As a kid growing up reading Marvel Comics, I always hoped there would be movies of the X-Men and Spider-Man, and as time went on and things like Batman became massive blockbusters, I started to think they would. But never, in all my years, even after Iron Man launched an entire cinematic universe of Marvel characters did I find myself wondering “When is it going to be Madame Web’s turn?”
Reader, it is Madame Web’s turn.
In defiance of all of my presumptions about what makes a good superhero movie or what fans of the genre are looking for, Sony has made a Madame Web film, which is technically spun off from their Spider-Man franchise (or at least made using screen rights they hold thanks to it). The original Madame Web character of the comics was a blind woman who sat in a magical chair and told Spider-Man prophecies about the future. I don’t think it is a spoiler to say: That is not quite the movie Sony decided to make.
Instead, Dakota Johnson stars as a young paramedic who is in an accident and then gains clairvoyant powers, which she then uses to stop a vaguely Spider-Man-y looking villain. Check out the trailer for the film below:
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Madame Web says this villain is “Ezekiel Sims” who is a character from Marvel — although typically he is portrayed as an enigmatic ally of Spider-Man with spider abilities of his own; he was one of the first characters who sort of paved the early way to the notion of a Spider-Verse and stories where lots of people have spider powers, rather than just Peter Parker. Clearly, this film went in a different direction…
Here is the film’s official synopsis:
‘Meanwhile, in another universe…’ In a switch from the typical genre, Madame Web tells the standalone origin story of one of Marvel publishing’s most enigmatic heroines. The suspense-driven thriller stars Dakota Johnson as Cassandra Webb, a paramedic in Manhattan who may have clairvoyant abilities. Forced to confront revelations about her past, she forges a relationship with three young women destined for powerful futures…if they can all survive a deadly present.
Madame Web is scheduled to open in theaters on February 14, 2024. And a more romantic movie to watch on Valentine’s Day I cannot imagine.
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