Summary
The latest offering in Sony’sSpider-ManUniverse of films, which also includes theVenommovies andMorbius, has made quite an impact on social media since release. The overall reception the film received has certainly been a mixed bag, but there have been many fans particularly leveling their comments about the film when it comes to the writing.
Even before its release on Valentine’s Day, many fans were talking about some interesting quotes they’d heard during the trailers and promos forMadame Web. But now thatthe full film is available, fans are quoting many of their favorite moments that help encapsulate the essence of the film in various ways.
8“Why, You Never Been Shot At In Queens?”
An Amusing Easter Egg
A fun moment that comes early inMadame Webis a slightly heart-breakingEaster Egg about Spider-Manhimself. One of the most notable appearances in the film is that of Adam Scott as Ben Parker, who is Cassie’s paramedic co-worker but is also known to fans as the uncle of Peter Parker himself.
Fans have been wondering if this Uncle Ben is similar to the one that was never met in the MCU since he died before the events ofCaptain America: Civil Warwhen Tom Holland’s Peter Parker was first introduced. Whether or not this is the same man, the film teases his future when Ben says he’s almost glad to be back in Queens and Cassie asks him if he’s ever been shot at while there, teasing his death, which is frequently shown in both comics and films as taking place in that part of the city, via shooting. It’s also not the only time Spider-Man is referenced in the film.
7“I Peed Outside And Everything”
Dakota Johnson isn’t the typical choice for a superhero role. She’s known for her dry wit and understated characters. Fortunately, as Cassie Webb, she’s given free rein to play into her strengths. One great early example is when she mentions her time in the foster care system, insisting that she was a good foster child by using a dry-witted comment about peeing outside as if she were a dog.
This showcased how Dakota Johnson put her own spin on the role and emphasized the difficulties that Cassie had been through in her life up to that point. In her signature style, Dakota keeps these elements understated in her performance, but it still makes for an interesting note on both the tone of the film and Dakota’s performance.
6“What If I Don’t Wanna Know?”
Questions The Power Of Foresight
One more moment before the film kicks into high gear, while casually eating Chinese food on a break, Ben jokes around about a fortune cookie that tells him he’s got a winning personality. He says he must have got Cassie’s by mistake and then gives her an unopened cookie, asking tosee what her future holds.
Cassie toys with the fortune cookie, pondering aloud whether she wants to know her future. It’s an interesting question, which is inevitably addressed later when Cassie gains access to her powers. Such a power can be both a blessing and a curse, and Cassie was already pondering the nature of her gift before receiving the power.
5“New York City Is A Whole New Level Of Crazy These Days”
Teases The Superhero-Filled Future
When Cassie first meets with the three girls destined to become heroes and saves them from Ezekiel, it’s ona subway trainwhere she sees several people saying the same thing over and over again. One of these people is a man who, prompted by seeing the crazed way in which Cassie is acting, mentions how crazy New York is getting.
This is something of a running joke in Marvel Comics and movies since so many superheroes and villains are based out of New York City, and many insane events take place there. While this is tongue-in-cheek since there haven’t been any major superhero-related events there by this time (the film takes place in 2003), it is placed there to tease a hectic future, one that could be seen more cohesively in the Sony Universe soon.
4“Honestly, It’s Like The Least Weird Thing That’s Happened All Day”
The Unexplained Idea Of Destiny
Cassie doesn’t foresee anything about saving the three girls until she gets on the subway and sees them all there being killed by Ezekiel in a vision. While both she and Ezekiel can see the future, there is also a clear theme of destiny running throughoutMadame Webas, in the vastness ofNew York City, she runs into all three of the girls in the few days before saving them.
When two of them question how strange it is that they’ve met her, she brushes it off, again with a bit of dry wit about how much weirder things are going on, encouraging her new comrades to focus on those. But it is a baffling idea that these women were somehow meant to meet each other.
3“When You Take On The Responsibility, Great Power Will Come”
Another Spider-Man Easter Egg
One of the most obvious but fun Easter Eggs inMadame Webcomes when Cassie travels to Peru and finds Santiago, the tribal chief who helped her mother when she was dying. He teaches her about her powers, giving her the idea of using “the web” to be in multiple places at the same time.
He also delivers a line that, while obvious, is one of the better ones in the film. It is a play on the infamous line delivered by Ben Parker himself to Peter about great power coming with great responsibility. In this version, the line is reversed, and Santiago leaves Cassie with that thought before she returns to New York to try and finish Ezekiel.
2“The Girls Were Never Your Future; I Was”
Trying To Change One’s Fate Can End Badly
This is a strange message, given the nature ofMadame Web, but this sentiment, the last words that Ezekiel ever hears, reminds the audience that attempting to see or change one’s future can end disastrously. Cassie’s abilities of foresight are much betterthan those of Ezekiel, who foresaw the three girls with powers fighting him.
This never came to fruition. The girls don’t receive powers within the runtime of the movie, and while they are present at the time of Ezekiel’s death, it is all because of his own actions. Cassie’s moment of triumph comes with a cost, but it is one she’s willing to pay to seethe likes of Julia Carpenterbecome what she is destined to be.
1“That’s What He Thinks”
A Sign Of Things To Come
Though Cassie is blinded and paralyzed after her confrontation with Ezekiel,the climax of the filmcomes with a triumphant tone. However, there is a horrifically dark tease in some cryptic words delivered by Cassie to the girls while she lies in her hospital bed.
This comes when one of the girls mentions that Ben is enjoying being an uncle since it comes with “none of the responsibility.” Cassie responds to this by teasing that she may be able to see Ben having totake over parental dutiesfor the newborn Peter Parker in the future, a horrifically dark thing to say during such a nice moment since it means that the baby’s mother, Mary Parker, and his father will die. Cassie may have accepted that she can’t save everyone or change their fate, but this tease has a lot of connotations along with it.
