A member of the cult of Kali, a Nepalese cult that studied martial arts and mystical disciplines, Dansen Macabre hypnotized Spider-Man into battling the Shroud for her, hoping to kill him as punishment for running away from the cult temple and his devotion to fighting crime. The Shroud managed to shake Spider-Man from his trance, and they defeated her together.
She was later captured by the criminal, Locksmith, who was embarking on a plan to capture superhuman beings and keep them imprisoned so that regular humans could be free to strive and achieve without being overshadowed. The Locksmith had also captured Spider-Woman, who managed to escape and free all the superhumans.
At some point, Dansen Macabre was contacted by the Shroud to join his team of criminals called the Night Shift, the circumstances of which remain unrevealed. Macabre was elected as deputy leader of the group and often led the team in criminal endeavors when the Shroud was absent, such as leading an attack on the Avengers' West Coast branch in revenge for capturing the Night Shift member, Digger. Eventually, the Night Shift mutinied against the Shroud's leadership, and presumably the team continued to be led by Dansen Macabre.
