Madame Web Trailer: All the Major Characters Who Appeared

Soon, Marvel and Sony’s Madame Web will spin into theaters. This new entry into Spider-Man lore looks to be a very unique piece of super hero cinema — mainly because we still don’t know that much. The Madame Web trailer reveals our central heroines and the villain, but details are scarce how and why these characters are all connected.

Since we don’t have the clairvoyant powers of Madame Web herself, the best plan of prediction is to look to Marvel Comics. While their live-action adaptations will definitely be different, some comics background never hurts. Here’s a little insight into each major Madame Web character’s comic book origins.

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Cassandra Webb, AKA Madame Web

As the titular character, Cassandra Webb will undoubtedly take up a large portion of the plot. It seems she works as a paramedic (more on that later) until one day when she’s involved in an accident. Somehow, this accident grants her psychic abilities. On that same day, she also becomes connected with three other heroic women.

Back on the page, Cassandra Webb was born blind. Her rare neurological condition also, however, gave her psychic abilities. With the power to see into the future as well as limited telepathy, Cassandra became Madame Web. She is a frequent ally to Spider-Man, especially when his own senses lead him to a dead end. Plus, she is a link among all the Spider-Heroes as someone with deep knowledge of the Spider-Totems. These ancient supernatural entities are related to the Multiverse and revered by the Spider Society. Through the Totems, all Spider-Heroes receive their powers one way or another.

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Julia Carpenter, AKA Spider-Woman

From the trailer, Julia Carpenter appears to have met Cassandra while she was working as a paramedic. But in the comics, Julia’s connection to her fellow Spider-Heroes is even more convoluted.

Julia is unknowingly injected with a spider serum, propelling her into the world of super heroes despite her wanting to just be a normal mother. Over the years, she was drafted into the first Secret Wars, worked alongside Iron Man and the Avengers, and even got caught up in the first super hero Civil War. Later, when Kraven the Hunter’s wife plotted to resurrect her husband by sacrificing Spider-Heroes, Madame Web was killed. Before her death, she passed on her powers to Julia, making her the new Weaver of the Web of Life and Destiny.

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Anya Corazón, AKA Araña

Similar to Julia, Anya Corazón meets Cassandra through happenstance. Soon, she is part of Cassandra’s crew of young women facing their common enemy. Over in the comics, at first she was known as Araña, then Spider-Girl, and throughout the years she would go back and forth between the two aliases. One of her Spider-Suits was even a gift from Julia Carpenter.

When Anya first got wrapped up in Spider-heroics, it was also by happenstance. She saw a stranger being attacked, intervened to save him, and got caught in an eternal struggle between the Spider Society and the Sisterhood of the Wasp. Later, during the Civil War, Anya was a frequent ally of Captain Marvel. Her father was also killed by Red Hulk, AKA Thaddeus Ross. Most recently, she became a founding member of the Order of the Web alongside Miles Morales, Ghost-Spider, Silk, Madame Web, and Spider-Woman.

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Mattie Franklin, AKA Spider-Woman

According to the trailer, Cassandra Webb almost runs Mattie Franklin over. Once these women don their Spider-Suits, we also see Mattie in an impressive suit that has arachnoid legs to help her pin down enemies. But who is Mattie Franklin, AKA Spider-Woman?

In keeping with the mystical lore of many other Spider-Heroes, Mattie gained her abilities in the comics through magic. Her father is a wealthy businessman and her uncle is J. Jonah Jameson, owner of the Daily Bugle. When she takes her father’s place in a ritual called the Gathering of Five, Mattie is imbued with the gift of Power. Madame Web also takes part in this mysterious ritual, gaining the gift of Immortality. First, Mattie operates as Spider-Man in Peter Parker’s absence, then she adopts the Spider-Woman name with Jessica Drew’s guidance. Mattie later works closely with Silk and her story is a grim tale of sacrifice, clones, and zombies.

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Ezekiel Sims

Now, the villain of Madame Web is named Ezekiel Sims. He worked with Cassandra Webb’s mother as a spider researcher in the Amazon. Not only does Cassandra’s mother’s death seem suspicious, but it looks like Ezekiel is hunting down Cassandra and the other women to prevent them from turning into Spider-Heroes.

At this point, we can only speculate — but it seems like the film’s antagonist combines Ezekiel Sims with Morlun. In the comics, Ezekiel Sims also gains Spider-Totem powers and he uses these powers to amass great wealth. He also attempts to protect Spider-Man and Silk from an Inheritor named Morlun. Inheritors are beings who prey upon the various Totems of the Multiverse, feeding on their connections to animal power. He has even hunted after other animal-powered heroes like Black Panther. Perhaps Madame Web‘s Ezekiel Sims combines the wealthy researcher of comics Ezekiel with the leech-like mission of Morlun.

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Ben Parker

Finally, we have Ben Parker. Yes, that Ben Parker. Or at least some multiversal version of him who works with Cassandra Webb as a paramedic. Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben is a vital piece in the young man’s journey to becoming Marvel’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

But in the film, it’s unclear how much of Ben and Cassandra’s interaction will directly connect to Peter Parker. After all, Ben is much younger than he often appears when Peter comes into his care. However, since Madame Web is such a central figure to all Spider-Heroes, there’s no doubt this will somehow lead into even more on-screen Spider-Man mythology.

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Of course, there is always the possibility that other characters will make an appearance in Madame Web. After all, we are in the same universal neighborhood as Eddie Brock, AKA Venom. And there’s still a whole other Spider-Woman named Jessica Drew waiting to drop in from the skies above.

What are your predictions for Madame Web? Join the conversation with other Marvel fans over at Sideshow Social Network or at side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!