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It has been suggested that this article should be split up into Karn (Earth-001) and Karn (Temporal Paradox) (Earth-001) - please join the discussion on the talk page

Quote1 On your side, brother? For eons this family has spurned me. Shunned me. Brought me nothing but pain. I renounce my inheritance! From this day forth... I fight on the side of the righteous! Quote2
Karn[src]

Quick Answers

What is the significance of Karn's mask in the Earth-001 universe? toggle section
In the Earth-001 universe, Karn's mask holds a significant symbolic meaning. It was a punishment given to him by his father, Solus, who blamed Karn for his mother's death. This mask was a constant reminder of his guilt and his family's disapproval, forcing him to live in eternal condemnation. Despite being a member of the Inheritors, a family known for hunting those with spider-powers across the Multiverse, Karn despised their murderous ways and preferred creation over destruction. His mask served as a symbol of his isolation and his struggle against his family's violent tendencies.
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How does Karn differ from other members of the Inheritors in the Spider-Man Earth-001 series? toggle section
Karn from the Spider-Man Earth-001 series is a unique character among the Inheritors, a family of totemic hunters who are obsessed with killing those possessing spider-powers across the Multiverse. Unlike his family members, Karn doesn't fit in with their murderous ways. He only hunts as they do in order to survive, secretly despising such violent actions and preferring to create rather than destroy. This sets him apart from the rest of the Inheritors. Furthermore, Karn is blamed by his father, Solus, for his mother's death, and as a result, he is condemned to wear a mask for eternity. This further distinguishes him from other members of the Inheritors. Later, Karn becomes the Master Weaver, taking up the role to rebuild the torn threads of the Web of Life, which is a significant departure from his previous life as a hunter.
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What is the relationship between Karn and the Master Weaver in the Marvel universe? toggle section
In the Marvel universe, Karn and the Master Weaver are essentially the same entity. Karn, a character from Earth-001, is known to have borne and inherited the title of the Master Weaver. The Master Weaver is responsible for weaving and maintaining the Web of Life and Destiny. Although any totemic avatar with spider-powers can become the Master Weaver, Karn, who initially was not a spider-totem, had consumed enough of their essence to act as one and became one after taking up the position. This makes Karn a significant character in the Spider-Man Earth-001 narrative.
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Why is Karn considered a unique character in the Earth-001 Spider-Man series? toggle section
Karn from Earth-001 is considered a unique character in the Spider-Man series due to his complex backstory and role in the narrative. Unlike many characters, Karn is not a Spider-Man variant but a member of the Inheritors, a family of interdimensional beings who hunt spider-totems across the multiverse. He was initially a villain, having killed several Spider-Men from different realities. However, his character arc took a turn when he was discovered by the Superior Spider-Man and was eventually recruited to save spider-powered beings from his own kind. Karn's character is further complicated by his strained relationship with his family and his desire to earn a place among them. His role as the Master Weaver, controlling the Web of Life and Destiny, adds another layer of intrigue to his character, making him a standout in the Earth-001 Spider-Man series.
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What is Karn's role in the Inheritors' evil acts in Marvel's Earth-001 universe? toggle section
In the Marvel Earth-001 universe, Karn plays a complex role in the grand scheme of the Inheritors' wicked deeds. Initially, Karn is a member of the Inheritors, a family of totemic hunters obsessed with killing those possessing spider-powers across the Multiverse. Despite his family's murderous ways, Karn secretly despises such actions and prefers creation over destruction. However, he participates in the hunts to survive and earn a place back among his family. Karn's journey takes a turn when he acknowledges the truth of his situation and joins the Spider-Army against his family. After the Inheritors are defeated, Karn takes on the role of the Master Weaver, the controller of the Web of Life and Destiny, a position previously held by his future self. As the Master Weaver, Karn repairs the Web of Life and Destiny, marking a significant shift from his past as a hunter to a protector of the Multiverse.
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History

Karn was a member of the Inheritors, a family of totemic hunters obsessed with killing those possessing spider-powers across the Multiverse. Having never really fit in with his family, he only hunted as they did in order to survive - all the while secretly despising such murderous ways, preferring to create rather than destroy. Blamed by his father, Solus, for his mother's death, Karn was thusly condemned for eternity to wear his mask.[3]

