The first trailer for Madame Web may have led to a viral, and largely unflattering, meme about some stilted dialogue, but the sight of (mostly) comic-accurate costumes definitely excited fans.
Those were worn by Julia Cornwall/Spider-Woman (Sydney Sweeney), Mattie Franklin/Spider-Girl (Celeste O'Connor), and Anya Corazon/Araña (Isabela Merced). Later, we'd see promotional shots of Cassie Webb, a.k.a. Madame Web (Dakota Johnson), wearing her own super-suit.
As noted, they all paid homage to the source material and were featured in the trailer during what looked to be a battle between the three Spider-Women and Ezekiel Sims in the near future. So, how much screentime do those eye-catching costumes get in Madame Web?
Unfortunately, they're not in the movie for more than a couple of minutes.
In fact, the aforementioned battle is barely any longer than what was in the trailer. It's shot in a way which means we never get a particularly clear look at the suits and is choppily edited due to the entire thing being Ezekiel's nightmare/premonition.
Julia, Mattie, and Anya get a fair bit to do in Madame Web but don't actually gain their superpowers during the course of the movie. There's a hint at the end that they eventually will, and it's then we see the costumes once more...in what looks like a recycled shot of the one you see in the banner image above!
As for Madame Web herself, it's not until the final few minutes that she "suits up," and her striking red gear is shown on screen for mere seconds. However, it's paired up with a very elaborate pair of shades which haven't been revealed in promotional materials.
"Simply, you hire Ngila Dixon. She is the most extraordinary costume designer," Madame Web director SJ Clarkson recently told us. "She comes from a place of character and she really thinks about who they are, who they want to be, and how they’d like to be portrayed. I think that’s a balance of what we got out of those looks."
"They wanted to be confident but there’s something pulling them back, and that’s where Ngila is absolutely brilliant. Obviously, with how that translated to them as regular teenagers and into their potential selves in the future."
You can watch the full interview 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.