Julia Carpenter made her first official appearance in Secret Wars #6, published in October 1984, during the height of Marvel's first universe-spanning crossover event. She was co-created by then-Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter and artist Mike Zeck. Her introduction was a strategic part of the Secret Wars narrative, designed to introduce a wave of new characters and concepts into the Marvel Universe.
Her design, a striking black and white costume with a stylized white spider emblem, is one of the most iconic aspects of her creation. This visual design, conceived by Mike Zeck, bears a notable resemblance to the black suit that Spider-Man would acquire during the same event, which was later revealed to be the Alien Symbiote. In real-world publication history, the designs were developed concurrently. The striking visual parallel served to immediately link her to the broader Spider-Man mythos while also giving her a distinct and modern look that stood out from the primary colors favored by many heroes of the era.
Following her debut, Julia Carpenter starred in her own four-issue limited series, Spider-Woman (1993-1994), which delved into her backstory and established her core motivations, particularly her fierce dedication to her daughter, Rachel. She became a prominent member of the avengers_west_coast and its successor team, Force Works, solidifying her place as a significant hero in the Marvel Universe long before her eventual transformation into Madame Web.
The circumstances of Julia Carpenter's empowerment differ drastically between the primary comic book universe and her cinematic adaptation, reflecting fundamental shifts in her characterization and role.
In the main Marvel continuity, Julia Cornwall Carpenter was a young single mother living in Denver, Colorado, with her daughter, Rachel. Her life took an unexpected turn when she was contacted by an old college friend, Valerie Cooper, a high-ranking government official. Cooper, working for a shadowy branch of the U.S. government known as The Commission on Superhuman Activities (CSA), offered Julia a chance to participate in what was ostensibly an “athletic study.” Trusting her friend, Julia agreed, unaware of the Commission's true intentions. They sought to create their own government-controlled superhero. Under the guise of the study, Julia was subjected to a series of injections. She was unwittingly dosed with a complex serum derived from the venom of several rare species of spiders and exotic Amazonian plant extracts. The experiment was a success, granting her superhuman abilities mirroring those of Spider-Man, but with a unique psionic twist. Her trial by fire came almost immediately and without warning. As the cosmic entity known as the Beyonder gathered Earth's most powerful heroes and villains for his “Secret Wars,” Julia was mysteriously transported to his patchwork planet, Battleworld. Confused and inexperienced, she was initially mistaken for an antagonist due to her black-and-white costume's similarity to Spider-Man's new alien suit. She quickly proved her heroic nature, fighting alongside the likes of Captain America, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four. It was on Battleworld that she adopted the moniker of Spider-Woman, becoming the second hero to officially use that name. Upon returning to Earth, she was pressed into service by the CSA as a member of their government-sanctioned team, Freedom Force, a position she accepted reluctantly to secure a future for her daughter.
Note: Julia Carpenter's film appearance is in the 2024 movie Madame Web, which is part of Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) and is not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that features the Avengers. The cinematic origin of Julia Carpenter, portrayed by actress Sydney Sweeney, is a radical departure from the comics. In this version, she is introduced as Julia Cornwall, a shy and bookish high school student living with her father and stepmother in Queens, New York, in the year 2003. She is not a mother, nor a government agent, and possesses no superhuman abilities at the start of the film. Her story is intertwined with that of Cassandra “Cassie” Webb, a paramedic who develops powerful clairvoyant abilities. Cassie begins having terrifying visions of a mysterious man named Ezekiel Sims hunting and murdering three teenage girls: Julia, Anya Corazon, and Mattie Franklin. Cassie's visions also show her flashes of the future, where these three young women have become costumed superheroes—Spider-Women. Driven by these premonitions, Cassie intervenes to save them. Julia and the others are initially terrified and confused, caught in a deadly cat-and-mouse game with a super-powered killer they don't understand. Her “origin” in this context is not an experiment but an event of prophecy. She is destined to become a Spider-Woman, and the film's entire plot revolves around ensuring she and the others survive long enough to fulfill that destiny. The film ends with Julia, Anya, and Mattie under Cassie's protection, their future as heroes secured but not yet realized. This adaptation fundamentally changes her from a character defined by an action (the experiment) to one defined by potential and fate.