All the Inheritor's wicked deeds culminated with their grand attempt to hunt and destroy all those they deemed 'Spider-Totems' across all realities and times; a task in which they were aided considerably by the Master Weaver, his abilities exploited whilst being held captive on the Inheritor's homeworld, Earth-001. Karn hunted in the hope of earning a place back among his family.[3][4]

Karn (Earth-001) from Superior Spider-Man Vol 1 33 (cover)

Spider-Verse[]

Karn had killed at least four different Spider-Men (namely the Spider-Man of Earth-772, the Spider-Man of Earth-10919, the Spider-Man of Earth-58163, and the Spider-Man of Earth-14132) before being discovered by the Superior Spider-Man. Tracking the energy of his staff, he set out to save spider-powered beings from Karn and recruit them to kill him.[5]

While hunting the Spider-Man of Earth-2818, he was ambushed by Octavius' team of spider-totems. Despite being outnumbered and weakened, Karn still had the upper hand. He was suddenly joined by his estranged brother and sister Brix and Bora, who were attracted by the concentration of totems and tried to steal the Hunt from him. Their bickering caused the heroes to escape.[3]

Karn was later seen killing the Spider-Wolf. He then called out to Solus, asking if the lycanthropic being was enough of a tribute and if he could finally return home. Solus then commanded the Weaver to send Karn to another, more challenging world.[6]

When Karn attempted to devour Spider-Ma'am, he was confronted by Anya Corazon, Spider-UK, Ashley Barton, Paviitr Prabhakar, and Spider-Punk. Disarmed, Karn rebuked their attempts to reason with him as they revealed intimate details about his history and asked him to join them. Spider-Army stated that they could come up with a method for Karn to survive without killing and fulfill his lifelong desire of traveling the Multiverse, recording the beauty of the different dimensions. Spider-Army then reveal that the Master Weaver gave them the scroll which contains all the information regarding him and the other Inheritors, stating that while Karn could use the information of the Weaver's betrayal to undermine them and be taken back in by his family, he'd never be truly accepted. Karn acknowledged the truth in their words, asking if they could truly forgive him for the atrocities he committed and warning them that his hunger might be uncontrollable, but thanking them for giving him new hope. Spider-Army allowed him to drain a non-lethal amount of life-force from each of them to satiate his hunger, and Karn agreed to join them against his family.[4]

After the Inheritors were defeated and exiled to Earth-3145, and the controller of the Web of Life and Destiny, the Master Weaver had been killed,[7] Karn decided to take his place. It was revealed as well that the Master Weaver was none other than Karn's future self.[1]

Karn (Earth-001) from Amazing Spider-Man Vol 3 15 001

Karn becomes the Master Weaver

Master Weaver[]

As the Master Weaver, Karn initially struggled with untangling the Web of Life and Destiny, though he eventually managed to repair it.[8] When Kaine was resurrected, Karn provided him with a replica of his Scarlet Spider costume and tasked him with finding out what was causing the Carrion Virus plague sweeping across multiple realities and putting a stop to it.[9]

When his siblings escaped their prison, Verna traveled to Loomworld and confronted her brother. Karn tried to stop his sister, but was told that his connection to the Web of Life had transformed him into a Spider-Totem, enabling her to consume him.[10] His corpse was afterward devoured by Spiders-Man, who commented that it "tastes like bacon."[11]

The following material below is for Karn's older self.

Later, past versions of the Inheritors tried to destroy him, but he killed their matriarch. The Master Weaver was captured in chains, enabling the Inheritors to use his power to travel through the Multiverse to destroy every Totem in every dimension.[3]

The Master Weaver secretly manipulated events across the Multiverse, acts he considered "small rebellions" to bring an end to the Inheritors' reign. One of these events culminated in Spider-Woman of Earth-616 masquerading as her counterpart of Earth-001 to infiltrate Loomworld. The Master Weaver passed her two scrolls, the first detailing the Spiders would end the Inheritors a thousand years from now, which they would prevent by sacrificing The Other, The Scion, and The Bride in a ritual to put an end to Spider-Totems; the second detailing the motivations of Karn and how to stop the Inheritors. Spider-Woman, with her dimension-jumping device damaged, attempted to use the Inheritors' portals, but Master Weaver stopped her, knowing that it would tip off the Inheritors. Spider-Woman managed to send the scrolls to the Spider-Army on Earth-3145, though stranding herself on Loomworld.[12]

