Madame Web explained

Welcome to our Colossus Movie Guide for Madame Web. This guide contains our detailed library of content covering key aspects of the movie’s plot, ending, meaning, and more. We encourage your comments to help us create the best possible guide. Thank you!

What is Madame Web about?

Madame Web’s main character, Cassie, is haunted by her past. While Ezekiel, the main villain, is haunted by his future. So our relationship with time is a big part of the film. Neither character can enjoy the present because they’re still burdened. That’s a very relatable experience for a lot of us. Who doesn’t want to let go of what has held us back? As Santiago explains, “When you take on the responsibility, great power will come.” Cassie finally confronts her past, finds catharsis, and can move forward toward an improved present and future. Madame Web also explores themes of found family, the sacrifices parents make for their children, and the creepy power of government surveillance. 

Movie Guide table of contents

Cast

• Cassandra Webb – Dakota Johnson
• Constance Webb – Kerry Bishé
• Julia Cornwall – Sydney Sweeney 
• Mattie Franklin – Celeste O’Connor
• Anya Corazon – Isabela Merced
• Ezekiel Sims – Tahar Rahim
• Amaria – Zodia Mamet
• Ben Parker – Adam Scott
• Mary Parker – Emma Roberts
• O’Neil – Mike Epps
• Santiago – José María Yazpik
• Written by – Matt Sazama | Burk Sharpless | Claire Parker | S. J. Clarkson
• Directed by – S. J. Clarkson 

The ending of Madame Web explained

Recap:

The end of Madame Web begins with the final fight between Cassie Webb and Ezekiel Sims. We return to the fireworks factory where Cassie had an early experience with her powers. Back then, she was unsure of what they were and didn’t trust in them. Now, she has faith. And uses her visions to thwart Ezekiel’s pursuit of Julia, Mattie, and Anya, through the use of flares and fireworks. 

On the roof, the group tries to make it to a rescue helicopter. But the fireworks complicate matters. The delay is long enough for Ezekiel to recover, make it to the roof, and destroy the chopper (this actually goes against Cassie’s vision of what happens). Individual confrontations  with Ezekiel result in all three girls hanging from various beams and bars, on the brink of falling to their doom. Ezekiel taunts Cassie by saying she can’t possibly save all of them. At which point we hear Santiago say “And when you take on the responsibility, great power will come.” 

That unleashes Cassie’s Web of Life powers. She projects different ghostly versions of herself. One saves Julia, one saves Anya, and one saves Mattie. Then Ezekiel punches her. Because she knows the Pepsi sign will fall, Cassie baits Ezekiel to a point of no return. When he’s trapped, she tells him “The girls were never your future. I was.” Ezekiel falls. The P from the Pepsi crushes him. The whole sign structure plummets. Ezekiel’s crushed. Cassie’s plunges into the bay. 

Even though she’s 10-15 feet underwater, and sinking fast, a firework somehow shoots off from the building then changes direction and torpedoes through the water and past Cassie’s eyes, scorching her retinas. Julia saves her. The girls give group-CPR and revive Cassie. 

In the hospital, Mary delivers an unnamed baby. The girls give Cassie the good news. Anya says that Uncle Ben gets “all the fun and none of the responsibility.” Cassie responds, “That’s what he thinks.” When the nurse asks if the girls are immediately family, Cassie claims the girls as “all mine.” And that she has “everything I need right here.” 

We cut to sometime later. Cassie’s living in a top floor, open-concept apartment. She wears darkened glasses, uses a wheelchair, and casually predicts the future. What food the girls brought. Anya’s sneeze. She then gives a speech about what the future has in store for the girls. 

I can see better than I ever have. …. Yes, I can see you. Standing up for what you believe. Never giving up. Discovering you were always more powerful than you thought. Nothing I didn’t already know. Whatever the future holds. We’ll be ready. And the best thing about the future, it hasn’t happened yet. 

Those words play over visions of each of the girls fighting as their superhero persona. Mattie as Spider-Woman. Anya as Araña/Spider-Girl. And Julia as another version of Spider-Woman. And then Cassie as her Madame Web persona. 

Meaning 

The battle against Ezekiel represents Cassie coming to terms with her past. Cassie had spent her entire life struggling to understand why her mom had gone to Peru so close to giving birth. Combine that with a childhood spent in the foster system and the result is someone who keeps their distance from people. We hear Cassie describe herself as a stray. She identifies as someone without a tribe, without a family, as unclaimed. We have a lot of awkward moments that reinforce that characterization. It’s why she keeps the girls at arm’s length. 

