Madame Web (2024): the film versus the comics of inspiration

A prequel centered on a little-known figure in the Spider-Man universe, Madame Web brings to the screen a clairvoyant and three spidery heroines. It draws on a mystical and “totemic” side of comics. Source-by-source decryption.

As in each article in this series, only verified information (creators, distribution, dates, comic numbers) is stated; the comparative analysis is ours, without reproducing dialogue or protected images.

Amazing Spider-Man #210 (1980): Madame Web in the comics

Madame Web appears in Amazing Spider-Man #210 (1980), created by Dennis O'Neil and John Romita Jr. Cassandra Webb is a blind old woman suffering from myasthenia gravis, connected to a life support system in the form of a spider's web. Despite her disability, she possesses powerful gifts of clairvoyance and telepathy, which make her a mystical advisor to Spider-Man. Far from being a fighter, she is an oracle figure: she sees the threads of destiny, perceives the future and guides the hero in his moments of doubt. This enigmatic character embodies the mystical side of the Spider-Man universe, often eclipsed by the more spectacular clashes.

The film takes the opposite view of this characterization by radically rejuvenating Cassandra Webb, played by Dakota Johnson as a New York paramedic. Where the comics present an oracular old woman, the film makes her a young heroine who gradually discovers her powers of prescience. This reinvention, dictated by the format of an origins-focused prequel, strays considerably from the source. The film, however, retains the essence of Cassandra's gift: clairvoyance, the vision of possibilities, the ability to perceive the future. It is this power, more than the character himself, which links the film to the comics.

Three young women, three future Spider-Woman

The film brings together three young women around Cassandra who, in the comics, each have the name Spider-Woman or Araña.Julia Carpenter, who appeared in Secret Wars #6 (1984), is one of the best-known Spider-Womans, and will even become a new Madame Web in later stories.Anya Corazon, alias Araña, appears in Amazing Fantasy #1 (2004), a young heroine of Latin American origin linked to a spider mythology.Mattie Franklin, also Spider-Woman, was born in the comics of the late 1990s. The film brings them together as teenagers, before they become heroines, under the protection of Cassandra.

This gathering is an invention of the film: in the comics, these characters have no common origin or initial link with Madame Web. The film creates a collective origin story, making Cassandra the protector of these threatened future heroines. This bias, which aims to lay the foundations of a Spider-Women universe, however leaves the three young women as promises: they do not yet put on their costumes or their heroic identities. For the reader, it is an invitation to discover each in their respective origin stories, where they exist independently, with their own mythologies.

Ezekiel Sims and totemic mythology

The film's antagonist, Ezekiel Sims, is an important character from the comics, introduced in J. Michael Straczynski's run on Amazing Spider-Man in the early 2000s. Ezekiel develops a "totemic" theory: Spider-Man's powers are not a simple accident, but the expression of an ancient mythology linking certain individuals to animal totems, notably the spider. This mystical rereading of the hero's origins left an impression on readers. Ezekiel, initially ambiguous, oscillates between mentor and threat, in a story that explores the supernatural roots of spider powers.

The film takes Ezekiel and the totemic mythology, but makes him a frank antagonist, haunted by a vision of his own death in the face of the three future Spider-Womans. This transformation, which simplifies the ambiguity of the character in the comics, serves the prequel story and its prophecy issue. The film nevertheless retains the central idea of ​​Ezekiel: the mystical link between certain beings and the spider totem, this “spiritual” dimension of powers. For the reader, it's a gateway to Straczynski's run, where this mythology is developed with a depth that the film only sketches, in one of Spider-Man's great modern moments.

The characters, from paper to screen

• Cassandra Webb / Madame Web— Rejuvenated clairvoyant, faithful to her gift of prescience but far from the old oracular of comics.
• Julia Carpenter— Future Spider-Woman (Secret Wars #6, 1984), here as a teenager.
• Anya Corazon— Future Araña (Amazing Fantasy #1, 2004), young heroine linked to the mythology of spiders.
• Mattie Franklin— Future Spider-Woman from the late 1990s.
• Ezekiel Sims— Figure from totemic mythology, transformed into an antagonist for the film.

The mystical side of the Spider-Man universe

Madame Web ventures into territory rarely explored in cinema: the mystical dimension of the Spider-Man universe. Beyond combat and web-shooters, comics have developed an esoteric mythology around spider-like powers — totems, webs of destiny, clairvoyance, Spider-Women. This part of the universe, less known to the general public, is rich in enigmatic characters like Madame Web, whose role is to see and guide rather than to fight. The film seeks to bring this dimension to the screen, focusing on prescience and prophecy rather than pure action.

