Three superhero films graced theaters in 2024 that carried the Spider-Man legacy, yet none actually centered on the iconic web-slinger himself. Madame Web, now available in theaters, stands as a notable entry in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. This cinematic collection leverages Sony’s rights to Spider-Man films, even as the character predominantly appears in the Disney-owned Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) portrayed by Tom Holland.
Similar to Morbius and anticipating Kraven the Hunter and the upcoming Venom sequel, Madame Web weaves connections to Spider-Man. These connections in Madame Web are overt, yet the film doesn’t seem tethered to any established Spider-Man narrative familiar to audiences. Let’s delve into the spoiler-rich details of how Madame Web fits into the intricate web of Spider-Man movies and explore the crucial question: Is Ben Parker in Madame Web related to Peter Parker?
Read more: Everything You Need to Know About Madame Web
Ben Parker’s Pivotal Role in Madame Web
In Madame Web, the narrative revolves around Cassie Webb, a reimagined version of the comic book character. Played by Dakota Johnson, Cassie is far from the elderly, blind woman of the comics. Instead, she’s a paramedic in 2003 New York City who develops precognitive abilities. This sets her on a path to protect three teenage girls—Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor, and Isabela Merced—from Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim). Ezekiel, haunted by visions of these future Spider-Women killing him, seeks to eliminate them. His past is intertwined with Cassie’s mother, who researched spiders in the Amazon – a detail notably highlighted in the movie’s promotional material.
While Spider-Man isn’t active in the Madame Web timeline, his presence is subtly foreshadowed. Cassie’s close friend is Ben Parker, portrayed by Adam Scott. Crucially, this Ben Parker isn’t yet Uncle Ben. His sister, Mary Parker (Emma Roberts), is pregnant with Peter Parker. Aunt May is mentioned as someone Ben is dating, and Peter’s father, Richard Parker, is absent due to work.
The climax of Madame Web unfolds as Ezekiel confronts Cassie and the teens during Mary’s labor. In a dramatic sequence, Ben drives Mary to the hospital, narrowly escaping Ezekiel’s attack thanks to Cassie’s intervention. This act of saving Ben effectively safeguards the future Spider-Man. Ben, the man destined to instill the values of great power and great responsibility in Peter, is present at his birth. Although Peter’s name is deliberately understated, the context unequivocally points to the arrival of Peter Parker.
MADAME WEBEzekiel Sims as portrayed by Tahar Rahim in Madame Web. The villain’s appearance and motives are central to the plot involving Ben Parker and the birth of Peter Parker, subtly connecting to the wider Spider-Man narrative despite the movie being a standalone story. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment
In a lighthearted moment, one of the teenagers remarks on Ben’s uncle status, suggesting he’ll enjoy the perks of parenthood without the full responsibility. Cassie counters with a knowing remark, hinting at her precognitive awareness of the tragic fate awaiting Peter’s parents. This foreshadowing adds a layer of somberness, suggesting Cassie understands Peter will eventually become orphaned and Ben will indeed become his father figure, taking on significant responsibility.
The narrative subtly sets the stage for Peter Parker’s eventual transformation into Spider-Man. In approximately sixteen years following the movie’s events, it’s implied Peter will be bitten by a radioactive spider, and Ben will face a tragic end, thus propelling Peter towards his superhero journey. Intriguingly, Madame Web establishes a world where multiple spider-powered individuals might already be operating by the time Peter reaches adulthood. Julia Cornwall, Mattie Franklin, and Anya Corazon, the future Spider-Women, gain their abilities through different means than Peter in the comics. Yet, their spider-themed identities and crime-fighting activities, clearly inspired by Spider-Man, create a somewhat paradoxical situation where Spider-Man, in this universe, appears to be derivative. However, this aspect is less critical as Madame Web operates largely within its own continuity.
Madame Web’s Standalone Universe: Connections and Disconnections
Having a baby Peter Parker in Madame Web is a clear, albeit subtle, way to integrate a Spider-Man element into Sony’s Spider-Man Universe films that lack the web-slinger himself. The Morbius trailer misleadingly included Spider-Man graffiti, absent in the final movie, to falsely suggest a stronger Spider-Man link. Morbius‘s post-credit scene, bringing in the MCU’s Vulture, further complicated matters, hinting at a Spider-Man animosity despite no prior establishment of Spider-Man in that universe. In the Venom films, Spider-Man’s existence is ambiguous, yet Venom possesses knowledge of him through multiversal ties, and Tom Hardy’s Venom briefly crosses into the MCU in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Madame Web distinguishes itself by implying Spider-Man’s definite future existence within its universe, set in 2003 with Peter Parker now born. While this timeline could theoretically position Madame Web as a prequel to other Spider-Man spin-off universes, concrete connections are tenuous. It’s definitively not part of the MCU, a Disney property distinct from Sony. Dakota Johnson’s Madame Web operates in a world devoid of Captain America or Tony Stark. There’s no concrete evidence linking Madame Web or the nascent Spider-Women to the established pasts of Morbius or Venom, but equally, no explicit contradictions. This ambiguity reinforces Madame Web‘s functional independence, despite its potential prequel status.
However, Madame Web remains technically within the broader Spider-Man cinematic multiverse. Future projects include a third Venom film, Kraven the Hunter, another animated Spider-Verse installment, and possibilities of Tom Holland’s return for a fourth MCU Spider-Man movie. Madame Web lacks direct ties to past or future Spider-films, but these connections remain a multiversal portal away from becoming canon. Across the Spider-Verse featured a live-action Venom actor cameo, and Spider-Man: No Way Home integrated Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Men into MCU canon, setting a precedent for crossovers. Thus, Madame Web, while currently disconnected, isn’t definitively unconnected. Understanding Spider-Man movies might not require precognitive abilities, but in the tangled web of Spider-Man universes, it certainly helps.