Julia Carpenter's powers have evolved significantly throughout her history, marking the distinct phases of her heroic career.
Following her blinding at the hands of Sasha Kravinoff and inheriting the powers of the dying Cassandra Webb, Julia's abilities were completely rewritten. She lost her original physical powers, but gained a vast array of psychic ones.
Julia's personality is defined by a fierce, unwavering maternal instinct. Her primary motivation has almost always been the safety and well-being of her daughter, Rachel. This has made her pragmatic and, at times, ruthless in the defense of her child. She is a reluctant hero, often wishing for a normal life but accepting her responsibilities with a grim determination. As Madame Web, she has become more serene and detached, burdened by the immense scope of her knowledge, but her core humanity and protective nature remain.
As of the conclusion of the Madame Web film, Julia has no superhuman abilities. The movie serves as a prequel to her potential superhero career. Cassie's visions show her in the future wearing her Spider-Woman costume and exhibiting spider-like powers, including wall-crawling and web-slinging, but the nature of these powers (psionic, biological, or technological) is left ambiguous. Her entire power set is, for now, purely theoretical and part of a foretold destiny.
The only equipment associated with her is the Spider-Woman suit seen in Cassie's visions. The design is a remarkably faithful adaptation of her classic black-and-white comic book costume, featuring a black base with a large, stylized white spider emblem that wraps around her torso.
The film portrays Julia as a stark contrast to her comic counterpart. She is shy, socially awkward, and lives a sheltered life. She is often seen with a book and is clearly uncomfortable with confrontation. Throughout the film, she is a victim in need of protection, though she displays flashes of bravery when cornered. This characterization serves the film's coming-of-age narrative, positioning her as an ordinary girl on the cusp of an extraordinary future, rather than the confident and capable adult from the comics.
This was Julia Carpenter's grand debut on the Marvel stage. With no prior experience or training, she was whisked away to the Beyonder's Battleworld. Finding herself among legendary heroes, she had to learn on the fly. Her immediate challenge was overcoming the suspicion of other heroes due to her costume's similarity to Spider-Man's then-new alien suit. She quickly allied herself with the Avengers and proved her mettle, contributing to key victories against Doctor Doom's forces. Secret Wars established her as a powerful and heroic figure from her very first appearance, forgoing a traditional slow-burn origin for an explosive introduction.
Civil War was a profound moral crisis for Julia. Initially, she sided with Iron Man's pro-registration faction, registering with the government under the new codename Arachne. Her motivation was purely pragmatic: she believed that cooperating was the only way to protect her daughter, Rachel, and avoid being hunted as a fugitive. However, her conscience was tested when she was ordered to help arrest her friends and former teammates, including Captain America. In a pivotal moment, she turned against the pro-registration forces, creating a psionic shield to allow Captain America and his Secret Avengers to escape a trap. This act of defiance made her a wanted criminal. She was forced to go on the run, eventually seeking asylum in Canada, a decision that underscored her core principle: protecting people, not laws.
This storyline represents the single most important and brutal turning point in Julia's life. The Kravinoff family began a systematic and savage hunt of all Spider-totems to perform a ritual sacrifice. Julia, alongside the original Madame Web (Cassandra Webb) and Anya Corazon, was targeted. She fought valiantly to protect the elderly and frail Cassandra, but they were ultimately overwhelmed. In a horrific act of violence, Sasha Kravinoff brutally murdered Cassandra. Before she died, Cassandra was able to perform a psychic transfer, passing her clairvoyant powers—and the mantle of Madame Web—to Julia. In the same confrontation, Julia was blinded. She emerged from the ordeal physically broken but psychically reborn, embracing her new, profound, and painful role as the universe's new seer.
While not solely her story, Spider-Verse was the ultimate demonstration of her new purpose as Madame Web. Faced with the multiversal threat of the Inheritors, who were hunting and feeding on Spider-totems across all realities, Julia's role was critical. She used her connection to the Web of Life and Destiny to guide and warn various Spider-Men, Women, and Animals from different universes. She served as the central intelligence and psychic anchor for the assembled Spider-Army, providing crucial information that was instrumental in their eventual victory. This event solidified her transition from a frontline fighter to a cosmic-level strategist and guardian.