer to hitting theaters in 2024. As seen in the trailer, a lot has been changed about the character in the movie, namely her age and relation to other Spider-Man characters. This is easily the biggest push ever for Madame Web, but her history reaches back long before the current cinematic Sony Spider-Man Universe.

Madame Web Has Spun A Web Of Shadows Since The Bronze Age Of Comics

Cassandra Webb as Madame Web in comics sitting on chair suspeneded by webs

First Appearance

Death

The Amazing Spider-Man #210

Prowler Vol. 2 #4

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Madame Web first appeared during the Bronze Age of Comics and was created by legendary comic book creators Denny O'Neil and John Romita, Jr. Cassandra Webb works as a professional medium, though this clairvoyance isn't an occult ability and is instead the manifestation of her mutant powers. This extrasensory awareness would offset her many disabilities, as she was blind, paralyzed, and stricken with the neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis. This kept her attached to a life support machine designed by her husband, which looked conspicuously like a spider's web. Spider-Man would first meet the wizened psychic when attempting to track down the kidnapped publisher of rival newspaper the Daily Globe. She would go on to be a frequent aid to Spider-Man, even temporarily learning his secret identity before injuries sustained from the Juggernaut's rampage caused mild amnesia.

The character would also mold the growing legacy of Spider-Women in the Marvel Universe. She personally looked over and trained Mattie Franklin, the third woman to use that title, while also being the grandmother of Charlotte Witter, the fourth Spider-Woman. During the "Gathering of the Five" storyline (a somewhat contentious story that came after the intensely controversial Clone Saga), the eponymous occult ritual not only cured her blindness but also restored her youth. She was also one of the few mutants to retain her powers after Decimation, though this development did not last. She and her protégé Mattie Franklin were killed by the wife and daughter of the villainous Kraven the Hunter, though Madame Web was able to pass on her powers to none other than Julia Carpenter, the second Spider-Woman. Since then, her only reappearance has been as a clone created by the Jackal, though said clone quickly disintegrated due to cellular degeneration. Web's physical limitations and mental power set meant that she was very rarely pivotal in an action-oriented storyline, but a potential movie surrounding her could delve more into her origin.

Madame Web's Tangled Web Involved The Best 1990s Marvel Cartoon

Madame Web from Spider-Man: The Animated Series.
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Madame Web's heyday was in the Spider-Man comics of the 1980s, so it makes sense that she hasn't had a ton of appearances in other media. Her first and most notable role outside of the comics was in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, where she was voiced by none other than Joan B. Lee, Stan Lee's wife. Here, her clairvoyant role was even more enigmatic than in the comics. Her powers were on a much greater scale, which fit as she was now an ally of the Beyonder. She sought out different Spider-Men from throughout the multiverse in an attempt to find the hero that would ultimately defeat the threat of Spider-Carnage. This led her to give Spider-Man vague, esoteric messages of cosmic proportions, somewhat at odds with the friendly neighborhood vibe of the character.

A reimagined version of the character would appear in the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon. Here, perhaps in reference to the recent developments of the comics, she was combined with the character of Julia Carpenter and lacks the old age or disabilities of her mainstream counterpart. As in the '90s animated series, however, she was tasked with sending Spider-Men throughout the multiverse to face various threats.

She would also appear in Questprobe featuring Spider-Man and the Ultimate Spider-Man video game, but her biggest role in interactive entertainment was in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. There, she united Spider-Man, Ultimate Spider-Man, Noir Spider-Man, and Spider-Man 2099 to recover the shattered Tablet of Order and Chaos. This multiversal function has become a defining role for the character, and it's possible that Sony could use it to expand its growing Spider-Man Universe.

Sony's Spider-Man Universe Features A Much Different Madame Web

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As shown in the first trailer for Sony's upcoming movie Madame Web, the familiar heroine is getting a major makeover in the Sony Spider-Man Universe. Played by Dakota Johnson, this iteration of Madame Web is much younger than she is in the comics. Given her apparent wardrobe of a red jacket, it's arguably combining the traditional Cassandra Web with the Julia Carpenter Madame Web. Likewise, Johnson's dark hair also evokes the Jessica Drew version of Spider-Woman, who is apparently not in the movie. The premise of the Madame Web film portrays Webb as a paramedic who develops clairvoyant abilities. These allow her to look into a deeper "spider world," which puts her and a group of several other young women on a collision course with danger.

The villain of an altered version of Ezekiel Sims, who in the comics is actually an ally of Spider-Man. Ironically, he's seen wearing a costume that's not unlike a black version of the Web-Slinger's own suit. Likewise, the hunting villain's prey is none other than Mattie Franklin, Julia Carpenter and Anya Corazon. Each of these young ladies has at one point taken up the mantle of Spider-Woman or Spider-Girl in the comics, with Anya being the most recent of them. This fate is even foreseen in the movie's first trailer, which gives glimpses of each heroine's final costume. Such previews promise to give those Spider-Women a destiny similar to the source material, even if Madame Web herself is changed quite a bit.

Beyond this basic premise, there's still a lot that's not known about the upcoming Madame Web movie. Rumors abound, however, with the movie's supposed setting in the early 2000s potentially making it into a Spider-Man prequel, of sorts. Some theories and rumors suggest that actor Adam Scott (whose role has not yet been confirmed) is playing a younger version of Ben Parker. According to these rumblings, he and Madame Web are ultimately trying to stop Kaine in order to keep him from preventing the birth of Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spider-Man. If that's the case, this will finally put the SUMC one step closer to having its own take on the iconic hero. Regardless of whether this happens, however, the Madame Web movie is sure to put the spotlight on Cassandra Webb herself.

Madame Web swings into theaters on February 14, 2024.

Madame Web Updated Film Poster
Madame Web
Superhero
Action
Adventure
Sci-Fi

Cassandra "Cassie" Webb is forced to confront her past while trying to survive with three young women with powerful futures who are being hunted by a deadly adversary

Release Date
February 14, 2024
Director
S.J. Clarkson
Cast
Sydney Sweeney , Isabela Merced , Dakota Johnson , Emma Roberts
Main Genre
Superhero
Writers
Kerem Sanga , Matt Sazama , Burk Sharpless