The Spider-Man comic book writer who created Madame Web's villain is just as confused by the trailer as you are. J. Michael Straczynski, who created the antagonistic Ezekiel Sims, shared his thoughts on the Sony/Marvel trailer after the clip attracted chatter online.
"And well, this just happened," he tweeted, attaching a link to an article headlined 'Madame Web’s First Trailer Introduces Spider-Women, Deep-Cut Villain'. "It's definitely the character I created for Spidey, but it feels like they may have merged it with Morlun a bit. (Don't ask for any details because this is the first I'm hearing of it, so my guess is as good as yours.)"
Straczynski wrote The Amazing Spider-Man for Marvel Comics between 2001 and 2007. Ezekiel Sims first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 #30, which was published in 2001. Morlun, who he also references in his tweet, is another Spidey villain of his creation and has the ability to drain the life force from other beings through physical contact.
In Madame Web, Ezekiel is played by Tahar Rahim. In the comics, he's a rich businessman who ritualistically gained powers similar to Spider-Man's. Judging by the movie's trailer, it seems that his on-screen counterpart can also see the future.
The movie stars Dakota Johnson as the clairvoyant titular character, who, by day, is Cassie Webb, a paramedic. She's joined by Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor, and Isabel Merced as Julia Carpenter, Mattie Franklin, and Anya Corazon.
Madame Web arrives on the big screen on February 14, 2024. In the meantime, check out our guide to the other biggest upcoming movies on the way, this year and beyond.
