Let us give ‘Madame Web’ a chance
Madame Web poster from Columbia Pictures and Marvel Entertainment
Well, what can you say? Lately, feeling excited about an upcoming MCU movie or a movie studio associated with Marvel Entertainment is getting hard. Except for ‘Deadpool 3’, that is.
For the most part it feels like the movie studios have lost more than a step. Perhaps their way? Many times, as a fan, I try to level the expectation and justify any excitement I may feel for a superhero movie, but the previous movies have been downhill in the last few years. And it is not only based on the missteps when it comes to the presentation of the superheroes and supervillains and the storyline is often times amiss.
Now, here comes ‘Madame Web’ another movie that exists in its world or universe. The term Multiverse is so overused already, that it has lost its meaning. I mean, must it be that every time that a new superhero movie is made, it remains isolated, or only is found in their universe?
Logically, this should not be the case. Why so? Alright. let me explain why. Everyone knows I have been a longtime comics book collector and reader since I was a child. And I know my Marvel and DC inside and out. The comic book character “Madame Web” was a blind clairvoyant older lady in a wheelchair. She was the equivalent of “Professor-X” in X-Men-lore.
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“Madame Web” is an ally of the original Spider-Man (Peter Parker). However, she never got directly involved in his battles with villains since she was more of an advisor. You can even say in movie parlance: She is the equivalent of “The Oracle” in ‘The Matrix’. But let us stop here before we get further away from the topic.
In the Marvel Comics, “Madame Web” was never a popular comic-book character to the majority of readers which situation resulted in only a few appearances in various Spider-Man titles under Marvel Comics. She did, however, become more popular eventually due to her being part of the Spider-Man Animated Series in the 90s. And because of that, more people became aware of her.
A few years ago, when the reports started coming in that ‘Madame Web’ was one of the next movies under Columbia Pictures associated with Marvel Entertainment to be developed. Admittedly, not a lot of people got excited about it.
However, Columbia Pictures had an idea, a vision, and a clear direction on how they wanted to present “Madame Web” on the big screen. Her reimagining is the right move to do.
They had to make the changes to the comic-book-character to make her suitable, marketable, and perfect for the big screen in this era of cinema. Frankly, I really like the casting of Dakota Johnson as “Madame Web.”
Dakota Johnson as an actress has that intellectual vibe about her; she comes off as smart, and her previous movie assignments led the studio to select her for this role. So, I do believe it was not a random casting decision but that a lot of thought was put into it, of course. As it always happens.
“Madame Web” is a perfect example of the need to “modernize” certain comic book characters to the times without changing their superpowers or abilities.
Madame Web. Image from Columbia Pictures and Marvel Entertainment
I believe they had to do it. In rare cases, if the modernized or envisioned version of the comic book character becomes successful and popular in its starring live-action movie, then a comic book adaptation is what will be followed in the comic books for the sake of continuity and in an effort to appease the fans of the said movie in order to get them to purchase the comic books when they became available.
Perfect example of this–although it was on television–was “Harley Quinn” of ‘The Batman Animated Series.’ “Harley Quinn” never existed in DC Comics prior to her being created for the sake of the animated series of Batman on television. She became a huge hit for the viewers that soon after she would be appearing in DC comics and be starring in the DCEU portrayed by Margot Robbie.
Going back to the main topic of my newest entertainment article, besides having “Madame Web” as the central onscreen character, you have three versions of Spider-Woman in this upcoming movie. And that is a bonus! I, for one, have always been a fan of the 80s to ’90s version of Spider-Woman and the released images, stills, and its official trailer have proven that she will be in her iconic black and white costume design which faithfully follows her ’90s incarnation. The ’90s version of Spider-Woman will be portrayed by Sydney Sweeney. That alone is motivating enough for me to watch this in cinemas.
Should you? And why ever not?
Let us give ‘Madame Web’ a chance.
