Julia Carpenter made her first appearance in the midst of one of Marvel's most ambitious publishing events: Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #6 (October 1984). She was co-created by writer Jim Shooter, the architect of the Secret Wars saga, and legendary artist Mike Zeck. Her creation was born from a desire to introduce new, intriguing characters during the massive crossover event. Unlike many heroes with established histories, Julia was thrust onto the cosmic stage of the Beyonder's Battleworld with a mysterious background. Her striking black-and-white costume, designed by Zeck, was visually distinct and immediately iconic. This costume design would later have a profound influence, as it was the direct inspiration for the alien symbiote costume that Spider-Man (Peter Parker) would acquire during the same event, which would eventually become the villainous venom. Following Secret Wars, Julia struggled to find a consistent home. She appeared in a four-issue Spider-Woman limited series in 1993, but she truly found her footing as a core member of the Avengers West Coast and its successor team, Force Works, during the late 1980s and 1990s. It was here that writers like John Byrne and Dan Abnett fleshed out her personality as a dedicated single mother balancing superheroics with raising her daughter, Rachel. A major evolution occurred during the 2006 Civil War storyline, where she adopted the codename Arachne. This change reflected her more complex role as a registered hero working for the government. However, her most transformative moment came in The Amazing Spider-Man #637 (2010) during the “Grim Hunt” arc. In this story, she inherited the mantle, powers, and blindness of the original Madame Web (Cassandra Webb), fundamentally redefining her place in the Marvel Universe from a mid-tier Avenger to a cosmic-level clairvoyant.
Julia Carpenter's origin story is a tale of deception and unintended consequences, with significant variations between the comic books and her live-action film debut.
In the prime Marvel continuity, Julia Cornwall was a young mother living in Denver, Colorado, with her daughter, Rachel. She was approached by an old college friend, Valeria “Val” Cooper, a high-ranking government official in the Commission on Superhuman Activities (CSA). Cooper, under the guise of an “athletic performance study,” persuaded Julia to participate in a series of experiments. Julia, seeing it as an easy way to earn money, agreed. The truth was far more sinister. The CSA, seeking to create their own controllable superhero, subjected Julia to a dangerous procedure. She was injected with a carefully formulated serum containing a blend of rare Amazonian jungle plant extracts and venom from several species of exotic spiders. The experiment was a success, granting Julia powers remarkably similar to those of Spider-Man, but with a crucial psionic twist. Before she could be fully integrated into the CSA's plans, the cosmic entity known as the Beyonder abducted a massive chunk of Denver, including Julia's home, to form his Battleworld for the first Secret Wars. Thrown into a conflict between Earth's greatest heroes and villains, Julia—dubbed “Spider-Woman” by the others—instinctively sided with the heroes. Her sudden appearance and mysterious origins made the other heroes, particularly Spider-Man, wary. Throughout the war, she proved herself a capable and courageous fighter, contributing to the heroes' eventual victory. Upon returning to Earth, the CSA attempted to assert their control over her, using her as a government-sanctioned operative. This led to conflicts with teams like X-Factor. Julia chafed under this control, her primary motivation always being the safety and well-being of her daughter. Eventually, she broke free from the CSA's direct control and joined the West Coast Avengers, finding a new family and a way to use her powers on her own terms, cementing her status as a true hero rather than a government pawn.
Julia Carpenter's introduction into a live-action cinematic universe occurs in the 2024 film Madame Web, which is part of Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU)—a franchise connected to, but editorially separate from, the mainstream Marvel Cinematic Universe. This version of the character is a dramatic re-imagining. Here, Julia Cornwall (portrayed by Sydney Sweeney) is not a mother but a shy, socially awkward teenager living in Queens, New York, in the year 2003. She lives with her father and stepmother, feeling like an outsider in her own home. Her origin is not tied to a government experiment but to a mystical, ancient power. The film's protagonist, Cassandra “Cassie” Webb, is a paramedic who begins experiencing powerful clairvoyant visions after a near-death experience. Cassie sees a terrifying future where a spider-powered villain, Ezekiel Sims, hunts down and murders three specific teenage girls: Julia Cornwall, Anya Corazon, and Mattie Franklin. Sims shares a past with Cassie's late mother, who was researching a rare, powerful spider in the Peruvian Amazon. Sims betrayed her and stole the spider's power for himself, and he is now haunted by visions of these three young women, in full superhero costume, killing him in the future. Driven by his visions, Sims travels to New York to kill the girls before they can ever gain their powers. Cassie, guided by her own burgeoning abilities, finds and reluctantly protects Julia and the other two girls. Throughout the film, Julia's powers are not yet manifest. Instead, her destiny as Spider-Woman is a future that Cassie is trying to preserve. In Cassie's visions of this potential future, Julia is seen in a version of her classic black-and-white costume, wielding psionic webs against Sims. The origin of her future powers is strongly implied to be the same as Cassie's and Ezekiel's: the bite of the mystical Peruvian spider or a derivative of its power. The film ends with Cassie, now blinded and confined to a wheelchair like her comic counterpart, having successfully saved the girls. She embraces her role as their mentor, setting the stage for them to one day become the Spider-Women she foresaw. This origin completely decouples Julia from the CSA, her motherhood, and the scientific basis of her powers, re-framing her as a “chosen one” in a web of destiny, directly mentored by the original Madame Web.
