Madame Web: Dakota Johnson's Suit Is A Throwback To The CW, According To Fans
People on social media are finally talking about the upcoming "Madame Web" movie without referencing "He was in the Amazon with my mom when she was researching spiders right before she died." Unfortunately, it's not for a much better reason.
On January 9, DiscussingFilm shared the international poster for the next installment in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) on X, formerly known as Twitter, giving fans their first look at Cassandra Webb's (Dakota Johnson) Madame Web outfit. It's a red number with multiple webs circulating throughout the chest in an overly designed manner, and fans online are comparing it unfavorably to a superhero suit one might see on a TV series rather than in a feature film.
New international poster for 'MADAME WEB'. pic.twitter.com/eHWaKH2zBu
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) January 10, 2024
"God that looks like an awful CW show," @NicholasLightTV stated bluntly. However, while it may not be the sleekest fit, others don't mind how it looks more low-budget. For instance, @LachesisHD is a fan, admitting, "It really is a bit 'CW-ish' but honestly I kinda like it." Still, setting aside Dakota Johnson's look, "Madame Web" kind of has "CW show" written all over it.
Madame Web has been compared with the CW from the first trailer
The release of Madame Web's final costume isn't the first time the film has been linked to the CW's Arrowverse. From its melodramatic tone to occasionally clunky dialogue, the "Madame Web" trailer was already getting a lot of criticism for looking inferior to more modern superhero projects. And it wasn't entirely unwarranted, as @Daren_Mcclimans explained in November 2023: "Everyone is saying that #MadameWeb reminds them of the CW shows. & I agree. But like that's not necessarily a negative. It has that small[-]scale charm, using adjacent characters because we can't use the main ones vibes and honestly I think it looks like a lot of fun."
The entire SSU is built on not featuring Spider-Man, instead utilizing lesser-known Marvel characters loosely connected to the Webhead, which is not entirely unlike the CW having a Batwoman show instead of a Batman one. As an example of just how deep the studio is pulling from, "Madame Web" uses Ezekiel Sims as an "evil Spider-Man." Beyond that, the film has similar sensibilities to the CW's "Supergirl" in that it's centered on a female protagonist who gets assistance from other heroines.
"Madame Web" clearly isn't trying to win Oscars. If it ends up being a fun time, it'll be a success. And even then, there are plenty of people who like CW-esque costumes, like @SmashTriviaJohn, who said, "I don't understand the people who say Madame Web looks CW because of the costumes as an insult when the CW DC shows killed it with their costumes!" All things considered, the Arrowverse was popular for a decade, so it's not inherently a bad reference point if Sony is indeed using it as a reference map.