It Sounds Like Sydney Sweeney Could Be A Key Spider-Person In Madame Web
Sony is expanding the scope of its corner of the Marvel universe with another "Spider-Man" spin-off movie next year in the form of "Madame Web." While Dakota Johnson will be playing the titular character in director S.J. Clarkson's film, much has been made of "Euphoria" star Sydney Sweeney's casting and who she might be playing. Now, we know for sure, and it very much sounds like she could have a future as a major Marvel superhero.
In a recent profile of Sweeney by Variety, it was confirmed that the actress will be playing none other than Julia Carpenter. In the pages of Marvel Comics, this is one of the personas who eventually becomes Spider-Woman. However, it was not explicitly stated that she would be playing Spider-Woman in this film, though one assumes that would be the way to go. Sweeney, commenting on it, explained that she was very excited.
"I was freaking out, of course. I went straight to the comic store, and I bought every comic that mentioned my character."
It certainly sounds like Sweeney did her research. Speaking a bit further, Sweeney also explained that this will not be your typical superhero film. "I think it's different from what people expect a superhero movie to be," she said. "Quote that! That's a quote, because the tabloids will pick up everything else we talk about."
We're not in the business of tabloid journalism, but we are in the business of talking about movies. And the fact that Sweeney is playing a character tied to a major superhero who has never appeared in live-action before certainly warrants some discussion. The question is, are we going to see Spider-Woman in "Madame Web"? Or is this going to be a set up for something bigger in the future?
Is Spider-Woman finally going to come to life?
Digging into the history a little bit, Julia Carpenter was the second person to take up the mantle of Spider-Woman in the comics after Jessica Drew, who made an appearance in this summer's "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse." Carpenter, though, first appeared in "Secret Wars" #6 back in 1984 and was created by Jim Shooter and Mike Zeck. Carpenter gets her powers as a result of being experimented on by a group called The Commission that aimed to make their own superheroes. Carpenter was injected with a mix of plants and spider venom, resulting in her having powers not unlike those of Spider-Man.
Also of note, while Jessica Drew's Spider-Woman typically dons a mostly red costume, Julia Carpenter's version historically wears a black and white costume. She was featured heavily in the '90s animated "Iron Man" TV show, as well as "Ultimate Spider-Man" and several video games. But the character has never appeared in a live-action film, making this a potentially very big deal.
For Sony, it seems very logical. Whether or not we see Sweeney actually suit up as Spider-Woman in "Madame Web" almost feels irrelevant. Certainly, the idea is to use this movie as a springboard to give Spider-Woman a larger presence in a solo project down the line, assuming the reception is good enough to warrant it. For what it's worth, Variety asked Sweeney about a possible "Spider-Woman" movie in the profile, which was "met with a shrug" while "Sweeney smiles knowingly."
The idea that this movie could, in any way, be teeing up a live-action "Spider-Woman" film is a big deal. For what it's worth, it was reported in 2020 that Oliva Wilde was going to direct a "Spider-Woman" movie, though we haven't heard much of anything about it since. Maybe that's finally going to come back around.
"Madame Web" is currently set to hit theaters on February 14, 2024.