Summary

  • Madame Web is an important entry in Sony's Spider-Man Universe, with powers and ties to the multiverse that open up possibilities for crossovers.
  • The movie is set in the same universe as Morbius and the Venom movies, and explores fertile ground for interconnected stories.
  • The Madame Web trailer reveals plot details, including her psychic abilities, her nemesis Ezekiel Sims, and the potential for the Web of Live & Destiny to play a role in the story.

Madame Web is an upcoming movie in Sony's Spider-Man Universe - not to be confused with the MCU - and based on everything that has been revealed, it is an important entry in the franchise. Madame Web is a superhero in the Spider-Man comic books - a mutant and clairvoyant who has extrasensory powers that allow her to magically obtain information about almost anything. The original Madame Web was a blind elderly woman who was connected to a life support system that looked like a spiderweb, though Madame Web’s cast of characters centers around Dakota Johnson’s Cassandra Webb.

Following the critical and commercial disappointment of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, a lot of different Spider-Man projects were canceled. However, Sony Pictures has since built the SSU, including Madame Web's Spider-Man hero adventure. Interestingly, Madame Web's powers have ties to the multiverse, opening up the franchise to seemingly endless possibilities. Madame Web will be set in the same universe as Morbius and the Venom movies and is one of the few Marvel movies releasing in 2024. That said, Madame Web's addition to the upcoming Spider-Man movie roster undoubtedly looks to explore some fertile ground in terms of crossovers.

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Madame Web Latest News

Dakota Johnson as Cassandra Webb in Madame Web SSU trailer

The official Madame Web trailer revealed much more about the movie and its place in the Sony Spider-Man universe. Not only did the trailer give a much deeper insight into the film's plot, but it also allowed audiences to see some of the cast in their roles for the first time. The trailer raised anticipation for the film's release as well as the remainder of the SSU going forward.

Madame Web Is Confirmed

sony spiderverse venom morbius madame web

Madame Web was first confirmed in 2019 and Sony tapped writers Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless to write the screenplay (via Collider). Those two penned the script for 2022's Morbius which is also part of Sony's shared Spider-Man Universe along with the Venom franchise and the upcoming Kraven the Hunter film. Madame Web did not begin filming until July 2022 and star Dakota Johnson confirmed in January 2023 that filming had wrapped (via Coming Soon). The movie is directed by S.J. Clarkson, who has previously helmed episodes of Marvel TV shows like Jessica Jones and The Defenders.

Madame Web Release Date

Madame Web Cassandra and her protegees

Madame Web is seemingly repeating Deadpool's trick of counter-programming over Valentine's Day weekend, which was what helped the 2016 movie become such a huge success. Madame Web is scheduled for release on February 14, 2024, and while Morbius was a box office bomb, the theatrically released 2024 movie should be a hit. The reason for this stems from the lack of competition Madame Web has during its opening weekend.

However, it is worth noting that the movie was pushed back from its original October 2023 release date, seemingly since Kraven the Hunter occupied that space. That said, the latter supervillain movie has since been delayed to an August 2024 release date. This suggests that Kraven the Hunter and Madame Web do not have shared story aspects considering the former has been moved to a release date after Madame Web, where previously it was meant to be released before.

Madame Web Cast

Madame Web has made some interesting casting choices so far, even if it is still far from clear who every actor is playing at the current time. The movie stars Dakota Johnson as the titular character, with Sydney Sweeney playing Julia Carpenter and Celeste O'Connor as Mattie Franklin - formally introducing two different versions of Spider-Woman into the live-action universe. Isabela Merced will also be taking on the role of Anya Corazon, allowing the Marvel movie to adapt some of Spider-Man's more interesting but arguably less appreciated characters.

Emma Roberts, Mike Epps, Adam Scott, and Zosia Mamet will all also appear in the film. At present, all three possess currently undisclosed roles - though Roberts and Scott are theorized to be May and Ben Parker respectively. The Madame Web trailer also reveals more about the movie's villain casting, as Tahar Rahim's iteration of Spider-Man villain Ezekiel Sims is shown.

This makes the impending Madame Web story all the more intriguing given Sims’ brilliant albeit often underrated nature as a Spider-Man villain. Sims’ comic storylines have shown him to possess great knowledge about the nature of the universe. This is interesting and could easily connect something to the concept that Madame Web may flesh out more about the interconnected nature of the Spider-Man multiverse.

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Madame Web Plot Details

Custom image of Ezekiel Sims in a black and red Spider-Man-like suit and Madame Web with the multiverse behind them

The Madame Web trailer confirms that the movie will tell the origin story of Madame Web herself, showcasing her psychic abilities and establishing her as a cornerstone of the Sony Spider-Man universe. The trailer builds on this by providing her a nemesis in the form of Ezekiel Sims, who appears to be hunting both her and the other Spider-People in the film, with Sims' statement that "you have no idea what those girls become" suggesting that he may be attempting to prevent some future crisis occurring through his efforts.

In the comics, this web is the source of Madame Web's precognitive abilities meaning the concept appearing in recent history on the big screen could allow for the Madame Web movie to utilize it to its fullest.

The introduction of the Web of Life & Destiny in Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse furthers the possibility of Madame Web exploring the concept. In the comics, this web is the source of Madame Web's precognitive abilities meaning the concept appearing in recent history on the big screen could allow for the Madame Web movie to utilize it to its fullest. Theories also suggest May and Ben Parker may appear in the movie, with Sims potentially targeting them - and their nephew - to prevent Peter Parker from ever existing - which would suggest that Madame Web is set before other Sony Spider-Man Universe movies.

Madame Web Trailer

Mattie Franklin, Cassandra Webb, Anya Corazon and Julia Cornwall in Madame Web trailer

The Madame Web trailer was released on November 15, 2023. The trailer provides a three-minute window into the overall plot and world of the impending Marvel movie and has raised audience excitement for the project considerably by shedding light on many of the bigger questions surrounding its story. Despite the trailer's release, more has been revealed in the period between this trailer's release and the final release of the film.

How Madame Web Fits In The SSU (& MCU)

Michael Keaton in Morbius and Tom Hardy in Venom

Sony has already attempted to cross over the events of the MCU Spider-Man trilogy with the SSU, yet these attempts did not have much of an impact. The Vulture (Michael Keaton), who was the villain in Spider-Man: Homecoming, returned in a Morbius post-credits scene while Eddie Brock briefly appeared in the MCU. However, the logic of these crossovers made minimal sense, thus creating multiple frustrating plot holes.

That said, Madame Web can fix that. As one of Madame Web's powers is being able to switch between universes, the 2024 movie could seamlessly tie everything together in a way that makes much more sense. If Madame Web is indeed set before the other films, as has been theorized based on the design choices shown in the Madame Web trailer, this possibility is all the more likely.

These prior teases could all be building up to the multiversal events of Madame Web. The movie could either be set chronologically before every other Spider-Man-adjacent movie and flesh out the nature of the multiverse itself, or be set after to capitalize on the groundwork laid by prior movies. With Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse reinforcing the idea of a linked Spider-Verse - which canonically includes both MCU and SSU live-action universes - this opportunity has become more and more possible and gives Madame Web far greater potential than any thought possible upon its announcement.

Key Release Dates