Dakota Johnson May Have Confirmed Madame Web Role In Sony’s ‘Spider-Man’ Spinoff

It’s easy to jump the gun sometimes with casting announcements. Sometimes negotiations don’t work out, or the actors take an active role in swerving fans by teasing things that are never gonna happen. Let’s hope Dakota Johnson isn’t doing that right now. A few days ago she was said to be up for playing Madame Web in Sony’s upcoming Spider-Man spinoff film, making this her first foray into superheroes. And soon after, Johnson posted to her Instagram stories an image that appears to be a confirmation…

A single spider web. Numerous sites have run with this as confirmation she has inked a deal to play Madame Web, the blind psychic who runs in Marvel’s Spider circles. But is it, though? Or is Johnson just playing into the speculation?

It would be a curious role for Johnson. The original version of Madame Web is much older and stuck in a life support system. The likelihood is that she’s playing former Spider-Woman Julia Carpenter, a former Avenger who is much younger and recently adopted the identity.

Travis Hopson
Travis Hopson has been reviewing movies before he even knew there was such a thing. Having grown up on a combination of bad '80s movies, pro wrestling, comic books, and hip-hop, Travis is uniquely positioned to geek out on just about everything under the sun. A vampire who walks during the day and refuses to sleep, Travis is the co-creator and lead writer for Punch Drunk Critics. He is also a contributor to Good Morning Washington, WBAL Morning News, and WETA Around Town. In the five minutes a day he's not working, Travis is also a voice actor, podcaster, and Twitch gamer. Travis is a voting member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and Late Night programmer for the Lakefront Film Festival.