That all changes in Peru. After Santiago knocks her into the spirit world, Cassie understands she had, while still in the womb, been diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular disease that greatly affects quality of life, and that her mom had gone there in search of a cure. He tells her, “Sometimes you must sacrifice yourself for those you love.” And then that line about “When you take on the responsibility, great power will come.” 

Despite Cassie’s job as a paramedic, she refused to connect with others. That’s most obvious at the beginning when the family tries to thank her for saving their mom but she doesn’t want to interact with them. The girls are the first time she’s allowed herself to care. The same way her mother did whatever she could to protect Cassie, Cassie will do for the girls. So she takes on the responsibility of being their guardian and the power comes with it. 

After the fight, Cassie has her found family. She’s become a parent-figure for Anya, Mattie, and Julia. And her tutelage will lead to the three becoming heroic Arañas. In the world of the movie, that’s quite literal. But you can view it as metaphoric for how a positive role model can make all the difference in someone’s life. In reality, you don’t become a superhero, but you could be a successful entrepreneur, a top-tier real estate agent, or pursue something more artistic, galvanized by the fact that you have a role model who believes in you. 

Taking on that responsibility not only improves the lives of the girls but it also enriches Cassie’s. She’s content and happy for what might be the first time in the film. 

All of this was foreshadowed by the earlier reference to A Christmas Carol. We hear Ebenezer Scrooge talk with the Ghost of Christmas Future and say how he’s an old man and cant’ change. But we know he does change. It’s the same with Cassie. She had been stuck in her ways, a bit of a Scrooge herself. But her visions of the future, and of the past, helped her make the necessary evolutions in her life. 

The Spider-Man story is one where power comes first and responsibility comes later. But the Madame Web story inverses that and shows someone coming to terms with a sense of duty and the power that comes from taking on a mission. You can actually find a lot of stories from people who say becoming a parent made them a better person. So underneath the “superhero” of it all, Cassie’s journey is a true to life experience that will/can resonate with people. 

The themes, message, and meaning of Madame Web

Parents, children, and found family

So much of Madame Web comes back to the relationship kids have with their parents. Cassie has all the baggage because she didn’t know the truth about why her mom went to Peru. You have the subplot with Mary Parker on the brink of giving birth to the future Spider-Man, Peter Parker. There’s Cassie’s maternal dynamic with the three girls. And each of the three girls has an issue with their family. Anya’s dad was deported. Mattie’s parents are more concerned with their work and lifestyle. And Julia’s mom is in a psych ward while her father is focused on his new wife and family. 

We see how isolated Cassie, Anya, Mattie, and Julia all feel. Anya can’t pay rent and may get found out and deported herself. Julia is benched from family activities. And Mattie wants attention. And Cassie’s constantly awkward because she doesn’t want to invest in any relationships. They all want family support but don’t know how to get it. Ezekiel’s hunt drives them to create their own family unit. As a family, they help one another find what each was looking for. 

Let go of the past; stop worrying about the future

Neither Cassie nor Ezekiel can enjoy the present. One is caught up with her past. The other with his future. And we see how it inhibits each of their lives. This is a dramatic representation of a real struggle most people face at various times. If you’re in your senior year of high school, you might fret about what comes next. If a long-term relationship ends, you probably spend weeks or months or years ruminating on the good times. The death of a loved one can linger for a lifetime. Existential dread about the afterlife can do the same.  

You have to wonder what Ezekiel’s life would have been like if instead of trying to eliminate the girls he became a better person.We know that the visions aren’t etched in stone. What was the line from the Westworld TV show? “These violent delights have violent ends.” Ezekiel’s lethal solution brought his own demise. Would a less toxic approach have had better results?

You can look at Madame Web as recommending a mindfulness approach to life. Let go of negativity, slow down, and be in control of the present. Cassie at the end of the film is in this transcended state that feels very monk-like. It’s a direct byproduct of having a better relationship with time (and superpowers). 

