Madame Web
Attributes
| Eyes: | Unknown |
| Features: | Paraplegic |
| Hair: | Black/White |
| Height: | 5' 7 |
| Weight: | 115 lbs |
Powers
| Equipment: | Wheelchair, formerly was reliant on a life-support system designed by her late husband |
| Limitations: | None, other than general infirmity when she was aged. |
| Powers: | Psychic Powers, such as the ability to percieve aspects of the future, and sensitivity to psychic energies in her environment. Has recently demonstrated the ability to perform psychic surgery on others minds, and generally affect the minds of those around her. |
| Strength Level: | Physically Weak, originally she was blind, and was dependent on her life support system for survival. |
| Weapons: | None, other than her mind |
Summary
| Citizenship: | Unknown |
| Created By: | |
| Current Groups: | Loose band of Spider-Women |
| Dual Identity: | Known to the public |
| Education: | Unknown |
| Former Bases: | New York |
| Former Occupation: | Clairvoyant |
| Known Confidants: | Spider-Man, Spider-Woman I (Jessica Drew), Spider-Woman III (Martha "Mattie" Franklin) |
| Known Relatives: | Charlotte Witter (granddaughter), Husband (deceased) |
| Legal Status: | No criminal record |
| Major Enemies: | Juggernaut, Spider-Woman IV (Charlotte Witter) |
| Marital Status: | Widowed |
| Place of Birth: | Salem, Oregon |
| Real Name: | Cassandra Webb |
| Usual Bases: | New York |
Background
”The Prophecy of Madame Web”
When girlfriend Deborah Whitman showed Peter Parker an advertisement for the psychic "Madame Web", he dismissed her as a fraud. But when a (very) hostile takeover of the Daily Globe left Spidey with only Madame Web as a possible clue, he paid her a visit personally. Using her psychic abilities, she gave Spider-Man enough clues to lead him to the criminals. Though Spider-Man was still skeptical of her abilities, they were erased when Madame Web called him at his Chelsea Street apartment with knowledge of his identity. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #210)
”Marathon”
While in the hospital, Peter overheard a plot to kill someone to keep them out of a race. He thought that they meant the New York marathon but there were sixteen thousand runners in the race. He had to know who the target was but would need a miracle. He contacted Madame Web on a pay phone, who knew exactly who he was and what he wanted immediately. She said that the conditions were not right for her to answer his question but she would contact him if things changed. Spider-Man watched over the marathon, taking care of problems as they occurred. A pay phone rang near him and a pedestrian answered it, then yelled to Spider-Man. He wondered who could know he was at that location and it was Madame Web. She told him the “psychic vectors” had improved and she could see two men with automatic rifles waiting for Barney Wicker. Spidey cursed his stupidity, realizing that the “race” was a political one, not a marathon. (Amazing Spider-Man #216)
”Nothing Can Stop the Juggernaut”
Months later, Black Tom Cassidy sought to add her abilities to his criminal organization, and sent his friend Cain Marko, the Juggernaut, to retrieve her. Madame Web, foreseeing this, called on Spider-Man to help stop the Juggernaut. Despite Spider-Man's efforts, the Juggernaut succeeded in reaching Madame Web. When he lifted her up, he unknowingly removed her from an elaborate life-support system that had been keeping her alive. Finding her thus useless, Juggernaut dropped her and left. Madame Web, barely alive, was taken to the hospital. (Amazing Spider-Man #229)
”Now Strikes the Hobgoblin”
After visiting her at the hospital, she told Spider-Man that she no longer remembered his identity and had lost her clairvoyance. Before he left, she asked him to turn on the radio and a news report claimed there had been a robbery at an Osborn Manufacturing building. He left, telling her he hoped she would recover. She smiled to herself after he left and said she expected to. (Amazing Spider-Man #239)
”The Gathering of Five”
One night Cassandra had a vision of Norman Osborn and the Green Goblin offering her eternal youth if she acquired one piece of five magical artifacts. She contacted Spider-Man, telling him that she needed the piece because she was near death. After he retrieved the piece, he said he hoped it would help but to call Thor next time. Before he left, she warned him that J. Jonah Jameson was about to kill Osborn. After Spidey stopped the murder, she delivered the piece to Osborn who asked if she was willing to take part in a ceremony. She agreed, saying that she was an old woman that wanted her youth and health back. She then had a premonition of Osborn’s genetic bomb and the death of the world. (Spider-Man (vol. 1) #96)
