Madame Web star Dakota Johnson says she'd "definitely" return for a sequel if Sony and Marvel were to greenlight one.
Ahead of the movie's release, GamesRadar+ and the Inside Total Film podcast sat down with the Fifty Shades of Grey actor to talk about all things Madame Web and while she kept coy about where she'd like the franchise to go – if it goes on to become one, that is – she expressed enthusiasm over reprising the role of clairvoyant Cassie Webb.
"If they want me to come back then I definitely will," Johnson claimed. "I have no idea what's in store."
An origin story of sorts, Madame Web depicts the main character as a 30-something New Yorker rather than the blind, older woman she is in the comics, as it reinvents her beginnings and presents a new way in which she becomes the eponymous superhero. Directed by Jessica Jones' S. J. Clarkson, it centers on paramedic Cassie (Johnson), who inexplicably finds herself with psychic abilities following a near-death experience.
Onboard a train one evening, she sees a horrifying vision of a man murdering three young women and saves them all by intervening, subsequently thrusting the foursome into a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the would-be killer.
*Warning! The remainder of this article contains spoilers for Madame Web. If you've to see the movie, and don't want to know how it ends, turn back now.*
Turns out, said man is Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim), someone Cassie's mother was working with when she was researching a rare spider in the Peruvian jungle. Having been told by a doctor that her unborn baby had a rare neurological condition – a nod to Madame Web from the comics no doubt – she had set out on a mission to harness the arachnid's healing skills. But Cassie's mum Constance never made it home alive, having been shot by Ezekiel, who then stole the spider. Despite the best efforts of the native Spider-People (or Las Arañas) to save her, Constance died giving birth to Cassie. Towards the end of Madame Web, Cassie travels to the Amazon to learn the truth about what happened back then, and meets a Las Arañas' elder, who helps her unlock her powers' true potential.
Back in New York, Cassie and the girls - Julia (Sydney Sweeney), Mattie (Celeste O'Connor), and Anya (Isabela Merced) - lure Ezekiel to a disused building, which in an earlier scene is described as a bit of a deathtrap. Inspired by one of Cassie's visions, the quartet rig the place with explosives that injure Ezekiel in his pursuit.
Eventually, they all end up on the factory's roof, where Cassie lures Ezekiel underneath a sign she knows is going to fall. Before that, though, Julia, Mattie, and Anya try to lay a blow on Ezekiel, which leaves each of them in precarious positions on the scaffolding.
"You can't save them all!" Ezekiel growls, before Cassie remembers that the elder taught her how to be in multiple different places at once. Using her mind, Cassie splits herself between the trio of teens, rescuing them before setting her sights on finishing off Ezekiel. Just as she predicted, the sign ends up falling and pinning the baddie, but Cassie gets knocked into the river below as a consequence. In the water, she's blinded and paralyzed by a falling bit of debris – bringing her much closer to her comic book counterpart.
The movie ends with Julia, Mattie, and Anya living with Cassie, who now moves around in a high-tech chair. If Sony and Marvel were to move forward with a sequel, it'd be interesting to see a version of the hero who's more like the one fans know from the source material. Chances are she'd probably take more of a backseat, using her clairvoyance to come up with plans that help Julia, Mattie, and Anya out in the field. Only time will tell...
Madame Web is in theaters now. If you've already seen it, check out our list of upcoming superhero movies heading our way. Listen out for more of our chat with Johnson, as well our talks with fellow cast member Tahar Rahim and director S. J. Clarkson, on a future episode of the Inside Total Film podcast.
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