MEDUSA WEB
Membership: Babel, Backfire, Thomas Boyd, Dehman Doosha, Dustoff, Electrique, Lindsey Falmon, Gatto di Sangue, Imprint, Jones, Kathy Ling, Potiphar, Relampago, Alexi Ruyanev, Skybreaker, Thunderhead, Toocheetsch, Troublemaker, Wayne Tucker, many other unidentified members
Purpose: Mercenaries seeking to fashion themselves into a force the world's super powers will unite to oppose.
Affiliations: Andrew Chaser, C.I.A., Iraqi Army, Justice, Playback, Psi-Force, Red Sun (Coojeechiscue, Shivowtnoeh), Skipper (Paul Crawforst), Terrance Updike
Enemies: Iran, Gene Marriss, Rodstvow, the Siberian Project, Sillatochca, Jake Travest
(former) Psi-Force
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Multiple bases including Los Angeles, California, USA; Geneva, Switzerland; Senlis, France
First Appearance: Psi-Force I#17 (March, 1988)
History:
(Psi-Force I#26 (fb) - BTS) - In 1969, the Medusa Web was founded as an international mercenary force by former KGB operative Alexi Ruyanev and Thame Panagitis. The two men's ambition was to save the world from destruction by creating a mercenary army so fearsome, the world's super powers would have to unite against them. The Medusa Web carried out various mercenary operations over the decades but following the White Event (July 22, 1986), paranormals began to emerge and Thame was among those who became a parnormal. With his new parability permitting him to communicate in any language, Thame took the alias "Babel" and the Medusa Web began recruiting more and more paranormals into their ranks.
(Psi-Force I#18 (fb) - BTS) - At some point the Medusa Web were on an assignment in Cairo, Egypt that involved members Backfire and Electrique. Electrique evidently created more violence than was necessary and Backfire had to "clean up" after her.
(Psi-Force I#17) - On October 23, 1987, Babel dispatched his agents Troublemaker and Imprint to San Francisco, California to monitor the five teenaged paranormals who comprised Psi-Force and assess whether they should be recruited into the Medusa Web. Troublemaker performed provocative actions designed to draw out the teenagers so that Imprint could secretly record them using their parabilities. On November 25, 1987, when Troublemaker was finally restrained by the telekinetic Kathy Ling, the telepathic Wayne Tucker interrogated Troublemaker and he truthfully said he'd been sent to capture their powers on film, but indicated a concealed video camera as the means by which the teens were recorded. Tucker destroyed the cameras tape, not realizing Imprint had recorded everything using his parability.
(Psi-Force I#18) - After Psi-Force home in San Francisco - Sanctuary - was destroyed by the Russian paranormal Rodstvow, the C.I.A. hired the Medusa Web to capture all five Psi-Force members, although Babel still hoped he might recruit them into the Medusa Web. The operated was dubbed, "Assignment #17." On December 15, 1987, Imprint, Backfire and Thunderhead trailed Wayne Tucker to Seattle, Washington, where Tucker was living out of a hotel owned by Gene Marriss. They also noticed Tucker had been romancing Lindsey Falmon in the hotel. After reporting on Tucker to Babel, they received orders to proceed by sending in Electrique for an attack on Tucker.
On December 18, 1987, Electrique burst into the hotel and confronted Tucker in his room while he was being lecutred by Marriss and another hotel staff member. Electrique needlessly assaulted Marriss and his staffer, blasting them both with electricity and knocking them through a window. Tucker fled to the first floor where he ran into Backfire and Thunderhead. Lindsey drove her car through a window to help Tucker escaped with her. Unable to affect Electrique with his telepathy, Tucker instead forced Thunderhead to attack Electrique as he and Lindsey fled. Electrique caught up to Tucker and Lindsey's car near the Space Needle and threatened them both with death unless they surrendered but Tyrone Jessup flew his astral body through Electrique, causing an electromagnetic disruption that made her disperse (possibly killing her). Backfire, Thunderhead and the Seattle police confronted Tucker, Jessup and Lindsey. When Backfire pressed his gun into Lindsey's head her own paranormal talent activated as she saw his history with the gun and realized it contained only blanks. Tucker punched out Backfire and Jessup wrecked the device that helped Thunderhead control his parability. Backfire reported on their failure to Babel but had learned Tucker, Jessup and Lindsey were heading to Canada. Babel told them to continue their pursuit while he, Troublemaker, Potiphar, Relampago, Gatto di Sangue, Skybreaker and Toocheetsch pursued the other three members of Psi-Force: Thomas Boyd, Anastasia Inyushin and Kathy Ling.