”The Final Chapter”
Among the gathered participants were Osborn, Override, Morris Maxwell and Mattie Franklin. The gathered members stood to gain, at random, power, death, wisdom, insanity or immortality. The catch was that the gift you thought you had gotten was actually one of the others. Before the ceremony, Madame Web was impatient to begin. She was tired of Maxwell’s constant warnings, saying they all knew why they were there. She placed her piece at the altar and was knocked backwards. Mattie checked her pulse and said she was dead. Eventually, she was found to have been given immortality. (Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #441)
”Spider-Woman”
Looking much younger, a rejuvenated Madame Web called upon Jessica Drew and Julia Carpenter, along with Martha Franklin. Her granddaughter, Charlotte Witter, who had become a Spider-Woman at the hands of Doctor Octopus, needed to be subdued. Madame Web served as a guide to Martha Franklin, who took up the mantle of the third Spider-Woman. (Spider-Woman (vol. 3) #1-#14)
”Decimation”
The Scarlet Witch had attempted to wipe away all of Earth’s mutants and created an alternate world called House of M. Of the millions of mutants, only hundreds retained their abilities. Madame Web was one of them.
”Feral”
All across New York, criminals that could change into animals (the Lizard and Man-Wolf) were appearing. Other animal themed criminals (Vulture, Puma and Black Cat) were acting unnaturally aggressive. Spidey didn’t trust the X-Men’s psychics after the fiasco with May Parker’s kidnapping so he turned to Madame Web, who knew he was coming. (Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 2) #25)
She was intrigued that Spider-Man had recently died and been reborn (he’d been killed by Morlun and resurrected by a spider god) but Spidey turned the conversation back to why “the animals have come out to play.” She informed him that Vermin was also on the loose. She explained that the web of life connects all living things but the web had become tainted. While Spider-Man hadn’t been touched by the pollution (due to his decent nature), it wouldn’t be that way forever. He needed to find the source of the corruption and she told him to follow the Lizard. After he left, Spider-Man remembered that in high school he had learned in mythology class that Cassandra had been a blind prophet that always spoke the truth. So when Cassandra Webb spoke, he listened. (Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 2) #26)
In Central Park, Spider-Man found that the source of the changes came from Vincent Stegron, who had changed New York into a prehistoric jungle via a meteorite. After the Dinosaur Man was defeated, Peter told Mary Jane that the world still felt very wrong. At her apartment, Cassandra Web heard the conversation and said that his life was about to become much more complicated. (Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 2) #27)
”The Lethal Foes of Peter Parker”
The Superhuman Registration Act had been passed, leaving New York’s heroes divided. Some were in favor of the Act and others were set against it. Peter felt that things had become too polarized and he didn’t know who to trust. He went to Madame Web, knowing that she kept out of such things. She was impartial and would be honest. Spider-Man had been attacked by Scarecrow and Will-O’-the-Wisp and he needed to know if they were part of a larger plot. She told him that recently her visions had been of violence, hate and fire. He asked if her visions were a certainty or a possibility and all she knew was that she felt dread. She warned that war begets war and blood demands more blood. (Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 2) #29)
”Spider-Man Unmasked”
Since the Superhuman Civil War had begun, Mary Jane had been having the same nightmare. She was in an ancient amphitheater surrounded by Peter’s enemies in the seats. Madame Web appeared before her, showing her two identical doors. Behind one was Peter and behind the other was a spider. One was her prize and the other was her doom. She chose the door on the right and was attacked by a human spider. The dream ended and for the rest of the day she pondered her relationship with Peter. Returning to the hotel hideout, MJ was thinking about the dream and again Madame Web showed her two doors. (This time Cassandra had May’s voice.) Behind the door was Peter. She came out of her daydream and found May holding a battered Spider-Man, who had been pummeled by the Rhino. (Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 2) #32)
