Heading into Madame Web, it's fair to say most of us expected some sort of link to Spider-Man. The title character has long had connections to the Multiverse, with the Julia Carpenter version of the character a central figure in Peter Parker's exploration of the Spider-Verse.
Trailers and set photos didn't feature any nods to the web-slinger; in contrast, Morbius once directly referenced Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man and The Daily Bugle, Easter Eggs which ended up on the cutting room floor when all was said and done.
In the weeks leading up to Madame Web's release, the word "standalone" repeatedly came up. That may have been to temper expectations, but the movie still features a couple of big nods to Spidey.
The biggest is the fact that Cassie Webb works as a paramedic alongside Ben Parker. His sister-in-law, Mary, is pregnant and her husband, Richard, is away working.
Cassie attends a baby shower for Mary and, during the movie's final act - which sees Ezekiel Sims in hot pursuit of Cassie, Julia, Mattie, and Anya - Ben rushes her to the hospital where she gives birth to a little boy who, for some reason, is never named.
That's ultimately it for direct Spider-Man references. Using her powers to see the future, Cassie enters a psychic arena called "The Web," a possible nod to the Web of Life and Destiny; however, it's never really explored beyond a surface level and doesn't appear to be Multiversal in nature.
Finally, there are the spider-people in South America who gain their powers from spiders, one of which is stolen by Ezekiel when he kills Cassie's mom. While the comics have hinted that Peter's powers have ties to magic, it's widely accepted that it only granted him amazing abilities because it was imbued with radioactivity.
"Well, I think I concentrated on the fact it was called Madame Web and I was very excited about the fact we had a really strong, brilliant female superhero at the fore," director SJ Clarkson told us when we asked about the lack of Spider-Man in the movie. "What I was most excited about was the clairvoyance and the fact that hadn’t been done before."
"There have been many versions of many superheroes and those particular skills, but hers I think deserved its own story to be told."
You can watch the full interview with her, and Ezekiel actor Tahar Rahim, in the players below.
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.
The movie stars Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor, Isabela Merced, Tahar Rahim, Mike Epps, Emma Roberts, and Adam Scott.
Madame Web is now playing in theaters worldwide.