![For a hero who's been an outlaw for most of his fictional life and often lamented his loner status, Spider-Man has plenty of friends in the cloak community. We've seen this come into play in the MCU, where Tom Holland's Spider-Man was mentored by Iron Man and partnered with the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy. And now he has a new best friend in Doctor Strange in the latest Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man: No Way Home. You can read Amelia Amberwing's IGN review of No Way Home here.
In the comics, it’s a safe bet that no one in the Marvel Universe has teamed up with as many heroes as Peter Parker. For a long time, these temporary alliances happened in Marvel Team-Up, but also in the various other titles under the Spider-Man editorial bubble. Some have had a lasting impact on Marvel canon, like Spidey’s long relationship with the Fantastic Four, while others have been interesting and some have been downright… bizarre.
So, to celebrate Peter’s latest team-up, we’ve put together a list of eight memorable comics where J. Jonah Jameson’s least favorite wall-crawler joined other heroes…and even the opportunity to a villain.” src=”https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2021/12/18/amazing-spider-man-team-ups-1639788752963.jpg?width=888&crop=16%3A9&quality=20&dpr =0.05″ class=”jsx-2920405963 progressive-image image jsx-294430442 rounded expand loading”/></div>
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<h2>Who is Madame Web?</h2>
<p>The original Madame Webb, Cassandra Webb, is a mutant with strong psychic and telepathic abilities. She can read minds, project her consciousness through the astral plane, and even see the future. Much like Professor X, Madame Web’s psychic powers contrast with her physical disabilities. She suffers from a neurodegenerative disease called myasthenia gravis, which leaves her blind, paralyzed and attached to a complex life support system that looks like a spider’s web.</p>
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Madame Web debuted in 1980’s The Amazing Spider-Man #210. Over the years, she’s played a supporting role in a number of Spider-Man stories, usually lending Peter a helping hand. Parker or issuing a dire warning about his future.
Over time, it’s become clear that Madame Web’s powers aren’t based solely on her mutant gene. Like Peter and every other version of Spider-Man across the Multiverse, Madame Web is connected to the mystical Web of Life and Fate. She is responsible not only for observing the future, but also for ensuring that life continues as normal.
She is responsible not only for observing the future, but also for ensuring that life continues as normal.
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Madame Web: Cassandra Webb or Julia Carpenter?
Cassandra Webb is traditionally portrayed as a frail, aging woman, but in recent years the Marvel Universe has welcomed a brand new and very young Madame Web. Thanks to the events of 2010’s Amazing Spider-Man: The Grim Hunt, Webb was killed and the mantle of Madame Web passed to Julia Carpenter.
Prior to this promotion, Julia was best known as the second heroine to go by the name Spider-Woman. She was initially recruited by a government agency known as The Commission, who injected her with a top-secret formula derived from spider venom. His powers are similar to Spider-Man, with an interesting twist. She can generate “psi nets” which temporarily materialize into physical nets. No need for web fluid here.
Julia served as both Spider-Woman and Arachne for years until the aforementioned Grim Hunt. At this point, she gains all of Cassandra Webb’s psychic powers (and her physical blindness) and reluctantly accepts her new role as protector of the Web of Life and Destiny.
Which Madame Web is actually the star of the upcoming film?
Which Madame Web will play Dakota Johnson?
While the concept of a superhero movie centered entirely around an elderly, physically challenged character is certainly new, it seems unlikely that Sony tapped young Dakota Johnson to play a traditional version of Cassandra Webb. It’s very likely that the film will draw most of its inspiration from contemporary Spider-Man comics rather than the original ’80s adventures of Madame Webb.
So, indeed, there’s a good chance that Johnson is actually playing Julia Carpenter. The film can be framed around Carpenter’s journey as she inherits the powers and responsibilities of Madame Web and learns the ropes of being a blind seer tormented by visions of the future. It’s a way to make a Madame Web movie without including Spider-Man.
The question is whether the movie will acknowledge Julia’s original role as Spider-Woman or ignore that story. It would certainly be an interesting wrinkle in history if the movie Madame Web treated Julia as a veteran superhero forced to become something else entirely. It might seem odd to introduce Spider-Woman at the end of her costume career, but there’s no reason Sony or Marvel couldn’t pursue a more traditional Spider-Woman movie starring the original Spider-Woman. Jessica Drew or one of many other Spiders. -Women/Spider-Girls.
Speaking of which, it’s also possible that Johnson is playing one of these other characters. Madame Webb has also established relationships with two of the Marvel Universe’s Spider-people, Mattie Franklin and Webb’s own granddaughter, Charlotte Witter. Either character could fit the mold of a younger hero transitioning into the role of Madame Web. Perhaps Johnson’s character will be a composite of the three heroines.
Is Madame Web planning a Spider-Verse movie?
With so many iconic heroes and villains in the Spider-Man franchise, one only has to wonder why Madame Web gets priority treatment from Sony. This decision makes more sense considering that the Julia Carpenter version of the character is a key figure in the 2014 Spider-Verse crossover.
Spider-Verse brings together dozens of versions of Spider-Man and Spider-Woman from across the Marvel Multiverse. They are forced to fight the Inheritors, a family of vampiric beings who feed on heroes like Spider-Man – characters tied to mystical and totemic energies. Madame Web is the first to sense this growing threat to the Web of Life and Fate, and she takes action to save the entire multiverse.
Could the Madame Web movie be a prequel to a bigger live-action Spider-Verse movie? The original comic has certainly already inspired a number of adaptations, including 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse and its upcoming sequels Across the Spider-Verse. Even the MCU dipped its toes in these waters thanks to Spider-Man: No Way Home.
With No Way Home becoming Sony’s highest-grossing film to date, it stands to reason that the studio will continue to bet big on the Spider-Verse for years to come. A Madame Web movie might seem like an odd choice right now, but it just might be a key part of Sony’s Spider-Man universe roadmap.
For more on Spider-Man: No Way Home, find out how it was Andrew Garfield’s idea to include this meme in the movie, how the movie’s stars had a “Spider-Man therapy session” before filming the first scene, and check out the full script for Spidey’s latest movie.
Jesse is a mild-mannered writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by follow @jschedeen on Twitter.
