Madame Web’s Most Infamous Trailer Line Isn’t Even in the Movie

Madame Web is struggling with fans and critics, many of whom say that its talented cast are wasted in a movie that has an interesting concept but a bland, sloppy execution. Maybe the first sign that the movie was going to be in trouble was the audience response to its trailer in November. Back then, social media hyper-fixated on one awkward moment from the trailer, when Dakota Johnson delivered the line “He was in the Amazon with my mom when she was researching spiders right before she died.” The inherent silliness of the exposition line, combined with the disinterested way Johnson delivered it, made it an instant meme.

Now that the movie is out, fans hoping to gauge whether the infamous line is better in the context of the movie will be disappointed and baffled to learn that it didn’t make the final cut. The viral line isn’t even in the movie.

Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised by its absence; after all, earlier this week, video emerged of Johnson saying she was totally oblivious to the online controversy surrounding the line.

“Why did that go viral?” Johnson asked an interviewer who brought it up. “Somebody brought this up and I have no idea what it’s about. But isn’t any sentence out of context…out of context? What a silly thing….’He was in the Amazon researching spiders with my mom before she died.’ That seems like a basic storyline to me, but maybe I’m just underneath it.”

What Is Madame Web About?

Based on the character of the same name from the pages of Marvel Comics, Madame Web is another Spider-Man adjacent project from Sony Pictures but it’s unclear how much connectivity the movie will have to the friendly neighborhood webslinger. Sony Pictures describes Madame Web as follows: 

“In a switch from the typical genre, Madame Web tells the standalone origin story of one of Marvel publishing’s most enigmatic heroines. The suspense-driven thriller stars Dakota Johnson as Cassandra Webb, a paramedic in Manhattan who develops the power to see the future… and realizes she can use that insight to change it. Forced to confront revelations about her past, she forges a relationship with three young women bound for powerful destinies…if they can all survive a deadly present.”

Who Is in the Cast of Madame Web?

In addition to Johnson, Madame Web also stars Sydney Sweeney as Julia Carpenter / Spider-Woman, Isabela Merced as Anya Corazon / Spider-Woman, and Celeste O’Connor as Mattie Franklin / Spider-Woman. Madame Web’s cast also includes Tahar Rahim as Ezekiel Sims, with Mike Epps, Emma Roberts, Adam Scott, and Zosia Mamet in undisclosed roles.

Madame Web is in theaters today.