Dakota Johnson Wanted Madame Web to Be Primal and Scrappy

Madame Web was recently released in theaters, adding yet another title to the tapestry of live-action Marvel movies. The film, which is part of Sony's Spider-Man Universe, tells a story around Cassandra "Cassie" Webb (Dakota Johnson), a paramedic who becomes an unlikely superhero after accidentally triggering her precognition powers. In a recent interview with ComicBook.com, Johnson spoke about the unique experience of crafting Cassie's fighting style, while showing the strength of her powers in the processs.

"That was actually really fun for me because, I feel like, typically, you see a superhero and their physicality is the thing that makes them recognizable," Johnson explained in our interview, which you can check out above. "But with Madame Web, it's her mind, and her fighting is scrappy. She's just a human fighting. And because she grew up in the foster system, I wanted her to be really kind of primal and scrappy and tough, and grab bottles and knives and whatever is around to defend herself with. It felt really wild and natural to her."

Who Is Madame Web?

Created by Dennis O'Neil and John Romita Jr. in 1980's The Amazing Spider-Man #210, the comic version of Cassandra plays a distinct role in the Spider-Verse landscape. As an adult woman, Cassandra was diagnosed with Myasthenia gravis, which left her paralyzed and blind. Her husband, Jonathan Webb, created a life support system to help her survive, which just so happens to look like a spider web.

There, Cassandra uses her various superpowers — telepathy, clairvoyance, and seeing the future — to help various superheroes. She not only forms a bond with Spider-Man, but she becomes a mentor to Mattie Franklin when she takes on her role of the third Spider-Woman. Cassandra is then captured and killed by the family of Kraven the Hunter, just after she transfers her superpowers to Julia Carpenter.

What Is Madame Web About?

In Madame Web, Cassandra "Cassie" Webb (Dakota Johnson) is forced to confront her past while trying to survive with three young women with powerful futures who are being hunted by a deadly adversary. In addition to Johnson, Madame Web will also star Sydney Sweeney as Julia Cornwall / Spider-Woman, Isabela Merced as Anya Corazon / Spider-Woman, and Celeste O'Connor as Mattie Franklin / Spider-Woman. The film will also star Tahar Rahim as Ezekiel Sims, with Mike Epps, Emma Roberts, Adam Scott, and Zosia Mamet cast in currently-unknown roles.

"It's really the story of Madame Web," producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura previously told ComicBook.com. "So, in that respect, if you're a Spider-Man fan, you're gonna love the character because you know it from the comic books, which she doesn't really have that big a character in the comic books, we're doing the origin story of Madame Web. And so you meet her before she's actually the person that you know in the comic book and you come to understand how she becomes that person. So, I think that'll be a really fresh new terrain for the fans."

Is Madame Web Connected to Spider-Man?

In a recent interview, Madame Web director S.J. Clarkson confirmed that the film is not directly connected to any previous live-action incarnations of Spider-Man, despite theories from fans hoping for the contrary.

"She's definitely in a standalone world," Clarkson told the outlet. "I was able to just have free rein and let the movie be what it needed to be, as opposed to trying to force it into something else. That was a gift, in a way, to be able to take something and bring a fresh and I hope original take to it."

Are you excited for Madame Web? What do you think of Dakota Johnson's new comments? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Madame Web is now playing exclusively in theaters.