Dakota Johnson thinking she was the Brie Larson of ‘Madame Web’ was only her first Marvel mistake

Do you ever think sometimes the Marvel multiverse has gotten too big? Sure, those of us who spend way too much time online and know the difference between a Kree and Kraglin understand the complicated, corporate differences between, say, the MCU and Sony’s Marvel Universe, but anyone with the glamorous, busy life of a Hollywood star is forgiven for not having the time to take a crash-course in Marvel minutiae. Someone, for instance, like Madame Web‘s own Dakota Johnson.

Yes, it might be time to officially declare the Marvel movie medium too oversaturated, as it seems it’s even confusing the stars of these films themselves, and — who knows — maybe even misleading them to take jobs they otherwise wouldn’t. With Madame Web opening in theaters just in time to become the Valentine’s Day movie you should definitely not take your date to see, many are wondering… just why did Dakota Johnson sign up to star in this movie?

Based on the evidence, fans have speculated that Johnson may have been under the misapprehension that she was joining the MCU…

Did Dakota Johnson believe Madame Web was made by Marvel Studios? The conspiracy theory, explained

This conspiracy theory got kickstarted with Johnson’s very first public comment on her Madame Web casting. When announcing her involvement in the film on Instagram, the Persuasion actress got folks talking by tagging Marvel Studios in the post. She also tagged Sony Pictures, which has left some convinced that Johnson believed it would be a co-production venture between the two studios, much like Tom Holland’s Spider-Man films are.

More recently, in February 2024, Johnson recalled how she bumped into Scarlet Witch star Elizabeth Olsen shortly and asked her about her experience making Marvel movies. “When I got the Madame Web role, I ran into Lizzie Olsen and spoke to her about it,” the actress said. “That was helpful. She said she had a great time … seemed very relaxed about it so that was comforting.” Johnson getting advice from someone who’s made Marvel films for a completely different studio only reignited the theorists…

Then there’s what happened after the Madame Web trailer dropped in November 2023, and became the most instantly memed Marvel trailer since, well, Sony’s last superhero movie, Morbius. Just a week later, Johnson parted ways with her talent agency. As Variety noted, this “raised industry eyebrows” as it certainly seemed to indicate some regret on the actress’ part over being attached to such a mercilessly mocked project. What’s more, Johnson hasn’t been shy about her dissatisfaction with Hollywood across the Madame Web press tour, even noting how the industry is “really f***ing bleak” right now. Curious words to use to hype up your latest popcorn film!

Nobody knows the real reasoning behind Johnson’s decision to make a bed web with Sony for this project, but it definitely seems like she may have once been under the impression she was joining the likes of Captain Marvel and Black Widow as the latest leading lady of the MCU. Unfortunately, Dakota Johhnson’s Madame Web isn’t the new Brie Larson. With that movie’s Rotten Tomatoes score, she’s more like the new Jennifer Garner.