The Spider-Verse just keeps getting bigger. Kraven the Hunter may have gotten pushed back, but Madame Web is arriving in February, as expected—and we finally have a first look at the story of the clairvoyant Cassandra Webb.
And what an odd look it is.
I don’t know what’s more confusing here: the fact that these Cassandra seems to have only one outfit, or the weird mishmash of old cars, computers, and upholstered train seats (sure, yes, maybe it’s one of the non-subway trains that services New York, I know, but there is something disconcerting about a man talking about how crazy New York City is on a train that isn’t the MTA). What year is it? Did computers and cars develop at different rates elsewhere in the multiverse? Can anything explain these costume choices?
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Here’s the also-confusing synopsis:
“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.
An origin story is hardly a switch from the typical genre fare, but sure! What this synopsis does not say, and the trailer hints at, is that the villain appears to be trying to stop these three young women (Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor, and Isabela Merced) from becoming the latest Spider-Babies. Like Madame Web herself, our villain, Ezekiel Sims, is also usually older than he’s seen here, but everyone knows that in modern superhero movies, you die before you hit 50 (if that). So here we are.
Yes, that is Adam Scott you see ever so briefly early in the trailer; the cast also includes Zosia Mamet, Emma Roberts, Mike Epps, and Tahar Rahim. The screenplay is by Matt Sazama (Morbius), Kerem Sazama, and Burk Sharpless (Lost in Space); S.J. Clarkson (Jessica Jones) is the director.
Madame Web spins her way into theaters on February 14, 2024.
