In comic book movies, oftentimes the antagonists are the most important piece of the puzzle, as they are the most blatant foils for the heroes and strongly and actively challenge their ideals. Sadly, the villain of “Madame Web” is perhaps one of its weakest qualities, choosing the character of Ezekiel Sims to be Cassie’s foe, but he’s not a very intimidating one. The character played by Tahar Rahim bears few resemblances to his comic book counterpart, as he’s also a successful businessman who has gained similar powers to Spider-Man.
Audiences are introduced to Ezekiel early on, though his motivations are pretty vague. He inadvertently kills Cassie’s mom while trying to steal a mutated Peruvian spider, and when he’s seen later on in the future (albeit, he hasn’t aged a day), he possesses a venomous touch and can crawl on walls. Ezekiel can also see the future, having constant night terrors presaging his own death by Spider-Women, causing him to hunt the trio of teenage girls down to kill them before they get their powers.
However, audiences may struggle to understand Ezekiel. He claims to have come from nothing but never elaborates. He’s a rich businessman, but his actual profession is unexplained. Furthermore, in his visions of his death, he appears as an old man, so why is he in such a rush to kill off this trio of Spider-Women now?
