Madame Web: everything you need to know including cast, story and release date

Are you ready to meet Madame Web? The titular superhero makes her big-screen debut in the first comic book movie of 2024, and her origin story promises to open up new avenues of the Sony-Marvel universe.

Want to become ensnared in a web of cinematic intrigue? Madame Web promises all that and more – scroll down for all the key information on the story, cast and release date.

Who is Madame Web and what is the story of the movie?

The Madame Web movie acts as the origin story of the popular Marvel comics character. In the original strips Madame Web, real name Cassandra Webb, originated as an elderly, blind, wheelchair-bound clairvoyant on a life-support system; in the movie, she's a younger, sprightlier paramedic whose ability to predict things before they happen is seemingly both a gift and a curse.

In the trailer, she predicts a violent diner attack that's undertaken by a man named Ezekiel who wears a Spider-Man-like costume. Cassandra's unwitting time-space intervention means she not only adjusts her destiny but that of several women who were in the vicinity at the time, one of whom is Julia Carpenter (see below). Cassandra's ability to effectively see the multiverse has already drawn comparisons with the live-action Doctor Strange films and the acclaimed animated Spider-Verse movies.

How, exactly, Cassandra gets these powers in the movie is a mystery. In the comics, she's a longtime sufferer of a neurological condition known as myasthenia gravis, which imbues her with psychic abilities. We might imagine there's a medical diagnosis scene in the movie that's yet to be revealed, assuming that the film stays true to the original canon.

Who plays Madame Web?

Madame Web is played by Fifty Shades of Grey star Dakota Johnson. The actress strikes a very different figure from the elderly incarnation of Madame Web from the comics; this was a deliberate move on the part of Johnson and director S.J. Clarkson who has helmed several episodes of Marvel series Jessica Jones.

“I really love the idea of somebody who can see into the future, but until they can really understand their past and appreciate where they are, they can’t use that power,” Clarkson tells Entertainment Weekly. “Without wanting to overload it with profundity, I thought that’s an amazing thing to explore: If we understand our past and see where we are in the present, we can then make better choices for the future.”

Johnson says she enjoyed the physical aspects of the production. "I got to do a day of stunt driving work, and I’m really good at it, it seems!” she reveals to EW. “I mean, I can do some really wild things with a car. I drove an ambulance. I drove a taxicab. I drove everything in the movie — except for flying through the air and out of a building. But other than that, I’m like, ‘Watch out, Tom Cruise.’”

Watch the following clip in which Johnson and her fellow cast members discuss the importance of Madame Web and the intriguing tweaks that have been made to the character.

Who plays Julia Carpenter aka Spider-Woman?

Julia Carpenter is portrayed by Sydney Sweeney who can currently be seen in the rom-com hit Anyone But You. Julia crosses paths with Cassandra after the latter anticipates a future tragedy and saves her life. The two women then team up with Mattie Frank (Celeste O'Connor) and Anya Corazon aka Araña (Isabela Merced). The latter's name translates as 'spider' in Spanish. Together, the group aims to bring down the reign of Ezekiel, the mysterious Spider-Man lookalike.

It's expected that during the events of Madame Web Julia will transform into Spider-Woman, a persona that has been adopted by more than one character in Marvel comics lore. Jessica Drew was the first individual to become Spider-Woman in the comics. This version of the character appeared in the eye-popping Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and was voiced by Issa Rae (the film is unconnected to the Madame Web movie).

Julia Carpenter is the second person to adopt the Spider-Woman mantra. In Madame Web, Mattie is also credited as an iteration of the Spider-Woman persona, so we wait to see how this will play out.

Who is Ezekiel in Madame Web?

This is the million-dollar question and one we won't spoil here. Let's just say that Madame Web's enigmatic villain is played by the versatile actor Tahar Rahim, acclaimed for his gritty roles in the likes of prison drama A Prophet.

It's expected that Rahim will bring his characteristic intensity to the role of Madame Web's nemesis. For now, you can check out the following video and get some more details about the mysterious Ezekiel.

Which comic book universe does Madame Web belong to?

Madame Web is the latest chapter in the Sony-Marvel Universe, which sits adjacent to the Disney-distributed Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) where Tom Holland's Spider-Man resides. Sony's franchise has so far yielded two blockbusting Venom movies, starring Tom Hardy, and the Jared Leto-fronted Morbius.

The Venom sequel, released in 2021, ended with the suggestion that Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock/Venom had somehow been catapulted into the world of the MCU. To date, Holland's Spidey has existed solely within the confines of the Disney-owned MCU, even though Sony owns the theatrical rights to the character.

Will Madame Web pay off the Venom 2 teaser and introduce Holland's wall-crawler into the Sony-Marvel series? It's what the fans have been waiting for and it may be an efficient way of setting up the events of Venom 3, due for release later in 2024.