Sacrifice

Constance Webb risked everything to find a cure for myasthenia gravis. Her sacrifice resulted in Cassie’s healthy birth. We see Cassie go through something similar. Ezekiel is a threat to the girls and Cassie puts everything on the line to protect them. She survives the encounter but at the cost of her eyesight. In the world of the film, the whole “being able to see the future” thing mitigates her blindness. So what she gives up isn’t as severe. But it does feel symbolic of becoming a parent and the things you give up for your children. The way you prioritize them over yourself. And how your experience in life means that you do, in some ways, see what’s in store for them. 

Governmental surveillance

While neither Ezekiel nor Amaria work for the government, they use a federal official and governmental systems to track Mattie, Julia, and Anya. So you can make the case for a theme about government surveillance and its ability to track people of interest. 

Though  you could also reframe it as a preview of the way the Information Age has made it a lot easier to stalk people. It’s not hard to imagine Ezekiel tracking the girls through social media posts. You could keep the plot almost entirely the same but just have him scrolling the #NYC hashtag on Instagram and coming across a post that had Mattie tagged. A similar thing would happen at the diner. Instead of a guy looking at a newspaper and phoning the police, he would make a post on Twitter or TikTok about seeing the missing girls. 

So maybe “government surveillance” is too specific and it’s more a theme about technology-based tracking? This isn’t a major theme of the film. Or even one that’s fleshed out the way sacrifice and time are. But there’s a nugget of something there. 

Why is the movie called Madame Web?

Cassie’s never really referred to as Madame Web in the movie but that’s her superhero name so naming the movie after it makes sense. 

The etymology of the name is kind of interesting. In the comics, Cassie used her powers as a medium. And a lot of female fortune tellers have used Miss or Madame as part of their character. Miss Cleo. Madame Marie. It’s so common that TV Tropes has an entry for it. But there’s a duality there. 

“Madame” is similar to “Madam”. Madam is a much more formal term. For example, the actual address you should use for the Queen of England is “madam”. The wife of the President of the United States is referred to as Madam President. So while Madame Web gets at the mystical elements of the character, the idea of Madam Web highlights just how powerful Cassie is. Her powers tap her into the Web of Life in a unique way. That makes her, essentially, the queen of the Web. 

And then we have the tongue in cheek aspect to the name since Cassie’s last name is Webb. So she is Miss Webb. Madam Webb. But her superhero persona is Madame Web. Classic Marvel humor. 

Important motifs in Madame Web

The stray cat

Cassie’s stray cat reveals two things about her. First, she has a soft spot for strays, as she identifies as one. That’s why she says “Us strays need to stick together.” But she didn’t adopt the cat. She lets it come and go as it pleases. That’s because she wants people to treat her the same way. Cassie’s still uncomfortable being close to people. A byproduct of believing her mom indirectly abandoned her. 

Initially, Cassie wants to treat the girls as she does the cat. But they break through and she ultimately forms a much deeper bond with them. 

A Christmas Carol

Cassie has A Christmas Carol on TV and we hear the point where Scrooge cowers before the Ghost of Christmas Future. It’s after Scrooge has witnessed what his life will become. He questions if he’s too old to change. Anyone familiar with the story knows that, despite his age, Scrooge does improve his disposition and starts treating everyone better. 

Both Ezekiel and Cassie face time similar to Scrooge. Except Ezekiel doesn’t change. He only gets worse. And his fate is a direct result of that. Cassie, though, does change. You can even view her experience with her mom as the encounter with the Ghost of Christmas Past. 

Questions & answers about Madame Web

Why is Cassie in a wheelchair?

It’s kind of surprising when the final scene shows Cassie in a wheelchair. During her fight with Ezekiel, there was no obvious moment where an injury that severe would occur. And the one scene in the hospital doesn’t reveal anything. My best guess is that it’s from when she hit the water? She fell from so high up and right on her back that the impact caused a serious spinal injury. 

Is Madame Web so bad it’s good?

Maybe. Typically, the “so bad it’s good” movies are very campy and fun. Like Batman & Robin is a deeply loathed film by many but its outrageous goofiness is what’s made it such a cult classic. Madame Web feels very bland in comparison. Even compared to Morbius. But…Dakota Johnson’s deadpan line readings have a Daria-like quality to them that will definitely appeal to a lot of people. And there are so many outrageous choices from start to finish that I can definitely see people trying to make Madame Web a cult film. It’s just a question of if it’s bad enough to stay entertaining. 

Is Madame Web canon to a Spider-Man movie?

