Unsurprisingly, the first trailer for Madame Web didn't receive the warmest of responses from fans. From a version of Ezekiel who is suited up as an evil Spider-Man to lines of dialogue which have already become memes, the movie has all the hallmarks of a mid-2000s superhero blockbuster.
Something everyone seemed to approve of, though, are the costumes worn by Madame Web's female leads.
Julia Carpenter (Sydney Sweeney), Mattie Franklin (Celeste O’Connor), and Anya Corazon (Isabela Merced) all look like they've leapt off the page, and we're hoping they suit up for more than just a few flashforwards courtesy of Cassandra Webb. We're not getting our hopes up on that front, though.
Regardless, the one hero we haven't seen suit up is Madame Web herself. We're guessing she will don some sort of costume by the time the credits roll and a spectacular piece of fan art - created by @arifinity_ - offers an idea of what that could look like.
"It was a wild experience," Johnson previously said of her time working on the Marvel movie. "I don’t think you can be prepped to go into anything like that, but I learned so much. It’s a completely different way of making films, you know? And then, I went into making one of my company’s tiny, tiny little movies right after, so I got a real taste of different kinds of cinema last year."
The teaser offered no indication that Cassandra will lose her sight or end up hooked into a web-like life support system. Sony has never been one to adhere to the source material, though, so it could be this version's story plays out a lot differently.
What do you think about this take on Madame Web?
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
SJ Clarkson directors from a screenplay she wrote with Claire Parker. Confirmed cast members include Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor, Isabela Merced, Tahar Rahim, Mike Epps, Emma Roberts, and Adam Scott.
We believe the movie is still dated for February 16, 2024, in the U.S., but recently trailers ended with "Coming Soon" (we have, however, been able to confirm it will swing into UK cinemas on February 14).