Julia Carpenter's powerset is one of the most unique among the various Spider-Totems, primarily due to the psionic nature of her abilities.
This is Julia Carpenter's signature ability and her most significant departure from other Spider-heroes.
After inheriting the abilities of Cassandra Webb, Julia's powerset expanded dramatically, at the cost of her physical sight.
Julia's personality is defined by a fierce maternal instinct. Her daughter, Rachel, has always been her north star, influencing her decision to become a hero, her choice to register during the Civil War, and her constant struggle to balance a dangerous life with a normal one. She is pragmatic, often more serious than her quippy counterparts like Peter Parker. Initially a reluctant hero forced into the role, she grew into a confident and capable Avenger. As Madame Web, she has become more cryptic, burdened by the immense weight of the future and the constant flood of information, but her core protective nature remains, now extended to the entire “family” of Spider-Totems.
As of the film Madame Web, Julia's powers are almost entirely potential rather than actualized. The analysis is based on Cassie Webb's visions of her future.
The SSU version presents a “pre-hero” Julia. Unlike her comic counterpart who had powers from her first appearance, the film version is an ordinary girl whose heroic journey has yet to truly begin. The primary contrast lies in the source of power:
Furthermore, her personality is vastly different. The SSU Julia is a timid, awkward teenager, a stark contrast to the confident, adult single mother from the comics. The film positions her as a protégée who will be trained and guided by Madame Web, whereas in the comics, Julia becomes Madame Web after a long and established heroic career.
This was Julia Carpenter's debut on the grandest stage possible. Abducted by the Beyonder and placed on Battleworld, she was a complete unknown to both the other heroes and the readers. She quickly sided with Captain America's heroic faction, using her potent abilities to aid them against Doctor Doom's forces. This event established her power level and moral compass, but also her initial isolation and mystery. Her costume's design famously inspired Spider-Man's black suit, leading to the creation of Venom, an indirect but massive impact on the Marvel Universe.
The Superhuman Registration Act conflict placed Julia in a difficult moral position. As a single mother wanting a stable life for her daughter and having a history as a government agent, she ultimately chose to register with the government. Adopting the new codename Arachne, she became part of the pro-registration forces tasked with hunting down anti-registration heroes, including her former friends. This storyline explored the immense pressure she was under, highlighting her pragmatic nature. Her actions during the war strained many of her relationships but were driven by a desperate need to protect Rachel from government reprisal.
This is the single most important storyline for Julia's character development. As the Kravinoff family began systematically hunting Spider-Totems, a terrified Cassandra Webb (the original Madame Web) hired Mattie Franklin to protect her, but both were captured. The Kravinoffs then captured Julia as well. They successfully sacrificed Mattie to resurrect Kraven's son, Vladimir, as a humanoid lion creature. In a horrific climax, Sasha Kravinoff slit Cassandra Webb's throat. Before dying, Cassandra was able to psychically reach Julia and pass on her clairvoyant powers and her blindness. Sasha then seemingly killed Julia as well, but this act completed the ritual, and Julia was reborn, emerging from her own grave as the new, all-seeing Madame Web. This event retired her as a physical combatant and elevated her to a cosmic-level psychic entity.
In her new role as Madame Web, Julia became indispensable during the multiversal war against the Inheritors. She was the Spider-Army's early warning system, using her connection to the Web of Life and Destiny to foresee the Inheritors' attacks, locate new Spider-Totems across dimensions, and guide the fragmented teams. Her ability to see possible futures was the heroes' greatest strategic advantage against an overwhelmingly powerful foe. She reprised this crucial role in the sequel, Spider-Geddon, solidifying her modern identity as the cryptic but essential guardian of all spiders.