A Madame Web Movie? Sony’s Latest Spider-Man Spinoff Probably Isn’t What It Seems

It can be tough to parse Sony’s overarching strategy for their shared universe of Spider-Man films. The so-called “Sony’s Spider-Man Universe” series began with 2018’s Venom and is set to expand with upcoming solo projects like Morbius and Madame Web. It’s a shared Spider-Man universe with (so far) barely a trace of the wallcrawler himself.

The recent announcement that Dakota Johnson will star in Madame Web may have Marvel fans scratching their heads all over again. Why is Johnson playing a character traditionally depicted as a frail, elderly mystic, and why does Madame Web of all characters need her own movie in the first place? To answer those questions, let’s take a closer look at the character’s history in the Spider-Man comics and why the Madame Web movie probably won’t be what fans are expecting.

Who Is Madame Web?

The original Madame Webb, Cassandra Webb, is a mutant with strong psychic and telepathic abilities. She can read minds, project her consciousness through the astral plane and even see the future. Not unlike Professor X, Madame Web’s psychic powers are in contrast to her physical disabilities. She suffers from a neurodegenerative disease called myasthenia gravis, which leaves her blind, paralyzed and tethered to a complex life support system that resembles a spider web.

Madame Web first debuted in 1980’s The Amazing Spider-Man #210. Over the years she’s played a supporting role in a number of Spider-Man stories, usually lending Peter Parker a helping hand or delivering a dire warning about his future.

Over time, it’s become clear that Madame Web’s powers aren’t solely based on her mutant gene. Like Peter and every other version of Spider-Man throughout the multiverse, Madame Web is connected to the mystical Web of Life and Destiny. She’s charged with not just observing the future, but ensuring that life continues on its proper course.

She’s charged with not just observing the future, but ensuring that life continues on its proper course.

Madame Web: Cassandra Webb or Julia Carpenter?

Cassandra Webb is traditionally depicted as a frail, aging woman, but in recent years the Marvel Universe has welcomed a brand new and very youthful Madame Web. Thanks to the events of 2010’s Amazing Spider-Man: The Grim Hunt, Webb was killed and the mantle of Madame Web passed onto Julia Carpenter.

Prior to that promotion, Julia was best known as the second heroine to call herself Spider-Woman. She was originally recruited by a government agency known as The Commission, who injected her with a top-secret formula derived from spider venom. Her powers are similar to Spider-Man’s, with one interesting twist. She can generate “psi-webs” that temporarily materialize into physical webs. No need for web fluid here.

Julia served as both Spider-Woman and Arachne for years until the aforementioned Grim Hunt. At that point, she gains all of Cassandra Webb’s psychic powers (and her physical blindness) and reluctantly accepts her new role as protector of the Web of Life and Destiny.

Which Madame Web Will Dakota Johnson Play?

While the concept of a superhero movie framed entirely around an elderly, physically disabled character is certainly novel, it seems unlikely Sony tapped the youthful Dakota Johnson to play a traditional version of Cassandra Webb. It’s very likely the movie will be drawing most of its inspiration from contemporary Spider-Man comics rather than Madame Webb’s original ’80s adventures.

So indeed, there’s a good chance Johnson is actually playing Julia Carpenter. The movie may be framed around Carpenter’s journey as she inherits the powers and responsibilities of Madame Web and learns the ropes of being a blind psychic tormented by visions of the future. That’s one way to pull off a Madame Web movie without including Spider-Man.

The question is whether the movie will acknowledge Julia’s original role as Spider-Woman or ignore that back-story. It would certainly be an interesting wrinkle to the story if the Madame Web movie treats Julia as a veteran superhero forced to become something else entirely. It might seem strange to introduce Spider-Woman at the tail end of her costumed career, but there’s no reason Sony or Marvel couldn’t pursue a more traditional Spider-Woman movie featuring original Spider-Woman Jessica Drew or one of the many other Spider-Women/Spider-Girls.

Speaking of which, it’s also possible Johnson could be playing one of those other characters. Madame Webb also has established relationships with two of the Spider-people in the Marvel Universe, Mattie Franklin and Webb’s own granddaughter, Charlotte Witter. Either character could fit the mold of a younger hero transitioning into the Madame Web role. Maybe Johnson’s character will be a composite of all three heroines.

Is Madame Web Setting Up a Spider-Verse Movie?

With so many iconic heroes and villains in the Spider-Man franchise, it’s enough to wonder why Madame Web is being given priority treatment by Sony. That decision makes more sense when you consider the Julia Carpenter version of the character is a key figure in 2014’s Spider-Verse crossover.

Spider-Verse brings together dozens of versions of Spider-Man and Spider-Woman from across the Marvel multiverse. They’re forced to battle the Inheritors, a family of vampiric beings who feed on heroes like Spider-Man – characters connected to mystical, totemic energies. Madame Web is the first to sense this growing threat to the Web of Life and Destiny, and she takes action to save the entire multiverse.

Could the Madame Web movie be a prelude to a larger, live-action Spider-Verse movie? The original comic book has certainly inspired a number of adaptations already, not least of which being 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse and its upcoming Across the Spider-Verse sequels. Even the MCU has dipped its toes into those waters thanks to Spider-Man: No Way Home.

With No Way Home becoming the highest-grossing Sony movie to date, it stands to reason the studio will continue betting big on the Spider-Verse in the years to come. A Madame Web movie may seem like a strange choice right now, but it may well be a key part of the roadmap for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.

For more on Spider-Man: No Way Home, read about how it was Andrew Garfield’s idea to include this meme in the film, how the stars of the movie had a “Spider-Man therapy session” before filming the first scene, and check out the full script of the latest Spidey movie.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.