EntertainmentMoviesSuperhero MoviesMadame WebMadame Web totally fumbles the character’s unique and important comic originsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentMoviesSuperhero MoviesMadame WebMadame Web totally fumbles the character’s unique and important comic originsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Sony)
Warning: Madame Web spoilers ahead!
I’m all for an origin story. One of the coolest things about Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man is that fateful spider bite, which satisfyingly sets up the montage of him trying out his new powers for the very first time. Nearly every good superhero movie starts with how that hero came to be, explaining their struggles and hardships or need for revenge.
Sony’sMadame Webis no different as an almost two-hour journey from Peru to New York and back again (and back again, and back again), which aims to invent a brand-new, non-canon origin story for a lesser-known but extremely interesting Spider-Man ally that had yet to make a proper onscreen appearance. The only issue is that the comic book character didn’t need any reinventing – and the film misses the opportunity to make Cassandra Webb one of the most important heroes ever adapted for the big screen.
A heroic backstory
(Image credit: Fox)
She is introduced in the Marvel world as an elderly woman who suffers from myasthenia gravis, a chronic autoimmune disorder that weakens the muscles and is known to cause blindness. But that doesn’t stop her, a mutant of the X-Men variety, from using her clairvoyance and telepathy to help Spider-Man stop bad guys and mentor three of the heroes who would take on the ‘Spider-Woman’ mantle.
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Besides the fact that this is an unnecessarily complicated and very roundabout way to give live-action Cassie the same physical ailments as comic book Cassie, it also completely misses the opportunity for what could’ve been extremely important representation for chronic illnesses and rare diseases.
A missed opportunity
(Image credit: Sony/Marvel Entertainment)
As someone who suffers from Postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS), I can tell you firsthand how difficult it is to get a proper diagnosis – and how dangerous it was to be misdiagnosed and almost put on a medication that is known to cause extreme negative side effects. Part of why I love Madame Web in the comics is because she’s a chronically ill, autoimmunesuperhero. We could’ve had a big-budget comic book movie about a female superhero with a rare chronic illness. It would’ve brought awareness to the cause, and chronically ill children and teens around the world would’ve felt represented on a massive scale.
More people would know how hard it is to be taken seriously, how many doctors and specialists we’re referred to, how much money it costs – it would’ve opened a dialogue. Instead, a magic jungle spider cured her rare, debilitating disease only for her to develop the same physical ailments the disease would have given her anyway.
I’m no screenwriter, but how awesome would it have been to have an origin story that sees a young Cassandra Webb battle her autoimmune disease while also figuring out how to control her powers? What if we even got to see a cool montage of the construction of her web-like life support system, or of her putting on her spider gown for the first time?
Madame Web had the potential to be a different kind of superhero movie – and it’s definitely different…just not in the way we might have hoped. Because Hollywood loves to reboot, I’m going to hold out for a MCU version of Madame Web that sees her team up with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, old-age, chronic illness, and all.
For more, check out our guide to theMadame Web ending explainedand theMadame Web Easter eggswe spotted.
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
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2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4
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4
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5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”