So it looks like Sony is serious about building their own cinematic universe. And to prove it, they’re giving us a Madame Web movie. Wait, but who the heck is that, you ask? Well, I wouldn’t blame you if you did. It’s not like this is a popular character, but you’ll know the name if you grew up watching the animated Spider-Man cartoon from the ’90s. She was instrumental in all the weird events that occurred in that show and as I recall, it ended with her finally giving Peter Parker what he deserved. In her own words, she believed Peter was entitled to some happiness and implied that she would help him find the real Mary Jane Watson. You know, because the other one he married was actually a clone who would eventually be vaporized. Boy, for a children’s cartoon, that sure was heartbreaking. But I hope it all worked out in the end. Let’s not also forget that Madame Web had a hand in setting up the Secret Wars event in the Spider-Man cartoon, not to mention opened the doors to the Multiverse. Whenever she popped up, the show got weird. Like, very weird. To be honest, I’m still trying to understand the nature of her character and what she does. All I know about her is that her real name is Cassandra Webb and she suffers from a neuromuscular disease called Myasthenia gravis. If you think the name implies anything, it definitely does, but maybe not in the way you think.
She is called Madame Web because she is connected to a life support system that resembles a spiderweb. And get this, she’s technically a mutant. As far as her powers go, she’s a clairvoyant. In other words, she has the ability to perceive events in the future through extrasensory perception. It’s all in the realm of paranormal stuff and it’s very unusual. But this is the kind of thing that can be turned into a superpower in Marvel. Marvel describes her as precognitive mutant, but don’t get too excited. If you hear the word “mutant”, you’ll probably assume that the X-Men aren’t too far behind. I know, we’re all just waiting for them to pop up again, but this means nothing. Again, this Madam Web movie is for the Sony Marvel Universe. I’m sure there will a crossover into the Marvel Cinematic Universe at some point, but I think Sony wants to rebuild their own. But I must ask, why Madam Web? I personally think she’ll make for a cool supporting character in another Spider-Man movie, but what can you possibly do with a solo movie just for her? Explore her origins, have her meet some important people, and then open the doors to the Multiverse? That sounds like a lot, but we’ve seen Sony pull off the most ambitious plan ever in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Speaking of No Way Home, remember the scene at the end when all the potential threats from other universes started coming through? Doctor Strange tried to contain them, but we saw the silhouettes of some particularly familiar characters. If you got a good eye, you can probably tell who some of them are. The most notable ones are Kraven the Hunter, Rhino, Scorpion, and even Madam Web. That was quite the surprise. I must say, I didn’t think Sony would be moving forward with that particular character so soon. And to prove everyone they’re serious about it, they apparently found an actress to play her. Dakota Johnson is reportedly in final negotiations to play Madame Web in a solo film. This was some unexpected news, even after seeing the silhouette of Madame Web in No Way Home. I’m still asking why this particular Spider-Man-related character and now, I wonder why they would get Dakota Johnson to play her. If you’ve seen Madame Web in the comics or the cartoons, you will know that she has the appearance of an elderly woman. Seems like a very odd casting choice for the thirty-two-year-old Dakota Johnson to play an older woman. My guess would be showing her in her regular appearance and as the disease begins to affect her body, we’ll be seeing that look that represents Madam Webb. It’s something they could pull off, with a good combination of make-up and CGI. Sounds like she’ll look cool on the screen, but an actress with Dakota Johnson’s looks would probably be more suitable for another character.
What other movies does Sony have in mind? How about their interest in the Black Cat and Silver Sable team-up movie? Or how about giving Spider-Woman her own movie? A lot of possibilities for this growing cinematic universe, but on the surface, these characters probably shouldn’t get their own movie. I’m sure many people thought the same about Venom and Morbius and look where we are now. Not only did these two characters get their own solo movies, but they also got top notch talent to play them. Fitting actors for both characters and I wonder why Sony chose this young actress to play an elderly comic book character. Does anyone else think Dakota Johnson would’ve been better suited for Black Cat? Now that’s something she has the look for, not to mention she could pull off the mannerisms of the character. She could probably do the same for Silver Sable or even Jessica Drew. Those are characters Dakota Johnson has the look for and could embody the best, but Sony decided she would be a good fit for Madame Web, who is the exact opposite of those characters? This is a curious move on their end and I’m still wondering what they can do with a movie for this character. Again, I think she’d be better suited as a supporting character, but they think otherwise. The director helming the project will be S.J. Clarkson, who has done work on Netflix’s Jessica Jones and The Defenders.
That’s a good thing in my opinion, because the director has experience directing Marvel-related projects before. I think that’s a reason for us to be interested in this movie, but as of now, I need more. Who will be the villain? And what other characters will be in this movie? Better yet, will Spider-Man appear? There’s a lot to think about, but a Madame Web movie is an unexpected move. It was even more unexpected when Dakota Johnson was announced to be the frontrunner to play her. Sony has been making some ambitious decisions lately, so let’s hope they make it all pay off.Sony
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