We haven’t had another of these since Morbius in spring 2022, but Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is next set to expand with Madame Web, the first female-fronted entry in the franchise starring Dakota Johnson as psychic Spider-Person Cassandra Webb.
Johnson is joined in the film, from director S.J. Clarkson, by a trio of other Spider-Women, including Euphoria superstar Sydney Sweeney as Julia Carpenter, Isabela Merced (Superman: Legacy) as Anya Corazon, and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire‘s Celeste O’Connor as Mattie Franklin.
As, let’s be honest, those four heroines are sadly a ways short of being as iconic as Peter Parker and Miles Morales, naturally that means that the movie’s villain is even more of a deep-cut Marvel Comics adaptation. So who is Ezekiel Sims in Madame Web?
Who is Ezekiel Sims in Madame Web?
French-Algerian actor Tahar Rahim (The Serpent) plays Ezekiel Sims, and his intriguing debut in the Madame Web trailer only served to skyrocket fans’ interest in seeing him on screen. The mysterious Sims is depicted as a figure in an all-black very Spider-Man-alike suit who is pursuing the Spider-Women with ruthless determination. It’s only thanks to Cassandra’s clairvoyancy that she’s able to stay one step ahead of the supervillain as he tracks them down.
Going by what we can pull together from the trailer, Sims is an old colleague of Cassandra’s parents from an expedition to the Amazon rainforest. Given that this is a Spider-Man spinoff, logic dictates some kind of rare spider was discovered there. A grey-haired, older Sims is glimpsed, in contrast to the younger version (depicted above), and we get glimpses of Julia, Anya, and Maddie in superhero costumes, as well as talk of their futures being under threat. It seems, then, that Sims has traveled back to the present to take out the Spider-Women before they can grow powerful enough to stop him.
Is Ezekiel Sims a Spider-Person in Marvel lore?
Those who are actually familiar with the character of Ezekiel Sims on the page may be surprised by his depiction in the movie as Sims is not in fact a villain in Marvel Comics. He’s actually more of a mentor, almost another Uncle Ben-like figure, for Peter Parker. He’s most notable for revealing the truth about Spider-Totems, a concept which turned Spidey lore upside down but has yet to be referenced on the big screen.
Basically, the Spider-Totems are mystical multiversal gods who choose champions to be their avatars on Earth — think the Egyptian Ennead in Moon Knight — and protect the Web of Life and Destiny. In the comics, Madame Web’s psychic powers derive from her connection to the Web, so it’s vaguely possible the Spider-Totems — a concept which changes the Spider-Man narrative from a scientific accident to a magical Chosen One story — could factor into the film.
As for Sims himself, he is indeed a Spider-Person himself, although he developed powers very similar to Spider-Man through a mystical ritual rather than a spider-bite. Movie viewers, you’ve actually already encountered him before, as Sims was depicted as the comedic Spider-Therapist character (voiced by Mike Rianda) in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Madame Web is officially scheduled to release on Feb. 14, 2024.
