Sony recently launched its first trailer for Madame Web, giving Spider-Man fans a look at the live-action debut of the clairvoyant Cassandra Webb. The young EMT, played by Dakota Johnson, becomes an integral part of Spider-Man’s future, seeing all strands of the Web of Life and Destiny. More importantly, fans get a glimpse at someone clad in a red and black suit that looks remarkably similar to one worn by Peter Parker. However, it’s not Peter Park who’s lifting people off their feet and throwing them across a diner in this trailer. That’s Ezekiel Sims.
Ezekiel Sims is an incredibly wealthy man in the comics who fought alongside Spider-Man for a number of years. Tahar Rahim (A Prophet) fills those shoes, or lack thereof, in Madame Web in a drastically different capacity. The trailer shows Ezekiel attempt to murder three other young women, prompting Cassandra Webb to intervene and prepare them to defend themselves. Just who is Ezekiel Sims, and how did he get the same powers as Spider-Man?
Wearing a more twisted version of Peter Parker’s spider-suit in the Madame Web, Ezekiel Sims shares many similar abilities with the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. However, he lacks Parker’s technological prowess, which is to say that he lacks web-shooters. So don’t expect to see Sims swinging around Manhattan like Parker. Despite his appearance in the trailer, Sims isn’t as antagonistic in the comics as he appears to be here. He does kidnap one person, but that’s because he’s protecting her.
Unlike Peter Parker, Sims wasn’t bitten by a radioactive spider to receive his powers, says GameRant. Instead, he received his gifts in a more mystical fashion. He visited a Spider-Temple and participated in a ritual that gifted him with the same abilities as New York’s Spider-Man. He also uncovered much of the lore behind Spider-Man and the other Spider-Totems, which made him privy to the existence of the Spider-Gods. And they weren’t happy with Sims turning himself into a totem.
Sims introduced himself to Peter and taught him everything related to the Spider-Totems and gods. He even helped Cindy Moon (another Spider-Totem who used the crimefighting alias “Silk”) evade an enemy of the totems that traveled the multiverse, hunting and killing Spider-Totems. Sims acted as Parker’s mentor until the Gatekeeper came for him. Sims told his pupil that the Gatekeeper was after Parker, when it really wanted Sims because he was never chosen as a totem.
Ezekiel attempted to sacrifice Parker to keep his abilities, but through a kind of mind-meld, Ezekiel saw he wasn’t worthy. He realized that he wasted his life to gain wealth, unlike Peter, who risked his life daily to save the people of New York City. This prompted him to sacrifice himself to the Gatekeeper, sparing Peter.
Madame Web recently released its first official trailer despite being announced in 2019. The revealed footage showcased Dakota Johnson’s Cassandra Webb, Sydney Sweeney’s Julia Carpenter, and Isabela Merced’s Anya Corazon.
Seeing as how other Sony Marvel projects such as Venom and Morbius have lightly connected with the MCU, the big question regarding Madame Web is how it will fit into the big picture.
Madame Web has a connection to the Multiverse through something called the Web of Life and Death, and it is a bit different than anything that has been featured on-screen before.
This allows the hero to access every point in time and also travel between different realities.
If Madame Web does utilize the Web of Life and Destiny, Sony could make it to where the Web will ultimately lead to a crossover between the SSU and the MCU.
