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Julia Carpenter
Julia CarpenterJulia CarpenterJulia Carpenter

Julia Carpenter

194 appearances Β· Bronze Age Β· 1977–2026 Β· 12 key issues
Who is Julia Carpenter?

Julia Carpenter gained spider-based powers after being unwittingly injected with an experimental formula combining spider venom and exotic plant extracts by a covert government program. The process granted her superhuman strength, agility, wall-crawling, and the unique ability to spin psionically generated webbing.

Born in the pages of a 1977 Bronze Age Marvel title and still making waves nearly five decades later, Julia Carpenter has quietly become one of the most enduring figures in the House of Ideas' sprawling tapestry. With 176 catalog appearances β€” twelve of them collector-recognized key issues β€” she's a character whose longevity speaks for itself, gracing the pages of Spider-Woman, Force Works, and Marvel Comics Presents across a remarkable publishing run that stretches all the way to 2026. She keeps genuinely elite company, sharing adventures with Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, Peter Parker, and Tony Stark, which tells you everything about the tier of Marvel storytelling she inhabits. If you've been sleeping on Julia Carpenter, her deep back catalog and consistent key-issue presence make her exactly the kind of discovery that reminds you why long-form comics collecting is such a rewarding obsession.

Identity

Real name. Julia Eugenia Cornwall Carpenter

Powers. Spider-powers from spider venom/plant-extract injection: superhuman strength, agility, wall-crawling, and psionically generated psi-web constructs; later gained precognition/clairvoyance as Madame Web.

Teams & affiliations
Force Works
β˜… First appearance
Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #6
Oct 1984

Trivia

  • Julia Carpenter stands among a select group of Marvel characters who underwent a full identity overhaul β€” cycling from Spider-Woman to Arachne to Madame Web β€” landing not in a new costume but in an entirely different mystical support role, a genuinely rare trajectory in the publisher's history.marvel.com
  • Julia's run in the comics took a brutal turn when Cassandra Webb's death left her permanently blind yet simultaneously gifted with psychic abilities, a forced transfer that handed her both the powers and the Madame Web mantle in one of the more striking transformations in her history.marvel.com

Top series

Covers through the years β€” 1977–2023

John Carter, Warlord of Mars #2 β˜… 1977
John Carter, Warlord of Mars #2
Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #6 β˜… 1984
Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #6
Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #9 1985
Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #9
X-Factor Annual #3 1988
X-Factor Annual #3
Avengers West Coast #70 1991
Avengers West Coast #70
Marvel Comics Presents #171 1995
Marvel Comics Presents #171
Avengers #1 β˜… 1998
Avengers #1
Spider-Girl #40 2002
Spider-Girl #40
Avengers Classic #1 2007
Avengers Classic #1
The Amazing Spider-Man #634 2010
The Amazing Spider-Man #634
Scarlet Spider #15 2013
Scarlet Spider #15
Avengers / Iron Man: Force Works #[nn] 2016
Avengers / Iron Man: Force Works #[nn]
Avengers by Jonathan Hickman: The Complete Collection #2 2020
Avengers by Jonathan Hickman: The Complete Collection #2
Edge of Spider-Verse #4 2023
Edge of Spider-Verse #4

Appearances (151–194 of 194, oldest first)

Edge of Spider-Verse (2022)
The Uncanny X-Men Omnibus (2006)
#5
Iron Man Epic Collection (2013)
#21
The Amazing Spider-Man (2022)
Amazing Spider-Man by Zeb Wells (2023)
#7
Spider-Woman (2024)
Marvel-Verse: Spider-Man & Madame Web (2024)
The Marvel Art of David Mack (2024)
Marvel Comics (II) (2024)
#4
Avengers West Coast Epic Collection (2018)
#7
Web of Spider-Man (2024)
#1
Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars: Battleworld (2024)
Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars Facsimile Edition (2024)
Spider-Boy (2024)
Spider-Society (2024)
West Coast Avengers (2025)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Master Edition Omnibus (2023)
#2
Spider-Society: Enter... the Spider-Versers (2025)
Avengers (2023)