Madame Web tends to be a useful ally to Spider-Man, as she can help him with cases thanks to her power to see things other people can’t. And she’s not the first person within fiction to do this. In fact, the “Blind Seer” archetype is well-worn at this point, dating back to Greek mythology. In Homer’s “Odyssey,” Tiresias is a prophet blinded by the goddess Athena, who then grants him the power to gaze into the future. There’s something inherently symbolic to have someone who can’t see in a physical sense but is able to witness different things that others can’t. Numerous books, TV shows, and movies have relied on this trope, so Madame Web follows in a grand tradition going back centuries of powerful blind clairvoyants.
Even though Madame Web has gone through several permutations, blindness is generally an integral component of her character even when someone other than Cassandra Webb assumes the mantle. In “The Amazing Spider-Man” #637, from Joe Kelly, Michael Lark, Marco Checchetto, Matt Southworth, Stefano Guadiano, and Matt Hollingsworth, Cassandra Webb is killed at the hands of Sasha Kravinoff. In one final act, she transfers her abilities, including her blindness, to Julia Carpenter, who then becomes the new Madame Web, showing how interconnected the character is with that trait.
If “Madame Web 2” ever happens, Dakota Johnson’s character will likely be blind the entire time. It could wind up being a more comic-accurate portrayal of Cassandra Webb compared to the first movie (assuming a sequel even occurs at all).
