It can be tough to parse Sony's overarching strategy for their shared universe of Spider-Man films. The so-called "Sony's Spider-Man Universe" series began with 2018's Venom and is set to expand with upcoming solo projects like Kraven the Hunter and Madame Web. It's a shared Spider-Man universe with (so far) barely a trace of the wallcrawler himself.
The recent debut of the first teaser trailer for Madame Web may have Marvel fans scratching their heads all over again. Why is Johnson playing a character traditionally depicted as a frail, elderly mystic, and why does Madame Web of all characters need her own movie in the first place? To answer those questions, let's take a closer look at the character's history in the Spider-Man comics and why the Madame Web movie probably won't be what fans are expecting.
Who Is Madame Web?
The original Madame Webb, Cassandra Webb, is a mutant with strong psychic and telepathic abilities. She can read minds, project her consciousness through the astral plane and even see the future. Not unlike Professor X, Madame Web's psychic powers are in contrast to her physical disabilities. She suffers from a neurodegenerative disease called myasthenia gravis, which leaves her blind, paralyzed and tethered to a complex life support system that resembles a spider web.
Madame Web first debuted in 1980's The Amazing Spider-Man #210. Over the years she's played a supporting role in a number of Spider-Man stories, usually lending Peter Parker a helping hand or delivering a dire warning about his future.
Over time, it's become clear that Madame Web's powers aren't solely based on her mutant gene. Like Peter and every other version of Spider-Man throughout the multiverse, Madame Web is connected to the mystical Web of Life and Destiny. She's charged with not just observing the future, but ensuring that life continues on its proper course.
Madame Web: Cassandra Webb or Julia Carpenter?
Cassandra Webb is traditionally depicted as a frail, aging woman, but in recent years the Marvel Universe has welcomed a brand new and very youthful Madame Web. Thanks to the events of 2010's Amazing Spider-Man: The Grim Hunt, Webb was killed and the mantle of Madame Web passed onto Julia Carpenter.
Prior to that promotion, Julia was best known as the second heroine to call herself Spider-Woman. She was originally recruited by a government agency known as The Commission, who injected her with a top-secret formula derived from spider venom. Her powers are similar to Spider-Man's, with one interesting twist. She can generate "psi-webs" that temporarily materialize into physical webs. No need for web fluid here.
Julia served as both Spider-Woman and Arachne for years until the aforementioned Grim Hunt. At that point, she gains all of Cassandra Webb's psychic powers (and her physical blindness) and reluctantly accepts her new role as protector of the Web of Life and Destiny.
Madame Web vs, Ezekiel Sims
While the concept of a superhero movie framed entirely around an elderly, physically disabled character is certainly novel, it seems unlikely Sony tapped the youthful Dakota Johnson to play a traditional version of Cassandra Webb. It's very likely the movie will be drawing most of its inspiration from contemporary Spider-Man comics rather than Madame Webb's original '80s adventures.
At one point, there was speculation that Johnson has actually been cast as Julia Carpenter, with the film focusing on Julia's struggle to come to terms with her role as Cassandra Webb's replacement. But thanks to the trailer, we now know that Johnson is indeed playing a younger, non-wheelchair-bound Cassandra, while Sydney Sweeney is playing Julia. In fact, there appear to be multiple Spider-Women headlining this Marvel movie. Judging from the trailer, Isabela Merced seems to be playing Anya Corazon and Celeste O'Connor is playing Mattie Franklin, both of whom become Spider-Girl/Spider-Woman in the comics.
The film appears to be putting Webb and the various Spider-Women in conflict with Ezekiel Sims, another character with an important tie to the mystical side of the Spider-Man franchise. In the comics, Ezekiel is a wealthy businessman determined to protect Peter Parker and other totemic heroes from the vampiric villain known as Morlun. It's Ezekiel who first clues Peter into the idea that his powers weren't random, but the result of his connection to the supernatural Spider-Totem. Ezekiel eventually takes on a more antagonistic role in the franchise, but he's ultimately won over by Spidey's innate goodness and sacrifices himself to save Spidey.
The movie is definitely playing up Ezekiel's villainous side, to the point that we see him dressing up in a very Spider-Man-esque costume and battling Webb and the Spider-Women. But if this version of Ezekiel is anything like his comic book counterpart, he's probably acting in what he believes is the greater good.
Is Madame Web Setting Up a Spider-Verse Movie?
With so many iconic heroes and villains in the Spider-Man franchise, it's enough to wonder why Madame Web is being given priority treatment by Sony. That decision makes more sense when you consider the Julia Carpenter version of the character is a key figure in 2014's Spider-Verse crossover.
Spider-Verse brings together dozens of versions of Spider-Man and Spider-Woman from across the Marvel multiverse. They're forced to battle the Inheritors, a family of vampiric beings who feed on heroes like Spider-Man - characters connected to mystical, totemic energies. Madame Web is the first to sense this growing threat to the Web of Life and Destiny, and she takes action to save the entire multiverse.
Could the Madame Web movie be a prelude to a larger, live-action Spider-Verse movie? The original comic book has certainly inspired a number of adaptations already, not least of which being 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse and its two sequels. Even the MCU has dipped its toes into those waters thanks to Spider-Man: No Way Home. The presence of Ezekiel in the Madame Web movie lends further fuel to this fire.
With No Way Home becoming the highest-grossing Sony movie to date, it stands to reason the studio will continue betting big on the Spider-Verse in the years to come. A Madame Web movie may seem like a strange choice right now, but it may well be a key part of the roadmap for Sony's Spider-Man Universe.
For more on the future of Sony's Spider-Man cinematic universe, read up on Kraven the Hunter's history and see every Spider-Man movie and show in development.
Note: this article was originally published on February 3, 2022 and updated on November 15, 2023 with the latest information about Madame Web.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
