Madame Web: how to watch, reviews, trailer, cast and everything we know about the superhero movie

Dakota Johnson in Madame Web
Dakota Johnson in Madame Web (Image credit: Sony Pictures)

The Spider-verse continues to expand on the big screen, with Madam Web being the latest movie for fans to enjoy. This new character joins the lineup of Spider-Man-related characters and projects (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Kraven the Hunter, Venom 3) that Sony is producing as part of a deal with Marvel.

Described as one of Marvel's "most enigmatic heroines," Madame Web brings the clairvoyant character to the big screen for the first time, as well as some other classic comic book characters. While this is expanding the Spider-Man world Sony has been building, the studio stresses that Madame Web is a standalone story and bills it as much a psychological thriller as it is a superhero movie.

Find out more about Madame Web below, as we detail all the key details about the movie you need to know.

How to watch Madame Web

Madame Web is available to watch via digital on-demand platforms in the US and UK.

Madame Web reviews

The Madame Web reviews are in, but unfortunately they are not great. The movie has been given a "Rotten" score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

Madame Web plot

Madame Web made her first appearance in a Marvel comic book in 1980, but the Madame Web movie marks her big screen debut. It won't just be the introduction of the clairvoyant heroine though, as a trio of characters who are key Marvel figures in their own right also appear in the movie.

With a script written by Claire Parker and S.J. Clarkson from a story by Kerem Sanga, here is the official synopsis for Madame Web from Sony Pictures:

"'Meanwhile in another universe…' In a switch from the typical genre, Madame Web tells the standalone origin story of one of Marvel publishing's most enigmatic heroines. The suspense-driven thriller stars Dakota Johnson as Cassandra Webb, a paramedic in Manhattan who may have clairvoyant abilities. Forced to confront revelations about her past, she forges a relationship with three young women destined for powerful futures… if they can all survive a deadly present."

Madame Web cast

Dakota Johnson stars Cassandra Webb, aka Madame Web. Johnson first really popped on screens in The Social Network, but has since gone on to star in the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise, A Bigger Splash, Suspiria, The Peanut Butter Falcon, The Lost Daughter, Cha Cha Real Smooth and Persuasion. This is Johnson's first foray into the superhero genre.

The three young women destined for bigger things in the movie include Sydney Sweeney (Anyone But You, Euphoria) as Julia Carpenter, Celeste O'Connor (A Good Person, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) as Mattie Franklin and Isabela Merced (Rosaline, Father of the Bride) as Anya Corazon.

The rest of the cast features Tahar Ramin (Extrapolations, The Mauritanian), Mike Epps (The Upshaws, You People), Emma Roberts (American Horror Story, We're the Millers) and Adam Scott (Severance, Parks & Rec).

Madame Web trailer

Like Madame Web, you can take a peek at what lies ahead by watching the Madame Web trailer directly below. 

You can also hear Dakota Johnson talk about her character in this clips:

Who is S.J. Clarkson?

In addition to co-writing the script for Madame Web, S.J. Clarkson is the director of the movie. This actually marks Clarkson's feature directing debut, but she is by no means a newcomer to the industry.

Clarkson's resume includes directing episodes of some of the biggest TV shows in recent memory. Her list of credits includes Succession, Anatomy of a Scandal, Collateral, Vinyl and Orange is the New Black. She also has superhero experience, directing multiple episodes of the Marvel TV series Jessica Jones and The Defenders.

Madame Web poster

(Image credit: Sony Pictures)
Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.