It is official. Dakota Johnson has been roped in by Sony to play Madame Web in the Sony movie of the same name. The Madame Web Movie, which was in development since 2019, is now finally making some much needed headway. Sony’s strategy for creating a shared superhero universe hinges entirely on the Spider-Verse. Starting with 2018’s Venom, it has finally branched out to include Spider-Man and a host of other related characters. The Madame Web movie, in that respect, could be the most important of the lot. And here’s why.
Madame Web Movie: Who Is The Character Dakota Johnson’s Playing?
Originally known as Cassandra Webb, Madame Webb is a mutant with potent telepathic abilities. Her powers include telepathic projection, traversing the astral plane, and even looking into the future. Her psychic abilities are near Godlike. But she has a major handicap that stops her from becoming a God. Web suffers from a neurodegenerative disease that makes her blind, paralyzed, and tethered to a huge chair like contraption. The chair like life support system resembles that of a huge spider web, hence the name.
The character first debuted in The Amazing Spider #210 in the 1980’s. Over the years, Madame Web has become a very popular Spider-Man supporting character. She helps guide Peter in his hour of need and even aids him in battle. Marvel Comics reveal her purpose is to not just help Spider-Man. Like Spider-man and the rest of the Spider-Verse wall-crawlers, Web too is connected to the mystel web of life and destiny that runs through the multiverse. Her job is to not just protect Spider-man but also ensure life continues to prosper.
What Madame Web Could Mean For The Sony Spider-Verse
The character has encountered a lot of characters Sony is focusing on right now. From Morbius to venom, Kraven and Spider-Man, Madame Web has crossed paths with many Spider-Verse characters. She has even fought a few of them. The decision to cast a younger actor like Dakota in the role is no coincidence. There could be a very rational reason why Sony chose Johnson.
2010’s The Grim hunt story arc saw the original Madame Web being killed. The role eventually went to Julia Carpenter. Before she assumed the role of the protector of the Web of Life and Destiny, Carpenter was better known as Spider-Woman. She had the same powers as Spider-Man but with her own unique twts – she does not require web-shooters. Instead, she relies on “psi-webs”. Carpenter becomes the reluctant heir to the mantel of Madame Web after the 2010 arc. Johnson may not be playing Cassandra Web. She could start out as Julia Carpenter, who eventually takes over when the ageing Cassandra can no longer continue her duties.
Sony Has Its Own Nick Fury Now
Another interesting element to explore is that Madame Web is the character that is the link for almost all major Spider-Verse heroes and villains. Now that Spider-Verse is about to enter the theaters in full swing (no pun intended), Web could fill the role that Nick Fury does in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Johnson’s character could help rally the Spider troops against a common enemy.
For the MCU, big bad wolves like Loki and Thanos proved why Nick Fury assembled the Avengers. Sony’s Spider-Verse would need a villain of a caliber no less than that for Web to go on a recruitment drive.
Maybe a villain like Morlun, followed by Knull, is the plot direction Sony is gunning for. In that sense, a younger actor like Dakota Johnson playing Madame Web makes all the more sense now. Sony would be requiring her services for many years to come to set up the Spider-Verse.