”The Last Temptation Of Eddie Brock”
May had been shot by an assassin hired by Wilson Fisk and she was on life support. Spider-Man went to Madame Web and explained the situation and asked for a seance. She said that a seance would do no good since May was still alive but Spidey hoped that contacting her might throw her a lifeline. Web said that doing such a thing was possible but depended on whether May wanted to be reached. She agreed to try and help and had already packed a suitcase with the necessary accoutrements. (Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 2) #38)
At the hospital, Web had Peter, MJ and Anna Watson join hands and imagine energy passing from their left as they thought of a memory where they felt close to May. Cassandra chanted something in an unknown language as Peter traveled back to the night that Ben Parker was murdered. After the seance ended, Peter said he had sensed someone else was with May. His spider sense went off and he found Eddie Brock standing over his comatose aunt. Eddie’s madness tried to make him kill May but he jumped out a window in a suicide attempt instead. (Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 2) #39)
”Violent Visions”
Having sealed herself off from all others, she felt the need to return home to her birthplace in Salem, Oregon. Reluctantly she told the visions to come to her. She saw Spider-Man, the first Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew), the Rhino, the Lizard, Vermin and Electro. "A Gauntlet...Sweet mercy...someone...someone is unraveling the web. They...They’re hunting spiders.” Madame was stopped before the vision ended, attacked by Ana Kravinoff and her mother, Sasha Kravinoff. They had their eyes now. The hunt could begin. (Amazing Spider-Man #600)
”Long Term Arrangement”
On New York’s Upper East Side, Madam Web was unsure how long she’d been held by Sasha and Ana. Sasha sent Ana to talk to her, as Sasha found her to be old and dirty. Web suggested that they let her go so she could bathe. Ana was immediately behind her, stuffing a live spider down her throat. She warned Cassandra not to bite, to let the arachnid find her stomach. The spider had been drugged and Ana asked where to find the Spider-Man. She started to tell Ana that he was surrounded by loved ones. (Amazing Spider-Man #606)
”This Man, This Expletive Deleted”
They next used Cassandra to locate Mattie Franklin, who was to be sacrificed in a black magic ceremony. (By this time, Ana considered Madam Web to be a pet.) The Kravinoffs had hired Deadpool to distract Spider-Man long enough for Ana to capture Mattie. (Amazing Spider-Man #611)
”Rage of the Rhino”
As Sasha was talking with the new Rhino, Ana tortured Cassandra with a cattle prod. (Amazing Spider-Man #617)
”Shed”
Seeing that Dr. Connors was about to become the Lizard, Madame Web sensed that the monster would be defeated by by Connors’s love for his son. Sasha was not at all happy with that ending and told her to nudge the creature into another direction. (Amazing Spider-Man #630)
Madame Web’s psychic push was enough to change the outcome of her vision. Instead of Billy Connors saving his father and defeating the Lizard, he was killed by the monster instead. (Amazing Spider-Man #631)
”The Kraven Saga”
Cassandra tried to warn Spider-Man of the danger by contacting him in his dreams. She tried to explain that the never ending attacks by criminals was not an accident but a gauntlet. Her contact with him ended abruptly and Mattie assumed that the attempt had failed. She told Mattie that the webs in the realm of dreams were fragile. At the same time, Mattie has figured out that the Kravinoffs had been draining her blood and making it a poison so she couldn’t fight back. Cassandra tried to reassure her that she’d contact Spider-Man again but Mattie had accepted that they were going to die. Mattie asked why it was happening and Sasha arrived with Ana and Dmitri Smerdyakov, telling her it was about family. Ana scolded Madam Web for “dreamwalking” and cut her with a knife. (Grim Hunt: The Kraven Saga)
”Grim Hunt”
Locked away in the Kravinoffs dungeon/torture chamber/basement, Cassandra was trying to comfort Mattie, who was afraid that what was coming was going to hurt. She said she had only tried to be good, even if she wasn’t the best Spider-Woman. Cassandra affirmed that she had been a fine Spider-Woman. Mattie had saved lives and that was part of the web of life. Mattie asked who was going to save her life and Cassandra didn’t answer. She was then taken away by Ana and Alyosha Kravinoff. As Mattie was stabbed to death, Cassandra blamed herself and thought she had been too weak to protect her. She had succumbed to the poisons and torture inflicted, in the end betraying her “family.” As she cursed herself, Vladimir Kravinoff was returned from the dead. (Amazing Spider-Man #634)
