Spoilers! What that ending, and Dakota Johnson's supersuit, foretell about 'Madame Web'
Spoiler alert! We're discussing important plot plots and the ending of “Madame Web” (in theaters now), so beware if you haven’t seen it.
For just a few seconds, Dakota Johnson ends up in a legit superhero suit at the end of “Madame Web,” a red ensemble with glasses that evokes her counterpart from Spider-Man comic books. But it’s not as cool as the sheer cobweb gown by Annie’s Ibiza that she wore at a Brazilian red-carpet event.
“You can't really do much in that dress,” Johnson deadpans.
Contrast that with her final outfit in "Madame Web," which introduces a futuristic look for the new character “that feels accessible and realistic. We're seeing her in a way that we haven't seen her before," Johnson says. "So it was very cool to wear like an actual superhero costume, not one that you got on Amazon.”
“Madame Web” proves to be an origin story for paramedic Cassandra Webb, who is given powerful psychic abilities in the womb when her dying mother is bitten by a spider. A near-death experience unlocks her clairvoyance, and she protects a trio of young women – Julia (Sydney Sweeney), Mattie (Celeste O’Connor) and Anya (Isabela Merced) – from the villainous Ezekiel (Tahar Rahim), who has visions of the three girls in Spider-costumes killing him in the future.
Let’s dig into the movie’s biggest reveals:
What happens in the ending of ‘Madame Web’?
During a final battle with Ezekiel, all of Cassie’s powers come to bear, and she’s able to conjure multiple, tangible versions of herself to save her charges while also dealing with the murderous baddie. Ezekiel falls to his doom but Cassie doesn’t make it out unscathed, being blinded and paralyzed as a result of the fight. In the aftermath, Cassie is seen meeting up with the youngsters and wearing sunglasses while in a high-tech wheelchair.
Julia asks how her eyesight is and Cassie responds, “I can see better than I ever have,” since she’s able to now fully harness and understand her psychic visions.
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Does Spider-Man show up in the Dakota Johnson movie?
He does, technically, but Peter Parker is not quite ready for web-swinging coming out of the womb. There are quite a few Spider-nuggets, but most importantly, “Madame Web” ties directly to the beloved superhero.
Cassie’s EMT partner is Ben Parker (Adam Scott) – Peter’s wise Uncle Ben – and he and his pregnant sister Mary (Emma Roberts), aka Peter’s mom, get caught up in the movie’s action when Ezekiel attacks at the same time Mary goes into labor. She has her baby, and when Cassie is told that Ben is enjoying “all the fun and none of the responsibility” of being an uncle, Cassie quips, “That’s what he thinks” – a nod to the important role he’ll play in Peter’s hero journey.
“Everything comes from the comics, right? We always wanted to honor and be reverential to that,” Clarkson says. “It was great fun to go through and find some moments and see what we could pepper in throughout.”
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Is there a post-credit scene in ‘Madame Web’?
Nope! Unlike other Spider-Man spinoffs like “Morbius” and the “Venom” movies, “Web” opts for no extra teasers, though the final moments – a psychic vision with Cassie and the Spider-Women in their do-gooding garb – show what it might look like if they show up in a future movie. (Peter being born in 2003, when “Madame Web” is set, would roughly line up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline where he becomes Spider-Man as a teenager.)
As for any appearances in the upcoming Spidey spinoffs “Kraven the Hunter” (out Aug. 30) and “Venom 3” (Nov. 8), who knows? We’re not psychic.