Summary
Sony recently launched its first trailer forMadame Web, givingSpider-Manfans a look at the live-action debut of the clairvoyant Cassandra Webb. The young EMT, played by Dakota Johnson, becomes an integral part of Spider-Man’s future, seeing all strands of the Web of Life and Destiny. More importantly, fans get a glimpse at someone clad in a red and black suit that looks remarkably similar to one worn by Peter Parker. However, it’s not Peter Park who’s lifting people off their feet and throwing them across a diner in this trailer. That’sEzekiel Sims.
Ezekiel Sims is an incredibly wealthy man in the comics who fought alongside Spider-Man for a number of years. Tahar Rahim (A Prophet) fills those shoes, or lack thereof, inMadame Webin a drastically different capacity. The trailer shows Ezekiel attempt to murder three other young women, prompting Cassandra Webb to intervene and prepare them to defend themselves. Just who is Ezekiel Sims, and how did he get the same powers as Spider-Man?
J. Michael Straczynskii and John Romita Jr.
Last Appearance
Amazing Spider-Man #508 (2004)
Wearing a moretwisted version of Peter Parker’sspider-suit in theMadame Web,Ezekiel Sims shares many similar abilities with the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. However, he lacks Parker’s technological prowess, which is to say that he lacks web-shooters. So don’t expect to see Sims swinging around Manhattan like Parker. Despite his appearance in the trailer, Sims isn’t as antagonistic in the comics as he appears to be here. He does kidnap one person, but that’s because he’s protecting her.
Unlike Peter Parker, Sims wasn’t bitten by a radioactive spider to receive his powers. Instead, he received his gifts in a more mystical fashion. He visited a Spider-Temple and participated in a ritual that gifted him with the same abilities as New York’s Spider-Man. He also uncovered much of the lore behindSpider-Man and the other Spider-Totems, which made him privy to the existence of the Spider-Gods. And they weren’t happy with Sims turning himself into a totem.
Sims introduced himself to Peter and taught him everything related to the Spider-Totems and gods. He even helped Cindy Moon (another Spider-Totem who used the crimefighting alias “Silk”) evade an enemy of the totems that traveled the multiverse, hunting and killing Spider-Totems.Sims acted as Parker’s mentoruntil the Gatekeeper came for him. Sims told his pupil that the Gatekeeper was after Parker, when it really wanted Sims because he was never chosen as a totem.
Ezekiel attempted to sacrifice Parker to keep his abilities, but through a kind of mind-meld, Ezekiel saw he wasn’t worthy. He realized that he wasted his life to gain wealth, unlike Peter, who risked his life daily tosave the people of New York City. This prompted him to sacrifice himself to the Gatekeeper, sparing Peter.
Notable Differences Between Madame Web Movie and Comics
There are two drastic changes from his comic book origins that fans immediately see in the Madame Web trailer. For starters, the movie version of Ezekiel Sims is considerably younger than his comic book counterpart. His comic version has a head full of gray hair. While the trailer shows instances of Sims looking more like his comic book version, it’s unknown if those are glimpses of his future or exactly what’s happening there.
The second significant change is Ezekiel donning ared and black spider-suit. Sims' original introduction and comic storyline don’t give theEarth-616 versionof the character his own spandex suit. That privilege is left for Earth-4’s version of Ezekiel Sims, who dons a red and black suit after his Peter Parker dies. Instead, Earth-616’s Ezekiel Sims runs around in a business suit without shoes, allowing himself to climb walls. He’s also frequently seen without a shirt. The trailer shows the cinematic iteration of the character wandering around without shoes multiple times, maintaining some comic book accuracy.
Additionally, the trailer hints at Ezekiel wielding some abilities he doesn’t exhibit in the comics. When he lifts Celeste O’Connor’s character by the neck, a web of black veins can be seen stretching across her cheek before he throws her onto a table. Additionally, Sims exclaims to Miss Web:
You have no idea what those girls become.
This insinuates that he knows about the future. The titular hero reinforces this possibility when she says:
I think he can see into the future.
Ezekiel Sims knows a lot about the Spider-Totems in each dimension, but clairvoyance and precognition were never gifts he exhibited. He also neverencountered Madame Web in the comics. He might have known about her existence, but the two never met. While there’s plenty fans can gleam from reading his storyline in the comics, Sony was smart to make subtle changes to him so they don’t know the whole story before the movie debuts.