Cassandra had been taken to the Kravinoff family cemetery, the site of the sacrificial killings. Kaine Parker arrived, disguised as Spider-Man. He was shot twice by Sasha, using the same rifle that Sergei had used on himself. He was badly injured and bleeding and Cassandra told him to save himself. He couldn’t save both of them and she didn’t deserve to be saved. He said he didn’t deserve to be saved either and she told him that he held the web together. When the web is strong, the world is strong. He really had no idea how special he was. He was taken away by Ana and Alyosha to the alter, where Sasha gave the fatal stab. As Sergei Kravinoff erupted from his grave, she called “Spider-Man’s” death scream the saddest sound she’d ever heard. (Amazing Spider-Man #635)
As Julia Carpenter and Anya Sofia Corazon mourned Spider-Man’s death, Anya wanted answers. Julia blamed Madam Web. Cassandra muttered to herself that “The web has been torn…every spider hangs by a thread. The strands must be knit again… or all is lost.” Away from the spider women, the Kravinoffs were having family trouble. Sergei blamed his wife for resurrecting him and cursing him with “the unlife.” Psychically sensing the chaos, Cassandra smirked and said, “Take that, Mrs. Kraven.” (Amazing Spider-Man # 636)
In the basement, Vladimir (brought back as an inhuman man-lion due to Mattie not being a “pure” spider) was creepily sniffing at Anya. Vladimir left chuckling to himself and Cassandra told Anya it would be over soon. Anya asked if she was going to die and Madam Web told her all things die but after tonight everything would change. Jessica threatened to kill Madam Web herself if she didn’t stop with the “Yoda crap.” That’s when Sasha barged in, blaming Cassandra for what was happening. Enraged at what Sergei had become, she demanded to know how to fix the ceremony. Madam Web laughed, telling Sasha that she had drugged and tortured her to bring back a glorious past that never existed. The web was broken and she could sense nothing. That’s when Sasha called her useless and cut her throat. Just then the lights went out and Cassandra’s whispered “You have made the spider very, very angry.” Before she died, she apologized to Julia and passed her psychic power to her, for the good of the web. She became the second Madam Web. After the fighting was over, Cassandra was buried near the grave of Kaine. (Amazing Spider-Man #637)
”The Clone Conspiracy”
Madame Web was cloned by the Jackal (Ben Reilly), to show Spider-Man that anyone he had failed to rescue could be resurrected. Criminals were also cloned and Reilly assured Spider-Man that they were no threat, because they had monitored by the clones of Ashley Kafka, Prowler and George Stacy. Web’s clone warned Prowler’s clone of a bank robbery she had foreseen. Jackal had learned of a hacker trying to breach New U’s system and Cassandra had been watching the situation. Prowler went to see her for an update but the hacker was hidden from her. When she tried to dig deeper, she received telepathic feedback. That had never happened to her before but she had managed to see a collection of buildings in black, filled with agony desperate to escape. That location turned out to be Alcatraz. (Prowler #1)
When Prowler didn’t return that night , Jackal sent the new Electro (Francine Frye) to Madam Web for answers. When Web refused to tell Electro where Hobie Brown had gone, she was electrocuted until she gave in. (Prowler #2)
The hacker and cause of Cassandra’s blindness to the hacker’s location was Julia Carpenter, the new Madam Web. Julia had helped Hobie escape from Electro and Alcatraz and got back to San Francisco. At the New U building, they found Cassandra in a state of clone degeneration. Julia was incredulous, as she had seen Madam Web die. Cassandra said she was going to see it again. There were pills to prevent the degeneration but she refused to take them. She told Julia that the Jackal and the cloned criminals were gathered at the Transamerica Building. As Cassandra had a coughing fit, she said that she had seen the future and didn’t want to live to experience it. Her last words were to “save Hobie.” (Prowler #4)
Image Gallery
Appearances
Thanks To
The assistance of the Marvel Chronology Project is gratefully acknowledged.
Some of the above information is extracted from the various versions of the Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe and the more recent Marvel Encyclopaedias.