Tahar Rahim, who plays Ezekiel Sims in the film 'Madame Web', turned to the comics to prepare for his role. Rahim aimed to incorporate as much of the character's backstory from the comics as possible, portraying him as a young boy who was abandoned and mistreated, leading him to become a selfish man seeking power. Ezekiel Sims was created by J. Michael Straczynski and John Romita Jr. in The Amazing Spider-Man #30 in 2001. He is a wealthy man who gained superpowers through the Spider-Totem and has teamed up with Spider-Man on multiple occasions.
In 'Madame Web', Rahim's character, Ezekiel Sims, serves as the antagonist. The film also introduces several other Spider-Women characters. The movie focuses on the origin story of Madame Web, played by Dakota Johnson. The producer, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, described it as a fresh take on the character's origin. 'Madame Web' is currently playing exclusively in theaters.
Madame Web is a character tied to Spider-Man and is often portrayed as a hero in the comics, using her clairvoyant abilities to aid him. The Madame Web movie introduces a new villain, Ezekiel Sims, who has a connection to Madame Web and gains spider-like powers through stolen research. The movie changes Madame Web's age and background, but her morality as a hero remains the same. In the comics, Madame Web is a hero who aids Spider-Man using her clairvoyant abilities. Her real name is Cassandra Webb, and her psychic powers are due to her being a mutant. Madame Web's powers were eventually transferred to Julia Carpenter, the second Spider-Woman. The movie version of Madame Web, played by Dakota Johnson, is a younger woman who lacks the blindness and disabling myasthenia gravis of the character in the comics. She is a paramedic in New York and not a mutant. The movie also changes the villain, Ezekiel Sims, who in the comics is an ally to Spider-Man but is portrayed as a villain in the movie. The movie suggests a connection between Ezekiel and Cassandra Webb's mother, who was researching spiders in the Amazon. Ezekiel gains his powers by stealing a mysterious spider. The movie hints at a possible connection to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a future solo Spider-Man film. Madame Web is in theaters now.
According to a review by Amy Diaz from Hippopress.com, the movie 'Madame Web' follows the story of a paramedic named Cassie Webb who gains the ability to see into the future after briefly dying. She experiences strong premonitions, including seeing a friend killed in a car crash. Cassie boards a train and finds herself in a car with three teen girls who will one day become superpowered women. Ezekiel Sims, a bad guy looking for a spider with healing properties, wants to kill the girls before they gain their powers. Cassie, with her newfound ability, saves the girls from Ezekiel's attack. The movie, however, is poorly executed and the visual effects are subpar. 'Madame Web' is rated PG-13 for violence/action and language. Directed by S.J. Clarkson, the movie is distributed by Columbia Pictures. [403075cc]