Madame Web introduces one of the most important characters in Spider-Man’s lore and he seems to be different from the comics.
Madame Web was not among the Spider-Man characters expected to become a movie. Furthermore, no one thought the trailer would look good. Yet here we are. Madame Web is happening, and the first preview looks fantastic.
One question this writer had was who the antagonist was going to be. Madame Web doesn’t have a popular nemesis like the Green Goblin, and she isn’t a well-known character. That means whoever the heroes faced had to be two things. They needed to look cool and be important to the Spider-Man lore. The creative team couldn’t have picked a better person for this story than Ezekiel Sims.
Who is Ezekiel Sims to Spider-Man?
The idea of Spider-Man’s powers being mystical started in J. Michael Straczynski’s Amazing Spider-Man: Coming Home.
In this series, Ezekiel made his first appearance and asked Peter Parker an important question. What came first? The radiation or the powers? This leads to Marvel reinventing everyone connected to Spider-Man. Now, everyone under the Spider-Totem is connected. It also sparks a host of new ideas for anyone with spider-powers.
Ezekiel and Peter became friends quickly. Peter motivated Zeke to do more with his vast fortune. In return, Ezekiel continued to help Spidey and Peter. There was even a moment where Ezekiel talked Mary Jane into auditioning for Broadway. It seemed like Peter gained a new ally who understood him like no one else could. As predicted, this concludes with Ezekiel not being who he seemed.
Ezekiel wasn’t chosen to have these powers. This made him a pretender of the Spider-Totem. In order to not be killed by the Gatekeeper, he had to sacrifice Peter. Before Spider-Man could be killed, Ezekiel’s mind was linked to his. Zeke saw all the great things Spider-Man did in his life and realized he squandered his powers. Ezekiel immediately gives himself to the Gatekeeper so Spider-Man could live his life.
Madame Web offers up a different spin on Ezekiel from the comics
The Madame Web trailer shows a different Ezekiel.
First, he’s played by a much younger Tahar Rahim. However, there’s a moment in the trailer where he has gray hair. This means Ezekiel is older than he looks. However, there’s another part to pay attention to. Zeke seemed to be taking the life force from Mattie Franklin (played by Celeste O’Connor) at the beginning of the trailer. This could hint at something more nefarious. Ezekiel could be one of the Inheritors.
Having Ezekiel be just a guy with Spider-Powers isn’t enough. Making him one of the vampiric inheritors adds another layer of danger and evil to him. He needs their life force to survive and he’s willing to hurt or kill someone to stay alive. This also explains why Zeke’s hair was gray at one point and why he’s going after spider-totems. Stealing their life force keeps him young.
If Ezekiel isn’t an Inheritor in Madame Web, this could be how he hides from the Gatekeeper. With their essence, he can stay undetected. Theirs is pure while his is somewhat artificial. It may be enough to hide what he truly is. This explains his desperation to go after Madame Web and her wards and why he looks 30 when he’s probably closer to 80.
Whatever he is, Ezekiel will help Madame Web be the best movie possible.