Spider-Man: No Way Home was another huge hit for Sony Pictures, and hot off the heels of Venom: Let There Be Carnage grossing more than its predecessor at the domestic box office, it's obvious that the studio will continue to make Marvel movies with or without Marvel Studios.
For now, Tom Holland's Peter Parker thankfully looks set to remain in the MCU, but "Sony's Spider-Man Universe" is still expanding. Morbius will be released this May with the two-part Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse not far behind. Now, Madame Web is gaining steam with the news that Dakota Johnson will play the iconic supporting character.
With that in mind, we've put together a refresher for you to bring you up to speed with everything you need to know about this character. As well as diving into her history and powers, we reveal more about plans for this movie and the future stories Sony could be looking to set the stage for.
To take a look through this Madame Web breakdown, simply click on the "Next" button below!
5. Who Is Madame Web And What Can She Do?
Cassandra Webb suffered from a lifetime of blindness caused by myasthenia gravis, but as a mutant, her psychic powers helped the clairvoyant see the world in a vastly different way.
Often showing up to provide Peter Parker with advice and guidance, proving herself a valuable ally. Later it's revealed that she has ties to the Web of Life and Destiny, a model of the entire Multiverse that enables travel between realities. Needless to say, you can probably guess how that could prove crucial to Spider-Man's big screen future after the events of No Way Home.
Web's chair was designed by her husband and serves as an elaborate life support system that keeps her alive. That means she doesn't see much in the way of action, so if it appears in the upcoming movie, we'd bet on it having a different purpose (teleportation or enhancing her abilities, Cerebro-style).
4. There's More Than One Madame Web
So, with Dakota Johnson eyed to play Madame Web, it seems pretty obvious that we're not getting the old lady version of this character. That could be explained by making this an origin story, of course, while Web did once have her youth restored through a mystical ceremony known as the "Gathering of Five."
We're not anticipating this movie heading down that route, but do expect to potentially see a version of Cassandra Webb who is heavily inspired by her successor, Julia Carpenter.
Once known as the hero Spider-Woman, she was chosen to inherit Web's powers after she died and gained both the original Madame Web's powers and blindness. We're not suggesting Cassandra and Julia should appear here, but an amalgamation would give Sony the chance to deliver plenty of action and explore the character's origin as she comes to terms with her newfound abilities.
3. Spider-Woman Ties
Olivia Wilde is set to direct a Spider-Woman movie, but it sounds like Madame Web will come first. That might seem like an odd decision on Sony's part, but there's a chance they do have a plan.
In the comic books, Madame Web has ties to at least three Spider-Women. Jessica Drew isn't among them, but Web's daughter, Charlotte Witter, became a villainous Spider-Woman after a team-up with Doctor Octopus saw her use her abilities to siphon and absorb the powers of her heroic counterparts. This live-action Web probably isn't old enough to have a daughter, but a sister, perhaps?
It's also worth noting that Web served as a mentor to Mattie Franklin, the third Spider-Woman after the teenager gained similar abilities to Peter Parker. And, as noted, Julia Carpenter was granted Madame Web's powers when the original died, so Sony can borrow elements from all these characters.
2. Who's Working On The Movie?
It sounds like Fifty Shades of Grey star Dakota Johnson is pretty much a lock for Madame Web at this point, so Sony Pictures has definitely landed a big star to bring this character to life on screen. Behind the scenes, though, we have an undeniably interesting creative team.
S.J. Clarkson has been tapped to direct in what looks to be her feature directing debut. After making her start on British television, she moved on to make an impact in Hollywood in everything from Heroes to Dexter, Jessica Jones, and The Defenders. She's also been eyed to helm one of the upcoming Game of Thrones spinoff shows and came close to working on Star Trek 4.
As for the writers, Sony has gone with the team of Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. They don't have the greatest credits, unfortunately, as they previously worked on Dracula Untold, The Last Witch Hunter, and Gods of Egypt. However, the duo has clearly done something to impress the studio because they also wrote Morbius. We'll see how that one pans out when it's released in April.
1. Enter The Spider-Verse
Heading into Spider-Man: No Way Home, most of us expected the movie might end with the MCU's Peter Parker somehow given the ability to leap between worlds. That would have allowed Sony Pictures to make use of the web-slinger in their spinoff franchises while allowing the hero to remain part of the Marvel Studios family. It didn't happen (and we're not upset about that).
However, Madame Web is a character who can quite easily facilitate future spinoffs. Whether it's bringing Holland's Spidey into the same world as Venom and Morbius or, better yet, enlisting Andrew Garfield's Amazing Spider-Man to lend her world a hand, there are lots of exciting possibilities.
As the one potentially in charge of the Web of Life and Destiny, Web can dive into the "Spider-Verse" and allow Sony to introduce and explore multiple Spider-Man Variants...all while leaving the MCU's Spidey well alone. Honestly, we'd be shocked if this Madame Web doesn't factor into one of the upcoming Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse movies to help set the stage for that.