Just when we thought Morbius killed off any hopes we had for Sony’s Marvel universe, Madame Web comes along with a stellar cast and some cool multiversal potential. With filming underway on the 2023 movie, we’ve already got our first glimpses at star Dakota Johnson on set, which left fans convinced they knew who she was secretly playing. But the latest rumored intel, if correct, proves that they were way off the mark.
Set photos depicted Johnson in a red coat, matching the classic look of the second Madame Web, Julia Carpenter, in the comics. According to The Cosmic Circus, however, Johnson is instead playing Cassandra Webb, with Sydney Sweeney taking on the role of Julia. When the Euphoria actress was first cast in the film earlier this summer, fans feverishly speculated who she might be portraying, with major Spider-Verse characters like Spider-Gwen and Black Cat being touted.
Sweeney as Julia makes a lot more sense, though, as it’s easy to see how she could fit into the storyline. Not that Madame Web will lack scope, if TCC’s report is on the money. The outlet writes that the movie will actually center around the birth of Peter Parker, with Emma Roberts allegedly playing his mother, Mary Parker (she has been seen with a baby bump in set pics) and Adam Scott as a young Uncle Ben.
As for Julia, the comic book heroine has also gone by the aliases Arachne and Spider-Woman (temporarily taking over the mantle from Jessica Drew). As well as possessing all the usual spider-powers, which she gained after being experimented on by the secret government group The Commission, Julia also has the unique ability to spin psionic energy webs.
It’s unclear why, if Sweeney really is Julia, Johnson is borrowing her sartorial style for the screen, but that could just be because Johnson’s Cassandra needed a new look, seeing as she’s not a blind elderly lady like in the source material. Madame Web is set to swing into theaters on Oct. 6, 2023.