Sony's Spider-Man Universe is back with Madame Web, a film that struggles to find an identity through chaotic (and spoilery) events.
Starring Dakota Johnson as Cassie Webb, the character embarks on an unpredictable journey, trying to take control of her newfound precognition abilities.
She is joined by Adam Scott, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Tahar Rahim, and Celeste O'Connor.
Who Dies in Madame Web?
Warning - The rest of this article contains spoilers for Madame Web
Two character deaths lay the groundwork for the plot of Madame Web.
To begin the film, Cassie's mother, Constance, is in the Peruvian jungle researching spiders alongside lead antagonist Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim).
This is a flashback scene during 1973, the moment infamously referenced in the trailer with this line by Cassie, "He was in the Amazon with my mom when she was researching spiders right before she died."
Ironically, this snippet of dialogue is not delivered in the movie, but her mother (pregnant with Cassie) does die during labor following a fatal gunshot wound at the hands of Ezekiel.
It is later revealed in the film that Cassie would have been born with a life-altering disease, leading Constance to travel to the Amazon rainforest to find a cure.
The opening scene connects Cassie to the Amazonian Spider-People, as Constance is bitten by a powerful spider before death, thus later giving Cassie her psychic abilities and (without her realizing it) extending her life expectancy.
The other death that generates much of the film's unraveling plot is that of Ezekiel Sims. Early in the movie, Ezekiel dreams of his death at the hands of three Spider-Women (Sweeney, Merced, and O'Connor's characters).
This puts him on a villainous path of tracking down the three teenage girls to end their lives before his doomed fate becomes a reality.
As the plot unfolds, Cassie attempts to save the three girls because she sees the future of Ezekiel succeeding in killing all three of them. During the final battle, Cassie is ultimately the one who ends Ezekiel's life, putting an end to his hunt.
Does Madame Web Lose Her Vision?
Winning always comes at a sacrifice. As Cassie defeats Ezekiel, she is crushed, and loses her eyesight and the ability to walk.
This was a likely outcome of the film, making it a true origin story, as Madame Web in the comics is blind and paralyzed, but can access a web of consciousness which allows her to help warn different Spider-People from danger.
Without including a post-credits scene, Madame Web does tease a future sequel, showing a future where Julia Cornwall, Mattie Franklin, and Anya Corazon are all superheroes keeping the streets of NYC safe.
In addition, a glimpse at Johnson in a red Madame Web super-suit is also shown, with the character using her out-of-body abilities to project herself floating among the heroines.
Is Spider-Man in Madame Web?
Peter Parker does make an appearance at the end of Madame Web, but probably not in the way audiences are expecting.
Emma Roberts plays a pregnant Mary Parker, the mother of Peter. Her husband (Richard) is out of town during the events of the movie and Adam Scott's iteration of Uncle Ben Parker is who has to rush Mary to the hospital when her water breaks.
While Peter's name is never revealed, earlier in the movie the name is teased during an uncomfortable baby shower scene, and the baby does appear by the end of the movie.
Madame Web, based in 2003, seems to take place in an alternate reality to the events of the MCU or SSU (Venom and Morbius). This universe focuses more closely on the origins of the Spider-People, with Ezekiel being an evil version of Spider-Man without web-slingers, and the future Spider-Women heroes.
Love is in the air, Madame Web is now playing in theaters.