Otto Octavius (Earth-616) and Karn (Earth-001) in Amazing Spider-Man Vol 3 14 001

Killed by the Superior Spider-Man

In order to prevent the prophecy of the Inheritors from ever coming to fruition, the Superior Spider-Man murdered him by slitting his throat.[7] After the Master Weaver was unmasked, he was revealed to be the future self of the Inheritor Karn, who took up his role to rebuild the torn threads of the Web of Life.[1]

Attributes

Power Grid[16]
:Category:Power Grid/Fighting Skills/Experienced Fighter:Category:Power Grid/Energy Projection/Single Type: Long Range:Category:Power Grid/Energy Projection/Single Type: Short Range:Category:Power Grid/Durability/Regenerative:Category:Power Grid/Durability/Virtually Indestructible:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Warp:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Strength/Superhuman (800 lbs-25 ton):Category:Power Grid/Intelligence/Gifted:Category:Power Grid/Intelligence/Normal

Powers

Karn possesses a variety of superhuman attributes as a result of his unique physiology:

  • Life Force Energy Absorption: Karn's primary power is the ability to absorb the life force energy of other living creatures, thereby granting himself superhuman physical abilities. Even though Karn can absorb the energies of virtually any being, he must occasionally renew himself by feeding upon pure forms of animal-related superbeings from one of the four categories that make up his own, unusually pure, DNA such as animal, insect, human, and bird. Once Karn has touched a human, he is able to sense that person's life force across great distances.
  • Superhuman Strength: Karn possesses superhuman strength that varies according to how recently he has fed and on what kind of source. Karn has shown the ability to destroy very dense objects with relative ease.[5]
  • Superhuman Speed: Karn can run and move at speeds that are beyond the physical limits of the finest human athlete.
  • Superhuman Stamina: Karn's musculature produces less fatigue toxins than the fatigue toxins of human beings. While his stamina depends upon he's fed, Karn can physically exert himself at peak capacity for at least several hours before the build up of fatigue toxins in his blood begins to impair him.
  • Superhuman Durability: Karn's body is tougher and more resistant to certain types of injury than the body of a human being. It is known that Karn can withstand great impact forces, notably when he was electrocuted, hit by a swinging tree and fell down a cliff yet was barely fazed.[5] He is also able to withstand gunshot and knife wounds with little injury. He has shown to be immune to fire.[3]
  • Superhuman Agility: Karn's agility, balance, and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete.
  • Superhuman Reflexes: Karn's reflexes are similarly enhanced and are superior to those of the finest human athlete.
  • Immortality: Karn is functionally immortal in the sense that he is immune to the effects of aging and all known diseases.

As the Master Weaver, Karn spins the Web of Life and Destiny.

  • Reality Manipulation: The Master Weaver can warp reality by snapping strands of the web. He has demonstrated this ability when he isolated Earth-77013 from the Web of Life and Destiny to its own pocket dimension.[13]
  • Portal Creation: As The Master Weaver, Karn was able to create a sort of inter-dimensional portal that connected to the various alternate reality and sent people to another reality that they want.[14]

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Staff: Karn possesses a two pronged staff that expels unique energy.[5]

Transportation

Flying Platform

Notes

  • According to totemic script on the Inheritors' sacrificial knife, any person with spider powers can become the Master Weaver, but the only way for the Master Weaver to escape their duty is through death. Silk nearly accepted the responsibility, but Karn stopped her after realizing the previous Master Weaver was his future self.[1]
  • According to the ending of the Spider-Verse, the Master Weaver was Karn's future self, which could have meant that Karn would have been in a Time-Loop. However, Karn was eventually killed at the start of Spider-Geddon, leaving the origin of the Master Weaver ambiguous.

Trivia

See Also

Links and References

References

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