(Psi-Force I#19 (fb) - BTS) - On December 24, 1987, the Medusa Web fought Boyd, Inyushin and Ling in Los Angeles but the three teenagers evaded capture. They clashed again soon after in San Clemente. The C.I.A. told the Medusa Web that Boyd and Ling were "expendable" but they wanted Inyushin alive because her parability to heal others was useful; the Medusa Web intended to claim Inyushin themselves as she was a refugee from the USSR and they considered her a valuable bargaining piece.
(Psi-Force I#19) - On January 2, 1988, the Medusa Web caught up to Boyd, Inyushin and Ling in San Diego, where they attempted to hide from their pursuers in Horton Plaza. The Medusa Web had the police help them seal off the building then sent in Gatto di Sangue, Potiphar, Relampago, Skybreaker, Toocheetsch and Troublemaker to capture the three teens. Kathy Ling tried to crush the Medusa Web by telekinetically dropping a pillar on them but Toocheetsch caught the pillar and set it down without injury. Boyd bested Troublemaker and Ling defeated Gatto di Sangue but when Relampago pursued Inyushin, Inyushin tripped her with a string of Christmas lights; because of her high velocity, Relmapago struck the ground so hard that it killed her. Inyushin was exhausted from healing her team's injuries and collapsed, enabling Troublemaker to capture her. Boyd fought and bested Skybreaker but found himself surrounded by some two dozen police, forcing him to surrender. Ling fought her way past Toocheetsch but Potiphar caught up to her and shot Ling in the back. With all three beaten, their C.I.A. contact "Skipper" informed Babel all three teens would be taken into C.I.A. custody, refusing to let them recruit the teens into their own group. Skipper wasn't impressed with the Medusa Web's actions, thinking they'd taken too much time and resources at the assignment; Skipper paid the Medusa Web then ended their assignment.
(Psi-Force I#20 (fb) - BTS) - In an act of spite, the C.I.A. deported all of the non-American members of the Medusa Web who were still in the USA. Consequently, Babel decided the Medusa Web would resume their original plan- recruit Psi-Force into their ranks.
(Psi-Force I#20) - On February 15, 1988, Imprint, Backfire and Thunderhead trailed Tucker, Jessup and Falmon to Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Jessup caught them spying on Tucker and Falmon's hotel room and demanded answers from them. Thunderhead explained the C.I.A. had cancelled their contract but Jessup's friends Boyd, Inyushin and Ling were in C.I.A. custody. Thunderhead explained they wanted all of them to join the Medusa Web. The next day, Jessup, Tucker and Falmon discussed the offer but were reluctant to accept, unaware Imprint was still monitoring them. Thunderhead observed that if they could find Tucker, Jessup and Falmon, the American government would as well.
(Psi-Force I#21) - On February 29, 1988, the C.I.A. sent Jake Travest in the M.A.X. armor to capture Tucker and Jessup (apparently the Medusa Web had not told them Falmon was a paranormal). Travest captured Tucker and brought him to a park in Victoria to await Jessup's appearance. Backfire, Imprint and Thunderhead offered to help Falmon, sharing the resources of their monitoring van with her. They followed Travest to the park and as his armor's cybernetic link prevented Tucker from controlling his mind, Thunderhead made focussed sonic attacks against the armor until the link was disrupted, enabling Tucker to control Travest. Jessup then arrived and used his astral form to short out the armor. Tucker forced Travest to confess his mission while Imprint recorded him, then Tucker ordered Travest to turn himself over to the authorities. Tucker declined to join the Medusa Web at that moment but requested their help in getting back into the USA so he could rescue his friends. Thunderhead agreed to the arrangement.
(Justice II#24/2) - In "Assignment #31," the Medusa Web were hired by the Iraqi Army to recapture a shipment of chemical nerve gas that had been stolen by Iran. Potiphar was sent alone on the mission to recover the nerve gas. Potiphar slew the Iranians who had the weapon and returned the nerve gas to the Iraqi Army, but as he had no love for either nation, once the Iraqis were in their helicopter flying back to Iraq, Potiphar shot down the helicopter with a rocket launcher.
(Psi-Force I#31 (fb) - BTS) - When Potiphar reported back to Babel he lied to him, not revealing he had destroyed the nerve gas and slain the Medusa Web's clients.
(Psi-Force I#26) - On March 24, 1988, reporter Andrew Chaser held a meeting with Babel at the Medusa Web's offices in Los Angeles. Chaser was a friend of the members of Psi-Force and was researching a book about them and indicated he was aware the Medusa Web had been pursuing them during the past year. Babel explained the Medusa Web's history and that while some of their field operatives were paranormals, many were not. He also explained the Medusa Web was interested in seeing if Psi-Force could defeat the insanely powerful Russian paranormal Rodstvow.