So this guy Jeff Sneider is an industry reporter and discussed some canon rumors on a podcast. Apparently, the initial plan was to make Madame Web a kind of prequel to Andrew Garfield’s Amazing Spider-Man movies. That would have set the film in the 90s (and it does use a lot of 90s music). 

But at some point, they ditched that idea and decided it would maybe tie-in with the MCU and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. That lines up with rumors that Dakota Johnson thought she was going to be part of the MCU then fired her agents when she found out after already filming the movie.  

Sneider said they reshot a bunch of stuff so the movie would be in 2003 rather than the 90s. 

What’s weird though is that at the very end, when Cassie has her vision of the future, they use a shot of the camera swinging towards a building. It’s actually a scene from Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man. Why use that? It could simply be a fun easter egg. It could be someone being really lazy. It could be an attempt to tie the film to Maguire’s universe, just in case the Holland stuff doesn’t pan out?

The most generous interpretation is that Madame Web takes place in its own universe and the shot from Tobey’s film is simply a nod to everything being in the same multiverse and how this universe is similar to Tobey’s but different. Kind of how Across the Spider-Verse established some commonalities across Spider-centric universes? Again, that’s being very generous. 

Isn’t Julia Cornwall actually Julia Carpenter?

Yes. In the comic universe, it’s Julia Carpenter. But Madame Web goes with her dad’s last name. Cornwall. The character’s full name in the comics is Julia Eugenia Cornwall Carpenter. It’s one of those “the character isn’t quite who we know them to be” details that are common in origin stories like this. 

What movies are in the Sony Spider-Verse?

Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Morbius, Madame Web, and the forthcoming Kraven movie. 

Isn’t Jessica Drew Spider-Woman?

Jessica Drew was the first but there have been at least 15 versions of Spider-Woman. It’s pretty insane. Madame Web didn’t include the character. 

Will there be a sequel?

If there is, I can’t imagine any of the main cast would, after all the bad press, want to reprise their roles. But stranger things have happened. 

What are Madam Web’s powers?

Clairvoyance, precognition, telepathy, and astral projection. Astral projection was how she saved the girls when they were all about to fall. But isn’t the whole point of an astral projection that it’s just a projection? Not a physical entity that can interact with the world. 

What does Ezekiel do when he’s not hunting the girls?

This is incredibly unclear. Obviously, he has a lot of money. He also has a spider suit. But does he do anything? As far as we know, this world doesn’t have a Spider-Man. Just the Las Arañas tribe who are secret. Has Ezekiel used his powers to gain wealth? Has he been a villain? Has he never gone out in public in the suit? When did he have the suit made? Who made the suit? Why put web designs on it? His whole character is very confusing. 

What do Santiago and the Las Arañas do?

The first time we see the Las Arañas, they seem very primitive. Like this group that lives in a giant cave or tree, has reddish skin with black webbing on it. They don’t seem like people in outfits. But people truly living this spider-like life. Amongst an actual colony of super spiders. Yet when Cassie goes back to Peru, Santiago looks like someone who runs a yoga studio in West Hollywood. He has on fashionable clothes. Skin is healthy. Hair is styled. 

That raises a lot of questions. Do the Los Arañas split time between regular civilization and the jungle? Do they ever use their powers within society, a la Spider-Man? Or is it more of a social club where instead of going for hikes or bike rides on Sundays they swing through trees? Why does their skin change like that? Why doesn’t Ezekiel’s? Or Cassie’s? 

You would think if they’re actively helping people that the rumors would be a lot louder and more people than Cassie’s mom would be on the hunt for them. Even in the 90s and early 00s, rumors of super powered spider people would be international news. 

Shouldn’t the fireworks factory have been harder to get into?

More than a week passes between the first fire at the fireworks factory and the one at the end of the movie. Yet when Cassie and the girls arrive, the factory is completely accessible. No yellow tape. No boarded up walls. The entire inventory of explosives is still there, unguarded, accessible to anyone who wants to walk through the open door. Obviously it’s not a huge deal and it’s one of those things that most people won’t care about. But I think it points to the overall sloppy quality of the script. Though it is New York City. Maybe people just don’t care about their business inventory?  

Now it’s your turn

Have more unanswered questions about Madame Web? Are there themes or motifs we missed? Is there more to explain about the ending? Please post your questions and thoughts in the comments section! We’ll do our best to address every one of them. If we like what you have to say, you could become part of our movie guide!