Isabela Merced is joining forces with Dakota Johnson for a new entry in Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man-inspired film universe. Madame Web is set to hit theaters next year in a story that mixes aspects of other movies like The Terminator and Happy Death Day into Sony’s most unique property based on a Marvel character yet.
Dakota Johnson stars as Madame Web in the official trailer, a New York City paramedic who is inexplicably gifted the power of clairvoyance. However, she can use these abilities to turn back time and retry events until they work in her favor. She uses these abilities to protect three young women, Anya Corazón (Isabela Merced), Julia Carpenter (Sydney Sweeney), and Mattie Franklin (Celeste O’Connor), from a terrifying Spider-Man lookalike known as Ezekiel Simms (Tahar Rahim).
In the Marvel Comics, Anya Corazón gained abilities similar to Spider-Man not by a spider bite but by being chosen by a member of a group known as the Spider Society. As a member of a society that worshipped spider deities, Anya’s powers were more supernatural than her other allies. After she became Spider-Girl, she worked with other Spider-Women like Julia Carpenter and Mattie Franklin. She is also Puerto Rican and Mexican.
The trailer hasn’t revealed much in the way of Anya’s abilities. However, some lines of dialogue and glimpses of her Spider-Girl outfit were shown, and fans have already expressed excitement and support for Merced’s turn as the Marvel superhero, proving the hype already building around Madame Web.
Isabela Merced is already no stranger to big-name franchises, as she has been confirmed to play Hawkgirl in the upcoming James Gunn-directed Superman: Legacy. However, her turn as Anya Corazón is just as special as Madame Web serves as a great foundation to explore a Latina heroine that’s rarely explored in movies and television.