(Psi-Force I#25) - On April 5, 1988, Babel monitored the Psi-Hawk's battle with Rodstvow in Washington D.C. and witnessed the Psi-Hawk's destruction. Speaking in Russian over a headset to Alexi Ruyanev, Babel commented it was "what we had hoped for" but he was sorry to see it happen.
(Justice II#28/2) - In "Assignment 45G," Potiphar, Troublemaker, Skybreaker and Dustoff were sent to liberate Jake Travest from Canadian authorities then bring him to where the M.A.X. armor had been impounded. Once Travest showed them where the disc containing the armor's schematics was held the team turned on him, confiscating the disc then destroying the facility containing the armor and Travest. The Medusa Web's true purpose had been to obtain the M.A.X. armor schematics for their own use.
(Justice II#28) - Having learned the members of Psi-Force had been brought to the Siberian Project by Rodstvow, Babel prepared a rescue mission. Babel contacted the National Security Council and asked Terrance Updike to permit his paranormal operative John Tensen (alias Justice) to assist the Medusa Web in Siberia. Updike was reluctant to loan out Justice but when he learned of the mission, Justice insisted on participating because Rodstvow was responsible for putting his daughter into a coma. Babel, Troublemaker and Imprint came to the NSC to collect Tensen and begin the operation.
(Justice II#29 (fb)) - The NSC's paranormal Playback used her parability on a cross that Psi-Force's Wayne Tucker owned but her parability didn't define anything to assist the Medusa Web and Justice on their mission.
(Psi-Force I#29) - On October 5, 1988, the Medusa Web dispatched two helicopters to the Siberian Project; one was a combat vehicle piloted by Dustoff, the other a heavy transport piloted by Jones and ferrying Babel, Skybreaker, Troublemaker, Imprint, Backfire, Gatto di Sangue, Potiphar, Justice and a variety of unidentified human mercenaries. Dustoff launched an aerial attack on the Siberian Project to give the other helicopter the opportunity to drop off Justice, Skybreaker, Troublemaker and Imprint. The four men broke into the facility and began fighting the Siberian Project's staff. Soon, the helicopter released Potiphar and other human mercenaries who stormed the base. Potiphar broke in where Lindsey Falmon and Kathy Ling were attempting to escape with Sillatochca, who wanted to defect. Without hesitation, Potiphar shot Sillatochca dead. Falmon, Ling, Boyd, Tucker and the boy Dehman Doosha were brought out of the facility to the Medusa Web's transport helicopter and took flight.
(Justice II#29) - While trying to leave Russian airspace, Babel's helicopter was shot down and the tranport carrying Psi-Force, Justice and the other Medusa Web agents landed in the snow to assist Babel. A land force of Russian soldiers emerged and attacked them, soon joined by the paranormal Red Star team and finally Rodstvow himself.
(Psi-Force I#30) - Rodstvow attempted to kill Justice, Psi-Force, the Medusa Web and even his fellow members of Red Star. Tucker used his telepathy to plan a joint attack of all the paranormals against Rodstvow, focusing their ranged attacks on one of his shoulders until they could crack his protective shell. During the fight, Gatto di Sangue was cut in half by Rodstvow. Even after cracking open Rodstvow's shell and killing him his skeletal form remained animated and continued its assault until they manipulated Dehman Doosha into unleashing his pryokinesis against the skeleton and completely eradicated him. Once Rodstvow's threat had ended, Justice turned against Psi-Force, seeking to judge them for their earlier ill-conceived fight with Rodstvow in Washington D.C.
(Justice II#30) - While Justice engaged in a mental struggle against Psi-Force where he confronted them for their past actions, the Medusa Web stood guard over their bodies and arranged transportation back to the USA.
(Justice II#26/2) - On October 13, 1988, the Medusa Web transported Toocheetsch's family out of the USSR and into Greece for safekeeping. In exchange, Toocheetsch agreed to use his parability to imitate Mikhail Gorbachev as part of a plot by the Medusa Web to control the USSR. Over the course of weeks, the Medusa Web's scientists helped him refine his control over his parability so that could alter his body into a perfect replica of Gorbachev.
(Psi-Force I#31) - On January 27, 1989, Babel brought Psi-Force to his estate in Senlis, France and made several attempts to convince them to join the Medusa Web. They finally agreed to join but insisted they would retain most of their independence, run operations their own way and if the Medusa Web wasn't straight with them, they'd bring the organization down. Babel agreed to their terms; Kathy Ling immediately asked for fake i.d. and a vacation in Los Angeles, which Babel provided. In return, Babel insisted the other four submit to Medusa Web training.
