Madame Web Easter Eggs Pay Tribute to the Character’s Creators

Madame Web made its debut in theaters last week, spotlighting a number of Marvel Comics heroines who haven’t previously gotten their due onscreen. The film chronicles the origin story of Cassandra “Cassie” Webb (Dakota Johnson), who grows to become the clairvoyant blind superhero Madame Web. Across the story of Madame Web, the film ended up paying tribute to Cassie’s original comic creators. Spoilers for Madame Web lurk below! Only look if you want to know!

Early on in Madame Web, as Cassie grappling with her unsettling superpowers, she and her fellow paramedics are tasked with tending to the victims of an explosion nearby the docks. Through her abilities, Cassie accidentally gets a vision of her performing CPR on her coworker, O’Neil (Mike Epps). Sure enough, even though Cassie advises him not to drive his ambulance into what will ultimately be a deadly head-on collision, O’Neil passes away, and his death sends Cassie into a depressive episode. While O’Neil’s first name is not said in the film, his last name is a clear reference to writer and co-creator Dennis O’Neil.

Later on in the film, Cassie and her wards are trying to outrun Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim) by luring him into a fireworks factory. The crates of explosives in the fireworks factory are branded “Romita” — a nod to artist John Romita Jr., who co-created the original character of Madame Web alongside O’Neil. O’Neil and Romita’s first take on Madame Web was in 1980’s The Amazing Spider-Man #210, an issue that saw her form an unlikely alliance with Peter Parker / Spider-Man.

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 also stars 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 also in the cast.

“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.”

What do you think of Madame Web‘s Easter eggs to Dennis O’Neil and John Romita Jr.? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Madame Web is now playing exclusively in theaters.