This bet, ambitious on paper, met with a difficult reception. Adapting a figure as atypical as Madame Web, without Spider-Man and by reinventing her origins, was a perilous exercise. But the film has the merit of drawing attention to precious and little-known characters: Julia Carpenter, Anya Corazon, Mattie Franklin, Ezekiel Sims, so many figures who enrich the universe of Spider-Man in the comics. For the reader, it is an invitation to explore this mystical and feminine side of spider mythology, where destiny is read in a web and where several heroines carry the spider's heritage.

A prequel against the grain

Madame Web took the risky gamble of deviating from the usual codes of superhero films. Rather than action and combat, it focuses on prescience, prophecy and suspense, making its heroine a clairvoyant rather than a fighter. This ambitious approach aimed to explore a rare facet of the Spider-Man universe. But the film met with a very difficult reception, as its prequel structure and its reinvention of the character were confusing. It has become, in discussions, a textbook case of the challenges posed by the adaptation of secondary characters deprived of their original context.

This critical failure should not make us forget the richness of the characters it highlights. Madame Web, Julia Carpenter, Anya Corazon, Mattie Franklin, Ezekiel Sims: so many figures who, in the comics, carry a mystical and feminine spider mythology, too often eclipsed by Spider-Man himself. The film had the merit, even imperfectly, of drawing attention to this little-known part of the universe. For the reader, it is an invitation to discover these heroines in their origin stories, where they fully exist, and to explore the totemic dimension developed by Straczynski. Where the film only sketches, the comics unfold a fascinating mythology around the spider and its multiple heirs.

Where to start reading

To extend the film, Amazing Spider-Man #210 (1980) features the first appearance of Madame Web. J. Michael Straczynski's run on Amazing Spider-Man (from 2001) expands on Ezekiel Sims and the totemic mythology. Secret Wars #6 (1984) introduced Julia Carpenter, and Amazing Fantasy #1 (2004) introduced Anya Corazon. This journey covers the sources of a film which draws on the mystical side of the Spider-Man universe.

Chronology of comics to know

• 1980— Amazing Spider-Man #210: Madame Web's first appearance.
• 1984— Secret Wars #6: the first appearance of Julia Carpenter (Spider-Woman).
• 2001— Straczynski's run: Ezekiel Sims and totemic mythology.
• 2004— Amazing Fantasy #1: The first appearance of Anya Corazon (Araña).

Collection side: what numbers to aim for after the film

Madame Web points to various keys to the Spider-Man universe.Amazing Spider-Man #210(1980, first appearance of Madame Web) is a sought-after number, whose rating benefited from the announcement of the film.Secret Wars #6(1984, first by Julia Carpenter) andAmazing Fantasy #1(2004, first by Anya Corazon) are other interesting targets for fans of spidery heroines. These issues cover a variety of budgets, from the Bronze Age to modern. As always, condition and gradation determine value; relying on real recent sales is strongly recommended.

Its place in the saga and for the collector

Madame Web brought to the screen a mystical and little-known figure from the Spider-Man universe, despite a free reinvention and a difficult reception. For the collector, it brought attention to Amazing Spider-Man #210 and the first appearances of the Spider-Women. It illustrates the effect of adaptations on the market, even for niche characters. Beyond speculation, the film invites us to discover the totemic and feminine side of spider mythology, developed in Straczynski's comics and the Spider-Women stories. By adapting Madame Web, he highlights heroines who deserve to be better known.

The verdict: a mystical figure freely reinvented

• Loyalty:Cassandra Webb, her clairvoyant powers, the three future Spider-Womans and Ezekiel Sims come from the comics.
• Freedoms:Cassandra rejuvenated, a reinvented origin, Ezekiel transformed into an antagonist, the absence of Spider-Man, heroines still in the making.
• Collectible numbers:Amazing Spider-Man #210 (Madame Web), Secret Wars #6 (Julia Carpenter), Amazing Fantasy #1 (Anya Corazon).

Madame Web adapts an enigmatic clairvoyant from the Spider-Man universe by rejuvenating her and freely reinventing her origins, without Spider-Man. Faithful to his gift of prescience and to the totemic mythology of Ezekiel Sims, the film leaves its future Spider-Womans in the state of promise. For the reader as well as the collector, it is an invitation to discover Amazing Spider-Man #210 and the mystical side of comics.

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