After training in military strategy, weapons use, surveillance techniques, infiltration, electronics identification, computer programming and parability simulation, Babel brought Tucker, Boyd, Falmon and Dehman Doosha to Goteborg, Sweden on April 14, 1989 for their final exam - to survive unarmed hand-to-hand combat against Potiphar. Babel directed them to evade being hit by Potiphar's paint gun and capture a flag without using their parabilities. Falmon ultimately won the contest, surprising Babel. After the exercise, Babel told Tucker their first mission would send them to Afghanistan.
(Psi-Force I#32) - On May 13, 1989, Dustoff transported Psi-Force into Afghanistan on a mission from Babel to cut off a Russian supply line and recruit a young paranormal Sedara Bakut, who served in the Mujahedin. Psi-Force succeeded in both assignments, adding Sedara into their team and thereby the Medusa Web as well.
Comments: Created by Fabian Nicieza, Ron Lim and Romeo Tanghal.
The portraits in Babel's office in Psi-Force I#26 depicted 17 unidentified members of the Medusa Web, at least some of whom were surely paranormals.
As noted in a few of the summaries above, the Medusa Web had a numbering system for their assignments. It seems unlikely that an organization active since 1969 would have only 16 previous assignments at the time the C.I.A. sent them against Psi-Force in 1987 (Assignment #17). Maybe it was their 17th new assignment since the start of 1987?
Considering Nicieza took special care to work Alexi Ruyanev into the Medusa Web but never found an opportunity to depict him in a story, my guess is Nicieza had a lot of additional ideas for the Medusa Web that never made it to print. You can certainly see Nicieza's entire Psi-Force run as a proving ground for ideas he'd revisit in New Warriors and X-Force, two books about teams of idealistic teenagers who used their powers in ways that challenged conventional authorities. Babel certainly seems like a forerunner to the militaristic influence Cable would have over the New Mutants.
Profile by Prime Eternal.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Medusa Web should not be confused with:
Alexi Ruyanev was a Czechoslovakian man who served in the KGB until 1969, when the USSR deployed tanks into Czechoslovakia to maintain control over the satellite state. Quitting the KGB, Ruyanev decided to save the world from destroying itself by giving the super powers a greater menace to unite against. Founding the Medusa Web with Thame Panagitis, Ruyanev intended the Medusa Web to fulfill that role. Alexi was still active in the Medusa Web's operations as late as April 5, 1988 when he conferred with Thame while observing Psi-Hawk's battle with Rodstvow.
--[Psi-Force I#25] (Psi-Force I#26 (fb) - BTS, [Psi-Force I#25]
Jones was a normal human operative of the Medusa Web who served as a pilot for one of the organization's heavy transport helicopters. Jones piloted such a helicopter on the Medusa Web's mission to rescue Psi-Force from the Siberian Project, ferrying aboard Babel, Skybreaker, Troublemaker, Imprint, Backfire, Gatto di Sangue, Potiphar, Justice and various other unidentified operatives. Once Psi-Force were rescued they were transported by Jones in his vehicle.
--Psi-Force I#29 (Justice I#29
images: (without ads)
Psi-Force I#26, page 1 (main)
Psi-Force I#29, page 16, panel 3 (Potiphar and unidentified ground forces)
Justice I#29, page 4, panel 1 (Jones)
Appearances:
Psi-Force I#17-19 (March-May, 1988) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Ron Lim (penciler), Romeo Tanghal (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
Psi-Force I#20-21 (June-July, 1988) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Ron Lim (penciler), Mike Witherby (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
Justice II#24/2 (October, 1988) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Hector Collazo (penciler), Don Hudson (inker), David Wohl (editor)
Psi-Force I#25 (November, 1988) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Graham Nolan (penciler), Mike Witherby (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
Psi-Force I#26 (December, 1988) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Graham Nolan (penciler), Chris Ivy (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
Justice II#26/2 (December, 1988) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Rodney Ramos (penciler), Mike Gustovich (inks), Val Gustovich (inks), David Wohl (editor)
Justice II#28 (February, 1989) - Peter David (writer), Mike Gustovich (artist), Howard Mackie (editor)
Justice II#28/2 (February, 1989) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Don Hudson (penciler), Mike Gustovich (inker), David Wohl (editor)
Psi-Force I#29-32 (March-June, 1989) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Rodney Ramos (penciler), Chris Ivy (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
Justice II#29-30 (March-April, 1989) - Peter David (writer), Lee Weeks (artist), Howard Mackie (editor)
First posted: 09/09/2025
Last updated:
09/09/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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