Sony’s Spider-Man Universe may be the most pitiful of the cinematic mega-franchises stumbling over themselves to snatch a handful of coins from Marvel’s dragon hoard. Some fell at the first hurdle or died before producing a film, yet the curious shambles Sony continues to pump money into remains compelling. Someone in the writers’ room finally had the logical reaction fans have been waiting for. It’s time to bring some Spider-People into the Sony Spider-Man Universe.
Marvel has handled Spider-Man relatively well. Sam Raimi’s name remains attached to the best live-action iteration of the character, but people love Tom Holland’s Peter Parker and the universe surrounding him. The awkward ending of No Way Home ruined much of its narrative to violently rend the wall-crawler from his narrative and place him in this corporate limbo. Aside from Spider-Verse, Sony has only infuriated Spider-Man fans over the last seven years. Maybe a Spider-Woman or two could win them back.
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Madame Web Introduces Three New Spider-People
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Director |
S. J. Clarkson |
|---|---|
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Writers |
Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Claire Parker, S. J. Clarkson |
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Story By |
Kareem Sanga, Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless |
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Starring |
Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor, Isabela Merced |
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Release Date |
February 14th, 2023 |
There are so many reasons to lose faith in Madame Web. The best SSU outing was a hacked-apart, sub-par mess that survived on the back of Tom Hardy’s performance as a character fans desperately wanted to see. Each film since has hit new lows of blockbuster failure. Morbius, their most fascinating disaster, apparently impressed Sony enough to prompt the studio to hand Madame Web to its screenwriters. Sazama and Sharpless willingly attached their names to Dracula Untold, The Last Witch Hunter, Gods of Egypt, the 2017 Power Rangers reboot, and Morbius. Cassandra Web is a low B or high C-tier Marvel fixture known for appearances in various TV and video game projects, but a solo feature seems like a strange direction. Perhaps Sazama and Sharpless, or one of the three alarming additional credited writers, decided to add three heavy hitters to carry that weight.
Madame Web will feature Sydney Sweeney as Julia Carpenter, the second Spider-Woman and successor to Cassandra Web’s title. Celeste O’Connor as Mattie Franklin, the third Spider-Woman, will back her up. Finally, Isabela Merced will star as Anya Corazon, AKA Araña or Spider-Girl. Two Spider-Women and one Spider-Girl will enjoy their live-action debut in the upcoming blockbuster. All three secured their first cinematic appearance in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. They’re minor background figures in the animated classic. None of them have a line of dialogue. Madame Web may struggle to introduce three Spider-Ladies in a film about someone else, but they must try something.
The Sony Spider-Man Universe Has Suffered Without Spider-Man
The idea of crafting a cinematic universe from Spidey’s rogues gallery by turning them into anti-heroes, usually long after the comics did the same, definitely made sense at one point. Fans watched the concept fail three times and are now prepared to see it crash and burn at least thrice more next year. While the problem is more than the lack of a strong central hero, everyone feels that absence. The SSU has Spider-Man’s name in the center. He’s still one of the most popular superheroes in any medium. As comic book movies trend downward, minor figures like El Muerto will become harder and harder to sell. Introducing Spider-Man is the nuclear option Sony has tried to avoid, probably for legal reasons. It took Spider-Verse‘s financial and critical success for them to realize how many other options they had.
Who Could Be The Next Spider-Person?
Madame Web lays out three candidates. Two will be new faces for most fans, and Julia Carpenter is already fated to take over the Madame Web position. They’re far from the only options. A proposed Silk TV series will introduce Cindy Moon, who technically already exists in the MCU despite being relegated to background cameos. Tom Holland’s Spider-Man briefly appears in the post-credits scene after Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Sony has a crop to choose from, but if they’ve learned from their mistakes, they won’t make that choice. The following few Sony Spider-Man Universe projects should double as tryouts for the franchise’s new hero. Marvel prioritizes or abandons characters after finding fan reactions. Watch social media after Madame Web comes out. If one of the Spider-Ladies earns a plurality of the attention and praise, they have their answer.
Adding a Spider-Person or four to a Spider-Man universe missing its main character is this franchise’s first point on any logical to-do list. Julia, Anya, Mattie, and Cindy are minor figures from the comics who’ve never received the spotlight they deserved. Most of them have suffered the cruel bite of the medium’s long-held problems writing women. If Sony finds a new direction with these Spider-Ladies, makes them iconic, and builds a franchise around them, they could finally dig themselves out of their current hole. Our Spider-Senses still suggest disaster, but at least they discovered an escape plan.
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